After missing eight games last season, Jets kicker Nick Folk was ready to get back after it this spring. And he delivered with his trademark accuracy throughout OTAs and minicamp while connecting on a few kicks from 60 yards and beyond.
"We pushed it back and had a little fun. I hit probably three or four with a long of maybe 63 or so," he said after the Jets' final minicamp session. "The last one we kind of tried to back it up a little bit and have a little fun with the almost just in case kicks. You never know when you're going to be in that situation and you don't want to hit too many. A defensive head coach is going to play smart football and punt the ball in that situation unless it's the end of the half or the end of the game."
Folk, who went to injured reserve last November with a quad injury after converting on 13 of his 16 field goal attempts, and Randy Bullock didn't get many attempts beyond 49 yards last season.
"I know I kicked two over 50 and Randy might had one at 50. So out of our 30 that we kicked together — three were over 50. So you're not going to get a ton of them. It's become such a field position game that your money kicks are going to be from the 49 and in or the 50 and in. But just in case."
With the NFL moving the touchback to the 25-yard line, Folk thinks the Jets could take a case-by-case approach to each kickoff depending on different variables including returner and score. But he believes there will be more touchbacks early in the season and scoring will continue to go up.
"With it being at the 25 and you get the same amount of yards with the first drive or a drive after a touchdown, now a 55-yard field goal becomes a 50-yard field goal," he said. "Or a 53-yard field goal becomes a 48-yard field goal. It's much more manageable late in the season. My opinion is scoring will go up — maybe not a ton because it's five yards, but it will go up a little bit because you'll get a few more makeable field goals."
