Folk, Weatherford could get the boot
Jets kicker Nick Folk talks to reporters before he packs his bags the day after the team lost the AFC Championship game to the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Jan. 24, 2011) Credit: Joe Epstein
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Steve Weatherford and Nick Folk were two big reasons the Jets' special teams were among the best going into the playoffs. Folk's clutch field goal beat the Colts in Indianapolis in the wild-card round, but other than that, the kicking and punting units were subpar in the postseason.
Kickers and punters are an itinerant bunch to begin with, so the so-so end to the season for Weatherford and Folk, both free agents, means change certainly could be in the plans heading into the 2011 season.
"We just don't know what the future holds," said Folk, who was 2-for-3 on field-goal attempts in the postseason to go with 30-for-39 (76.9 percent) in the regular season. "I thought it was a solid season overall. There were probably some kicks I shouldn't have kicked, but it was a good season."
Folk had to contend with freezing temperatures in Foxboro and Pittsburgh the last two games, and he missed a 30-yarder against the Patriots. His last kick was memorable, too, but for the wrong reason.
After the Jets cut the Steelers' lead to 24-19 Sunday, Antonio Brown returned Folk's high, short kickoff 27 yards to the Pittsburgh 41, hurting the Jets' chances to put together a game-winning drive in the final two minutes. It turned out to be moot when Pittsburgh controlled the ball the rest of the game, but Folk definitely struggled with the length of his kickoffs in the cold.
Weatherford, who tied an NFL record with 42 regular-season punts inside the 20, struggled everywhere in the postseason. He had four touchbacks against the Colts, tying his regular-season total (in 84 punts), and had a poor night in Pittsburgh, shanking a couple of punts.
"I'm obviously not real happy with the way the last few games went," said Weatherford, who had a 29.5-yard net average on 15 postseason punts. "I love playing here, I want to be here, but you've got to go where they want you."
As with every other Jet, the uncertainty of the league's labor situation means that Folk and Weatherford will be waiting as long as - perhaps longer than - the other free agents to find out whether they're asked back.
"I felt like we really loaded up for this run," Weatherford said. "If I'm not here, I'm going to miss a lot of guys. And if I am here, I'm still going to miss a lot of guys."
