Mike Nugent's debut with the Patriots on Sunday didn't go exactly how he planned.
The veteran kicker, who was signed last week to replace Stephen Gostkowski, missed his first extra point attempt, but then bounced back and made his next three extra points, while adding two field goals.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Nugent said the miss was unacceptable.
“It’s just one of those things I can’t stand — and I can probably speak for every kicker,” he said. “To see my teammates go down and expect seven points and I only give them six is something that I just don’t find acceptable, and it gives me something to work on, definitely, this week. I think it’s always good to bounce back and hit some short ones and hit the rest of them, but it’s just like a golfer, you’re thinking of the shot you want back. I’m going to work on it this week and make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
Nugent added: “I just needed to loosen up a little bit and get a little bit of the rust off. (The final five kicks) felt good. And looking back on the day, I think I did a great job just learning from that one. When you’re just a little bit more relaxed and don’t try to aim the ball, just swing through it and it’s going to go.”
After the game, Bill Belichick did not indicate he would reevaluate the position this week with Younghoe Koo on the practice squad.
With that being said, Nugent knows misses cannot happen.
“I don’t expect to miss kicks like that, and I never want to ever again,” he said. “So it just takes a lot of work to make sure you get out there and just hit the same ball, and I think I did that consistently the rest of the game. I hate to be in the locker room thinking I want one kick back, but if you don’t learn from it, you’re not any good at this game. “And even though this is my 15th year doing it, there’s always the pursuit of getting better, and luckily I have guys that I don’t have to worry about anything when I go out for the field goal or extra point. I know everyone else is going to do their job, and I’ve just got to make sure I do mine.”
The Patriots are the 37-year-olds ninth NFL team.
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