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Nugent kicks off his career

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Bucktastic

Bucktastic

Troy Smith for HEISMAN
Nice article from NY Daily News about NUGE....



<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Nugent kicks off his career

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</TD></TR><TR><TD>BY PETER BOTTE
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Component: NYDailyNews : component/story/picture.comp --><TABLE cellSpacing=10 cellPadding=0 width=50 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
147-nugent_kick.JPG
</TD></TR><TR><TD>[size=-1]Jets are counting on rookie Mike Nugent to give the boot to kicking problems that cost them in last season's playoffs. [/size]</TD></TR><TR><TD width=10 height=10><!-- /images/shim.gif --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- Component: NYDailyNews : component/story/picture.comp -->New offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger joked last week that he was "one foot on a field goal from not even being here." The same statement could apply to Mike Nugent.

The Jets used their second-round draft pick to select the pressure-tested Ohio State kicker before releasing Doug Brien, who had missed two key field-goal attempts late in their 20-17 AFC divisional playoff loss to Pittsburgh.

With rehabbing quarterback Chad Pennington and incoming Pro Bowler Ty Law not expected to play in tomorrow's preseason opener against Detroit, many eyes will be fixed on Nugent as he begins the quick transition from everybody's All-American to everybody's late-game NFL hero or goat.

"He's done fine. And we're expecting him to be very good when the games start," special teams coach Mike Westhoff said of Nugent following a 45-minute special-teams practice yesterday at Hofstra. "He's had a heck of a college career, and I haven't seen anything to make me think differently (in training camp).

"For any of these guys, I think there's always a carryover from where you've been to where you are now, and he's been in highly pressured situations his whole college career. He should be able to handle it."

Herm Edwards and the Jets felt strongly enough about Nugent's cold-weather, big-kick resume from his Big Ten days with the Buckeyes that they made him the highest-drafted kicker (47th overall) in team history - and the highest in the NFL since Oakland tabbed Sebastian Janikowski 17th overall in 2000.

"He hasn't kicked in a game yet ... but we have high expectations for Mike and he has high expectations for himself," Edwards said. "He alone will not win games. We have to do that as a football team. We need to put him in a position where he doesn't have to make dramatic kicks, but he might have to make one or two through the course of the year."

To that end, Edwards pointed out that Nugent "fully understands" that 24% of NFL games "are won or lost by three points." Nugent, who also was a team captain at Ohio State and a multiple Scholar-Athlete award winner, believes he's ready for the NFL "because it seems my last two or three years in college, almost every game came down to two or three points."

Said Edwards: "He's won a national championship, and been in a lot of postseason games in which he's had to kick to win. He's been through that pressure. He's played in a stadium with 100,000 people watching him. There were more people watching him (at Ohio State) than we have (at Jets games). Now it's just a matter of him understanding that he's at the pro level and that he can do it."

Nugent, 23, described himself yesterday as "somebody that definitely has a lot of confidence." And why not? He'd converted 72 of 88 field goals (82%), with a long of 55 yards, during his OSU career. And more than half of his 220 career kickoffs (119) reached the end zone. Still, Nugent recalled watching Brien's playoff meltdown against the Steelers, in which he missed attempts of 47 and 43 yards in the final minutes, including one off the corner of the crossbar/upright. Even the rookie pointed out "it's easy to forget" Brien also had kicked the game-winning field goal one week earlier in the wild-card playoff against San Diego. "I think with any kicker in that situation, you just try to put yourself in their shoes and know exactly how they feel," Nugent said. "That was a very high-pressure situation for him and hopefully everyone can put the past behind them and move on."

Originally published on August 11, 2005

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http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/336205p-287183c.html


I really hope he kicks some serious tail this year for the JETS!!!!!
 
Great article! I have an autographed picture of Nugent hanging in my Buckeye Room. Does anyone remember any Buckeyes other than Archie, Eddie and Nuge whose names were routinly chanted in the Horseshoe?

Many of the "experts" are predicting replacing Nugent as the most critical piece in the new season's puzzle.

On the other hand, I wonder if Nugent's graduating actually leads to a more explosive offense. I remember several occasions when Tress shut down the offense after crossing the 40 yard line. He was reluctant to lose the "guaranteed 3 points" Nugent offered.

Wouldn't it be ironic if graduating OSU's leading point producer led to higher offensive stats in 2005?
 
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JiMuzik said:
Great article!Does anyone remember any Buckeyes other than Archie, Eddie and Nuge whose names were routinly chanted in the Horseshoe?
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Yes unfortunately..."Maurice" :(

JiMuzik said:
Wouldn't it be ironic if graduating OSU's leading point producer led to higher offensive stats in 2005?
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I wouldn't doubt it, especially with a running game that couldn't possibly get worse and a deadly passing game. By the books, we SHOULD have better offensive stats this year
 
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OSUsushichic said:
Well, he's 1 for 1. Hit a 40-yarder last night. Go Nuge!
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As noted on the Jets official web-site they are also Huuge for Nuuge on kick-offs -- they will like that field position advantage:

Jets Tame Lions, 10-3; Rookies Impressive

On a night when scoring was low and penalties were high, the New York Jets came away with a hard-fought 10-3 victory over the visiting Detroit Lions. The game also featured some impressive debuts by the Jets rookie class.

Punter Ben Graham averaged 54.7 yards on three punts; defensive tackle Sione Pouha had four tackles; cornerback Justin Miller supplied four tackles on defense and a 28-yard kickoff return on special teams; kicker Mike Nugent nailed a 40-yard field goal and was consistenly deep on kickoffs; and Kerry Rhodes, possibly the most impressive of all the rookies, was credited with two tackles, one interception, and a critical pass defense on the last play of the game.

The Jets didn’t get off to a quick start against the Lions, but it didn’t take long for the Green & White to turn things up a notch.

The offense took the field after rookie Miller’s nifty kick return with backup quarterback Jay Fielder at the helm, as Chad Pennington was held out in order to rest his throwing shoulder. On the third play from scrimmage, Fielder’s pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by Detroit linebacker James Davis.

“I wanted to play tonight, no doubt about it,� Pennington said. “But we had had a plan in place a long time ago. We talked about not playing in the first game and I am really excited about how things are going. I plan on playing next week barring any setbacks.�

The Lions offense, led by quarterback Joey Harrington, proceeded to put together a drive that took them from their own 39-yard line to the Jets 36. However, the Jets defense stiffened, sacking Harrington on back-to-back plays to force a punt, the result of which pinned the offense back at their own three-yard line.

On the Jets second possession of the first half, Fiedler spread the ball around to his backs and receivers, and All-Pro Curtis Martin broke off some impressive runs. The result was a 16-play, 98-yard drive that was capped off by a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Fiedler for a touchdown.

"Jay was taking what they were giving him," said head coach Herman Edwards "The ball was coming out well; he was slinging it really well. Laveranues made a great catch. I think Mike [Heimerdinger] did a great job of getting the guys the ball. That’s why we put Chris Baker in there, to get him a catch. Mike is well aware of trying to get certain guys the ball during the game.

"Jay also did a great job of not trying to force too much. One ball got batted up in the air, but that will happen when you try to throw inside. But he and the offense came back after that and drove down the field, and that’s good to see."

“I told them we had 98 yards to go, but I didn’t know it would take 16 plays to get all of it,� Fiedler said. “We executed up and down the field. The run game, pass game, and protection were great. The offensive line did a great job of keeping them off of me and opening holes for the run game. We didn’t get any big plays on it, but we got the first downs and moved the chains each time on the third downs. And we were able to pop it in for a TD.�

Martin finished the evening with 20 yards on four carries. Fielder was 7 of 9 for 69 yards and one interception before being relieved by Brooks Bollinger.

The Lions offense put together a long drive with their second possession (13 plays, 74 yards) which culminated in a Jason Hanson 22-yard field goal.

Rookie safety Kerry Rhodes ended the Lions third possession of the half with an interception of a Jeff Garcia pass intended for wide receiver Scottie Vines. The Jets led at halftime, 7-3.

The third quarter was an exercise in futility for both offenses. It may have been one of the longer quarters in Jets preseason history, featuring no fewer than 12 yellow flags between the two teams.

Neither team was able to sustain drives due to turnovers. On the Jets first possession of the second half, Bollinger was sacked by cornerback R.W. McQuarters, causing a fumble that was recovered by the Lions at the Jets 45-yard line. Later in the quarter, Jets linebacker Mondoe Davis picked of rookie QB Dan Orlovsky deep in Detroit territory. After a holding call on the Jets offense, rookie running back Cedric Houston fumbled on the next play, giving the ball right back to the Lions.

The rookies were on display in the 4th quarter. Recent pickup Decori Birmingham, a rookie from Arkansas, ran back a punt 36 yards. And Mike Nugent, the Jets first pick (2nd round) of the 2005 Draft, kicked a 40-yard field goal to increase the lead to 10-3.

The Lions drove to the Jets’ seven-yard line on the final possession of the game, but failed to score when Rhodes broke up an Orlovsky pass intended for rookie wideout Mike Williams in the end zone as time expired, securing the victory for the Green & White.

Quarterback Chad Pennington, linebackers Eric Barton and Kenyatta Wright, safety Andre Maddox, defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson, cornerback Ty Law, and wide receivers Wayne Chrebet and Jonathan Carter were all held out of action. Linebacker Darrell McClover fractured his ankle during the game and will be out indefinitely.
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Nuge was my #3 overall pick in this years Fantasy Football with my buddies. They think I'm nuts. Eh. Maybe. But I also picked up Peyton and TO, so... In case it turns out to be a poor draft, I have a little backup. :biggrin:
 
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