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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL: 1.Gostkowski’s debut: Former Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski starts with a joke. “I got to sit through hour-and-a-half-long meetings from Coach [Bill] Belichick for 14 years. I’m sure the times I wasn’t dozing off, I probably picked up something there that I can relay to the people listening,” he cracks. Gostkowski, who reports that a nagging knee injury has led him to officially retire after playing for New England (2006 to 2019) and Tennessee (2020), is coming back to where his NFL career began to explore the possibility of starting a new one. He’s making his debut as a radio analyst for Sports USA’s national broadcast of Sunday’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and Patriots (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
“I don’t really miss kicking the ball, per se, but I miss the game and being around the excitement of it. So I figure why not give it a try? You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take,” Gostkowski, 38, said. “We’ll see if I’m any good at it and if it’s something that could stick.” Gostkowski, who now calls Tennessee home with his wife Hallie and their three children, has done his homework on his former team. “Obviously there’s plenty of stuff going on, especially with all the quarterback drama. It’s hard to come back from an injury and play as well as people expect you to. Along with all the pressure on top of it,” he said. “I expect [Mac Jones and the Patriots] to settle down and hit that second-half-of-the-season stride. “One thing I’ll say, this is kind of a new era of the Patriots, and it’s not like you can take any team for granted. And the weird thing is that it’s not the Patriots of old, but I guarantee you every team out there still looks at it that way, kind of to stick it to them.” The Colts (3-4-1) did so last December, posting a 27-17 victory over the Patriots in Indianapolis. They haven’t won in Foxborough since 2006 (Gostkowski’s rookie season), and Gostkowski has a good sense of how Coach Belichick is preparing his team behind the scenes. “The Colts are kind of in an awkward phase -- getting rid of their offensive coordinator [Marcus Brady], changing quarterbacks [Sam Ehlinger in, Matt Ryan out] -- and those teams can be scary. If you go into a game thinking there’s no way we can lose to this team, there’s a good chance you’re going to be surprised,” he said. “I remember when we were undefeated in 2007, playing a team that hadn’t won a game, Coach was making them out to be one of the best teams you’ve faced. It’s an interesting mind trick he can play.” Gostkowski noted that the Colts’ special teams units, under his former teammate Ray Ventrone, dominated the Patriots in 2021. He said if New England keeps it to a stalemate on fourth down, that would essentially be a win for them. “The Colts blocked a big punt [in last year’s win], and if there’s one thing that gets Coach Belichick ticked off, it’s that,” he said. “I guarantee you this week they have mentioned it no less than 700 times.” Gostkowski has plans to be part of a Titans-Bengals radio broadcast in November and might pick up another Patriots game as well. If he pursues it more consistently, he would join Pat McAfee and Jay Feely as kicking specialists making the leap to broadcasting. Since playing his final season in 2020 with Tennessee, he has also completed his master’s in business administration, while having his hands full at home as well. That’s another reason he’s looking forward to Sunday. “Being at home for the last year or so, doing schoolwork and being a glorified stay-at-home dad, it’s kind of nice to get out of the house,” he said. 2. November warmth: With a game-day forecast calling for temperatures in the 70s, Sunday projects to easily break the record for the hottest November home game in Belichick’s 23-year tenure as Patriots coach. The other hottest November home games: Nov. 8, 2009, vs. the Dolphins (65 degrees at kickoff); Nov. 25, 2001, vs. the Saints (62); and Nov. 11, 2012, vs. the Bills (60). No wonder Belichick wore shorts and flip-flops to his Friday news conference.
3. Bye mindset: The Patriots will be off in Week 10, but that topic was off-limits entering Sunday’s Week 9 game. “We aren’t allowed to talk about the bye week,” veteran Jonathan Jones said with a laugh. Belichick didn’t want players looking ahead, which Matthew Judon described as “living and dying with this week.” 4. Mac’s INT streak: Jones has thrown at least one interception in each of his past six games (dating back to last season), which is the longest active streak in the NFL. If he throws a pick Sunday against the Colts, he’ll be the first New England quarterback to be intercepted in seven straight games since Drew Bledsoe in 1997. “The ball is No. 1. We have to do a better job with that, and I do too,” Jones said. In fairness to Jones, his most recent pick against the Jets was a result of a pass-protection breakdown, as his arm was hit while throwing. And as for the pick-six that was negated by a roughing-the-passer penalty last week, receiver Jakobi Meyers said he ran a bad route that contributed to the miscue. 5. Folk tale: Gostkowski noted the timing of his visit to Gillette Stadium on the heels of kicker Nick Folk being named AFC special teams player of the week after going 5-for-5 on field goals. Folk, 37, joined the Patriots in 2019 when Gostkowski landed on IR. “He’s kind of found his sweet spot here at an older age. As I declined, he keeps getting better and better, so maybe I should have taken the same supplements he did,” Gostkowski cracked. “Nick has been uber-consistent and uber-smooth. It’s been fun to watch.” 6. Two for Tre: Practice squad receiver Tre Nixon (2021 seventh-round pick) has twice been recognized by coaches with a black jersey as a practice player of the week -- given to those deemed to best prepare the team in the days leading up to a win. “I’m not sure how many other teams do that, but it’s really cool for us on the practice squad,” Nixon said. “You aren’t playing in a game, so that’s like a win for us.”
7. McCourty’s take: With his two interceptions last week against the Jets, safety Devin McCourty moved into first place among active players for most career picks. McCourty’s 33 put him above the Ravens’ Marcus Peters (32) and Vikings’ duo of Harrison Smith (32) and Patrick Peterson (30). His thoughts on the milestone? “Probably that I won’t have it for long,” he laughed. “But it’s better to have it than not.” 8. Left-footed punter: Rookie punt returner Marcus Jones is off to a strong start (10 returns, 140 yards, 1 fair catch), and one benefit to the Patriots signing punter Michael Palardy to the practice squad last Tuesday is that Jones received work against a left-footed punter in practice in preparation for Colts left-footed punter Matt Haack. “It definitely helps you,” said Jones, who at the University of Houston practiced with left-footed punter Laine Wilkins. “Left-foot punters are usually a little more unorthodox with how the ball comes down.” 9. Gostkowski’s retirement: Belichick said this week that Gostkowski, who easily holds the Patriots record for points scored (1,775), has a case for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As for why Gostkowski ultimately decided to retire, Gostkowski said: “I’ve had too much trouble with my knee. I thought about it last year and kept hitting road bumps; had surgery four to five months ago. If I felt better, I would, but I don’t see how that’s going to change any time soon as I keep getting older. And I’m pretty content with where I am with my family.” 10. Did you know? The Philadelphia Eagles haven’t trailed in the second half in each of their first eight games, a feat matched only by the 2019 Patriots and 1984 Dolphins, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
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