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FOXBORO - A year ago, the New England Patriots placed a cocoon around Stephen Gostkowski. The powers-that-be figured that the then-rookie kicker had enough on his plate, being asked to replace a New England sports legend, than to have to deal with bloodsucking media members as well.

One year and 103 regular-season points later, Gostkowski is just another veteran strolling the practice fields of the Patriots' Gillette Stadium training facility. He's got a new haircut, he's no longer restricted from talking to reporters, and he has absolutely no competition in camp - not a bad position in which a second-year veteran from Memphis can find himself.

He still hasn't totally supplanted Adam Vinatieri, neither in the record books nor in the hearts of most fans who remain thankful for the winning margin of points that the team's all-time leading point-scorer provided in three Super Bowls. The fact that Vinatieri went on to become a contributor to another team's Super Bowl championship last year only heightens the pressure for Gostkowski to continue to produce for the Patriots.

Much like Vinatieri before him, Gostkowski knows that he can take nothing at all for granted.

"Last year, I had no idea what to expect," he said. "I was brand new coming into the situation, and I still feel pretty brand new. I've got just one year under my belt, and I still have to go out and prove myself every day. I haven't been here for that long to feel any comfortability, so I've got to go out there every day and prove it to my team and to my coaches." The challenge in training camp this year will be to prove that he can still kick at a high level through self-motivation. Patriots' coach Bill Belichick has two young punters pushing veteran Josh Miller, but he saw no need to push Gostkowski with competition.

One might think that would lead to some long, lonely practices on the periphery of all the action elsewhere, but Gostkowski said that's not the case.

"There's no boredom," he said. "The boredom is when everybody's in meetings and we've got nothing to do. I'm trying my best no matter what, no matter if they've got 10 guys in here. I'm sure they've got 10 guys on their phone list if something bad were to happen to me. So there's always someone out there gunning for your job, whether they're here or not."

Also like Vinatieri before him, Gostkowski had a rocky start to his NFL career.

After making his only field goal attempt in the season-opener against Buffalo, he had short-yardage attempts blocked in back-to-back games against the Jets and Denver.

It was a learning experience, "just to keep my head up and to keep going," Gostkowski said. "It wasn't the first time I had ever missed kicks and it won't be the last. I've gone through a lot more rough times in my kicking career than that, and just having that experience, to be able to bounce back … I've usually been able to bounce back, so whenever something goes wrong, I don't take it too much to heart. I just keep pushing and I know it's going to come together sooner or later."

True to his word, Gostkowski missed only three more field goal attempts in the regular season after the Denver block, and was a perfect 8-for-8 in the playoffs.

Among his kicks were a career-best 52-yarder off the brand new Gillette Stadium FieldTurf on Nov. 26 against Chicago and a 50-yarder at San Diego in the playoffs, proving that his own confidence in his kicks and the coaching staff's confidence in them were increasing steadily as his first season progressed.

"I just appreciate that the team and the coaches have confidence in me," he said. "And that's what you want, you want to be confident out there when you're kicking a field goal because it's just you out there. And you want your coaches to be confident in you. So the more confident they are in me, the more (confidence) I have. Whatever they have makes me feel good."

Gostkowski said he had no shortage of support through good times and bad from his cohorts in the kicking game, Miller and long-snapper Lonie Paxton. "Everybody was there for me, the whole team," he said. "Josh, Lonie, they've been great, they're perfect. Brad (Seely, special teams coach) has always been there for me. He pushes me, he never lets me sit back. He lets me know when I'm doing something wrong and he gives me a pat on the back when I do something right. We're all pulling for each other."

Gostkowski also said he learned a few things about kicking in the hostile northern climate, and the results prove his point. In the Patriots' two December home games (Detroit and Houston) he was a perfect 6-6 in field goal attempts, and was 3-3 in the home playoff victory over the Jets on Jan. 14.

"You've just got to stay loose," he said. "If it's colder on the sidelines, you've just keep yourself loose. The difference when you're kicking in a hot game or a cold game, you tighten up. You've just got to do more to stay loose and be ready to kick."

Another thing Gostkowski has learned - and learned well - is how to talk in "Patriot Speak." For instance, when he was asked if the 52-yarder against the Bears or the 50-yarder in San Diego were his favorite kicks, he quickly dismissed them to the deep, dark recesses of history.

"Right now I've just got to concentrate on how many kicks I make this year, and what I've got to do to go forward and make my kicks," he said. "Last year, I'm glad what happened happened, but now it's over and I've just got to move forward and go on and worry about making my kicks this year.

"Any kick is my favorite kick," he added. "Any kick that goes in is my favorite, I don't care what the distance is. If I make a 20-yarder, it feels just as good as a 52-yarder … I'm just here to kick and to make field goals and to do the best I can."

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com