WATCH: Patriots kicker Quinn Nordin compares kicking to cornhole and NASCAR

Author Alex Barth

September 2nd, 2021 6:26 PM

What do kicking a football, playing cornhole, and driving a stock car all have in common? Let Patriots rookie kicker Quinn Nordin explain.

Speaking about his mechanics during a press conference on Thursday, Nordin was talking about how he enjoys kicking the ball as hard as he can on kickoffs. That led to a question about whether or not he plays golf, and taking big swings out of the tee box.

“I do not golf. Not even once, ever. I play cornhole though. Love cornhole,” Nordin said. “I like to relate kicking the cornhole. So when I set up, I kind of lean a little bit, try to take all the motion out of it. I’d say cornhole and NASCAR, two things I compare kicking to.”

“Those two things have nothing to do with each other,” NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry noted. That’s how it felt, before Nordin expanded on his idea.

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  "It's like throwing it - like the mechanics of kicking - being smooth or a repeatable motion at a very small target," Nordin noted, before moving onto the NASCAR portion of his explanation.
  
  "Mentally, when you're driving around NASCAR track, you have to stay focused the whole time," Nordin began. "There's a saying like, 'if you put a robot in a car, it would be able to do the same thing around the track a million times in a row. But when you put a person in the car, sometimes it can't. One lap is faster, one lap is slower.' So I guess to me, why is it when you make a machine kick a football it goes in every time, but when a person does it, there's errors and stuff like that?"
  
  "Are you trying to be a machine?" a reporter then asked. "We'll see," the rookie replied.
  
  'Nordin the Machine.' Kind of has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? It will be up to him to earn that nickname now that he's won the starting job, starting next week when the Patriots begin their season against the Dolphins.

You can watch Nordin’s full explanation below.

https://twitter.com/IanSteeleABC6/status/1433541732273164296?s=20

• NFL: New England Patriots at New York Giants

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  Aug 29, 2021; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New England Patriots kicker Quinn Nordin (3) celebrates his second field goal of the game against the New York Giants during the first half with teammates at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

• Michigan State v Michigan

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  ANN ARBOR, MI - OCTOBER 07: Quinn Nordin #3 of the Michigan Wolverines kicks a first quarter field goal during the game against Michigan State Spartans at Michigan Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

• Florida v Michigan

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  ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 02: Garrett Moores #15 of the Michigan Wolverines holds the ball as Quinn Nordin #3 of the Michigan Wolverines attempts a field goal against the Florida Gators in the second half of a game at AT&T Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
• Florida v Michigan

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  ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 02: Garrett Moores #15 of the Michigan Wolverines and Quinn Nordin #3 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrate a successful field goal in the first half of a game at AT&T Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

• Syndication: DetroitFreePress

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  Michigan place kicker Quinn Nordin attempts for an extra point against Ohio State during the first half at the Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019.

• NCAA Football: Michigan Spring Game

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  Apr 13, 2019; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines place kicker Quinn Nordin (3) kicks the ball held by punter Will Hart (17) during the spring football game at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
• Kicker Quinn Nordin at Michigan

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  Michigan's Quinn Nordin reacts after an extra point during the first half against Western Michigan Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018, at Michigan Stadium. Quinn Nordin

MORE: Patriots wide receiver visits NASCAR track

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.

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Author Alex Barth

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NASCAR,New England Patriots,NFL,patriots,Quinn Nordin