Mayo, Gostkowski preseason bright spots

Despite all the coverage this preseason about injuries along the offensive line, injuries in the secondary, poor back-up QB play, and Tom Brady’s foot (again), the Patriots have had a couple of bright spots, one being rookie inside linebacker Jerod Mayo, and the other being kicker Stephen Gostkowski. Both players have been able to distinguish themselves through solid play to give Patriot fans some hope moving towards the regular season.

Mayo, despite being a rookie, has lined up with the first team defense every preseason game and just about every training camp practice after the first week. He has played well enough to keep newcomer veteran Victor Hobson and Patriots veteran Eric Alexander on the sidelines, despite being in a defense that favors proven veterans, especially at linebacker.
Mayo is listed in Sports Illustrated’s “NFL Preseason Stars” list, noting that he has averaged “nearly 8 tackles a game.” He’s also averaging about 5 solo tackles per game, an indication that he can handle stopping opposing players on his own, an overlooked but very important statistic. Poor tackling is a rampant disease in today’s NFL, and we have certainly seen plenty of that so far in Pats preseason games. Luckily, the future at inside linebacker doesn’t suffer from such a disease.
Kicker Stephen Gostkowski came into the preseason with some question marks surrounding him. Recall in the Super Bowl that Belichick passed up the chance to kick about a 45-yard field goal and went for it on 4th down,