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Sources: Nick Folk, T.J. Conley win jobs
By Rich Cimini
ESPNNewYork.com
With one preseason game remaining, the New York Jets have settled on their kicking specialists: placekicker Nick Folk and punter T.J. Conley, according to league sources.
The Jets ended the positional battles Tuesday, releasing placekicker Nick Novak and punter Chris Bryan, sources confirmed.
Neither decision came as a surprise, although Jets fans might not be thrilled with Folk, the incumbent. Folk nearly lost his job in 2010 because of a midseason slump, but he rallied late in the year and ended up kicking the game-winning field goal in the Jets' wild-card upset of the Indianapolis Colts.
It hasn't been a stellar preseason for Folk (4-for-5 on field goals and only a 63.6-yard average on kickoffs), but he has considerably more experience than Novak and he's familiar with the sometimes tricky winds at MetLife Stadium. Novak was solid in the preseason, going 2-for-2 and averaging 65.3 yards on kickoffs.
Conley defeated Bryan with a strong game Monday night against the New York Giants, with a net average of 43.7 on three punts. Bryan, a former Australian Rules football player, impressed early in camp, but he fizzled late, averaging only 35.7 against the Giants.
The Jets are taking a risk with Conley because he has no NFL experience, and there's always the chance they could acquire another punter on the final roster cutdown. This was his third training camp with the Jets. In the previous two, he never made it to the final cut.
Rich Cimini covers the Jets for ESPNNewYork.com.
By Rich Cimini
ESPNNewYork.com
With one preseason game remaining, the New York Jets have settled on their kicking specialists: placekicker Nick Folk and punter T.J. Conley, according to league sources.
The Jets ended the positional battles Tuesday, releasing placekicker Nick Novak and punter Chris Bryan, sources confirmed.
Neither decision came as a surprise, although Jets fans might not be thrilled with Folk, the incumbent. Folk nearly lost his job in 2010 because of a midseason slump, but he rallied late in the year and ended up kicking the game-winning field goal in the Jets' wild-card upset of the Indianapolis Colts.
It hasn't been a stellar preseason for Folk (4-for-5 on field goals and only a 63.6-yard average on kickoffs), but he has considerably more experience than Novak and he's familiar with the sometimes tricky winds at MetLife Stadium. Novak was solid in the preseason, going 2-for-2 and averaging 65.3 yards on kickoffs.
Conley defeated Bryan with a strong game Monday night against the New York Giants, with a net average of 43.7 on three punts. Bryan, a former Australian Rules football player, impressed early in camp, but he fizzled late, averaging only 35.7 against the Giants.
The Jets are taking a risk with Conley because he has no NFL experience, and there's always the chance they could acquire another punter on the final roster cutdown. This was his third training camp with the Jets. In the previous two, he never made it to the final cut.
Rich Cimini covers the Jets for ESPNNewYork.com.
