It has been all good for Nick Folk recently.
The kicker, signed in the offseason by the Jets, was remarkable in hitting all six of his field goals against pressure, including a 51-yarder that split the uprights to finish this morning's training camp practice at SUNY Cortland.
"I feel really good. We're getting our times down," said Folk. "Tanner [long-snapper Tanner Purdum] is doing a great job, and so is Steve [Weatherford] holding. I have a good rhythm, so I'll just keep it going."
The fourth-year player, a Pro Bowl selection after his 2007 rookie season with the Cowboys, had early issues at OTAs for the Green & White. But he corrected those, and so far in camp he has hit 50 out of 53 tries in live situations.
Starting at 38 yards away today, he calmly nailed each of his six while backing up a few yards each time. Wide receiver Braylon Edwards was caught jumping offsides trying to block one of the kicks, but it didn't break Folk's concentration as he sailed that kick through from 43 yards away.
The great showing of Folk so far this summer has eased the uncertainty from his coaches.
"Today he was nailing them, despite guys rushing the line and pushing like crazy," said head coach Rex Ryan in his midday news conference. "He's shortened his steps and he's nailing them. He's been great.
"He reminds me right now, the more I'm around him, of Matt Stover, who I was around for 10 years in Baltimore and it was similar. I go back and think Stover couldn't make a kick in the first minicamp. But he couldn't miss when the season was going, and he couldn't miss when the game was on the line. I'm hoping that's the way Nick is."
Folk is not only excelling at kicking field goals but has also done a good job on getting more lift on his kickoffs as well, hitting most of them into the end zone.
"I changed my steps from last year to get a little more distance and that's been going really well," he said. "I've got good direction and good hang time. I think Coach Westhoff's pretty happy with that."
Folk owes most of his recent turnaround to special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff, who has given him the guidance he needed to bounce back. "He was a little off early on," said Westhoff. "We noticed a couple of small things and tried to help him with that. He's got a lot of talent, and we think we can get him back to that [Pro Bowl] level."
"It's good to have a guy who's been around a long time with those extra set of eyes to help pick up what he's done," Folk said. "He's done a great job. He just pointed out really small details."
The 25-year-old Folk has a winner's mindset, and it does not matter what his role is for the Jets.
"I've said it a million times — I'll do whatever it takes to win," he said. "If it's the kickoffs and just kick extra points, I don't care as long as we win. If I have to kick a bunch of field goals, then that's what I have to do. I just have to do my job, and I don't mind doing it."
