Coach Rex Ryan Says Dee Milliner’s Problems are Physical Not Mental

Oct 27, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie (31) on the sideline with safety Dawan Landry (26) and cornerback Dee Milliner (27) during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Cincinnati defeated New York 49-9. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Dee Milliner had a lot of expectations thrown upon him as a first round selection, top ten no less. With the guy that shall remain nameless in Tampa Bay, Milliner was expected to step up and be the guy, on the opposite of Cromartie, right away and for the next ten years.

Well injuries have put that process behind just a bit, as Milliner has been coming up short of expectations over the last few games. He has been benched before, and was benched again last Sunday against the Bengals. However, he will continue to start. Rex Ryan is encouraged by the fact that, at least in his opinion, the mistakes are physical, not mental:

Yeah, mentally I think he’s right there. There are things in this league. The ball is going to be where it needs to be in the NFL, where it should be. If you have leverage inside, that ball is going to be outside. It’s not college. It’s not going to be on him, it’s going to be in front of him, and that’s wherever it goes. Sometimes, it just takes a little time to understand that. Where he had some issues, where a lot of guys and not just him, but where you look back in the backfield, you have a man, the guy’s off a break, and you look back in the backfield, it allows separation, and those are some things that I know he’s working extremely hard on.

Milliner, as he should, has the confidence that he will get better:

Yes, of course. In the game I had a couple of plays where I had bad eyes. In (this) league if you have bad eyes, that leads to a big (play). (I’ve) just got to be more mentally into it and more physically into it and just go out there and make plays.

It is logical that the physical end is more the issue. Dee has been around studying the entire time, his being injured doesn’t take away from his mental side, it takes away from the rep side. Dee just needs to be out there and grow. I, like our good buddy Sean Durham, am not ready to call Dee a bust. He will improve.