Just Another Kick for Nugent, Maybe, but Not for the Jets By KAREN CROUSE Published: December 27, 2006 MIAMI, Dec. 26 ? Mike Nugent told himself it was just another kick, no different from the thousands he had made before. It was a lie, of course. The 30-yard field goal that Nugent, the Jets? place-kicker, was lining up to try late Monday night at Dolphin Stadium was the biggest of his two-year N.F.L. career and the most important kick for the Jets since Doug Brien?s two missed field-goal attempts in a divisional playoff game at Pittsburgh in January 2005. If Nugent?s aim was true, the Jets would defeat the Dolphins and tighten their grip on a wild-card berth for the playoffs. If he missed, the game would go into overtime and, given the history of wild finishes between these two American Football Conference East rivals, who knows how the evening might have ended? The game, played in a steady rain, had been a messy, mistake-filled affair. Nugent also had to put that out of his mind as he went through his prekick paces. ?At certain points that ball was so slippery, it was unbelievable,? said Nugent, whose first field goal attempt, a 34-yarder in the first quarter, went awry after the holder, Ben Graham, fumbled the snap. There were 14 seconds showing on the clock when the ball was snapped by James Dearth and spun into place by Graham. All that was left was for Nugent to make clean contact, which he did. The ball sailed through the uprights, sealing the Jets? 13-10 victory and giving them a chance to secure a place in the postseason with a victory at home Sunday against the Oakland Raiders (2-13). The Jets (9-6) can lose their regular-season finale and still make the postseason through a few convoluted outcomes that they would prefer not to think about. They would rather remain in control of their postseason chances, much as they took control of this see-sawing game at the end. Jets quarterback Chad Pennington had completed less than 50 percent of his passes (14 of 29) for the game. But in the fourth quarter, with the season on the line, he was 6 of 9 passing while spreading the ball among five receivers. One of those was the Jets? smallest player, the 5-foot-8 rookie running back Leon Washington, who made two giant receptions down the stretch. On the Jets? first drive of the fourth quarter, he caught a pass for a 20-yard gain on a third-and-10 to set up Jerricho Cotchery?s 32-yard third-down scoring reception three plays later. After a special-teams mishap in which a punt deflected off the Jets? Brad Kassell and led to a game-tying 25-yard field goal by the Dolphins? Olindo Mare, Washington struck again. He turned a 2-yard screen pass from Pennington into a 64-yard gain on the final play before the 2-minute warning to set up Nugent?s winning kick. ?The offense did an unbelievable job getting the ball downfield,? Nugent said. He added, ?I was so impressed with that last series. I was so excited for our entire team.? Nugent was asked if kickers live for moments like Monday night. ?As long as it?s a win, that?s what we live for,? he said. There were few drum-roll moments for the Jets last season. Nugent had one opportunity to win a game, against the New Orleans Saints in the 11th game of last year?s lost season, but he missed from 53 yards. After making 16 of 22 field goals as a rookie, Nugent started this season with a thud, missing field goals of 34 and 30 yards at Tennessee. The Jets brought in kickers for tryouts the Tuesday after that game, which made Nugent?s mother, Carolyn, wring her hands with worry. ?What if Mike doesn?t make it?? she asked her friends. As Carolyn Nugent recently recalled, their response was: ?Don?t be silly, Carolyn. He already has made it.? Nugent has made his past 15 field goal attempts (there have been two aborted attempts that have not counted as official tries). He attributed his turnaround in part to an article he read recently on kickers. ?One of the guys, I?m not sure exactly who it was, said pressure isn?t really something real, it?s what you put on yourself,? Nugent said. ?I really took that to heart.? Those words were in his head, he said, as he steadied his nerves before trying the winning kick against the Dolphins (6-9). ?I just kind of thought, don?t change anything,? Nugent said. ?It?s still a field goal. There?s nothing different about it. So I was thinking, just do everything exactly the same.? The road to resiliency clearly runs through the Jets, who are in the driver?s seat to make the playoffs after going 4-12 last year. Their collective spirit is personified by Nugent, who missed from 30 yards in the season opener only to nail a field goal from the same distance when it really counted. ?That?s kind of the way I?ve looked at the N.F.L.,? Nugent said, adding, ?You never know what?s going to happen next.? EXTRA POINTS Coach Eric Mangini said that cornerback Andre Dyson, who left Monday?s game because of a right leg injury, ?got a little banged up,? but did not disclose how severe the injury is or what he injured. Mangini said that the team would announce Dyson?s status on Wednesday. ... The Jets? defense limited the Dolphins to one third-down conversion in 13 chances. In the Jets? 20-17 win in October, the Dolphins converted 7 of 9 third downs in the second half to make the score close.
