Borregale connected on all three of his field goals.
As Mike Vrabel fielded a question Monday morning on rookie kicker Andy Borregales, the Patriots head coach made sure to knock on the wooden press conference stand.
When it came to his kicker, Vrabel was not looking for any jinxes.
In a low-scoring 16-3 wild-card win, Borregales connected on all three of his fields-goal attempts inside a windy Gillette Stadium. The rookie’s three kicks accounted for the Patriots’ first nine points of the game, which ultimately proved to be the difference.
“He’s another skill guy. He scores points,” Stefon Diggs said of Borregales. “He’s contributing to the team and he’s doing his job. This kind of goes unnoticed, but those guys have a pretty hard job in my opinion. I don’t think I could do it, but they’re playing at a high level as well. It’s kind of like a quiet high level because it’s not as exciting, but I feel like down the stretch it’s helped us, it’s helped us throughout the season.”
The season didn’t start on such a high note for Borregales, who missed a field goal in the regular-season opener before failing to connect on a pair of extra points the following week in Miami. That performance served as an eye-opener for the rookie.
“That was obviously the lowest point of this season,” he said. “I look back and honestly I wouldn’t change a single thing. Really it’s just something you got too, I guess, growing pains you could say. You’re just going out there and learning from my mistakes, like don’t do it again, and then just from that point on just have fun.”
From there, Borregales missed just four kicks the rest of the season and connected on several high-leverage attempts, such as a game-winning 52-yard field goal in Buffalo.
That success continued with the three makes Sunday night in his playoff debut.
“I have to calm myself down from being too excited,” Borregales said of his first postseason action. “I don’t like to be too high or too low. Just kind of stay neutral, just so I can really go out there and not really worry about anything and just do my job at the end of the day.”
With the Patriots returning to Gillette Stadium for the divisional round against the Texans next Sunday, Vrabel will again look to avoid jinxes and rely on his rookie kicker to deliver when called upon.
“First of all, his demeanor, I think, has been great. It’s been consistent,” Vrabel said. “Just keep kicking, keep learning, practicing, kicking in the elements and kicking on a different side. It doesn’t really seem that things affect him. So, again, all the credit to Andy for remaining consistent mentally. He has made some big kicks for us, so I’m sure that that’s helped his confidence.”
Category: General Sports
