Photo by Tennessee Titans, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsThe Other Vote Had 81 Kicks in It
Falcons fans spent Sunday evening voting to cut Nick Folk. The locker room voted on him eleven days ago, and it had three seasons of kicks in front of it instead of one afternoon.
The fanbase voted Sunday evening to cut a kicker the locker room voted captain eleven days ago. The room's ballot had 81 kicks on it. The fans' had four.
Thursday, September 3, the club named its captains. Bijan Robinson, Chris Lindstrom, Jessie Bates III, Divine Deablo and Nick Folk "were voted on by the team to be the captains throughout the 2026 season," per the club's release. A first-time honor, in the club's words, for a kicker in his 19th season. Miles has the vote. The players picked him.
Ten days later, at Acrisure Stadium, Folk went two of four. Missed from 54. Missed from 45. Both wide right, both with the board reading Pittsburgh 13, Atlanta 7. Then he made the 51 and the 43. Miss, miss, make, make. Miles has the loss.
By Sunday evening Pro Football Network had the verdict in a headline. "Cut Nick Folk," said one fan quoted there. "Cut Cooper Rush. Send Nick Folk to the retirement home," said another.
What the room knew and the replies skipped. 29 of 30. 21 of 22. 28 of 29. One field-goal miss a season for three seasons, 78 of 81, per ESPN. The Falcoholic got the newest number right: one missed kick all of last year, doubled Sunday. Add the two seasons before it: Sunday was two-thirds of his field-goal misses since 2023, from four tries.
That is one afternoon. The room voted on the three seasons.
The club has not moved. No kicker on the practice squad Monday morning, no kicker transaction on the club's index. That is where it stands, not where it goes.
Two ballots in eleven days. The one with 81 kicks on it made him a captain. The one with four wants him gone. Pick the one you trust. The room already did.
The Tilt
The locker room's vote on Nick Folk outranks the fanbase's, and it is not close.
— Dex Ponce
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