flgreen Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 NY Jets glad it’s Dee Milliner time Milliner made a noticeable return against Brady and those same Patriots last Sunday, recording six tackles in the Jets’ victory. Comments (1) BY STEPHEN LORENZO / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013, 10:15 PM Print MARK BONIFACIO/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Rookie Dee Milliner learns from benching in first meeting with Patriots and helps Jets win rematch. Way back in Week 2, rookie Dee Milliner got a crash course in humility when the Jets benched him in the second half against New England for fear of what Tom Brady’s arm would do to the young cornerback’s psyche. “With Dee, it wasn’t that we were unhappy with what we were seeing, it's just that the situation for us called for, OK, they’re getting ready to take some shots at this kid,” defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman said then. “Rather than have him in a situation where he can get himself deflated, we decided to make a move and get a more experienced guy in there. And we did.” That special treatment for Milliner seems to be decreasing by the day. After missing three games due to injury, Milliner made a noticeable return against Brady and those same Patriots last Sunday, recording six tackles in the Jets’ victory. While being injured admittedly left Milliner frustrated, the rookie says watching from afar helped him gain more confidence in his mental approach to the game. “Oh yeah, very much. You just want to get back out there and do something, and I was able to go against the team who I didn’t play very well against the first time,” he said. “Being around coach DT (Dennis Thurman), players like Dawan (Landry) and Cro (Antonio Cromartie) . . . just talking to them and trying to get acquainted with the playbook and everything we do. I just try to be more alert on the field when I’m doing things.” The Jets, of course, aren’t rushing anything with their No. 9 pick. On Thursday, Thurman said they purposely “eased” Milliner into coverage against the Pats, not wanting him to be isolated without help on the back end. Massaging Milliner’s confidence is certainly not the worst thing the Jets could have done, especially given the growth he has shown since his benching. JARED WICKERHAM/GETTY IMAGES Dee Milliner tries to defend Kenbrell Thompkins in Gang Green's first meeting with Pats. “At no point did we ever think that he wasn’t a player, it’s just those things happen,” Rex Ryan said Friday. “I think you’re going to see steady progress with him.” While Cromartie will undoubtedly have the toughest matchup in Cincinnati on Sunday against the electric A.J. Green, Milliner will certainly face his own challenges against the Bengals’ ninth-ranked offense, including one he’s seen before. Cincinnati tight end Tyler Eifert and Milliner played opposite each other in last season’s BCS title game, a game in which Eifert tallied six receptions for 61 yards for Notre Dame and Milliner finished with three total tackles and two passes defended for Alabama. Ryan noted that the Bengals like to “flex” the tight end out, which could lead to déjà vu for the two rookies. “I know he’s a big guy, a vertical guy who goes up and gets the ball like he did in the championship game,” Milliner said. “I’ve just got to be alert for him and I’m looking forward to matching up with him again.” Milliner, of course, had the last laugh last January, as he and his Crimson Tide thrashed the Fighting Irish, 42-14, something he might have to remind the tight end of come Sunday. “You’ve got to mess with him a little bit,” Milliner said. “It’s all fun out there though.” Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/gang-green-glad-milliner-time-article-1.1497201#ixzz2ipKoxAy9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flgreen Posted October 26, 2013 Author Share Posted October 26, 2013 About time for this kid to start stepping up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREENBEAN Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 About time for this kid to start stepping up I like the way they are working him back in. No reason to have him getting picked on every week while he learns the system and adjusts to the NFL. Let him help out the other guys, Not be left on an island ( no pun intended) trying to be something he is not at this time. If we do this the right way, we could have him playing solid ball toward the end of the season when we are making a real playoff push which would be really nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorge o8 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 god i want this kid to be great i like how the jets are taking their time with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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