Home > The Way We Hear It ~ ~ ~ NY Jets June 20, 2008 Jets special-teams coach under the microscope Although the bulk of the pressure to win is on coach Eric Mangini and GM Mike Tannenbaum, the word we?re hearing out of New York is that new special-teams coordinator Kevin O?Dea is also faced with a considerable challenge. In replacing highly regarded Mike Westhoff ? who has taken an indefinite leave of absence for medical reasons ? O?Dea not only will be charged with sustaining the Jets? excellence in the return game, but is also expected to get more out of underachieving PK Mike Nugent and P Ben Graham. O?Dea, who comes over from Chicago where he was assistant special-teams coach, was targeted largely to aid Nugent and Graham, but that doesn?t mean he also won't bear the responsibility of keeping returners Leon Washington and Justin Miller operating at a Pro Bowl level. Even though Devin Hester ascended to unrivaled heights as a returner during O?Dea?s tenure with the Bears, O?Dea had little to do with his success. > http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/The+Way+We+Hear+It/default.htm
Nuge just needs to be more consistent. It seems like he alternatives between blowing 2-3 FGs in a game to kicking 20 in a row.
