When Ray Mickens went in to have a third MRI on his injured left knee Tuesday morning, he figured it was merely a follow-up to see how the injury was progressing. He had no clue that the exam was going to spell the end of his 2004 season.
“The doctor told me as soon as he looked at it that it didn’t look good,” Mickens, 31, said yesterday.
The sick feeling that engulfed Mickens told him all he needed to know: His season was over.
“It was tough to hear,” Mickens said. “I was down for a while, just really upset that I can’t play more than the injury itself. Not playing is what hurts more than anything. It hurts. I’m not going to lie. It hurt real bad to hear it. I’ve missed only two games in my whole life. It was tough to hear I can’t play this year.”
Indeed, Mickens will have season-ending surgery, tentatively scheduled for sometime next week, to repair a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, a rather innocuous injury he suffered when he collided with teammate Justin McCareins on Aug. 15 in practice.
He was placed on the injured reserve list yesterday and replaced on the roster by the signing of veteran CB Terrell Buckley.
“It was freakish in a way,” the ninth-year veteran Mickens said. “I didn’t think it was a bad injury when it happened. I was holding my breath on the first MRI and once we found out it wasn’t that bad, I kind of felt better … and now this. I just expected [the Tuesday MRI] was a regular follow-up to see how everything was going.”
Coach Herman Edwards called the news on Mickens “a shame.”
“We had a good talk [yesterday] morning,” Edwards said. “He’s down. He’s anticipating coming back and helping us. I told him, ‘Ray, the road to recovery is a long one, but if anybody can get it done you can get it done. And when it gets done, you have to start coaching, helping the young guys in the secondary.’ ”
That would account for most of the Jets’ defensive backfield, which includes three rookies who’ll have a significant role in the defense.
At this point, rookie third-round draft pick Derrick Strait will take over as the nickel back for Mickens. Rookie fifth-round pick Erik Coleman is slated to start at strong safety. Rookie free agent Roderick Bryant is a candidate to play in the dime package.
Mickens said he likes the path Strait is on.
“He looks pretty good; he should be successful,” Mickens said. “He’s grown a lot since the first day he came here. Now it takes game experience. He’s going to be out there just like when I was a rookie. I started my first game as a rookie in Denver against John Elway. He played in a big program [Oklahoma] and had a lot of accolades in college, so he’s not going to shy away.”
Neither is Buckley, a veteran of 189 regular-season games who ranks third in the NFL among active career interception leaders with 47 picks.
“It’s fortunate he was available to us,” Edwards said of Buckley, who was released by the Patriots after training camp. “He’s excited about coming here. I think it’s a good get for us.”
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Nickel ‘Buck’
New Jet nickel back Terrell Buckley is a well-traveled 12-year veteran. Here’s his resume:
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 5-foot-10, 180 pounds
AGE: 33, COLLEGE: Florida State
NFL CAREER
Team — Year
Green Bay Packers 1992-94
Miami Dolphins 1995-99
Denver Broncos 2000
New England Pats 2001-02
Miami Dolphins 2003
Jets 2004-?
