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.
Belichick said that Nick Folk is "probably" the smartest kicker he's had in terms of understanding all the aspects of kicking and fundamentals.
Added Adam Vinatieri and Stephen Gostkowski were more talented, but credited Folk for his consistency and smarts. #Patriots
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) November 2, 2022
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.