The Patriots signed a 'trick-shot' kicker who can kick an 80-yard field goal
- The New England Patriots signed trick-shot kicker Josh Gable to their practice squad.
- Gable has never kicked in the NFL but has posted videos of himself making wild kicks from as deep as 80 yards out.
- Special teams are usually a place of consistency for the Patriots, but so far this year the team has struggled with its kicking game like never before.
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The New England Patriots have signed kicker Josh Gable to their practice squad in a move that adds a bit of depth to what has been a shockingly inconsistent position for the team so far this season.
Rather than his former professional experience, Gable is best known for his mesmerizing trick-shot kicks that he posts on social media.
While Gable was an impressive kicker through high school, he eschewed college football in favor of pursuing a career in soccer. Since then, he kicked in the Indoor Football League, in addition to impressing with his trick-shot videos.
Gable's trickier kicks won't be of much use in the NFL, but he also has quite a boot, as evidenced by a few videos he's posted showing off his 80-yard range with a little help from the wind.
Big kicks like that can garner quite a bit of attention, but what will determine whether or not he can help the Patriots will be his ability to hit consistently from 40 or 50 yards out.
Consistency in the kicking game has been hard to come by for the Patriots this season - a rarity in the history of their dynasty.
Since 2006, Stephen Gostkowski has been the trusted foot of the Patriots, playing all 16 games in 12 of his 13 seasons in the league. But this year the Patriots lost Gostkowski for the season to a hip injury after struggling through the first four games of the year.
So far, New England has had a tough time finding a replacement. First, Mike Nugent got his shot at the job but missed three of his eight attempts with the team through four games, including two missed within 35 yards in his final game with the team.
Since then, the team has leaned on Nick Folk, who nailed his first five field-goal attempts with the team, but has missed three of his past six attempts.
As things stand, Folk is still the top man for the job in New England, but if Gable can impress on the practice squad, the Patriots just might give him a shot.
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