The New England Patriots appear to have a big question mark at the kicker position.
A week after missing one of his three field-goal attempts in a 20-13 loss, sixth-round draft pick Andy Borregales has missed both extra points he has attempted so far today against the Miami Dolphins in the same stadium he played in as a member of the Miami Hurricanes.
The misses led Sports Illustrated's Mike Kadlick to declare that the Patriots “have a kicker problem.”
Borregales was drafted with the 182nd overall pick in this year's draft, making him the first kicker or punter taken. In camp, he beat out Parker Romo to become the Patriots' lone kicker on the roster. Romo was signed this week by the Atlanta Falcons to replace the struggling Younghoe Koo.
A four-year starter at Miami, Borregales missed just one of his 184 extra-point attempts, although it should be noted that college football PATs are still snapped from the 3-yard line, not the 15 like in the NFL. Still, Borregales made 18 of his 19 field goals last year, with his only miss coming from 40 yards out in the first game of the season vs. Florida. Like today's road game for the Patriots, the trip to Gainesville was Borregales and Miami's first away game of the year.
While it would be unusual for a team to cut bait, so to speak, so quickly on a player they drafted, kickers have particularly short leashes in the NFL. Koo and Jake Moody were both replaced this week, with Moody being outright released, amid kicking woes and despite great success in the past.
Free-agent kickers are (quite literally) hit or miss, but the Patriots, if they were to move on from Borregales, would certainly be hoping for something as good as what their AFC East rival, the Buffalo Bills, got from 41-year-old Matt Prater in Week 1. Prater, who tore his meniscus at age 40 last season with the Arizona Cardinals, made his debut for Buffalo just three days after signing with the team following an injury to Tyler Bass. Prater made each of his two PATs and three field goals, including the 32-yard game-winner, vs. the Baltimore Ravens.
