{"id":86683,"date":"2020-10-11T05:28:27","date_gmt":"2020-10-11T02:28:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/jet-thriving-after-having-to-kick-on-golf-course-during-pandemic\/"},"modified":"2020-10-11T05:28:27","modified_gmt":"2020-10-11T02:28:27","slug":"jet-thriving-after-having-to-kick-on-golf-course-during-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/jet-thriving-after-having-to-kick-on-golf-course-during-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"#Jet thriving after having to kick on golf course during pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Jet thriving after having to kick on golf course during pandemic<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n Sam Ficken spent time this offseason trying to keep his kicks out of the sand traps. <\/p>\n

The Jets kicker had to get creative once COVID-19 restrictions went into place. He was no longer permitted to kick on the high school field near his parents\u2019 farm in Valparaiso, Ind. So, Ficken got permission from a local golf course to practice his kicks on their fairways.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe groundskeeper would come out and mow the lawn, and I would be kicking down the fairway, trying to move as much as I could and not tear up the grass,\u201d Ficken recalled this week with a chuckle.<\/p>\n

The golf course method has been effective for Ficken. He is 8-for-8 on field goal tries this season, one of the few bright spots for the 0-4 Jets. He made five field goals last week against the Broncos. <\/p>\n

After going 19-for-27 on field goal attempts last season, Brett Maher was brought in to compete for the job this season. The 27-year-old is in his second season with the Jets. The team picked him up in Week 2 last year after going through three other kickers in the preseason and Week 1. He stabilized the kicker spot, but did miss eight field goals, going 19-for-27 on his tries. A closer look, though, shows three of those misses came from beyond 50 yards and only one was from inside the 40. With no preseason game<\/a>s, the pressure was on the kickers to make their kicks in practice. Ficken came through.<\/p>\n

\"Sam
Sam Ficken<\/span>Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Still, the Jets signed Brett Maher in January to compete with Ficken, who said he expected the team to bring in competition. <\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the season I had last year, I knew, look, it\u2019s up to me,\u201d Ficken said. \u201cIf I make my kicks, they\u2019re probably going to keep me. If I don\u2019t, they\u2019ll probably get rid of me. That\u2019s the nature of this business.\u201d<\/p>\n