Chad Pennington, the veteran quarterback, will be fighting Kellen Clemens for the starting position after being replaced by Clemens midway through last season.
For the first time, the selling of personal seat licenses, which entitle a fan to the first call on season tickets, is a real possibility in the New York area.
Putting Chris Baker on the active/physically unable to perform list could be another turn in the soap-opera narrative between The Jets and its starting tight end.
The Giants didn't just trade a number -- Jeremy Shockey has been one of the team's most popular players. And you can't judge this trade by numbers. So who got the better of the deal?
The last time tight end Chris Baker spoke to the media,
he said his gut feeling was that he wouldn't be with the Jets when they play their 2008 season opener in Miami. It now seems possible that he will be. Although Baker didn't sound as if everything was ideal yesterday, it certainly seemed as if it's getting there.
Linebacker Vernon Gholston, the Jets' top draft pick,
missed the first day of training camp, a total of two practices, but his absence isn't expected to last much beyond that.
don't spend too much time worrying about this. As was noted earlier, every contract has to be approved by the NFL Management Council and that likely is the holdup to what is believed to be a five-year contract for Gholston. Don't be shocked if he's on the field by tomorrow's (Friday's) 1:30 p.m. practice [The Jets have just one workout Friday].
Again, and this can't be stressed enough, if an agreement had not been struck here, how likely is it that Eric Mangini would have all but announced Gholston had signed at his late-morning press conference?
"We could have a Vernon Gholston sighting here in the near future," Mangini said while smiling. "I'll keep you posted on that, but I think we have a shot to see that."
Don't think for a second that was a slip-up on Mangini's part. He's too smart for that.
And now, the day's program is complete. I'll get the lights at Hofstra. Back at it again tomorrow.
While waiting for the Gholston deal to become official (hopefully), a few afternoon practice notes:
* I went through a bit of the quarterbacks in the above post but there's a couple more things worth mentioning, among them Dustin Keller. Fans in attendance today -- which included Ira (good to meet you), R in CT (likewise), and another HOF commenter who wished not to be identified (still good to meet you, too) -- saw the slippery tight end create matchup difficulties and find openings in the seam several times. He benefited three quarterbacks today -- Pennington, Clemens and Brett Ratliff, who incidentally, had a good day today. I was discussing this with thejetsblog.com's Brian Bassett -- well on his way to becoming the king of all Jets media I firmly believe -- that an argument could be made that Ratliff had the second-best day by a quarterback today. Yes, it's early, but the kid should get his due.
Anyway, Clemens, in one 11-on-11 drill this afternoon completed consecutive short passes to Laveranues Coles. His third pass was the pick mentioned in the above post.
"Get Favre!" came a lone fan's voice from the bleachers. Tough training camp crowd.
Clemens had one memorable throw in the afternoon, a 15-yard slant to Chansi Stuckey, who had gotten inside David Barrett (and don't think I don't realize the effect that name has on some of you. Barrett, not Stuckey). To be fair, Clemens was called upon to throw plenty of dump offs and screens -- a handful each to Thomas Jones and Leon Washington, both of whom looked explosive on such plays. One in particular stands out: when Jones took a screen from Pennington and, with Nick Mangold and Will Montgomery (some mixin' and matchin' on the line) leading the way, bolted for a 60-yard touchdown.
* Speaking of receivers -- we weren't but whatever -- some nice catches today from Paul Raymond, the rookie from Brown. We highlighted one on this morning's practice report and he had two more this afternoon. He caught a 35-yarder over his right shoulder, and surrounded by Ahmad Carroll and Cameron Worrell, from Ratliff down the sideline, and also hauled in a 15-yarder from Erik Ainge on a shorter sideline route. David Clowney also had a solid 13-yard sideline reception in the afternoon on a ball thrown by Pennington in addition to the longer one described in the previous post.
* Finally, interesting day for Danny Woodhead, the Division II rookie free agent. He saw a lot of time in the backfield - both running and taking some short passes - and returning kicks, more than what we saw in the OTAs and minicamp. Keep in mind some of that results from Musa Smith and Jesse Chatman missing the day as they're still on the non-football injury list. [Mangini said, by the way, those two aren't going to be out long]. Woodhead showed some agility but this stood out to me from the morning: on several of Woodhead's carries that I saw, he plowed -- "disappeared" might be the better word with the 5-7 Woodhead - into the line and was surrounded by four tacklers at a time who were ripping at the ball with their much-bigger arms. Woodhead didn't fumble.
And with that, goodnight, though not really because as I post this, we're still at Hofstra. Back tomorrow, if not sooner.
Ok, so while I expected to see Gholston on the practice field, I actually didn't. No one did. Here's the deal: the word is the contract is done but all contracts must be submitted to and approved by the NFL Management Council. That can take some time, but we're hanging out at Hofstra because Gholston is expected to address the media when the deal is officially approved.
I have newspaper material to write for tomorrow so I have to do that before a more extensive afternoon practice report. But here's something: in the quarterback race, Day 1 goes to Pennington. Clemens threw another interception this afternoon, this time when Darrelle Revis stepped in front of Brad Smith on an underthrown pass. Pennington threw a couple of nice deep balls, one of which was a 25-yarder in the seam to a wide open Dustin Keller. The other came on one of the final plays of the day, a 40-yarder down the right sideline that David Clowney - who had a nice day overall - dived for and caught at the goal line, with James Ihedigbo and Dwight Lowery in coverage. But as he turned on the ground the ball popped free and Lowery recovered. Still a remarkable catch. Ok, back with more after some other duties.
Vernon Gholston is officially signed. The Jets just released DB Etienne Boulay, likely the move that frees up a roster spot for Gholston. So the 5:45 practice should be our first look - in pads at any rate - at the Jets No. 6 pick.
And I should have had this in my previous post about the morning practice just because: though Chad Pennington told us during minicamp he had been injured all of last year with severe ankle problems, he told us earlier today the specifics: that he played with two torn ligaments in his right ankle, an injury that occurred in the 2007 season-opener against the Patriots. Back with more later...
And inching ahead in the quarterback race is…….
Brett Ratliff. At this morning's wind and rain-blown workout that lasted 1 hour 55 minutes [Mangini said going in he would have shorter practices, trying to keep them under two hours], Ratliff completed the lone deep ball, a 30-yarder down the sideline to Paul Raymond.
But as Kellen Clemens said afterward, "it's a marathon, not a sprint."
Of course, that came in response to Clemens fielding a question about his first pass of an 11-on-11 drill, which turned out to be a pick thrown right into the bread basket of linebacker Eric Barton, who had dropped into coverage. After the pick, Clemens spent a few moments talking to Barton, "to ask him why he was there," he said. "You don't want to make the same mistake twice."
Talking about the interception, Clemens said, "they were in a drop eight coverage which is always kind of difficult to throw into but Barton did a good job reading my eyes. I tried to look him off to the right and come back to Laveranues on the left. That was a veteran play by Barton."
As for Pennington, he overall threw more passes than Clemens in the 11 on 11s, never completing one of his long throws (20-plus yards). His nicest throw came on a medium out, a 13-yard completion to Coles. Pennington also hit rookie Dustin Keller, who lined up in the morning at tight end but also wide a couple times, in the flat for about a 10-yard gain. Clemens best throw was to Keller, a play in which Clemens pump-faked, rolled to his right, then threw back across the middle of the field a wide-open Keller, who had lined up at tight end in the formation.
The story with Pennington (more on the quarterbacks in tomorrow's paper), he spent a lot of time talking about changes he made in the offseason in order to get more velocity on his throws. Pennington talked a bit about that in the minicamp but more extensively today.
"I really do," Pennington said, asked if he felt like he's getting more strength in his throws. "I think probably to the naked eye or to someone who has not really studied me, they probably wouldn't notice a lot. But there's a lot of things I'm tweaking and changing because I want to get better. I want to become a consistent thrower down the field and really take my talent, take my accuracy, and use that to my advantage down the field; intermediate; short; wherever the ball needs to go, that's my goal to put the ball there."
BAKER TONES IT DOWN
Chris Baker dialed back the inflammatory rhetoric from minicamp and essentially pledged not to be this year's Pete Kendall. He said the reason was that his agent, Jonathan Feinsod, and Mike Tannenbaum began "talking" in the last week. He didn't go into specifics, but he said the two parties talking was enough to convince him to play the role of a team player, which is more in line with who he has been in the past than what we saw at minicamp. It is reasonable to assume what is being talked about is either some kind of restructuring of Baker's deal, or perhaps even a trade, though that seems less likely. Maybe it's none of that but regardless, Baker seems encouraged.
"At least the two sides are talking," Baker said. "At least they're talking and that's a good thing, as opposed to a month and a half ago when there wasn't much of anything."
Baker did confirm something we talked about on this blog a couple days ago: that his appearance on the PUP list wasn't punitive, that he really is hurt.
"If they did something like that," Baker said of getting put on that list without being hurt. "I would tell you guys that."
As for the back he "tweaked" during minicamp, Baker said, "I'll be back on the field pretty soon."
ODD SCENE FROM THE MORNING: players after miscues -- penalties, drops, fumbles, etc. -- have to run laps. Among those running this morning were TE Bubba Franks (fumble), OL Nate Garner (false start) and DT Thomas Johnson (off sides). Nothing strange there. What was? During an 11-on-11 series punter Ben Graham ran past. I have no idea why.
ODD SCENE PART II: While watching some drills, I turned around and saw Jane McManus, who is in her first year on the Jets beat for The Journal News (and some kind of roller derby maven I'm told), was in the bleachers snapping pictures of a group of people with her cell phone. I'm guessing they were from Westchester and it was for a story she was working on. That's where I draw the line.
*More on the defense later -- there's a 5:45 practice as well that we'll be reporting on -- but loyal reader dmb should know Justin Miller started opposite Darrelle Revis during most drills this morning. Had to get that out there. Nothing new in the defensive alignment from what we saw in minicamp. Also, and this has been asked before, Revis worked with the special teams returning both kickoffs and punts.
I'll have more on this morning's practice in a bit but Eric Mangini, in his press conference that just ended a few minutes ago, all but confirmed first-round pick Vernon Gholston is on the verge of signing or just did sign this morning.
"We could have a Vernon Gholston sighting here in the near future," Mangini said. "I'll keep you posted on that, but I think we have a shot to see that."
Keep in mind, and most of you know this, Mangini is fairly tight-lipped when it comes to, well, lots of things, so he wouldn't have opened his press conference with that remark if something wasn't imminent or had happened already. Back with more shortly.
Chad Pennington acknowledged publicly for the first time that he played with two torn ligaments in his right ankle, suffered when he was injured in the opening game of last season against the Patriots, and said it hampered him the...
The Jets, doing their best to forget the 4-12 mess from a year ago, convene for the start of training-camp two-a-days this morning, with the first session set to begin at 8:45. With a September move to their new facility in Florham Park looming...
On the eve of training camp, there was no news on the contract status of Vernon Gholston, the Jets&os; top draft pick, though Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum has a history of getting his draft picks into camp on time. Gholston&os;s...
The Jets yesterday signed free-agent defensive back Ahmad Carroll and waived defensive back Nate Lyles. Carroll, 5-10, 190 pounds, spent the 2008 season with the Arena Football League's Orlando Predators, starting 15 of 16 games with 68 total...
The Pete Kendall-esque staredown between the Jets and disgruntled tight end Chris Baker took another ugly turn yesterday when the club placed him on the Physically Unable to Perform list, meaning he will not be joining his teammates on the field...
The Jets today announced that unhappy tight end Chris Baker has been placed on the active/physically unable to perform list two days before the start of training camp. Baker, who has been outspoken about his current contract situation, tweaked...
When the Jets arrive en masse for the opening of training camp this week, they'll hardly look like a team coming off a 4-12 season trudging into the heat of summer two-a-days. There's a bounce to the Jets' step - a bounce that was evident during...
The Jets yesterday signed tight end Dustin Keller, the second of their two first-round draft picks. Terms of the deal, which is likely to be five years, were not immediately known. That leaves only former Ohio State linebacker Vernon Gholston, the...
The Jets signed tight end Dustin Keller, the 30th overall pick in the NFL Draft, to a multiyear contract today. The signing leaves defensive end-linebacker Vernon Gholston, taken sixth overall, as the Jets' only unsigned draft pick. The Jets open...
The Jets today signed first-round choice TE Dustin Keller. Keller (6-2, 248, Purdue), the 30th overall selection in April, played in 46 games at tight end for the Boilermakers, catching 142 passes for 1,882 yards (13.3 avg) and 16 touchdowns....
A few final notes for the day that R in CT and I talked out while driving back off Long Island on a day that entered in like a lion and left like a lamb …
The Kids Love Mose Schrute – I think I noticed an alarming trend among some players today … the Mose Schrute Beard. I know that “the kids” are always trying to bring back odd/edgy stuff (I always tried to … and failed), and apparently Amish style beards are no excepetion. Although their chinstraps might not be as far along as Mose's (see above) I noticed that Jacob Bender and possibly Erik Ainge with ‘The Mose.'
If you go to camp, and spot one for yourself, please let me know as I'd like to keep a tally of the number of Jets players rocking it.
The Quarterbacks Redux — All in all, I wasn't really impressed with either QB on day one. Some writers seem to have their favorites, but both Pennington and Clemens left me lacking. If you want to get technical, Brett Ratliffe might have had the best day, completing two nice passes to track star Paul Raymond from Brown, but we know that doesn't really mean anything. Both QBs had a lot of incompletions but Pennington might have had a steadier performance today, with Clemens throwing 2 INTs total for the day, and struggling in the afternoon's 11 on 11s. Clemens and Stuckey seem to have quite a chemistry, and Chansi Stuckey had one catch that was very memorable, in which he ducked inside David Barrett making him look bad (shocker … we know) and made a very nice catch.
Pass Rush Good — With Jenkins lining up in the middle pushing his way into the backfield and fast guys on the edge, even with a much improved O-Line it was still collapsing pretty fast. There were more than one situation where plays went dead because the QB basically would have gotten sacked in short time … there's going to be a lot more pass pressure this year.
Catching Keller — If there was one guy that people were buzzing about at camp, I would have to say that it was Dustin Keller. He made some nice athletic catches and caught passes from all over the field. They're trying to get him involved some in the blocking game, but he and the team know where he's at his best. Although the Jets mixed formations a lot, Keller did see a good deal of time as a third or fourth receiver in single back sets.
Take a Chansi — If Day One was any indication, Chansi Stuckey is your third WR. Just like last year he looked GOOD all day. As an extra he even has a pretty impressive arm. There were a couple times he launched balls back down the field during punt and kick work and he was throwing a pretty tight spiral … of his throwing motion I can hear Herm saying “that guy can spin it” in my head write now … make it stop!!! Stuckey was a collegiate QB for a short time … after all.
No Injuries — Some guys didn't practice like Musa Smith and Jesse Chatman, and Coles did have some cramps at one point, but I didn't see anything else that lead me to believe there was anything serious to note.
Bowens Inside? — All day R in CT kept talking about whether Bowens was lining up inside or not. Whenever I saw him, he was lining up as a DE/OLB. Conveniently, the one time when I was off getting into the press area, R noted that Bowens was did in fact line up at Inside Linebacker … sure he did R … sure he did …
Stop Watch — The practices clocked in at 1:55 and 1:50 for the morning and night practices respectively.
Playa / Playmaka — Leon Washington showed some nice footwork (as did Thomas Jones on a 60 yard screen he took to the house with the help of Mangold, Monty and Richardson) today as usual, but more importantly there was a fetching young lady who must be his WAG that he was walking around with after practice. Well done Leon, nice catch indeed!
So a word about the Gholston signing/not signing/signing.
For context, it's worth noting that I had press access today (whoo hoo! I got to stand 3 feet closer to the team!) thanks to the good folks of SNY and the Jets. Although I spent much of the day high in the stands bad-dancing like a white boy to the music blaring from the speakers, I did sneak on the field for short periods of time and to listen to players give non-answers (Mangini's influence is impressive to say the least) in-between practices .
While the practice was winding up tonight, the PR folks from the Jets were making it clear that Gholston signing wasn't official, and that the press was being told as such at that time, but that there would be a formal conference call sometime tonight. Actually it might even be happening as I write this. The problem today was that the league office was going to have to take time to review the contracts, so even though Gholston might have been nearby (R in CT highly suggests Chrebet's and the cute blonde bartendress with the tattoos around her midsection) he wasn't allowed to practice.
That being said, there's no reason to believe that everything isn't going to be worked out shortly, so don't worry that this will turn into a protracted issue like Darrelle's situation did last year.
Here's Mangini's press conference from Thursday … enjoy reading the tea leaves!
Opening Statement…I'd like to welcome everybody back. It's nice to see everybody. It's an exciting time for us. We sort of eased into the rookies and the injured players and the quarterbacks coming back. We had some buildup, but this is what we've been building up to, the start of training camp.
I'm excited to be back and I know the players are excited to be back. You can feel it in the room, the energy level, the focus and all of those things. It's an exciting time for us, so we're looking forward to working together, working hard and getting ready for the regular season.
We may have a Vernon Gholston sighting here in the near future. I'll keep you posted on that, but I think we have a shot to see that.
On whether Gholston is behind since he has missed practice time due to League rules and his contract…You would much rather have him here. There's been a lot of information that the other rookies are able to get, and a lot of concentrated coaching because it was just them when they first got back here. We were able to spend a lot of time with them and it transitioned to part of the team, but not the complete team. They got some time that you really can't get back out there at training camp.
With Vernon, he'll get together with Jim (Herrmann), he'll get together with Bob (Sutton), and he'll get together with me. We'll make sure that he has plenty of extra isolated coaching to help him out.
On whether his popularity has gone up since practice concluded in under two hours…I wasn't running for Mr. Popularity, but I thought it would be more effective. I think that the important thing for us and for the team to understand, which I keep talking about, is tempo and finish. We've got to be able to get the things we need to get done in a more concentrated amount of time. Because if you can't, there's only one thing you can add to that, and that's time. The training schedule isn't a shift in philosophy; it's really just an attempt to be more efficient.
You're always looking to be more efficient. We looked at the schedule quite a bit. We saw areas where we thought we could adjust. Now, it's up to the group to make sure that we are able to get all those things accomplished in the time allotted. If we do, I think this would be a very effective way to keep moving through camp.
On how they will move forward through training camp…We have that cycle of installation which follows a normal game week. So this morning would be like a first and second-down day. This afternoon would be like a third-down day. Tomorrow would be more of a red-area type focus.
On whether it takes a couple of practices to assess the team's progress…Each evening, you have the schedule for the next day and you meet as a staff, and you go through the schedule. Even though this is what you planned, you may not have gotten as much done on the play-action passes that you wanted, and maybe it wasn't the type of play-action passes that you wanted. So you want to go back and make sure that's cleaned up. To do that, you have to bump something back a little bit.
You may be ahead of where you thought you would be, and you can bring something else forward.
So that's really a day-by-day process. Getting feedback from the coaches, watching the tape, and feeling where we are. You also sometimes have to adjust for injuries, or having two running backs on PUP (Physically Unable to Perform). Not that that dramatically affected the schedule, but it does change some reps a little bit. It's what is set and then what you have to adjust to.
On his thoughts on Chris Baker's encouraging tone and desire for a resolution…Chris has been great. He's excited about getting going. He and I have always had the same relationship, and that didn't change, whether it was the OTA period, then or now. What he's looking to do is get into the flow of camp and help the team, contribute. I can see that, and that's what I expect of Chris. He's excited. He's excited to help the group and to improve. That's really what I expected.
On what he sees in the quarterback competition so far…It is the first practice, and I haven't watched tape yet, so it would be hard for me to give you a really indepth answer. It's a process, and we have to go through the process. Practice-by-practice it's going to be hard to give you a horse-race sort of play-by-play.
On whether he's prepared to announce a quarterback starter…No. No, not quite. (smiling)
On how the quarterback competition affects the flow of camp…It really doesn't affect the flow of camp. You're going to work two guys. You have a starter and you have a backup. You're always going to work two guys the majority of the time to make sure that they have everything covered they need to get covered. You just don't know during the course of the season when an injury could strike or something like that, and then two becomes one.
So I don't think repwise, and rep-allocation-wise, that it's that dramatically (different). Exposurewise it's not that dramatically different. It's actually very good to get the first group working with both players extensively, as opposed to the one always with the one and the two always with the two. It's different, but it is similar to David Harris' situation where we kept pushing him in with the ones, so that if something should happen, his voice is there and there was a comfort level there. You never want anything to happen, but unfortunately you face it each year.
On whether he has set a timetable for choosing a starter and if it would be similar to his timetable of getting engaged…No. I haven't really set a specific timetable. I dated Julie (Mangini) a long time before we got engaged. We just enjoyed spending time together (laughing). You'll have to ask her about that, especially these days. You know, I just knew. Thankfully she said yes.
On when he'll know who will be the starter…That's a good question.
On whether he sees Chad Pennington's arm velocity improving…It depends on the passes, and a lot of the passes with short stuff are touch passes anyway. I think that there has been improvement there. In terms of the percentages improving, I really haven't measured that part of it. With Chad, and with all the guys, if you think there's something that you want to get better at, and you'll see that during the course of practice, focusing on a weakness as opposed to strength, they try to improve that. With Chad, he's always trying to improve his whole game. I'm sure that's one of a bunch of things he wanted to (improve).
On the organization's position on Brett Favre…You know, Brett's a great player. He's with the Packers, and that's really where it is.
On whether he has interest in adding any other veteran quarterbacks to the roster…I'm really happy with the quarterbacks we have on our roster right now, and the quarterbacks we have in camp.
On whether Pennington's focus on reworking his throwing motion is encouraging…I'm always trying to encourage that type of behavior, where you sit back and you honestly assess some things that you want to work on. It's really easy, especially in training camp, to always play to your strengths and always try to show your strongest things. You end up not developing some of the other areas of your game. You have to work on those things that may not be as strong. If you do, then eventually you've got a much more balanced attack and you're a much more balanced player. So I'm always encouraging these guys to find something that's a weakness that you want to work and improve on, and not just do the same thing over and over again, where you're just playing to your strengths.
On Pennington's focus on his footwork…Definitely legs are a big part of throwing, and mechanics are a big part of throwing. So (his focus) could just be footwork, or with the torque, or things like that. The throw is not just really the arm; it's the whole mechanics of it.
On the severity of Pennington's injury last year…He had a pretty serious ankle injury, and he fought through it and worked through it. It's tough when you get banged up early and you have to work through things. Training doesn't stop. You just have to keep going. It's just something you have to deal with, and I thought he dealt with it really well.
On what the fans could reasonably expect this year after a 4-12 season…The beautiful thing about the NFL is that every year is so different. That's what you love about it, and that's what you know is going to be the same. What you know is that it's going to be consistent and that each year is unique. There is going to be some team that's able to make great strides, and some teams that are established that will take steps back. (I) talked about that with the team yesterday. The fact that even in my two years, it's been very different expectations going into the season and it's consistent with the fact that expectations really don't mean anything. What means something is what we do collectively to perform on Sundays. So I thought the radical difference between the expectations of the two years just reinforced the point that we talk about all the time. Expectations don't mean anything. What we do means something.
On Laveranues Coles' excitement about shorter practices…(Laveranues) LC is a great dude. (We've) got to make him assistant coach here soon (laughter). I've really liked the work he's doing with the receivers. You'll see him all the time out there pulling a guy over and showing him stuff. In the (class)room it's the same thing. He's done a lot of work on coverages too, like understanding what the defense is trying to do to the offense, and I've liked that. Not just, “What am I doing?”, “Why am I doing it?” It's a deeper level of “why”. We are doing this because it's cover zero, cover one, whatever it is. He's been working on that. So, I've been happy.
On his impressions of Kris Jenkins…Being able to come here to the Jets, it's like the fountain of youth. In this environment Kris has been coming back, and the way that he worked in the offseason, you can see how his conditioning and how he has shaped his body. I think he's in really good shape. He was strong to start out with, and I think he got stronger. He's pretty enthusiastic to get going.
On whether Jenkins' willingness to drop weight shows his commitment to the team…Yes, we've talked about all that stuff before we traded for him. He and I talked about it. He's held up his end of the bargain on that, and he has come back in really good shape. I think he looks good. Now it's moving into camp and getting more ingrained in the system and the technique. We'll keep seeing his development.
On how he fits into the 3-4 scheme…He would be a great fit. He makes it 3-4-and-a-half (laughter).
On whether Baker will be off PUP soon…Yeah, I think so. You know, you never know the timetable, but my expectation would be sooner rather than later.
On Jesse Chatman and Musa Smith being on the Active/Non-Football Injury list…There's some ebb and flow there. We'll have to see how it goes. I don't think we're talking about an extended period of time, but I'm not sure if it's going to be next practice, or a couple of practices from now.
On Dustin Keller's performance today…I wasn't totally focused on him the whole practice. The plays that I saw of him, and when I was down with his group, it looked like he was doing okay. It looked like he was a rookie in his first training camp. Nothing plus or minus either way.
Here's some images from this morning's soggy session of training camp. We're having some technical issues, so we're keeping it brief for now . . .
Clemens calling an audible.
Coach Callahan working with the line.
New additions Fancea and Woody.
Coles and Stuckey running in tandem.
Working with the defensive backs.
Franks, Keller and friends.
Pennington practicing accuracy.
This cannot be said enough: Jenkins is a BEAST!
Pennington tossing a pass.
Smith matching up with Revis.
Clemens dropping back.
Yeah, it's raining (although it stopped about halfway through.
More later!
Cimini's camp notes reveal that the Jets and first round pick Vernon Gholston have reportedly agreed to terms. Gholston could be on the field for tonight's practice.
The notes also reveal that (according to Rich's interpretation of a vague Mangini comment) the Jets have no interest in Favre, that Chad Pennington actually tore two ligaments in his right ankle last year and that (as I had been predicting) Baker has stopped whining and wants to get on the field.
More to come later…
Greetings from soggy Hempstead!
R in CT, JScott and I are back at a lovely Panera on Meadowbrook Turnpike, talking about practice. Here's some notes from what we saw and heard this morning. We'll do our best to keep you up to date, but after we finish up here, it's off to Chrebet's to toast the new season!
Baker was Contrite — Chris Baker spoke to the media and he was very subdued. He said that his agent had been in talks with the team but that he was trying to get back out on the field, and was looking forward to getting back with his team.
The QB Situation — Kellen Clemens and Chad are definitely competing, and although neither was completing a lot of passes due to the wet conditions and some early rustiness. Most of the beat reporters liked what they saw from Chad, but we agree that we thought he missed some outs long or out of bounds. Clemens threw a pick right to Eric Barton. There were a number of deep passes by both, but there were very few connections on deep balls. During the Barton INT a lot of fans groaned audibly. Ainge is tall … really tall and you could tell he's still working back from his finger surgery. He and Keller seem tight already.
Jenkins the Beast - Mangold got worked by Jenkins early. Jenk is probably close to 360 and he was beating everyone 1 on 1, embarrassing some of the guys he went up against, especially the backups. Jenkins is very quiet and well-spoken, later saying that he “caught him by surprise, but he came back well.” Mangold is going to have some long practices this year and a personal tutor to help him get better, play by play.
Woodhead Works Hard — Danny Woodhead is probably the shortest guy out there, but he works really hard, and is trying to prove he belongs. Danny ran about 2-3 penalties laps, and when I did get to talk to Dannyt, he appreciated knowing that many fans are pulling for him. For him to stay with this team, he's going to have to contribute on special teams, and he was having a tough time while “gunning” on special teams. That said, he did see a lot of 3rd team reps so I have to wonder if the team is trying to see how he can do, and might be giving him every chance to really analyze him.
Brown U Track Star Burns– Paul Raymond, Brown WR and former collegiate had a nice go-ahead route. It was a 15 yard out from Ratliffe and he burned down the field. Raymond might have a tough time getting on this roster, but look out for him as a taxi squadder.
Caulcrick is a Monster!! — FB Jehuu Caulcrick saw some carries, and the kid is, for lack of a better word a piledriver. I really like what I saw from him, and he's big and has good balls skills. He's reminiscent of a Brandon Jacobs, but let's not gush too too much yet.
Bubba Franks and Tony Richardson — Bubba Franks was actively involved in blocking and
Mangini was Right — Mangini has gushed about Pace's size and fluidity, and having stood next to him, he's a big dude. He's definitely pretty smooth for his size and I'm looking forward to seeing him a lot more this year.
Net Gain — This team is much bigger than last year's version … MUCH BIGGER. Jenkins is so much bigger than Robertson, Pace is so much bigger than Hobson, Faneca is thicker than Kendall.
Missed Chatman — I didn't notice RB Jesse Chatman out there … stay tuned.
Looking Good Rev!! — Revis looked really good, he was sticking to his targets tightly, which I think contributed to Cotchert having a quiet practice. Miller was working with the first unit again.
Nuuuuge!! — Nugent went 4 for 4, and made a 50 yarder on the narrow posts with a crosswind. He looked good, but we'll see how that goes in live fire drills. Nugent had a solid season last year, but needs to work on those longer kicks, which he was doing well today.
With everyone on site at camp today, you have a guest top ten compiler this week. Me! Feel the apathy!
After last week's hugely successful TJB Hall of Fame week, I thought a suitable topic for this week's top ten would be the Hall of Shame. The criteria: it has to be someone that got under our skin here since TJB has been “On the Air” that we (usually me) ended up relentlessly making jokes and jibes at their expense.
So, without further ado, I present the top ten candidates for the TJB Hall of Shame…
10. Justin McCareins: Cost a second round pick and could not seem to catch the ball (not outside the confines of training camp, anyway). When a certain other player left the Jets (we'll get there later on), I was worried. What was I going to do with all my dropped catch material now? Fortunately, Justin stepped in. Seems like someone will always step up and fill that role on a team. (Hello, Brad Smith!).
9. Kimo Von Oelhoeffen: Brought a championship pedigree and not a whole lot else to the team when he signed for not insignificant money, only to last just a year. The inspiration between new drinking game “Finding Kimo” and butt of many age-related gags, Jango Von Fetthoeffen did not have a great time here, despite what Dan Dierdorf might think.
8. The Local Media: Cimini, Hutch, Myers and Co. were the inspiration for Bassett to create the TJB snarkies. No one was safe from Bassett who dished out a snarky every time an article was misleading, poorly written, had an obvious agenda, ignored important information or took an unnecessarily negative or critical stance on an issue. As a result, the standard of Jets reporting has improved and Bassett is surely almost entirely responsible (well, maybe).
7. Brooks Bollinger: With Kellen Clemens I am not sure, but with Brooksie, I was absolutely certain from the start - he was not good enough to be the Jets starting Quarterback. When he finally got his chance, I likened his confidence and alertness in the pocket to that of Sam Beckett after he has just quantum-leaped and didn't know who he was, what he's doing or why he's there. Sorry, Brooks.
6. The Coaching Staff: At first, I really went after Hackett, purely because of his awfully conservative and predictable playcalling, but then when Hackett was replaced and nothing changed, it became apparent that Herm was the problem. The kneeldown in Pittsburgh was unforgivable. More recently, Tony Wise drew some unwanted attention from us, because he probably would have done a much better job if he weren't so concerned about the kids whacking off in his tool shed.
5. Bob Jensen: Now, I personally love when Bob posts because he always makes some great points, which I enjoy debating with him, but has there ever been a poster that rubbed more people up the wrong way more than good old RAJ (as he later became)? I thought it would be amusing to include a TJB poster in the Hall. Come back to us, RAJ.
4. John Abraham: Always awesome when he played, but if a guy sits out a playoff game because he doesn't want to mess up his next free agent contract, let's just say we aren't going to go easy on him. John's nickname evolved from Baberaham to Waahhbraham to Babypram to Miahamm to Abe Wimpson over the duration of the rest of his Jets career. Nick Mangold? Thanks, Atlanta!
Now, let's pause for a not entirely irrelevant tangent…
At this point, you might be questioning what types of fan we are to continue to go after these guys, when we should be supporting them through thick and thin. However, we always continued to support the guys and hope they would turn it around, but where there was a perceived lack of effort or wall-buttingly frustrating repetition of the same mistakes over and over, a line was crossed and these guys incurred our wrath too far to go unmocked. (Interestingly, nobody on the current roster has really crossed this line yet…except maybe Abram Elam, but we have big hopes for him yet).
And then there was the 2004 playoffs, where the top three all came up big. Nothing could have made us happier. It was as if we had become accustomed to their failings that we felt an added affection towards them. Almost as if all the tough love had paid off and they had learned their lesson…
3. Reggie Tongue: Looked to be a decent free agent pickup, but his weak tackling and all-round indecisiveness in coverage led to him earning the moniker of “Mousey”. Mousey Tongue had a lousy year in 2004 (and I was clearly right about him, because he hasn't been in the NFL since), but in the Steelers playoff game he delivered with a long interception return for a score that caused wild celebrations where I was, culminating in my buddy injuring his leg after leaping on my (then unbroken) back.
2. Santana Moss: Unquestionably talented, but another guy who was clearly thinking about his next contract extension rather than putting it all on the line for the Jets. I started calling him “The Crab” because of his tendency to go sideways on every punt return (and out of bounds into the protective arms of Mike Westhoff), but he also stopped going over the middle and had regressed from a playmaker with 10 TDs in 2003 to a total letdown in 2004 (only to explode after being traded to the Skins - a trade I'd still make every time by the way). But then, in the playoffs in Pittsburgh (having already caught a long TD pass against SD), he ran sideways with a punt as usual, but then stunned the defense by turning upfield and actually ran it in for a score as half the coverage team obviously assumed he was just going to run out of bounds again.
1. Anthony Becht: OK, he was a good blocker, but nobody has suffered more stonehands jokes and comments since the creation of this blog. I think Chad's arm strength is even the way it is today because he got into the habit of slowing his passes down to give Becht a chance to catch it. Once again, though, he came up big in the 2004 playoffs with the “Gentle Ben” play against the Chargers.
So, there's the lesson: play hard and play well, otherwise you might get bad puns made about you on TJB. That's gotta be more motivating than a film session with Teddy Atlas any day.
Next week, R in CT returns you to your regularly scheduled programming…
Just a quick note — it's raining! Lots. And it's wet. Real wet.
No thunder or lightning, so being the intrepid (read: stupid) fans we are, Bassett and R in CT are across the street from Jets training camp and getting ready to head over.
We will have updates throughout the day, so please keep checking back, or follow our day through Twitter.
Thank you to everyone who voted for TJB's second annual Jetsies Awards, where you get to choose your favorites from the previous season. Over the course of the next week, we will be revealing to you who won what.
So who was the 2007-08 Fan Favorite? Kerry Rhodes. Rhodes embodies a lot of what fans love best. Rhodes is a hard-working, a team leader who toes the company line, and who earned his money by playing well, rather than being drafted in the first round and having to live up to it. Rhodes has been flying under the radar for a few years, and is now starting to get the publicity that many though he properly deserveed after his rookie season in 2005.
Beyond all that, Rhodes understands the importance of philathropy and seting up his own charities. Oh yeah, and it doesn't hurt when you hear stories of him being tied to models and actresses romantically, and has been moving in circles with the likes of Kanye and Jamie Foxx.
I am looking forward to heading out to Hofstra Thursday! If you want to meet up, send me a text via Twitter www.twitter.com/thejetsblog I will be updating via the blog with some audio, video text at lunch or by Twitter (this is a perfect application for this) when I can with short tidbits as often as I can. You can message me back via text through twitter, just sign up for an account.
During Wednesday's con call, Darrelle Revis made the point that there are a lot of competitions, that many people are focusing on just one. Here's some camp battles outside the one that everyone's talking about the you should be keyed into during training camp:
Second Starting Corner — Darrelle Revis is set to start on one side, and only looks to get better. At the second corner spot, look for Justin Miller (the heir apparent), Hank Poteat, David Barrett and Drew Coleman to be the likely ones battling it out. Barrett could very likely be a cap casualty, all depending on how the youngsters progress. Poteat is a solid veteran but is not flashy, and isn't a shutdown player. With Revis controlling one side of the field, the team could use a ballhawking player on the other side, someone who can keep their emotions in check, because they are going to be worked repeatedly, but someone who can take advantage of situations and make plays. In the short term, Justin Miller's desire for a new contract could be the right incentive.
Slot Receiver — Brad Smith and Chansi Stuckey should be battling it out for the third receiver in the rotation. With the offense in flux and Dustin Keller added to the roster, it's hard to say how much time a slot receiver will see, but I think that this will turn into situational roles for Stuckey and Smith. Smith great when in space and creating, while Stuckey seems to be an excellent WR on sideline plays and in tighter spots.
Tight End — Chris Baker is still in house, and has a lot more competition for his job with Bubba Franks, Dustin Keller and Jason Pociask all vying for playing time. Although the team could benefit from double TE sets, camp might determine who will stay, and who might be shipped out. Look for Keller to eat away snaps from Baker in the slot, while Bubba would take on some red zone duties, and Pociask as a blocker. If the team determines they have what in takes in the other three bodies, they might be working the phones to trade Baker for whatever they can get.
Outside Linebacker — Bryan Thomas, Calvin Pace and Vernon Gholston. There just isn't enough playing time for all these guys. Mangini is in love with Pace so look for the battle to be between Gholston and Thomas. Gholston should push Thomas for passing plays, but don't expect the younger player to be starting in Miami.
Defensive End — Shaun Ellis isn't a spring chicken anymore, and althugh Kenyon Coleman ranked up some impressive tackle numbers, what does the future hold in store for these two players? The Jets have picked up some interesting pieces last year, namely Mike DeVito (UDFA) and Kareem Brown (Patriots 4th Rounder). Could either of these player challenge for starting time this summer?
Erik Boland of New York Newsday takes the time to talk about the Jets on the eve of training camp. We discuss Gholston's contract, Darrelle Revis' poise, and much more.
Be sure to check out Erik's great work on Newsday's site and on his blog
Dave Hutchinson of the Star-Ledger is reporting that the Jets and Gholston might be closer to coming to terms than people think.
According to Hutch the Jets are:
“… close to a deal that could put Gholston on the practice field as early as Thursday or Friday.
Gholston, who is in New York, is said to be eager to report, especially after he missed nearly all of the offseason program because he had to wait until his class at Ohio State finished out the semester. He was the No. 6 pick in April's draft.
The stumbling block in contract talks is that Gholston's camp wants a five-year deal and the Jets want six, according to someone with knowledge of the negotiations. That person spoke on condition of anonymity because he's not authorized to speak publicly on behalf of the Jets or Gholston.”
This is good to hear, although I'm not convinced things will get done tomorrow morning, let's hope that Gholston is on the field by this weekend.
Hat tip to Tom D. for making us aware of this.
According to Dave Hutchinson of the Star-Ledger, the Jets are close to reaching an agreement on a deal with first-round pick Vernon Gholston that could put him on the field as early as Thursday or Friday. The only holdup is that Gholston wants a five-year deal, whereas the Jets prefer six.
Sounds like 2007 all over again, but instead of Revis, it's now Gholston. If you recall, Revis went through this same situation with the Jets when he asked for a four-year deal, with the Jets wanting six. They ended up settling on a six-year deal with incentive options that can drop it to a four-year deal.
Outside of the first overall pick Jake Long, who signed a five-year deal prior to the draft, each of the signed draft picks above Gholston all received six-year deals.
Thank you to everyone who voted for TJB's second annual Jetsies Awards, where you get to choose your favorites from the previous season. Over the course of the next week, we will be revealing to you who won what.
Francis Bacon once said that “by far the best proof is experience.”
We're not sure what that means, but we do know that the best proof must belong to Rich Cimini, the Jets beatwriter for the Daily News for the Jets. Rich has been on the Jets beat since 1996 for “New York City's Hometown Newspaper” and who wrote for Newsday on the Jets beat before that. With that in mind, it's hardly surprising that Rich won the Jetsys for having the Best Beatwriters Blog, The Jets Stream, and for Best Beatwriter.
As great as Rich is, we're concerned he might ask for another cash prize like last year at Day One of Training Camp. Anyone got some small bills I can borrow?
New York Times Jets News
From Day 1 in Jets' Camp, the Battle Is for No. 1