In the third quarter alone, the North Carolina product caught two touchdown passes — one 22-yarder and one 71-yarder — to pull his team back into the game, all by himself. He finished the night with six catches and 144 yards, and while it was against the Jets' third-team defense, it was still good enough for coach Tom Coughlin on a night the ball was barely moving through the air.
"He made some plays," Coughlin told the New York Daily News. "He created opportunities for us to see him and his contributions and how we might be able to utilize him."
While the first-round draft pick isn't really fighting for a roster spot, he isn't getting complacent. He hopes his performance on Saturday night was enough to prove to the coaching staff that he is deserving of a starting job when the wins and losses start counting.
"I feel like I did [earn my keep]," Nicks told the Daily News. "At the same time, I can't control the depth chart. All I can do is keep on competing and we'll go from there."
As a junior for the Tar Heels in 2008, Nicks made 68 catches for 1,222 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 18.0 yards per reception.
