FOXBOROUGH -- With the move to place Stephen Gostkowski on injured reserve, the Patriots brought in a number of kickers for workouts in the middle of the week and ultimately settled on veteran Mike Nugent.
Speaking Friday at his end of week press conference, Bill Belichick explained what into picking Nugent.
“Mike has a lot of experience. Felt like he was the best option," he said.
The coach also said the workout on Wednesday had a lot to do with the decision.
"A lot on the workout, just seeing where the kicker is currently," he said. "But, the past has some relevance, too. It was a combination. I think it would be hard to sign somebody at the position that didn’t kick well in a workout. There would have to be a lot of other things in place that would have to override that, I would think.”
Nugent, 37, has kicked for eight teams, most recently the Raiders last season, but was placed on IR in September following suffering a hip injury in Week 3. In 2017, he split his season between the Bears and Cowboys.
Belichick also had high praise for Gostkowski, while offering belief in Nugent.
“Through the years we have had a lot of stability, there’s no doubt about that," he said. "But, look, some things happen and you have to make changes. Like any other position you do the best you can. Steve Gostkowski is one of the greatest kickers of all-time. He’s been great for this franchise. Unfortunately, he’s not available so we’ll move on. Mike has done a good job. He has a lot of experience. I have a lot of confidence in Mike, or else we wouldn’t have signed him. Is he different than Steve? Yeah. We’ll see how it goes.”
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