K Mike Nugent
August 1, 2017
Q: What have you been up to the last few months without being on a team?
A: Pretty much exactly what I would be doing. Obviously, I was nowhere during OTAs and things like that so I didn’t get a chance to get a snap and a hold when it comes to OTAs and minicamp, but kicking a lot out in Arizona. I live in Arizona, so kicking out there and doing a lot of things on my own, but being able to go out on the field and kick as much as possible.
Q: What’s the plan for when you’ll get to show off the leg?
A: Not too sure. I think it’s kind of going to be a ‘let us know’ per day, but make sure we go out and not kick 50 balls like you can when you’re a young guy, and just be ready for when the time calls.
Q: What does it mean to you to be back in New York?
A: It’s really cool to be back. 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 us (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.
Q: How much do you have left?
A: I’ve always wanted to play 20 years. I’m going to see what I can do, make sure I stay in shape and try to keep up with the younger guys and to get to a point where the ball is going where I’m aiming it, and keep at it.
Q: Are you capable of winning this job?
A: 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. 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.
Q: Had you been in contact with the Giants or did this all come together in the past couple of days?
A: It really came together in the past couple of days.
Q: You return to the New York/New Jersey area. What can you say about your tenure with the New York Jets that can help you work out this Giants tenure?
A: Probably the biggest thing, obviously I can’t say I know the stadium as much because I didn’t kick in the new stadium. I have kicked a few times there, but I do know how the wind works in there and how it works out here in the Meadowlands. It’s one of those things where I can try to remember some knowledge that I had back a few years ago.
Q: One of the things that happened last year is it seemed there were a number of missed extra points. Was there something going on there?
A: I think, sometimes, you give certain kicks too much credit instead of thinking like, ‘Oh, it’s just the same kick whether it’s 20 yards, 33 or 50.’ You still want to hit the same ball. I think me, on a personal level, I gave it too much credit and made it too much bigger of a deal than it actually was so then, you’re kind of all hyped up and ready to go and then you’re just not going to kick as well as you should be able to when you have that feeling.
Q: How tough was last season for you with the way it ended?
A: It was tough. They (Bengals) 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 have 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.
Q: How important was it for you to actually be kicking in a camp so that people know your name is on the radar and you’re trying to win another NFL job?
A: I think it is important especially because, now going into my 13th year this year, you get the question of if you still want to keep kicking. It’s never been in my mind to retire or anything like that. It’s something that other people may be thinking age-wise. I think it is important to get in camp and get a feel for the guys and be back out there and be doing everything that you would be doing as if it was just any other season.
Q: How important was continuity for you in Cincinnati?
A: For me, individually, the consistency we had in a special teams coach, a snapper, a holder, our holder was our punter, and we were all there together since my first year there in 2010. You get to be with the same guys and have the same schedule and know what’s going on every single day for seven years. That made things a lot more comfortable. But that’s one of those situations where it doesn’t happen very often, so you can’t get used to it for too long.
Q: They (Giants) already have a guy (kicker Aldrick Rosas) here, so what did they tell you when you got here about what to expect?
A: Nothing really, just brought me in and said, ‘Just do what you do best and take it day-by-day.’
Q: You kind of understand this is how it works?
A: Yeah, exactly.
Q: Aldrick was saying he’s excited you’re here because he can learn a lot from you. How do you feel about him learning from you and competing with him for a job?
A: I feel like I can say the same thing. We were talking a little bit today about how it’s kind of like if you’re trying to run sprints. When you’re by yourself, you’re just running at your own pace, but if there are a few people next to you, it’s something where you can keep up with the other guy. I think both of us can keep an eye on each other and maybe he does something that I don’t feel like I do very well and can work on it, and vice versa. Hopefully, it’s one of those things where competition can bring out the best in both of us.
Q: Did you have any other options? Were any other teams talking to you?
A: Not at the moment, no. This was the first call I got so I took advantage of that as much as I could.
Q: So where were you?
A: Normally, I’d be back out in Scottsdale, but we were back seeing family in Ohio, so just a nice, quick trip here.