• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

K Mike Nugent (All American, Lou Groza Winner, National Champion)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
Bucs' kicking duties still up for grabs
By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune
Published: September 1, 2009

TAMPA - The most-watched and arguably most important position battle has finally been decided. With only one exhibition game remaining, though, there are still a few others the Bucs need to make a call on this preseason.

The most important of those may be the battle between Mike Nugent and Matt Bryant for the place-kicker's job, although Bucs coach Raheem Morris admits it hasn't been much of a battle so far.

A hamstring injury has kept Bryant off the field for all of the preseason games to this point. That has allowed Nugent to get a leg up on his competition, but he hasn't necessarily taken full advantage of that opportunity.

Although he has made all his point-after attempts, Nugent has made only four of seven field goal tries. His misses include a couple in which he was hindered by poor work by his holder, but the Bucs expected more consistency.

They fact they haven't gotten that is one reason the competition remains undecided, but it's clear that Bryant is running out of time to get healthy and make a showing.

"We talked to him this morning about it and he knows what he has to do," Morris said. "I believe he's going to do it. I just have to let him go out there and compete and let him win the job. But I want to see him kick."

Morris said he's not sure if he'll see Bryant kick in the Bucs' final preseason game Friday. He said he'll have to leave that up to the trainers and Bryant.
Click to expand...

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/sep/01/sp-kicking-duties-still-up-for-grabs/
 
Upvote 0
September 03, 2009
Bucs kicker Matt Bryant talks tough in radio interview

Bucs kicker Matt Bryant, during an interview this morning on radio station 97X in Tampa Bay, made critical remarks of fellow kicker Mike Nugent and suggested coach Raheem Morris and general manager Mark Dominik have been less than truthful.

Asked whether he is getting along with Nugent, his competitor for the kicking job, Bryant said, "We pretty much go about our business. . . It's not like we're shutting the door on somebody's foot. But the other day, it dawned on me. He made some comment a while back when he was aksed why he would sign here, and he said he thought this was the best opportunity for him.

"Did they tell him something to make him think this was the best opportunity? Or did he look at a number of teams and single me out? If he singled me out, then he's out of his damn mind. If I would have been 100 percent healthy, like we do back home, you take somebody out behind the woodshed and kick their butt. But that hasn't been the case, so you go on with your business."
Click to expand...

Bucs kicker Matt Bryant talks tough in radio interview
 
Upvote 0
Morris on whether the team's kicking situation got settled on Friday night.
"That's the one thing that wasn't really settled all offseason. Mark Dominik and I will have to talk tomorrow with Rich Bisaccia and decide what we're going to do there."

Morris on whether Mike Nugent has done enough to earn the starting kicking job.
"It's not really about Mike Nugent. Mike Nugent is the only kicker kicking. He's got out there and kicked. He was 4-of-7 going into this game. He's made a 51-yarder, he's missed a few short ones you'd like to see him make. He got victimized by a penalty. Tonight he was perfect on both his attempts and kicked the ball into the end zone. We'll have to collaborate on that deal before we make a decision."
Click to expand...

Morris Discusses QB Johnson, K Nugent | Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Pewter Report
Bucs PK Bryant apologizes to teammate Nugent for harsh words
By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune
Published: September 4, 2009

TAMPA - One day after the battle for the Bucs' kicking job spilled over onto the public airwaves, Matt Bryant apologized to Mike Nugent on Friday for comments he made during a radio interview Thursday.

"I talked with Nugent this morning [and] apologized for some of the comments and tried to relay [that they] came from an offseason of frustration,'' Bryant told the Tampa Tribune in a text message.
Click to expand...

Bucs PK Bryant apologizes to teammate Nugent for harsh words
 
Upvote 0
Bucs Cut K Bryant
By: Jim Flynn
September 5, 2009

PewterReport.com still is working to track down Tampa Bay's roster cuts, which were due in to the NFL today by 4:00 p.m. ET.

We do know one player that has been cut -- kicker Matt Bryant, according to ProFootballTalk.com.

Bryant, 34, spent the past four seasons with the Bucs, but was sidelined for most of training camp and all four preseason games with a hamstring injury.

Mike Nugent, a former second-round pick, signed with the Bucs during the offseason. He replaces Bryant, who has made 82.1 percent of his career kicks.
Click to expand...

Bucs Cut K Bryant | Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Pewter Report
 
Upvote 0
Morris: Team needed to see Bryant kick

Morris called releasing kicker Matt Bryant a tough decision but said the club didn't have much of a choice. Bryant set a team record with 131 points last year but was unable to play in the preseason due to a hamstring strain.

"We didn't get the competition that we liked at kicker," Morris said. "When you don't kick, it's tough to make a football team. The comfort level with Mike Nugent should be where it needs to be. He played well for the most part. ? He did miss a couple of kicks that we wanted him to make, but they all do. ? I like his mental toughness and how he finished off the preseason."
Click to expand...

Tampa Bay Buccaneers put development of quarterback Josh Freeman as high priority - St. Petersburg Times

Morris expressed confidence in K Mike Nugent, even though he later admitted he will see what other kickers are available. Nugent made 6 of 9 field goal attempts in preseason.
Click to expand...

There's a new plan for Freeman; rookie will be Bucs' backup QB | HeraldTribune.com | Sarasota Florida | Southwest Florida's Information Leader
 
Upvote 0
Did the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take a risk in choosing kicker Mike Nugent's potential over kicker Matt Bryant's proven ability in the clutch?
By John Romano, Times Sports Columnist
In Print: Friday, September 11, 2009


c4s_nugent091109_84697d.jpg

[CHRIS ZUPPA | Times]
Mike Nugent, making a 20-yard field goal against the Texans in the preseason, comes to the Bucs after spending his first four seasons with the Jets. He will make $2 million, second most among NFL kickers.


The decision to change placekickers at One Buc Place can be defended in any number of ways. For instance, Mike Nugent is younger and, conceivably, has a higher upside than Matt Bryant. Nugent also has had more recent success than Bryant on field goals beyond 40 yards. And quite simply, Nugent was the healthy one when decisions were being made in training camp. So for now, Buccaneers coaches have no problem justifying their choice to release Bryant in favor of Nugent. But the final evaluation is still to come.

It could be on Sunday against Dallas, or it might not arrive for several months. It could happen at home, on the road or across the Atlantic. The timing is impossible to predict, and the exact details are not really relevant.

But somewhere along the line, the score will be close and the hour will be late. The Bucs will need a field goal in the final seconds of a game, and they will turn to Nugent and ask him to deliver a victory.

And that's when you will know if the Bucs made the right decision.
Click to expand...

Did the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take a risk in choosing kicker Mike Nugent's potential over kicker Matt Bryant's proven ability in the clutch? - St. Petersburg Times
 
Upvote 0
Q&A: Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Mike Nugent talks about his less-than-stellar debut
By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Monday, September 14, 2009

C4S_Nugent091409_85136c.jpg

Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick celebrates after Bucs kicker Mike Nugent misses a 46-yard field goal wide right as time runs out in the second quarter.
[BRENDAN FITTERER | Times]


It wasn't exactly the Bucs debut that kicker Mike Nugent had envisioned. Nugent, who signed a $2.5 million free agent deal in the offseason, missed a 46-yard field goal wide right Sunday and had a 38-yard attempt blocked (the first Bucs blocked kick since Dec. 4, 2005). It was Nugent's first regular-season game with the Bucs since replacing Matt Bryant, who became the franchise's most accurate kicker the past four seasons before getting cut after an injury-plagued camp. Nugent said there were some positive signs with special teams, including the kickoff coverage, but was disappointed on not cashing in on the two field-goal attempts.

On his tough day:

"Everything didn't go the way I wanted them to. The best thing you can do is just learn from it and not let this affect you for the rest of the year, just learn from it and move on to next week."

On the blocked 38-yard attempt in the first quarter:

"I can't really answer until I see it on film. It's one of those situations where I don't know what my exact time was. I had my head down and couldn't really see. ? Every opportunity you get, you have to take full advantage of it."

On the missed 46-yard attempt:

"Everything was perfect. My timing was perfect. ? I just tried to guide it through. It's like pitching ? when you try to throw a strike, it's not going to be a strike. I think I just tried to put it through instead of just hitting it like I always do."

On bouncing back:

"Monday is a good day to get the kinks out, watch everything on film. You focus on the things you did wrong and move on to the next one."
Click to expand...

Q&A: Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Mike Nugent talks about his less-than-stellar debut - St. Petersburg Times
 
Upvote 0
Nugent Confident Mistakes Will Be Corrected
By: Jim Flynn
September 16, 2009

2009_09_16_379_Nugentk2l2ksmall.jpg

Tampa Bay Buccaneers K Mike Nugent is 6-of-11 on field goal attempts as a Buccaneer (Cliff Welch)

Despite struggling vs. Dallas in Week 1, Tampa Bay kicker Mike Nugent still is confident in his ability to make field goals for the Buccaneers. Nugent discussed his performance from One Buc Place Wednesday.

Tampa Bay could have used six more points in its 34-21 loss to Dallas to open the 2009 regular season last Sunday. But those points were lost when kicker Mike Nugent had one field goal blocked and another attempt sail wide right in the first half of the contest at Raymond James Stadium.

Nugent, who signed with the Bucs as a free agent during the offseason, had his 38-yard field goal blocked, and missed a 46-yard attempt to end the first half of Sunday's game.

After reviewing the tape, Nugent believes both mistakes are correctable.

"On the blocked field goal, we watched it on tape and I think it's something we all looked at and felt we could do something a little different to help prevent that," said Nugent. "On the missed one, I know what I did wrong. I just need to do a better job playing the wind and just go out there and hit it. I knew what happened the second I kicked it. I just need to take that into this week."

Bucs head coach Raheem Morris initially sent Nugent on to the field to attempt the 46-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining in the first half. However, during a timeout Morris decided to have quarterback Byron Leftwich take one more shot at the end zone, which he did on an incomplete pass to wide receiver Antonio Bryant. Nugent's miss ensued, but Morris stopped short of excusing his kicker's failed field goal attempt.

"I'm not making excuses for Nugent because I won't, but his first kick got blocked and the second one I pulled him off the field and put in my seven-second throw and if we hit that ball to Antonio Bryant in the end zone the half is over," Morris said Monday. "I'm not blaming Leftwich because he had to throw the ball fast and on a line, otherwise you're going to run out of time and the half wlll be over. Seeing that executed was a positive for the team, but now I want to hit the field goal, of course, and he didn't it. He missed it. I'm not making excuses for him because he has to hit that."

Even if Morris decided to make an excuse for Nugent, the former second-round draft pick refuses to excuse himself for that missed scoring opportunity.

"Our coaches do a great job of preparing you for any situation," said Nugent. "You have to be prepared to do your job no matter what the situation is. It was just a case where I didn't do my job in this particular instance. I have to hit that kick."
Click to expand...

Nugent Confident Mistakes Will Be Corrected | Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Pewter Report
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top