Buccaneers: Nick Folk Will Mentor Roberto Aguayo…To a Point
The Buccaneers brought in a veteran kicker that may want to do more than just push the youngster for his job.
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Jason Licht has made no secret of the fact that he was not happy with the Buccaneers kicking situation. Everyone saw the plight of Roberto Aguayo. Licht did as well, and as we talked about the other day, Licht was brutally honest in his opinion about it.
That is why Nick Folk has been brought down to Tampa. Folk was a cap casualty in New York, but that doesn’t diminish his ability as a kicker. Folk is a consistent kicker and a clutch one. If Aguayo isn’t up to the task, Folk will step in and do just fine. There is a reason why he earned the moniker “Folk Hero” up in New York.
Ultimately, the team wants Folk to mentor Aguayo. Licht and the Bucs worked hard to bring him in, and they hardly want to admit they made a mistake after one year. Despite the public willingness to move on, no general manager wants to admit that type of mistake. They want Folk to push Aguayo and make him better.
Nick Folk is ready to do that, to a point. As he stated in an interview on WDAE radio, he still must look out for number one (per Cameron DaSilva of FOX Sports):
"“I can hopefully get [Aguyo] going a little bit in the NFL world,” Folk said, via Joe Bucs Fan. “I had a great guy to learn from in Martin [Gramatica] my rookie year [in Dallas]. I kind of picked things off of him just sitting and watching. I mean, hopefully, I can show [Aguayo] a few things, not too many, because I have a family to feed.”"
You have to like the competitive fire inside Nick Folk. He knows he is a veteran influence and understands that role. But that doesn’t mean he comes in like a coach either. Folk has a lot left in the tank. He’d probably still be in New York if it weren’t for their cap situation. He isn’t going to mentor himself onto the unemployment line.
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Bucs fans, how do you believe the kicking competition will ultimately turn out? Let us know in the comments.