Giants sign veteran kicker Nugent
EAST RUTHERFORD » Playing 20 years in the NFL has always been a goal for Mike Nugent. So despite going unsigned throughout the offseason, Nugent continued to work out and practice kicking on his own near his home in Arizona.
Nugent, a 13-year veteran, signed with the Giants on Tuesday — eight months after being released by the Bengals. The 35-year-old will compete with 22-year-old Aldrick Rosas, who has been the only kicker on the roster since January.
“We thought at some point in time we were going to add a kicker to create some competition, we just weren’t sure when we were going to pull the trigger,” head coach Ben McAdoo said. “We thought it would be a good idea in the spring to get Aldrick all the kicks, get him a good foundation underneath him and then provide competition in camp.”
Nugent, a 2005 secondround pick out of Ohio State, spent his first four seasons with the Jets, split 2009 with the Buccaneers and Cardinals and then was the Bengals’ kicker for the last seven seasons.
But after some chronic struggles in 2016 culminating with five missed extra points in five games, Cincinnati moved on from Nugent in Week 15.
“It was tough,” Nugent said. “They gave me second chances. It wasn’t, ‘Miss one, and you’re out of here.’ I had just great support and I was always thankful to have that, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to make kicks. I wasn’t doing that, so I can’t sit here and say, ‘Oh, I wish I had more time,’ or anything like that. I think it was something that was, at the time, it was probably what I deserved.”
On the flip side, Nugent now gets to enjoy a homecoming of sorts. Though he played in the old Giants Stadium before MetLife Stadium was built, Nugent said he still has knowledge of the wind in the Meadowlands.
“It’s really cool to be back,” Nugent said. “I really like being back, just seeing the crowd support out there today. I first got a little hint about what Giants fans are like when they came to play (the Bengals) in the first preseason game two years ago. There was great crowd support out there, so you can just tell there’s a great following.”
During a special teams drill in Tuesday’s practice, Rosas booted 4-of-4 field goal attempts including a 50-yarder, and conventional wisdom says the Giants will give their younger kicker every opportunity to claim the job by the end of the summer.
Still, Nugent is excited to show what he can do. He wouldn’t be in the building if he didn’t think he could win the job, he says.
“I don’t think I’d be here if that wasn’t true, so I’m really excited to get out there and just do my thing and apply what I’ve learned over the years,” Nugent said. “At the end of the day, it’s kind of like a golf tournament. It’s not so much about how everyone else does, it’s about how you do.”