[Lefty Noob]

From the "what were they thinking" department... the New England Patriots have signed kicker Martin Gramatica, who was out of football all of last year, as a potential replacement (and I use that term in the loosest sense) for Adam Vinatieri. Sure, he's a former Pro Bowler, but in his last year, he went 11-of-19 on field goal attempts and was cut before the end of the year.

Terrible signing, if you ask me. Comic relief value is high, though...

[ThePundit]

Totally Agreed Lefty. I'm sure they'll bring in other kickers to camp.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

From the "what were they thinking" department... the New England Patriots have signed kicker Martin Gramatica, who was out of football all of last year, as a potential replacement (and I use that term in the loosest sense) for Adam Vinatieri. Sure, he's a former Pro Bowler, but in his last year, he went 11-of-19 on field goal attempts and was cut before the end of the year.

Terrible signing, if you ask me. Comic relief value is high, though...

Gramatica when on has a high upside and a long distance leg...its worth a gamble...kickers are for the most part a special brand of flaky...you never know when they will be on again.

[Lefty Noob]

I just don't see it working. But hey, I guess Belichick's earn the benefit of a doubt. Still, I agree with Pundit - they'll probably bring in another kicker or two for a tryout, maybe even snag one late in the draft.

[Wizard of Os]

Yes, but check out the other Patriots signing today:

Tebucky Jones!

Great to have you back, Tebucky...you never looked right in those other uniforms. And damn, do we need help in the secondary...

What worries me about both these guys is their histories with injuries. Okay, Tebucky's been relatively healthy. Except he missed half of last year. Gramatica has been out of the game for a season, and his head wasn't in the game the season before that. The espn report was hilarious on this, reporting that Martin "is said to be healthy again." (Nice use of the passive in that particular example of English gramatica.) What the Pats need less than anything after last season is frailty.

Clearly, they're spinning the wheel on Gramatica, but i'm thinking Tebucky will be a sweet readdition...

Cheers.