As the Jets' new special teams coordinator, Chris Banjo is getting acclimated to his new post -- one in which he will cobble together punt and kickoff return units composed of mostly young guys eager to contribute. There might be the odd veteran in the group, like 31-year-old long snapper Thomas Hennessy.
So Banjo, 35, got a splash of cold water to his face in an early encounter with placekicker Nick Folk, 40, who was signed by the Jets this week and is competing with Harrison Mevis, 23, for the job.
"He [Folk] came in and I actually called him 'coach,' " Banjo said with a laugh after the team practiced on Thursday. "But he's been incredibly humble throughout this approach and this whole process. So we're just going to continue to take it day by day."
Folk played the past two seasons for Tennessee, with little dropoff in this 17th season in the NFL. In two seasons with the Titans, he converted on 50-of-52 field-goal attempts (96.2%; with a long boot of 56 yards) and 53-of-55 extra-point attempts. Folk previously played 7 seasons (2010-16) for the Green & White, appearing in 104 games. Over that span, he converted on 175-of-213 field-goal attempts (82.2%) and made 204-of-206 extra-point attempts (99%).
"I think I've been around some pretty good kickers, specifically my playing days [2013-22]," Banjo said. "I don't know if they were that old when I was around them. I was around Mason Crosby [in Green Bay]. I know he was old as dirt, too. [Crosby, who kicked for the Giants last season, will turn 41 in September]. I can't remember how old he was specifically when I was around him, but just even in the 24 hours I've been around Nick, you can see why he's been able to be as successful as he has at such a high level, just his attention to detail in his process and how he goes about it. So it's been cool."
Banjo had been an undrafted safety in 2013 who latched on with Jacksonville and then moved to Green Bay, leading the Packers in special teams tackles in 2015. He took that particular skill to the Crescent City where he continued his stellar play on kickoffs and punt returns, and first encountered Jets HC Aaron Glenn. Last season Banjo served as Denver's assistant special teams coach, where Jets GM Darren Mougey began his NFL career as a scouting intern.
"Banjo would be the one to ask those questions to make sure everyone knew exactly what we were doing," Glenn said during this year's NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis in February. "So, there was no doubt in my mind that he would be a coach, but he also was a proven special teamer in New Orleans. He understood what his role was. And listen, he didn't take that lightly. And I'm huge when it comes to specials because it could really change the nature of a game when you have a big-time special teams play. And he's going to give that to us. So, there's no better person for that job than Chris Banjo."
In addition to a new placekicker this season, the Jets will also have a new punter in Austin McNamara, a mere babe at 24 years old. McNamara, a second-year player out of Texas Tech, is expected to also be the holder for either Folk or Mevis, assuming one of the two makes the final 53-man roster.
"He's having a great camp," Banjo said. "The biggest thing right now with him is that we're going to continue to work on just the consistency aspect of it. Obviously, he's still a young pup in regards to the big picture of things, but he's been having a great camp in terms of how detailed he's been and trying to do what we've been asking him to do and accomplish."
And when it comes to holding, "I think his hands are pretty, pretty fast. He's been pretty consistent in terms of finding that spot, so he's been pretty good," Banjo said.
Having played for the Saints when Glenn was on the coaching staff led by HC Sean Payton gave Banjo an up-close look at how his new boss operates and approaches the game.
"I see it in our compete level," Banjo said. "When you talk about what AG stresses it's personality, I think it becomes very, very infectious, and that starts to spread. And you kind of start to see the juice from guys in practice, the competitive talking. I won't use the word I wanted to ... competitive talking on the field. I think that's all signifying what AG is kind of bringing and again, the juice that they've been able to play with has been really, really cool."
