We Remember - Ray Mickens

We will be running a segment called "We Remember" in an effort to honor old New York players, who may not have been the best, but were able to help their teams in different ways. Today, we remember Ray Mickens.

His 5'8" 180 lb. frame never stopped him from dominating games out of the nickel formation. Mickens was an NFL cornerback from 1996-2006 and a member of the New York Jets from 1996-2004 and then again for a short stint in 2006. 

Mickens was actually a running back coming out of high school. One of the top players in the nation, he was recruited to play at Texas A&M, where he was switched to playing only cornerback. Throughout his junior and senior seasons at A&M, Mickens made a name for himself as one of the best college cornerbacks in the country. He was a first-day pick for the Jets in 1996, taken in the third round on draft day. 

Mickens immediately got playing time as a rookie, playing in 15 games and recording 40 tackles, playing a role as the nickel corner. He started to become well known and respected as one of the better nickel cornerbacks in the league. By the end of his second season, when he picked off four passes and even recorded his first career sack, Mickens was widely known as the best nickel corner in the AFC and was helping contribute to a much improving team. In 1998, he helped carry the Jets all the way to the AFC Championship game. 

Throughout the first eight seasons of Mickens' career, he managed to miss only two games - one in '96 and one in '99. However, in 2004, he tore is ACL in his knee and was unable to step on the field for the entire season. He was let go by the Jets at the end of the year, only to sign with the Browns before the 2005 season. Having not played in almost two years, Mickens played in every game for coach Romeo Crennel that season, recording 36 tackles and still playing in the nickel. After a training camp stint with the Jets and a four game period with the Patriots in 2006, Mickens decided to call it quits and retired after the season.

His legacy will always live on. Ray Mickens, that guy could play the nickel.

- D. Spell