The New England Patriots dismantled the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night, winning 35-0 on the road. Although there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the Pats moving forward, head coach Bill Belichick seems a bit concerned about their kicking game.
Rookie kicker Quinn Nordin struggled in New England’s season preseason game, missing a 36-yard field goal and a pair of extra point attempts.
Belichick shared his thoughts on Nordin’s performance during this Friday’s press conference. He thought Nordin bounced back in the second half of last night’s game, but there are some concerns about whether or not the rookie can be consistent.
“I think when you go through any player’s performance in the preseason and really in any game, player or coach, they’re always some good plays and then some plays that we’d all like to have back,” Belichick said, via ProFootballTalk. “I thought Quinn did a good job of rebounding there in the second half, came back and hit the ball well, but obviously a big part of everybody’s game and certainly the specialists game is consistency and so, let’s say that we’ve seen a little bit of that from all the specialists in the first two preseason games.”
Bill Belichick said last week that consistency will be key for Quinn Nordin. He hasn’t had that tonight. Missed FG and a missed XP in the first quarter.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) August 20, 2021
With just one preseason game remaining on the Patriots’ schedule, Bill Belichick is hopeful their kicking game will improve before Week 1.
“We’re all obviously working for more consistency and especially when you have a three-man operation there with a snapper, a holder and a kicker, then there’s an element of that,” Belichick continued. “We’ll keep working through it and see where it goes.”
Of course, all of New England’s issues regarding its kicking game will go away if Nick Folk returns from an undisclosed injury. Until that happens though, the pressure will be on Nordin to deliver.
If Nordin is going to earn Belichick’s trust, he’ll need to look much better in the team’s preseason finale.
The Patriots will take on the Giants in their preseason finale next Sunday.
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