<nyt_byline style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 15px;">By BEN SHPIGEL
</nyt_byline>Published: September 16, 2013
<nyt_text><nyt_correction_top></nyt_correction_top>FLORHAM PARK, N.J. ā Dee Milliner made a few mental miscues, and his coach, infuriated, yanked him from the game. This occurred Thursday night against the Patriots. It also happened three years ago, in Millinerās freshman season at Alabama. </nyt_text>
</nyt_text>
Milliner seemed to understand his current predicament, why Coach Rex Ryan remains noncommittal on whether Milliner will regain his starting role for Sundayās game against Buffalo.
āYou know youāre going to go through struggles, no matter if youāre young or whatever you are,ā Milliner said. āSo youāve just got to get through it.ā
As a freshman at Alabama, Milliner did, in large part because injuries and graduation gutted the Crimson Tideās secondary, requiring him to learn on the job. The Jets, after drafting him ninth over all, believe in his potential, but, as Ryan said Monday, āWeāve got to do whatās best for us.ā
If Milliner does not start on Sunday, he is still likely to play. But any reduction in playing time could be viewed as an acknowledgment that he was not ready to assume the responsibilities that the Jets heaped on him. Despite missing their off-season program because of shoulder surgery; three days of full-squad workouts after staging a weeklong holdout from training camp; and the final two preseason games because of injury, Milliner was listed atop their first depth chart, ahead of Kyle Wilson, who drew raves from Ryan throughout the off-season.
āWe were comfortable with him physically, there was no question we were,ā Ryan said of Milliner. āNow did he miss a lot of time? He absolutely did. We thought he could handle it. But again, itās not that Iām totally āOh, hey, heās failed.ā Thatās not the case. We have to correct a few things.ā
Milliner struggled in the season opener against Tampa Bay, showing a lack of awareness on a 17-yard touchdown catch by Mike Williams. Precisely what caused his benching against New England remains unclear, but he appeared to be at fault during the broken coverage that yielded Aaron Dobsonās 39-yard touchdown reception, and he benefited from video replay overruling a touchdown by Kenbrell Thompkins. Milliner hinted that he was aware of the in-game adjustments he should have made, but was just slow to react.
The Jets drafted Milliner because of his physical attributes and cover skills. Milliner said the most challenging aspect of his transition to the N.F.L. had been the mental adjustment: analyzing receiversā tendencies, learning the nuances of coverage schemes. He said film review had been valuable, helping him form a picture of what he did wrong so that he will not make the same mistake twice. It worked for him at Alabama, he said, and so he hopes it will again.
</nyt_byline>Published: September 16, 2013
<nyt_text><nyt_correction_top></nyt_correction_top>FLORHAM PARK, N.J. ā Dee Milliner made a few mental miscues, and his coach, infuriated, yanked him from the game. This occurred Thursday night against the Patriots. It also happened three years ago, in Millinerās freshman season at Alabama. </nyt_text>
They were āsimple mistakesā then, he said, just as they were in the first half of the Jetsā 13-10 loss to New England. Milliner rebounded to earn a cornerback spot on the Southeastern Conferenceās all-freshman team. He has 14 games to make a similar recovery with the Jets, but his immediate future is uncertain.
<nyt_text></nyt_text>
Milliner seemed to understand his current predicament, why Coach Rex Ryan remains noncommittal on whether Milliner will regain his starting role for Sundayās game against Buffalo.
āYou know youāre going to go through struggles, no matter if youāre young or whatever you are,ā Milliner said. āSo youāve just got to get through it.ā
As a freshman at Alabama, Milliner did, in large part because injuries and graduation gutted the Crimson Tideās secondary, requiring him to learn on the job. The Jets, after drafting him ninth over all, believe in his potential, but, as Ryan said Monday, āWeāve got to do whatās best for us.ā
If Milliner does not start on Sunday, he is still likely to play. But any reduction in playing time could be viewed as an acknowledgment that he was not ready to assume the responsibilities that the Jets heaped on him. Despite missing their off-season program because of shoulder surgery; three days of full-squad workouts after staging a weeklong holdout from training camp; and the final two preseason games because of injury, Milliner was listed atop their first depth chart, ahead of Kyle Wilson, who drew raves from Ryan throughout the off-season.
āWe were comfortable with him physically, there was no question we were,ā Ryan said of Milliner. āNow did he miss a lot of time? He absolutely did. We thought he could handle it. But again, itās not that Iām totally āOh, hey, heās failed.ā Thatās not the case. We have to correct a few things.ā
Milliner struggled in the season opener against Tampa Bay, showing a lack of awareness on a 17-yard touchdown catch by Mike Williams. Precisely what caused his benching against New England remains unclear, but he appeared to be at fault during the broken coverage that yielded Aaron Dobsonās 39-yard touchdown reception, and he benefited from video replay overruling a touchdown by Kenbrell Thompkins. Milliner hinted that he was aware of the in-game adjustments he should have made, but was just slow to react.
The Jets drafted Milliner because of his physical attributes and cover skills. Milliner said the most challenging aspect of his transition to the N.F.L. had been the mental adjustment: analyzing receiversā tendencies, learning the nuances of coverage schemes. He said film review had been valuable, helping him form a picture of what he did wrong so that he will not make the same mistake twice. It worked for him at Alabama, he said, and so he hopes it will again.
