Erik Boland: Inside the Jets

By Ken Berger

I can't imagine how the players feel. It's only been three full days and five practices, and already it feels like I've been here for a month.

Mangini certainly is sending a message with the length and structure of his practices. They're supposed to last about 2 hours, 15 minutes, but if he's not satisfied with the results, they go longer. He hasn't been satisfied yet, as the average length has been 2 hours, 30 minutes.

I'm just a lowly beat writer trying to make a living, and I got here at 8:30 yesterday morning and didn't leave the complex until 8:45 p.m. There was cold fettuccine waiting for me when I arrived, and I pounced on it because from the look in my sister-in-law's eyes, she was contemplating a fourth plate as I walked through the door.

A word to the whiner police: I am not bringing you this online diary-type information by way of complaining. I love my job. I'd rather be a sports writer than anything else in the world. I've seen how some fans are bludgeoning Cimini for offering personal observations from camp on his blog. These people don't know what a blog is supposed to be. IT IS AN ONLINE DIARY! Yes, I am going to give you the hard news, developments, and football observations of the day. But camp is too long and tedious to be serious all the time. So I hate it when one of the beat writers has taken the time to share his experiences covering the team in a blog, and the only thanks he gets is ridicule.

But enough about that. I'm just trying to strike a balance between sheer information and giving you a feel for what it's like to cover the team. Isn't that what people want?

Here's what you need to know from Mangini's morning presser:

* Defensive lineman Monsanto Pope has left camp for "personal reasons." I'd hate to speculate publicly on what they are, because football players are people with families and problems like the rest of us. But I will say that Mangini's camp is not for everybody.

* Punter D.J. Fitzpatrick and receiver Phil Silva were released. The team signed C.J. Fayton, a 6-2, 205-pound receiver who played at Tennessee and spent some time with the Bears, and receiver Chris Baker, who played at Rutgers and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the 49ers in May. Now the Jets have two Chris Bakers. "That'll create some confusion in the meeting room," Mangini said.

* Erik Coleman (illness) and Sione Pouha, who hurt his right leg in practice Sunday, will not practice today. There will be no further elaboration on Pouha's injury, although it would appear not to be serious since he tried to return to practice afterward.

Lastly, the players are not scheduled for a day off -- ever. This Sunday had been an open date on the schedule distributed to the media, but it has been confirmed that the team will have a second practice at Giants Stadium -- closed to the public -- that day.

"When we get to the point where we've made the progress that we need to make, then we’ll have a day off," Mangini said.

Until then, I've installed an alarm system on the fridge, wherein sit the leftovers.

By Ken Berger

Mangini had a little edge to him today in his press conference, which is no surprise considering how sloppy yesterday's practice was. This morning's work was better, but Mangini made it clear that through four practices, the team as a whole hasn't quite grasped what he wants.

This is going to take some time. For the players' sake, they better figure it out pretty quick.

"Yesterday the heat took away from the focus, and it can't," Mangini said. "It can't. I thought they responded well this morning and I thought the focus was good. The question is, now can they build on this practice this morning and start stringing good practices together?"

Mangini seemed agitated when he outlined once again his system for evaluating the players in practice.

"Do you know what to do? Are you doing the things that you're coached to do? And are you the same guy every day?" he said. "That’s what I want. I want you to know that’s how you're being evaluated and that it’s as clear as possible to them.

"These things are very important to me," Mangini said. "They're very important to me because they're important to the success of the team. It’s important that everybody understands these things very clearly. They're not going away."

One thing that is not going away is the requirement to do a lap when a player makes a mistake. Yesterday, the entire offense had to take two.

"If you're doing something that is going to hurt the team, then you go somewhere else -- like around the field -- and think about it and keep going," Mangini said. "And it’s going to keep happening."

Asked what would happen if a player refused to take a lap, Mangini said, "I don't think it's in anybody's best interests to find out."

Mangini praised Jerricho Cotchery today, calling him the "most outstanding player in our offseason program." It was Kellen Clemens' turn with the starting offense, and he looked sharp for the most part. Through four practices, Mangini has finished one complete rotation with the QBs and said it will continue without changes.

Running back Cedric Houston continues to run hard and show good quickness when used in the featured tailback role.

The highlight of the morning practice was 5-8, 180-pound receiver Tim Dwight de-cleating 6-4, 299-pound nose tackle on a toss-crack with Leon Washington as the ball carrier.

By Ken Berger

Day Two was ugly, probably owing mostly to the 90-plus degree heat and scorching humidity. The entire offense had to take two laps around the field because the coaches weren't pleased with the tempo of the practice.

As reported earlier, Justin McCareins is back. To his credit, he gritted his teeth and took full responsibility for failing the conditioning test and missing the first day of practice. Say what you want about McCareins, but he showed he's a team player by not making any excuses.

That is, if we're getting the whole story about this. And I find that hard to believe because we are not getting the whole story about anything around here. How does a professional athlete in the shape McCareins is in fail a conditioning test? Something isn't right here, but we move on.

Coach Mangini continues to rotate the four quarterbacks, a system whose benefit I fail to see. Perhaps that is why I am sitting in front of a laptop and Mangini is the coach, but I don't get this. Today, most of the reps went to Brooks Bollinger and Kellen Clemens, the two most unlikely candidates to win the starting job. In my estimation, Chad Pennington and Patrick Ramsey wasted their time this afternoon and lost a day they could have used to get prepared.

In the training camp minutiae department, linebacker Alonzo Jackson, a fourth-year player from Florida State, was impressive in pass-rushing drills. Pennington completed a pass that went 40 yards in the air for the second straight day, hitting Jovan Witherspoon on a go route out of the shotgun.

Some of you have asked about the offensive line. It is exceedingly difficult to judge its performance in practice when no one is allowed to touch the quarterback. I will reserve judgment until we see them compete in the preseason opener, Aug. 11 at Tampa.

Back to two-a-days tomorrow, when it's not expected to be quite as hot.

By Ken Berger

Justin McCareins is back.

Following the public embarrassment of having coach Eric Mangini announce that he missed the first day of training camp because he didn't pass the team conditioning test, McCareins took the field at 6:30 this morning and passed the test. He will practice for the first time this afternoon, Mangini said.

Defensive back Rayshun Reed also passed and was removed from the physically unable to perform list, clearing him to practice. Mangini continued to deflect questions about Curtis Martin's status in his daily media briefing this morning. Martin is expected to address reporters later today.

A day after saying he will name a starting quarterback "when someone distinguishes himself," Mangini said the film review of the first practice provided no definitive clues. "They all distinguished themselves in positive and negative ways," he said.

The Jets have one practice today at 2 p.m.

By Ken Berger

Not much of note in the afternoon practice, other than the fact that it lasted 2 1-2 hours -- making for a grueling five hours of on-field work on Day One of the Mangini Era.

The quarterback rotation continued in the afternoon, with Chad Pennington limited to only one series of 11-on-11. He looked sharper than he did in the morning.

Justin McCareins, who must be embarrassed by Mangini's revelation that he failed the conditioning test, spent much of the practice on the stationary bike. Hopefully, we will get McCareins' side of things tomorrow, because it is hard to imagine what a player in his physical condition could do to fail a conditioning test. Consider Mangini's message delivered to the team: If you don't meet his expectations, you will not be on the field. Period.

See you tomorrow.

By Ken Berger

Certainly you are all wondering what Day One of Eric Mangini's training camp looked like compared to Day One under Herm Edwards.

If you really want to know that, let me suggest reading Phil Silva's blog.

Phil Silva is No. 4, a 6-3, 220-pound undrafted rookie free agent receiver from Rowan University. He was planted into the FieldTurf with the loudest thud heard on these practice fields in years by linebacker Victor Hobson in something called a tackling drill ... something that hasn't been seen here for a long time.

Welcome to Camp Mangini, Phil Silva and the rest of the 2006 Jets. It's not going to be easy.

Though Mangini only has seven days with double sessions scheduled, he clearly is going to get the most out of them. The first practice of camp, scheduled to run from 8:45-10:45 a.m., ran 25 minutes over in scorching heat. The team was in full pads from the get-go, and there was plenty of contact.

This was especially the case in the tackling drill, something that Edwards and many other coaches in the league adamantly oppose due to the injury risk. Ballcarriers and tacklers line up about 30 yards apart and go one-on-one, each duel lasting until the ballcarrier is tackled or slips away from the defender. Hobson laid by far the best hit of the day on Silva, drawing oooohs from his teammates and the crowd.

The rest of the workout was pretty standard stuff, but the players commented on the intensity level and fast pace.

Some quick observations to satisfy your appetites:

* Chad Pennington completed a 64-yard TD pass to Jerricho Cotchery on a go route, the ball traveling about 40 yards in the air. Other than that, Pennington looked mediocre in practice, having two of his first three passes intercepted and struggling with his zip and accuracy.
* Patrick Ramsey looked sharp, and Kellen Clemens continued to display the stongest arm in camp despite being the fourth quarterback in the rotation.
* Derrick Blaylock got most of the work at tailback in Curtis Martin's absence.
* Mangini revealed that Martin and C Trey Teague are on the physically unable to perform list due to injuries and that Justin McCareins and Rayshun Reed are listed because they didn't pass the conditioning test. Mangini made no mention of the foot injury that slowed McCareins in minicamp, so it's unclear what's going on with him.
* Laveranues Coles came up limping after the first play of 11-on-11s, favoring his right leg and unable to put weight on it after he slipped coming out of his break on a comeback route resulting in Pennington's first interception (by Kerry Rhodes). Coles later returned to practice.
* Trevor Johnson worked with the starting defense ahead of Bryan Thomas at weak outside linebacker.

Back with more nuggets following the afternoon practice at 5:30.

By Ken Berger

OK, you can stop killing me for my month-long absence from the blog. There has been nothing -- literally nothing -- going on in Jets land, and even a beat writer has to take some time off now and then.

What's important is that training camp is here, so let me do my best to paint you a picture of what went on today. Imagine a 6-foot-6, 312-pound man, who hours earlier had signed a contract that guarantees him upwards of $18-$20 million, literally running away from reporters and autograph seekers outside the Hofstra dorm.

"That's your first-round pick," one scribe said to Derrick Blaylock as D'Brickashaw Ferguson scurried across four lanes of traffic to avoid having to stop for interviews.

Times sure have changed for reporters chronicling Jets training camp. I predict we will have a serious confrontation soon.

At about 12:30 yesterday -- less than two hours after reporters arrived at the dorm where players stay during camp -- a member of the Jets' media relations department arrived to inform us that we had to leave. The order, which was neither obeyed nor enforced, apparently came from team's security department.

We left eventually, but that was owed more to the lack of available interview subjects than this threat from the team we were trying to cover. I swear, Vic Ziegel of the Daily News was so bored I thought he was going to weep.

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that Coach Mangini ran an end-around on reporters by getting almost all the players into the dorm before the media arrived this morning. By the time the beat scribes arrived to provide you with information, insight, and opinion from the players, the players already were on the field a half-mile away for Mangini's mandatory conditioning test.

The news of the day clearly was Curtis Martin being placed on the physically unable to perform list. My prediction is that this is not as ominous as it sounds. What's the point of Martin, at 33, enduring two-a-days while coming off right knee surgery? If he were allowed, I believe Curtis would tell us not to worry. Even though he probably can't run as fast as D'Brickashaw Ferguson at the moment.

Feel free to drop me a line to let me know what you're most curious about as two-a-days open tomorrow.