10/20 — The locker room was mostly vacant today when the media was allowed inside for player availability. A few guys sprinkled in here and there and I got a chance to catch up with Jets kicker Jay Feely.

It was Feely’s 52-yard boot that lifted the Jets into overtime Sunday. He connected with just three seconds on the fourth-quarter game clock but making long field goals to force overtimes or win games is nothing new for the eight-year pro.

“I’ve had a couple of 52s to tie and win it,” Feely said. “I was actually telling Brett [Favre] today that it was against him in Green Bay that I hit a 52 to tie it and they went down and won it overtime.”

When Feely was a rookie with the Falcons back in 2001, his 52-yard field goal was the decider in a 33-30 win over Buffalo. Then a year later, he nailed the 52-yarder that forced OT, but Favre and the Pack won by a 37-34 score. 

“Then we went back in the playoffs and beat them up at Lambeau, so that was fun. I’ve had a couple of 55-yard attempts as well at the end of games. You want to come through — you want to make those kicks," Feely said.  "When you do, you feel like you’ve really done something to help your team try to win a game.”

The interesting part of Feely’s kick was most people thought it was a second chance. Raiders interim head coach Tom Cable called timeout right before Feely rung the ball off the left upright, but the Jets’ kicker was well aware of the timeout before he made contact.

“I knew before even I started my approach that they had called timeout,” he told me. “I heard the whistle and both James Dearth and [holder] Reggie Hodges said they heard the whistle as well.”

And then Feely said something fascinating. He is thankful if an opposing coach calls timeout before a kick — especially if he’s at an outdoor venue.

“We always talk about it in practice, going through the whole kick — the snap, the hold and the kick — even if they do call timeout so you can see what the wind does with the ball,” he said. “I think it’s a huge advantage to the kicker when you do that because you give him an opportunity to test the elements.”

On that first try, he aimed middle and the wind carried the ball left. So on kick two, Feely made a natural adjustment and struck the ball through the uprights. 

“I aimed it right center and it moved it probably 10 feet. The first one I aimed it middle and it moved it to the left upright,” he said. “I was pretty confident that I knew exactly what I needed to do — I just needed to execute it.”

It was a huge kick for Feely, who was signed by the Jets after Mike Nugent injured his leg in the season opener. For the season, Feely has converted eight of his 10 FG attempts and has added four touchbacks.

“You want to prove yourself. When you come in during the middle of a season, guys don’t know you — they don’t your work ethic, they haven’t seen you practice and lift and run throughout the off-season. The only thing they’re really going to judge you on is your performance on the field, so it was a big kick.”

What wasn’t noticeable on television was there was a pretty stiff breeze moving in Oakland. Feely was told that CBS had a graphic that indicated that the Jets would have to move to the Raiders’ 32 in order to get into Feely’s range.

“They were pretty accurate in overtime because we were heading into the wind,” he said. “When we were driving at the end [of regulation], I went and told Brett that I felt good from 60 but if he could get it to the 35-yard line, I’ll make it. That was 53.”

Feely wasn’t surprised by Janikowski’s 57-yard make that sent the Jets home with a 3-3 record. He said the wind was “humming” that way and there was nothing to do but shake hands with his adversary.

“I just said congratulations and he said the same thing,” he said. “Kickers, we always go talk to each other after the game — good or bad.”