Pats Pulpit
The competition for the place kicker job was one of the tightest on the New England Patriots’ roster this summer. Rookie challenger Andy Borregales and veteran Parker Romo went head-to-head for most of training camp and preseason, with seemingly neither of them setting himself apart from the other.
Ultimately, a decision had to be made. It fell on Borregales, who found out he had won the job via social media; he received word that Romo had been waived, suggesting that he had come away victoriously.
There was a fairly straight-forward reason for that, according to Mike Vrabel.
“I think just the entire body of work, we felt like Andy was going to be our kicker,” the Patriots’ head coach explained during a press conference on Wednesday.
A two-time first-team All-ACC selection during his career at the University of Miami, Borregales joined the Patriots as the 182nd overall selection in this year’s draft. The highest-selected of the two kickers who heard their names called this year entered a kicking situation that was very much a blank slate.
While Romo had been with the team since December, when the career journeyman was added to its practice squad, he only had 20 combined kicking attempts in the NFL on his résumé. His edge in experience was therefore marginal, allowing the youngster to come in and immediately challenge for the top spot in New England.
“I thought it was competitive,” said Vrabel about the battle between the two.
Borregales and Romo fought a close battle in practice over the summer that continued into preseason. While the rookie made field goals of 22, 51 and 30 yards as well as all six of his extra points, he also badly missed a 57-yarder against Minnesota and another kick from 49 yards out in the finale versus the New York Giants.
Romo, meanwhile, split the uprights from 57 yards out against Washington in the preseason opener, followed by a 22-yarder the following week against his ex-club, the Vikings. He also went a perfect 3-for-3 on point-after tries.
Despite Romo’s superior statistical performance in preseason, he did not win the job. Neither did he earn a spot on the Patriots’ initial practice squad, despite making it through waivers unclaimed.
“I thought Parker really improved from the spring to the summer,” Vrabel said. “I appreciate Parker’s competitiveness and how he worked, and I wish him well. Those are always difficult decisions, and we’re going to do everything we can to support Andy, and he knows he’s got to make them. That’s the job of the kicker. You’ve got to make them, and I expect that he will.”
