FOXBORO— Patriots punter Josh Miller’s season is over.

The team placed Miller, who has been hampered by a shoulder injury, on injured reserve yesterday.

Ken Walter, whom the Patriots signed on Wednesday, will take over the punting duties. Walter played for the Patriots from 2001-03. The 34-year-old Walter had been out of football since 2004, when he played in six regular-season games and one playoff game for the Seahawks.

The 36-year-old Miller, who replaced Walter in New England in 2004, started the year strong, but has not looked good in recent weeks. He averaged just 35.7 yards on six punts last week in Green Bay.

“I think (the injury) really started bothering him last week,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said about Miller, who owns a 43.1 career yardage average. “Nothing that he hasn’t been able to deal with effectively, but last week I think it really started to flare up.”

A shoulder injury, Belichick explained, can affect a punter’s technique.

“You have to be able to reach out and catch the ball,” he said. “You have to be able to extend it. You have to be able to perform that, that is part of the skill, getting the ball in the right place and adjusting to snaps and reaching and all that.”

Walter, who actually retired from football following his stint with the Seahawks, had been working out for the last year at home as he rehabbed from shoulder surgery. He had tryouts last week with the Jaguars and Texans and got a call from the Patriots earlier this week.

“It came as a total surprise to me,” Walter said after yesterday’s practice. “It’s good to be back. I’m excited to say the least.”

Walter, who was the holder for Adam Vinatieri’s winning field goals in Super Bowls XXXVI and XXXVIII, will wear uniform No. 15.

“Those were obviously special times,” Walter said, “and to win two games like that with the magnitude they had, they’re the best in my eyes and I hold them close to my heart.”

Belichick said Walter’s holding abilities were one of the reasons the team signed him rather than bringing up Danny Baugher from the practice squad.

Walter said his rehab from his third shoulder surgery, which he had last October, went ahead of schedule and his physical therapist encouraged him to make a comeback.

“I kept saying, ‘I’m done, I’m done,’ ” Walter said, “but it’s just one of those competitive things. I started messing around again and really started hitting the ball well and getting things together as a total package. I was getting stronger and getting my lower body stronger and just doing the things I needed to do because I know what I can do and I know how effective my ball can be when hit properly.”

Walter has a 39.7 career average in eight seasons. He averaged 38.7 yards in 42 regular-season games with the Patriots. In 2001, he kicked almost half of his punts inside the 20.Walter struggled in 2003 and was booed loudly at Gillette Stadium. He was released and replaced for one week by Brooks Barnard, but was re-signed for the Patriots’ Super Bowl run. Walter called his first tour with the Patriots “the best times of my life.”