Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Milliner certain Pryor's presence will be felt in backfield

BY NICK ST. DENIS

As a rookie, 2013 first-round pick Dee Milliner was very noticeable on the field, but for many of the wrong reasons.

Milliner thinks fellow New York Jets defensive back Calvin Pryor, a big-hitting first-round safety out of Louisville, will also have a presence on the field in his first year.

Pryor's presence, however, will be of the positive variety, according to the second-year corner.

"Receivers are going to know where he's at at all times," Milliner said last week, via NJ.com. "Certain routes they run, they know he's going to be around, so they might get little alligator arms or not want to do as much.

"That helps a lot, knowing that you've got a killer-instinct-type of guy in the back."

Pryor should be a favorite to start at centerfield alongside the perimeter defender Milliner, who finished his own first season very strong after a subpar first couple months. Pryor is the kind of physical defender Rex Ryan coaches for, though it's yet to be seen whether his aggressive nature will translate well right off the bat.

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