Jay Feely Feels at Home

Jay Feely is feeling comfortable entering his second season with the Jets.

Feely’s final kick of the Wednesday morning practice, from 48 yards, drifts and kisses wide off the right upright.

"I missed a couple of days ago, too," Feely told newyorkjets.com. "But I’m kicking the ball well. It’s just about trying to get better every day."

Jets fans didn’t get the full flavor of Feely’s personality last season. He arrived only after Mike Nugent’s injury in the opener at Miami. And he was trying to work through a groin injury that he first got a year ago, before Miami and then Kansas City released him. With coach Eric Mangini’s embargo on injury talk and his week-to-week status with the team, he was focused on getting through each week’s practice to be as fresh as he could for games, rather than working on improving his game during the week.

"I did get stronger as the season went on," said the ninth-year man. "That’s the first time it’s ever been like that, where I felt 100 times better in December than I did in September.’

The improvement in his comfort level was obvious. His first kick with the Jets was a missed chip shot against New England that had some silly bloggers (clears throat) calling for the team to cut him. He ended the year with an excellent 24 for 28 ratio.

We're seeing a lot of position battles play out in camp right now. Feely won his with his great kicking a year ago, sending away the talented but inconsistent Mike Nugent. Considering Nugent's upside and subpar clutch performances by Feely in the past, I question whether this will be best in the long run. Still Feely's got a great track record in the Meadownlands with both the Giants and the Jets and should have a much higher comfort level in only one stop this season and knowing he'll have a job every week.