Patriots defensive backs, from left, Ellis Hobbs, Eugene Wilson and Randall Gay take a break from the heat during yesterday’s afternoon practice session at Gillette Stadium.

The Providence Journal / Bob Breidenbach

FOXBORO — During last summer’s training camp, Stephen Gostkowski fielded questions about battling Martin Gramatica for the right to become successor to the golden-footed Adam Vinatieri.

Yesterday, he was being asked to reminisce about some of his most notable kicks during the 2006 season, including the 52-yard field goal he made against the Bears last Nov. 26 that qualifies as the longest by a Patriots player at Gillette Stadium. And then there was his 3-for-3 night against San Diego in the AFC Divisional playoffs, including the 31-yard game-winner with 1:10 remaining that gave New England a 24-21 victory over the Chargers.

“Any kick that goes in is my favorite kick,” said the Patriots’ second-year kicker when asked to choose. “I don’t care what the distance is. If I make a 20-yarder, it feels just as good as a 53-yarder.”

But the 23-year-old says he’s not focusing on the fact that he made 18 of his last 21 field-goal attempts and all but one of his 44 extra-point attempts last season.

“Right now, I’ve just got to concentrate on how many kicks I’m going to make this year and what I’ve got to do to go forward and make my kicks this year,” said Gostkowski, who starred at the University of Memphis. “Last year, I’m glad what happened happened, but it’s over and I’ve just got to move forward and worry about making my kicks this year.”

And while Gostkowski says it’s nice to have gotten his rookie season out of the way, he still doesn’t feel like the pressure’s off.

“I never feel really comfortable until the season’s over with,” he said. “Every game is a new beginning, and right now I’m just worried about tomorrow and tomorrow’s practice in camp and trying to make all my field goals tomorrow and whatever happens happens. And if good things happen, then I’ve got to go forward and just work hard to get better.”

Praise for James

Coach Bill Belichick had some positive things to say about veteran cornerback Tory James, who signed a one-year deal with the Patriots as a free agent last April after recording 42 tackles (33 solo) and 4 interceptions for the Bengals last season.

“We played against Tory when he was at Cincinnati, Oakland,” Belichick said of the 34-year-old New Orleans native, who enters the 13th season of his NFL career, which began with Denver in 1996. “We’ve gone up against him a number of times. Our system, I think, is a little bit different than what they played in Cincinnati last year — they’re much more of a blitz-zone team — but I think he’s done well. He’s a smart guy, he’s very professional, he’s well-prepared, he’s on top of it, and I think he’s earning the respect of everybody by the way he goes about things. (He’s) a tall guy, got some cover skills, has some speed. Sort of a hard guy to throw the ball over for the quarterbacks in cover two and things like that when he’s out there in the flat and in the short area. He’s a bigger guy to get the ball over.”

Scott’s season finished

Defensive back Chad Scott will miss the upcoming season because of a knee injury, the team announced last night. Scott, 32, was placed on the reserve/injured list. The news came just hours after Belichick continued to describe Scott’s injury as day-to-day.

Last season, Scott played in 14 regular-season games with 9 starts. He made 44 tackles and had 2 interceptions. He signed with the Patriots before the 2005 season, which was cut short by a shoulder injury that October.

You’ve got to earn it

With Scott sidelined, Randall Gay was once again playing the corner opposite Ellis Hobbs yesterday afternoon.

But although Scott’s injury may be opening the door for him, Gay insists he is not looking at it that way.

“Right now, I’m just looking at it the same way I came to camp. I’m just out here trying to get me a start,” said the 25-year-old Louisiana native, who played just five games in 2005 because of an ankle injury and then made only three appearances last season because of a pulled hamstring. “I’m not looking at (Scott’s injury) as [giving Gay] any more of a chance. My mind set coming in was, ‘Earn your position,’ not get it by default. Just work hard so the coaches will have faith in me to put me out there to play.”

Squib kicks

Kareem Brown, the rookie defensive lineman who had reportedly been suspended for violating team rules, was back on the field practicing with the team yesterday. … Laurence Maroney, Junior Seau and Eric Alexander were still wearing red non-contact jerseys. … Players not seen on the field during the workout included safety Rashad Baker and tight ends Garrett Mills and Kyle Brady. Asante Samuel remains a holdout.

Special opportunity

Belichick, who began his 12-year tenure with the New York Giants in 1979 by serving as both a defensive assistant and special-teams coach under Ray Perkins, talked yesterday about how invaluable his stint as a special-teams coach proved to be in preparing him to one day become a head coach.

“There’s a certain mentality that goes along with the different positions and then all people are different, too, so the good thing about being a special-teams coach is you deal with all the players every week,” he said “It was a great experience and really prepared me for dealing with the whole team and not just one specific group. I’m glad I did it.

“It always surprises me when I think about how few head coaches are picked from the special-teams coaches,” Belichick added, noting that many offensive and defensive coordinators only have an opportunity to work with half of the team.

He pointed to Dick Vermeil, who guided both the Philadelphia Eagles and the St. Louis Rams to Super Bowl Championships, as another example of a head coach who began by working with special teams. (He became the NFL’s first full-time special-teams coach when George Allen appointed him to the position for the Los Angeles Rams in 1969.)

cthorn@projo.com