They Said It: N.Y. Jets Rookies 05’

by Isaac Cass
JetNation Columnist

“I think it’s just the mental aspect – I think that’s one difference I’ve seen with the better college kickers and the better NFL kickers,â€? says Nugent. “No matter what situation arises, they can just forget about it and focus on what they have to do. So, I think you have to be unbelievable mentally and be able to take any situation in and be able to come through when it’s your time and you get called.â€?- Mike Nugent

NUUUUUUUUGE! This kid is going to save Jets fans millions of dollars in damaged goods. No more broken TV remotes, no more smashed chairs, and no more holes in the wall. Nugent is coming out of Ohio State as one of the most highly regarded FOOTball players in quite some time. He is an OSU local from nearby Centerville and, as a freshman, stepped into the position of starting kicker. Through the years his reputation as an NFL sure-fire prospect grew and grew. Soon he became the most sought after kicker since that piece of eurotrash Sebastian Janikowski. The Jets rolled the dice in 05’ and drafted Nugent 47th overall as the 13th selection in the second round.

Now it is time for the cold hard facts that will remind Doug Brien why he will not be in the green and white next year. Through his ’02season with Minnesota leading up till the ’04 season with the Jets, Brien has missed 3 XP’s. Nugent missed only 3 XP’s in his entire four year college career, not to mention during his junior and senior campaign he did not miss a single one. Keep in mind this kid started as a true freshman at the ripe age of 18. Brien missed 3 XP’s from the ages of 33-34. I mean, come on Doug, doesn’t practice make perfect? Extra points should have been a common place routine at that stage of your career.

Let’s move on to field goals over 50 yards. Nugent made five his senior year, while the Jets coaching staff only had enough confidence to let Brien attempt two. The sad part about this is that one of these was in a dome against the Rams, which Brien missed. Nugent, on the other hand, connected on five field goals of 50 yards or longer that were all in outdoor stadiums against teams such as Marshall (55 yard game winner), NC State, Northwestern, Indiana, and Michigan State. Most of these stadiums were packed in excess of 50,000 drunken college lunatics.

You want more Nuge love? You got it. Nugent is not just a kicker, he is a complete athlete who can bench 270 lbs, runs a 4.71 40, and squats 425 lbs. On top of all of this, he was the first kicker at OSU to be named team captain. Yes, the small, scrawny, white guy who always looks lost on a football sideline amongst giants was the team leader. I mean, we all know that Herm is a character guy, but who actually looks for it in a kicker? Nugent is truly the complete package, and best of all none of us will see him walking out of a sports psychologist office the day before an AFC divisional playoff game. Nugent has ice in his veins, Brien had lukewarm toilet water.

�I provide a lot for my team,� Miller says. “I provide a lot of energy and aggression, and a lot of physical work on the corner. As far as a return man, I’m going to bring a lot of energy to the team. I am going to make things happen. I am going to get out there and try to score every time I can.� – Justin Miller

“I think we all go through a learning experience,� Miller said. “I’m still getting older, I’m still growing, and I’m still maturing. I’m learning new things everyday.�- Justin Miller in response to his pre-draft arrest.

Check out the videos that EricBarton50 posted in the Jetnation forum zone. I can’t express in words the physical nature in which he clobbered the Maryland player, or explain the masterful hand eye coordination he used when tipping down an interception, nor can I diagram his speed and vision when breaking away from opponents on punt returns. This kid is canned dynamite; he might as well have said that instead of the spiel he gave in the quote.

Miller’s draft day stock plummeted after he was charged with a noise violation and disorderly conduct. I understand Miller’s frustrations involving the incident. He was having a pre-draft party and it got a little out of control and the police came and broke it up. I mean come on, this same incident has happened numerous times at my own college house and I’m sure countless others across the nation. Even though many people deal with the same situation, it’s still puzzling how he dealt with it. Instead of just swallowing his pride and taking the noise violation and shutting down the party, his head swelled and he caused a big scene that put him in jail for the night with a $2,000 bond. I mean, come on man, use your head, the draft is coming up very shortly and you know that teams are eyeing your every move (Maybe he wanted to go to the Jets in Round 2?). He could’ve simply discussed the matters with the police, taken the noise violation (100 dollars in court, when he’s going to be making millions soon) and emptied out the party. Case closed. Now he faces possible jail time and hefty fines.

His decision making is something of a concern, but I have a feeling that Hendu, Herm and fellow veterans can straighten him out. He should take one look at CuMar and then check his ego at the door. Don’t get me wrong, I love the drafting of this kid and I think he will be a stand out on D and electrifying on punt returns. Everyone knows I am in favor of taking gambles on draft day with alleged problem players, and I’m proud the Jets took the chance.

The kid is only 20 years old and hasn’t yet fully matured. His initial problems started in 2002 following a drunken driving incident. This was after having a HUGE freshmen campaign at Clemson that included 8 interceptions (school record), 17 passes defended (3rd in the ACC), 9 pass break ups, and an average kick return of 35.1 yards that bested the previous school record of 32.1 These numbers are quite impressive, but they slacked off his sophomore and junior seasons. I hope that the decline wasn’t due to complacency because stagnant production in the NFL equals waivers.

Despite the clear negatives of Justin Miller, the positives, in my opinion, are still much greater. He may take a few lumps adjusting to the NFL lifestyle, but soon enough he will be on a torrent path of success that will make GM’s around the league shake their head at their own stupidity.

�I knew they needed some beef and meat in the middle, but I also know that the Jets needed somebody who was willing to work hard, someone who would represent the team well and work well on and off the field,� – Sione Pouha

Through the first three rounds of the 05’ draft, the Jets selected three players that couldn’t be more different than one another. First there is Nugent, a white-bread honor student from OSU. Second is Miller, a troubled, yet gifted athlete from Clemson, and then third is Sione Pouha–a 26 year-old, 321 pound ardent follower of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Sione Pouha is a 26 year old rookie because he was on a Church mission in Pittsburgh for two years prior to entering college. He truly is a beefy specimen that should clog up the running holes alongside Dewayne Robertson. Is he going to be as good as Ferguson? No, he will not. But I think he will be adequate and benefit from lining up next to three Pro Bowl-caliber players in Ellis, Drob and Abe. Undoubtedly, he’s going to represent the team well off the field and pick up where Kareem Mckenzie left off. I hope he’s in a United Way commercial passing out bibles at a homeless shelter real soon, that would be classic.

Pouha is the ultimate character guy that Herm must have been drooling over. The number one non-football story floating around Pouha leading up to the draft was that he once saved a woman from a fire! WOO HOO! That is really going to help in stopping the silver and black Lamont Jordan train. But seriously, look at Miller’s pre draft drama and look at Pouha’s. They are the complete opposite. Miller was throwing a raging party in his apartment that caused the public to frown upon him while Purple Heart Pouha went into an apartment and saved a woman from a fire, earning him the WAC heroism award. Miller must be like, “Wow, this guy had a way better apartment gig than I did.�

One final quote from Pouha and then I’m out of here: “So anything green is a friend of mine and everything else, you know, you may want to stay out of the way because the Jets are about to come and do something.�

ANYTHING GREEN POUAH? Come on man, don’t you know that’s why we didn’t draft Antajj Hawthorne? Man, I can’t believe we drafted a hippie. I can’t wait for some more side-splitting quotes from this guy.

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