Gostkowski will not be haunted by ghost of Vinatieri

By Steve Ginsburg

PHOENIX (Reuters) - New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski refuses to live in the shadow of Super Bowl hero Adam Vinatieri.

"He kicked here, he went to another team, they brought me in," said Gostkowski. "It's as simple as that."

While the second-year kicker speaks of his predecessor matter-of-factly, Vinatieri will always have deity status with Patriots fans after his two Super Bowl game-winning kicks.

"I never kicked with him, it's not like I backed him up," Gostkowski told Reuters Thursday. "It's not like I was a freshman and he was a senior in college and I was trying to steal his position.

"His name has been muttered faintly throughout our locker room the last two years I was here and I never felt like I had to live up to anything.

"It never was and never will be an issue."

It might be an issue with Patriots fans should Gostkowski have any missteps Sunday when the unbeaten Patriots face the two-touchdown underdog New York Giants in the Super Bowl.

Gostkowski has performed superbly since Vinatieri left the Patriots for the Indianapolis Colts as a free agent. He has converted 21 of 24 field goals during the regular season and 42 of 46 since November 5, 2006.

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Patriots coach Bill Belichick never looked back after Vinatieri left town.

"We all know in free agency, players leave teams," he said. "That happens every year."

"Steve has done an excellent job for us last year and this year both in his kickoffs and his field goals. We have confidence in him. He made some big kicks for us."

"Nobody works harder at his job than Steve does. He's got a good temperament for the game."

The 24-year-old Gostkowski never thought about the NFL growing up in Louisiana.

"I had no care in the world back in high school," he said. Football was the last thing on my mind. I was playing baseball and soccer just trying to get a scholarship."  Continued...