Bill Belichick Acknowledges Patriots ‘Needed To Make A Change’ At Kicker
FOXBORO, Mass. — Bill Belichick confirmed Wednesday that the New England Patriots have swapped kickers. That in itself was a bit of a surprise.
Belichick usually waits for an official announcement to answer any questions about roster moves, but he discussed the Patriots’ decision to sign kicker Nick Folk and cut Mike Nugent.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Belichick said on Folk. “Haven’t seen much so far. … He’s had a very successful career, but we’ll see.”
And as for the Patriots’ decision to part ways with Nugent?
“Thought we needed to make a change,” Belichick said.
Folk hasn’t played in the NFL since 2017. He did kick for the Arizona Hotshots in the AAF this offseason, however. Belichick didn’t seem to put much stock in Folk’s performance in the AAF.
“I don’t know. We worked him out,” Belichick said. “I’d say that’s probably more important than the World League or whatever it is.”
The “World League” has not existed since 1997, when it was rebranded to NFL Europe.
Nugent missed two field goals Sunday in the Patriots’ 27-13 win over the Cleveland Browns. He went 5-of-8 on field goals and 15-of-16 on extra points in four games this season. Nugent initially replaced longtime Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski, who was placed on injured reserve with a hip injury
Folk played four games in 2017. He went 6-of-11 on field goals and 7-of-9 on extra points that season, so perhaps expectations should be tempered for the 34-year-old veteran kicker, who was 12-of-16 on field goals in the AAF. All of his misses came from 40-plus yards, though he did hit a 55-yarder.
