Kicker Stephen Gostkowski is no stranger to high-pressure situations

ATLANTA — Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski knows what’s at stake every time he steps onto the football field. Make a game-winning field goal in the final seconds, and he’s a hero. Miss it, and he’s suddenly the most despised man in Foxborough.

“People either hate us or love us,” Gostkowski said Wednesday at the team’s hotel in Atlanta. “It’s one of those things. I don’t do social media. I’m not looking to get a death threat every time I miss a field goal. I’m just not going to put myself through that.

“There was a time where I was such a perfectionist even if I made the kick, but that’s no way to live. I can tell you what, that will drive you crazy. I’m very hard on myself, but if the ball goes in a little bit left of the middle, you’re not going to hear me crying about it.”

Gostkowski — whom New England selected 118th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft — had big shoes to fill when he took over for the oh-so-clutch Adam Vinatieri as a rookie. The two-sport athlete out of Memphis quickly earned respect for his consistency and durability, becoming just the second player in NFL history to score 500 points in his first four seasons and the first to score 1,000 points in his first eight seasons.

Now, about to finish his 13th season, Gostkowski will make his sixth Super Bowl appearance on Sunday. Outside of the opening kickoff to either start the game or the second half, however, his usage can be rather unpredictable. Whether he’s called upon to kick five extra points in a blowout, three field goals in a low-scoring game, the highly anticipated potential game-winner, or none at all, one thing’s for certain: Whenever Gostkowski is called upon, he’s expected to execute.

“It’s a high-pressure situation to be in my position, but I’ve kind of gravitated toward those positions in sports,” said Gostkowski, who was also a starting pitcher in college. “It’s nothing that I worry too much about. I’m not going to act like I have the most stressful job in the world. This is pretty darn fun.”

To stay level-headed, Gostkowski emphasized the importance of keeping a short-term memory both after a make and a miss. He also regularly practices yoga and pilates — and took up solving jigsaw puzzles this season. Over the holidays, he completed three 1,000-piece “Star Wars”-themed puzzles before advancing to a 1,500-piece challenge.

“Just to keep my mind sharp,” he said. “When you have like one job, you want to think about it enough to do well, but you can’t over think it. It’s not rocket science. It’s just trying to kick the ball through the uprights.”

Additionally, Gostkowski credited his relationships with fellow special teamers, punter Ryan Allen and long snapper Joe Cardona, with helping him not only improve professionally but also enjoy the ride. Though the group acknowledges the stakes surrounding their specialist roles, they’re constantly keeping things light. As special teams coach Joe Judge put it, “they’re all business, but, at the same time, they make business fun.”

The conversation in their room at Gillette Stadium is usually filled with “smart-aleck answers,” “curveballs,” and a lot of sarcasm. When Judge returns to his office, he often finds short messages accompanied by comical cartoons of different players or coaches drawn on his dry-erase board.

“It’s kind of all about keeping you on your toes,” Judge said.

“With a job like this that’s been so stressful, to have that balance, it’s been a good thing,” added Cardona.

In addition to connecting off the field, the trio has developed an understanding of their on-field habits after spending four seasons together in Foxborough. For example, Allen said he and Cardona both know the point during pregame warmups when Gostkowski is in the zone and prefers not to be bothered.

“Joe and I can tell, ‘OK, Steve’s done. Steve’s on his own now,’” Allen said. “That’s not even established. He never asked us, but we just understand how each other ticks.”

“They really have a good gel together,” added Judge. “They understand how to work together as a unit. They do a very good job of feeding off each other. Joe and Ryan have a very good feel for what Steven needs.”

And Gostkowski returns the favor.

“Stephen does the best job of anybody possible as a kicker in the league of helping Ryan,” Judge said. “When he’s not kicking and Ryan’s punting, he’s shagging punts, reading the flight of the ball, [and] telling him how it’s cutting coming down the field. They do a great job for each other [and] kind of helping coach each other along the way.”

Ahead of the Super Bowl, Gostkowski said there are nerves but noted being nervous being before a game is “a good thing.”

“Not having any emotion at all, to me, is what you have to worry about,” he said. “Because if you have to get yourself geared up to play in this game then there’s something wrong with you. It’s a good nervousness. It’s an excited nervousness.”

Gostkowski is 11-for-13 on extra points and 5-for-6 on field goals in his previous Super Bowls and heads into Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams with a perfect record (9-for-9 on extra points and 3-for-3 on field goals) this postseason. Should he get the opportunity to attempt a game-winner, he said his focus will be on anything but the circumstances at hand.

“You try not to do anything differently,” he said. “It’s impossible to say you don’t feel any different because you got cameramen following your every move, but the more you can focus on your fundamentals, your technique, your form, and not the actual situation of the game, the better off you’ll be.”