Tag: Nick Folk

Bill Belichick not ruling out carrying two kickers on roster

Will Nick Folk and rookie Chad Ryland both have a kicking job in New England?

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The New England Patriots may have kicker depth heading into the season with coach Bill Belichick highlighting the possibility of the team carrying two kickers.

Nick Folk and rookie Chad Ryland battled it out at the spring practices, and the position has been competitive, according to Belichick. Folk is coming off a 2022 season that saw him go 32-of-37 on field goals and 32-of-35 on extra points.

Ryland was drafted in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft. He was one of the best kickers in the Big Ten and made the All-Big Ten second-team. He went 39-of-40 on extra points and 19-of-23 on field goal attempts.

“Like a lot of positions on our roster, it looks pretty competitive,” Belichick told reporters.

Folk is 38 years old, but the idea of a competition with the younger Ryland is certainly not far-fetched. Carrying two kickers would at the very least create competition and strengthen special teams depth.

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3 Patriots veterans who could lose their jobs to rookies

These three players could yield their previous roles to Patriots’ rookies.

It should come as no surprise that the addition of 12 rookie draft picks, along with the influx of undrafted rookies, could lead to change on the New England Patriots’ roster.

That could mean key veteran players being forced to take a backseat to the new wave of talent on the team. The Bill Belichick machine continues to roll every single year with new cogs in the wheel, and that will be no different in the 2023 season.

New England has added young playmakers capable of stepping onto the field with a rocket strapped to their backs and taking off right away.

Here are three players that could lose their jobs to rookies:

6 potential cap casualties for Patriots in 2023

Who could be cut by the Patriots?

The New England Patriots’ roster is mostly where it will be for the 2023 season, barring any blockbuster moves after adding players through free agency, the draft and as undrafted free agents.

Now, we’re counting down the days for the exciting camp battles across many positions. It will turn up the heat this summer to find out who is ready to take on a larger role and make the 53-man roster.

So much is taken into consideration when teams make roster decisions at the end of camp. Sure, the talent matters, but at the end of the day, NFL teams take age, contract status, rookie readiness and so much more into roster decisions.

The process even leads to key veterans becoming cap casualties sometimes. All of the numbers today are provided by Over The Cap, but we’re going to explore six potential cap casualties for the Patriots in 2023.

 

Winners and losers from Patriots’ 2023 draft

Not everyone can be winners with the large influx of drafted talent for the Patriots.

The arrival of 12 brand new rookies for the New England Patriots isn’t good news for everyone on the roster.

It could mean the end of the road for veteran players or signal a change in future contract negotiations. The NFL is a revolving door that churns out new talent every year, and there is plenty to pick from in the Patriots’ 2023 draft class.

They focused heavily on the defensive side of the ball in the first three rounds and were lucky enough to have arguably the top cornerback in the entire draft fall to them at No. 17 overall.

The team then shifted focus to the offensive line and special teams, before finally adding a couple of receivers late in the draft. This year’s draft should be considered a monumental success for coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots, at least on paper.

Here are the winners and losers from the event:

Winners and losers in Patriots’ 22-18 loss to Bengals

Here are the winners and losers in the Patriots’ 22-18 loss to the Bengals.

Sadly, Saturday’s ending felt fitting for this year’s New England Patriots team.

They’ve seemingly done everything possible to get in their own way in completely winnable games this season, and the Week 16 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals was no different.

After nearly overcoming a 22-point halftime deficit, running back Rhamondre Stevenson coughed up the game-ending fumble that ultimately put an end to New England’s 18-point run. An improbable comeback was followed by a seemingly impossible mistake to seal the Patriots’ fate as a 7-8 team on the season.

It would be easy to simply point the finger at Stevenson, but there’s plenty of blame to go around for this loss. Here are the winners and losers of the game.

3 standout stars in Patriots’ gut-wrenching loss to Raiders

Who stood out the most for the Patriots against the Raiders?

As the clock struck zero, New England Patriots fans expected to head to overtime when one of the most shocking plays in NFL history occurred.

Running back Rhamondre Stevenson tossed a lateral to receiver Jakobi Meyers, who then attempted to do the same to quarterback Mac Jones, before Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones picked off the backwards pass and scored the game-winning touchdown.

Even though it was a disappointing loss, there are still some positives to draw from a few stars that offered a glimmer of hope, mostly by doing everything they could to at least keep the Patriots in the game.

3 standout stars for Patriots in Week 9 blowout victory over Colts

Three standout stars for the Patriots’ 26-3 blowout win over the Colts

The New England Patriots (5-4) dominated the Indianapolis Colts (3-5-1) with a 26-3 thrashing at home. Mac Jones limited the turnovers, and the Patriots made Sam Ehlinger’s afternoon a nightmare with nine team sacks, while also holding the Colts to just 121 total yards of offense.

The Patriots will head into the bye week before taking on the New York Jets, who surprisingly knocked off the Buffalo Bills this week.

Let’s take a look at the three stars who made this blowout possible.

Bill Belichick compares Patriots K Nick Folk to two franchise legends

Bill Belichick gave Nick Folk the ultimate praise on Wednesday

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick gave praise to kicker Nick Folk, following Folk’s AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award.

Folk went five-of-five on field goals and recorded 16 of the Patriots’ 22 total points on Sunday.

Belichick spoke to the media on Wednesday afternoon and compared Folk to some of the other kicking greats in Patriots’ history. He currently ranks sixth in team history with 91 field goals made, as well as sixth in team history with 163 extra points made.

He still has a ways to go to catch the likes of more recent kickers in Stephen Gostkowski and Adam Vinatieri. Nevertheless, Belichick was not shy in putting Folk right there with the other two Patriots legends, if not above them, in at least one category.

Folk signed a two-year, $5 million contract in March. He still has plenty of time to add to his numbers, especially if he keeps putting together standout performances like the one he had on Sunday.

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Patriots K Nick Folk nabs AFC weekly award after knocking off former team

Nick Folk earns special teams honors after beating his former team

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New England Patriots kicker Nick Folk was the MVP of the team’s bounce-back win over the New York Jets in Week 8.

The gears started turning for the Mac Jones-led offense, which did find a way to move the ball in the game, but they consistently stalled out on the Jets’ side of the field. That left them turning to Folk’s leg to keep putting points on the board, while the defense turned Zach Wilson’s night into a Halloween fright fest.

By the end of the game, Folk kicked 5-of-5 field goals and earned the team 16 of their 22 points. It was a stellar performance that helped him nab AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Earning those honors had to feel extra sweet when doing it on the road against his former team.

Even at age 37, Folk remains one of the most reliable kickers in the league, and he continued to show why by booting the Patriots to victory when they really needed it.

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Patriots 2022 midseason awards: Who is New England’s MVP at the halfway point?

Midseason awards are here! Let’s see which Patriots are deserving of team honors at the midway point of the season.

The New England Patriots sit at 4-4 at the halfway mark entering week 9 of the 2022 season. So far, the year has been filled with inconsistency and specifically growing pains for a Year Two quarterback in Mac Jones, who is playing with new offensive coaches.

Regardless of the rollercoaster ride that this season has been, it is important to note that there are bright spots along the roster and cause for optimism entering the final stretch of the year.

Let’s take a look at who takes home some fake hardware for their performances halfway through this season.