Steve Weatherford: 'I'm not happy with the way I punted'
Without warning, Ryan Quigley's right shin began swelling. And it didn't stop.
Everything seemed fine during Friday's practice, the Jets punter said. But by the next morning, the swelling in his leg "was kind of out of control." Turns out he had an infection underneath the skin.
"It started from the blocked punt," Quigley said Sunday, referring to last week's fourth-quarter miscue against the Washington Redskins in which his punt attempt was returned for a touchdown. "I got hit in the shin, so it caused a little scratch. It's one of those crazy things that can happen."
Quigley said he went through his normal week of practice without feeling anything but that on Friday night, "it kind of escalated," he said.
"We were playing it safe today," Quigley added. "We didn't want to risk it because if that gets into the blood, then you'll see problems . . . It was one of those freak things that happens."
Facing a punter emergency, the team signed former Giant (and Jet) Steve Weatherford on Saturday in time for Sunday's game in New England, a 30-23 Patriots win.
"Coming in and not having any work with these guys, I wish I could have given more to the Jets today," said Weatherford, who received the call from the Jets on Saturday morning while co-hosting a radio show on ESPN New York.
On Sunday, he averaged 40.3 yards on four punts. His longest was 50 yards, but he had zero inside the 20 and his 31-yard punt gave the Patriots excellent field position on an eventual scoring drive in the second quarter.
"It was fun being back out there today," said Weatherford, who told reporters he had punted only three times in the past seven weeks, including once last week with his 7-year-old snapping the ball. "But obviously, I'm not very happy at all with the way I punted. This team fought hard. This is a good football team."
Weatherford spent two seasons with the Jets (2009-10) before winning a Super Bowl with the Giants. The Giants released him Sept. 4 because of his large contract.
Asked how Weatherford did in his first game back, coach Todd Bowles said: "He's a vet. I thought he did a good job."