He explained a scenario where Bill Belichick taught him the value of a kicker when Licht was a scout with the Patriots.
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“None of us had the kicker, Stephen Gostkowski, in our top 10 — even though he was an excellent kicker,” Licht said via pewterreport.com. “After we were done, Bill said, ‘Nobody wants to put Gostkowski in our top 10? Why, just because he’s a kicker?’ Bill made us ‘rethink that’ and he got his point across. He said, ‘You tell me 10 other players that are more important than him’”
Licht remembered a moment last season when he watched Kyle Brindza miss five field goals and two extra points in back-to-back losses to the Panthers and Texans as the moment he realized he needed a kicker.
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“It was an eye-opening moment for me. I had been around Adam Vinatieri and Gostkowski and those are two of the best,” Licht added. “I know how good of a feeling that is to have a guy like that when you know that a lot of the games are going to come down to field goals — a lot of the games come down to the kicker.”
Tampa Bay took Aguayo 59th overall, which certainly is high for a kicker. But if he produces like Gostkowski, the pick will be vindicated.
