"The New England Patriots have a void at kicker for the first time since drafting Stephen Gostkowski in 2006, but that isn't completely unchartered territory for the franchise. Bill Belichick parted ways with Super Bowl hero Adam Vinatieri, the Patriots' kicker for 10 seasons, prior to drafting Gostkowski in the fourth round of the 2006 draft -- and now the question is, could things come full circle?"
Tony Eason helped lead the Patriots to a superbowl let's draft his son. Randy Moss helped lead the Patriots to an undefeated season and a superbowl, let's draft his son. Adam Vinatieri kicked some superbowl winning field goals let's draft his nephew. That seems to be the mentality of Patriots Nation this draft year. I wonder if Marshall New house has a kid in the draft.
"With Gostkowski cut, there's a chance that he could be replaced by with a very familiar name. Chase Vinatieri, who is Adam Vinatieri's nephew, played at South Dakota State just like his uncle and is among the kicker prospects in this year's draft (though he's not among our top 10, which you can check out here). The Patriots have worked with Chase's kicking instructor Mike McCabe, who also worked with punter Ryan Allen during the pre-draft process. Allen was the Patriots punter from 2013 to 2018." Said Kerr.
The Patriots might have had an extra scout working at South Dakota State. One thing Belichick likes to do is cozy up to college coaches. He finds ways for it to benefit him. Prior to this week, nobody was talking the name Vinatieri in New England, now he's the best thing since sliced bread.
"From watching the draft the last few years, maybe one, two or three kickers get drafted, and so realistically, it's more likely I'll be an undrafted free agent," Chase Vinatieri said to ESPN. "I'm definitely OK if that's what it is. I'm just looking for a team to give me an opportunity."
Few Kickers get an opportunity, and too many teams hold on to bad kickers. Hopefully, the young buck gets a chance to prove himself. After watching him run, a team might try him at receiver. Belichick loves players that are versatile, just ask Minitron.
If Chase Vinatieri, a 50% accuracy kicker with a leg that can hit near 60 yards doesn't inspire anyone, Kerr adds. "Adam Vinatieri hit 81.9% of his kicks in his 10 seasons with the Patriots, including game-winning field goals in Super Bowl XXXVI and Super Bowl XXXVII. He's second on the Patriots' all-time scoring list with 1,158 points."
That's superbowl hero Adam Vinatieri, not sure how it applies to his nephew's college career or ability but okay. Thanks Jeff.
I have nothing against Chase but we see people ride off their last name in Sports all the time. That's an unreliable talent measurement. We all know stats don't tell everything, and I could not find a real scouting article on Chase.
However, I did find a decent scouting video. Which I'll share the link with. Trust your eyes, not the last name. "The Patriots signed Adam Vinatieri as an undrafted free agent in 1996. Perhaps they take the same chance on Chase." The kid looks good, maybe the Patriots will roll the dice, if they cannot get Blankenship.
Here is the link to the scouting video on Chase Vinatieri from One On One Kicking. https://youtu.be/MPIVnzJImsA
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