Sperm Edwards Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 Mickens back to future Nickelback returns believing he can bridge past and help rebuild BY TOM ROCK Newsday Staff Writer August 2, 2006 A lot can change in a year. Just ask Ray Mickens. The veteran cornerback was released by the Jets last August to make room, financial and otherwise, for Ty Law. After a season with the Cleveland Browns, Mickens is back with the Jets. It's just not the Jets he remembers. Gone are many of the coaches and front-office people he knew. Gone are the veteran faces of Chrebet, Abraham and Mawae that he'd grown with over his long career with the franchise. Gone is the preseason optimism that comes from a healthy quarterback, a solid running back, a veteran offensive line and - the reason Mickens was pushed out in the first place - a game-changing cornerback. In the time he was absent, the Jets didn't just rearrange the furniture on Mickens. They tore the place down and are now rebuilding to the point hardhats are practically required at this first week of training camp at Hofstra. Mickens is back with the Jets after signing as an unrestricted free agent this spring, but in many ways he's with a third different team in a year. "It's a young team," Mickens said of the current Jets. "Anytime you come back, there's always going to be change in the NFL, whether it's team to team or year to year." That's not to say there is no one Mickens knows. It's just that some of them are now his coaches rather than his teammates. Defensive backs coach Corwin Brown and assistant defensive line coach Bryan Cox both suited up with Mickens during his Jets career. And Mickens played for current Jets coach Eric Mangini when Mangini was a defensive assistant with the Jets from 1997-99. "There are a lot of familiar faces although he is not in a familiar situation," Mangini said of Mickens' second tenure with the Jets. "That's good. We can talk about things that worked defensively, situations that we were in, and we can reference games. There is carryover there. That he has experience in the system is another advantage." Mickens, who has spent most of his career as a nickelback and missed the 2004 season with a torn ACL, has been rotating at that position this training camp with second-year defensive back Justin Miller. Miller, who also can return kickoffs, has looked solid in the first week. He intercepted a pass in Monday's red-zone workout and celebrated by shouting "Pay me please!" and "Can I get my money?" It was that emotion which helped unbutton what had been a stiff, starchy first few workouts. "If you can go out there and make practice fun, things go a lot easier for you as a person and as a team," Miller said of his playful outburst. As with virtually all of the positions on the field, Mangini has been silent on depth charts and starting jobs in the secondary. That's just fine with Mickens who, at 33, will try to translate his familiarity with the system and his vast experience into a spot on the field come September. "The thing about [training camp]," Mickens said, "is you have to go out and compete and believe every job is open and yours to win." Some things at Jets camp never change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 "The thing about [training camp]," Mickens said, "is you have to go out and compete and believe every job is open and yours to win." Think he can throw? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raffyD Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 Think he can throw? We already have someone who can throw, his name is Chad Pennington and he is back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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