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By Tom Rock
A person familiar with the situation confirmed a trade that will send Jets QB Brooks Bollinger to the Vikings in exchange for DT C.J. Mosley and an undisclosed draft pick. Bollinger was expected to start Friday's preseason game against the Eagles. His departure leaves rookie Kellen Clemens and veteran Patrick Ramsey to compete for the backup QB job behind Chad Pennington. The deal also fills a Jets need along the front defensive line.
By Tom Rock
Doug Jolley, who just 16 months ago was introduced as the answer to all of the Jets tight end problems, was traded to Tampa Bay in a deal that gained momentum on Wednesday night and was finalized this morning. It represents the end to a disappointing chapter in Jets tight end lore and a reversal of the most debated if not the most egregious personnel decision made by the Jets’ previous regime.
Jolley’s stats were not terrible in his one season with the Jets – he caught 29 passes for 324 yards and a touchdown – but they hardly lived up to his tout and certainly not to the perceived pricetag of a No. 1 pick which the Jets dealt for him just before the 2005 draft. His inconsistency did not help endear him to fans – he had catches in 11 of 16 games and accumulated 102 of his season’s yards in the Dec. 18 game at Miami.
Jolley scored a perfect 800 on the math section of his SAT, so he must have been bright enough to see this coming. After he lost his cool and head-butted Giants cornerback Sam Madison in last week’s preseason game, he drew the ire of Eric Mangini. While Jolley’s stock fell, Chris Baker’s rose with solid play. The Jets brought in veteran Walter Rasby last week to plump out the position. They also drafted TE Jason Pociask in the sixth round this spring, though a shoulder injury will keep him out of action this season.
There was a chance the Jets would have cut Jolley on Saturday when they trim to 53 players.
By Tom Rock
After biting his tongue for most of training camp, Eric Mangini began dropping names today. Not only did he single out DE/LB Bryan Thomas and TE Chris Baker for their play this week, but he said Brooks Bollinger will probably be the starting QB for the Philly preseason game. That’s quite a look behind the curtain compared to the usual feedback we get. Too bad the news didn’t filter down to the players.
Thomas seemed stunned to have a flock of reporters around his locker after the Mangini press conference, and when asked what he had done to deserve the coach’s praise he shrugged and (force of habit?) directed that question back to Mangini. Bollinger seemed equally surprised by the attention granted him, especially since he said he hadn’t heard anything from anyone about starting on Friday. Baker was only at his locker for a few minutes early and late in player availability.
So Mangini was willing to toss the names of those doing well, but it remains to be seen how he will handle it when the opposite is true. Cuts need to be made by Saturday afternoon, and Mangini said he and Mike T. are still working out the logistics of how those will be announced and whether or not the coach and GM will be available for comment. The first three preseason games were pretty standard in terms of availability – the day after the game was without access to players and coaches and we had to wait until the following day to get Mangini’s impressions. That’s fine, but when the team makes so many cuts, there should be some availability. Hopefully that’ll be worked out. It sounded like it would be.
Just a few notes: Mangini didn’t rule out the possibility of carrying 4 QBs, but that seems odd considering how many players the Jets need to have at other positions. Plus, WR Brad Smith played QB in college so if it gets so bad that the Jets need a fourth-string emergency QB, they can throw him under center … Pennington will not play on Saturday but the rest of the starters will see time. The Eagles traditionally do not play their starters in this final preseason game, and Mangini said he spoke with Andy Reid this morning (more name dropping!) … Jets PR man Doug Miller is leaving to become Sr. Director of Media and PR for the Saints. Congrats to him. His was always a friendly face … AP writer Andrea Adelson is also on the way out, joining the Tribune Family at the Orlando SunSent. She keeps crying about leaving and I don’t know why, I’ve only known her for about a month … A Dave Hutchinson update has him possibly getting out of the hospital in a day or two. Get better, Hutch!
By Tom Rock
The charades are over.
The quarterback competition that seemed to be won before July ended was officially cancelled by Jets coach Eric Mangini when he named Chad Pennington the starting quarterback. And Curtis Martin, who had been rehabbing behind closed doors for the last five weeks without practicing during the entire training camp, will not be on the roster for the regular season opener.
Big surprises? Hardly. Anyone who has spent a lick thinking about the Jets this summer could have come to the same conclusions. The news here is that Mangini announced the decisions – both of them – today. While it seemed the Jets would just let the Chad and Curtis situations flutter into the league-imposed deadlines of next Sunday’s regular-season opener and the roster cut-down date of Saturday, the team decided to make its decisions public.
Well I’ll be.
“It’s become really clear to me he's distinguished himself in the way I was looking for,” Mangini said of his decision to name Pennington the starter. Pennington will not play in Friday’s preseason game against the Eagles. Patrick Ramsey, Brooks Bollinger and Kellen Clemens will split time in that game and continue to compete not only for depth chart placement but a spot on the roster. The final cuts on the roster will be made on Saturday. That leaves three players for two spots. They won’t cut Clemens, a draft pick, so that leaves them weighing their options between keeping experienced Ramsey in case Pennington gets hurt during the season or saving a few bucks and keeping Bollinger.
We knew something was up when Mangini opened his press conference with his usual “housekeeping” announcements, then said it could take a while. Gulp! Then he announced that Trey Teague would be taken off the PUP list and added to the active roster and that DT Tui Alailefaleula would be put on injured reserve. Then he went into his decisions on Pennington and Curtis.
Talk about burying the lead!!!
By Tom Rock
About the only consistent aspect of training camp this year was the weather. There were a total of 17 raindrops that fell in the nearly four weeks the Jets held camp at Hofstra, all of them during one evening practice on the back field that was closed to the public. Other than that, sunshine every day. Maybe having fans at practice was a sort of umbrella, because since camp ended and the practices began to be held in secrecy, it’s been rainy.
That seemed to be a welcome twist for Eric Mangini, who said Sunday’s wet practice went well. He said it was a good chance for quarterbacks, running backs and receivers to work on gripping a slippery football (Mr. Kevan Barlow!). Today’s practice will be outdoors as well, rather than in the bubble.
The Curtis Martin deadline is fast approaching. Mangini has not yet resigned himself to the idea that Curtis will be on the PUP list to begin the season – and thus have to sit out the first six weeks – but that decision will have to be made by Saturday when the roster is sliced to 53. Since Martin hasn’t even been on a practice field all training camp, I can’t believe he’ll make a remarkable recovery in the next few days and suddenly become available for the roster.
Speaking of the roster, Mangini said there was a player – he wouldn’t drop the name – who made a big impression on special teams in Friday night’s game and could have earned a roster spot due to the performance. “The light came on,” he said of the unnamed hero. Any ideas, Jets fans?
Feel better, Hutch!
By Tom Rock
Just think: If Darrell McClover were a few inches shorter, the Jets would have been shutout by the Giants. A pretty pathetic idea. Which begs the question, Just how bad are the Redskins?
The Jets took a large leap backwards in last night’s 13-7 loss. Not that the Giants looked like they are headed for XLI. Chad Pennington’s shoulder may be physically fine, but if the Jets can’t figure out how to pick up a blitz he could be on the operating table for a third go-round by the bye week.
It’s puzzling why no one will admit that Pennington is the team’s starting QB. He played almost three full quarters in the third preseason game, started the first preseason game, and takes the bulk of the snaps with the first unit during the week. Yet the competition ensues, in name alone. After the game last night, after all of the other players were interviewed at their lockers inside Gi@&*$ Stadium, Pennington gave his interview in the press room, on a stage, at a lectern. That’s not something backup quarterbacks do.
Then again, 10 drives, zero points and three turnovers isn’t something starting quarterbacks should do either.
Just want to look into my crystal ball and tell Jets fans to get those No. 6 jerseys ready. Buy them now before supply and demand work the price up. Kellen Clemens will be almost useless as a rookie this year, and if he does get in he’ll take his lumps with the rest of the team. But depending on how Pennington’s shoulder comes through this season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Clemens as the starting QB either at the start of the 2007 season or sometime before it ends. Kid’s solid across the board, arm strength, smarts, attitude. And last night, unfortunately, he proved he can take a hit.
Scary moment when Kerry Rhodes went down making a head-first tackle on Brandon Jacobs. I had my game story about two-third done at that point, and when I saw the hit live I instinctively hit Ctrl-A on my keyboard and was ready to hit delete. I thought for sure it was going to be worse than it appeared and the story of the night would change from the follies of NY football to the career-threatening – perhaps life-threatening – injury to Rhodes.
Then a minute later he was on his feet. Stunning. Usually when a player lays on the rug motionless, it’s bad news. Seemed he just had his bell rung. I’m sure he was out cold for a few seconds. If he was a starter, he’d probably sit out next week’s game against Philly. But since no one on the team is a starter, it’s hard to tell what’ll happen.
Just a quick note: You may have read on other blogs about the Writers Cup, the annual golf outting that pits those who cover the Jets against those who cover the Giants. I was proud to represent Gang Greens Fees and secure a point in my head-to-head with Vacchiano for the team's victory. Considering I was an alternate added to the squad about 14 hours before tee time and I was giving up 10 strokes, I thought I did fairly well. Then again, Ralph's back injuries certainly opened doors for me.
Unfortunatley, on just about every hole I seemed to find myself in my personal danger zone, that area of the course where my game crumbles and I cannot function. Usually it's within about a 50-yard radius of the pin. Summing up my golf game: No whiffs, bends or putts.
By Tom Rock
Don’t expect too much in the way of a regular-season scheme from the Jets on Friday night. Eric Mangini said he won’t use this third preseason game as a dress rehearsal for the starters, as many coaches do. Mostly that is due to the fact that most positions don’t have clear-cut starters.
“It really hasn’t changed,” he said of his philosophy heading into the Giants game. “To me, whoever the starter is going to be has to just show that that’s the position that they deserve. You’ll see more rotation this week. It will be the same deal, it could be on the offensive line, could be with the quarterbacks or it could be with the defensive backs. It’s just another opportunity against a new opponent to distinguish yourself in a positive or negative way. The guys have been doing that and this is another chance for them to do that.”
Mangini also analyzed his own training camp, and found some surprising details that a head coach must address.
“I never really planned an itinerary,” he said. “I never really worried about what time the buses showed up. I got on the bus, I read the itinerary and got on it. Those are the things that come up that are important. Not as important as what your going to do on third-down and two, but it’s still important for everybody to be able to operate effectively, for everybody to be able to avoid distractions, for everybody to be able to focus on the things that are important and those things are learning, working, studying and getting ready to compete.
“There was a spectrum of things that I had to deal with. It’s just quite different.”
By Tom Rock
So, this is it, the final day of training camp. Not that things will change dramatically in the next few days and weeks. Basically the practices will be a bit shorter, the meetings a little less dense and the players will be allowed to leave their dorm rooms here at Hofstra.
Still, everyone is very excited about the changes. Even Eric Mangini, who was in a giddy mood at his late-morning press conference. He cracked a few jokes and even poked some fun at himself. When asked if he thought he would be the starting head coach, he delivered the company line “I’m just trying to compete with the guys who are here and help the team however I can.” Straight-faced humor with good timing. He should show that side of himself more often, it’s very charming.
On a serious note, Mangini addressed the Kevan Barlow mess. Barlow had some parting shots on his way out of San Fran, quotes that won’t help his image as a rabble-rouser in this new un-rabbled Jets environment.
“(49ers coach Mike) Nolan just doesn't know what he's doing. He's a first-time head coach with too much power," Barlow told the Contra Costa Times. "He has too much power as a first-time head coach. He walks around with a chip on his shoulder, like he's a dictator, like he's Hitler. People are scared of him. If it ain’t Nolan's way, it's the highway.”
Barlow later pulled back on his dictator theme (though, interestingly, not on the first-time coach business). Mangini, a first-time coach, said he spoke with Barlow this morning about his words. Mangini also said Barlow phoned Nolan to talk about the report.
“I was speaking on emotion. ... My world's been [turned upside down] in the past [48] hours,” Barlow told the paper shortly after his initial outburst.
It’s a good thing the Jets let Barlow sleep in yesterday. Who knows what he would have said under the stress of further sleep deprivation.
By Tom Rock
After working to bolster the position, the Jets are without two running backs today. Curtis Martin is away from the complex for personal reasons which Eric Mangini insisted were non-medical, while Kevan Barlow is getting some much-needed shut-eye after a long two days in which he got no sleep before arriving in New York. So basically, the Jets revert to last week's tailback rotation and fans at training camp will have to wait until Wednesday to get a glimpse of Barlow in action (though he did run a few drills and take some light snaps on Monday afternoon).
That Barlow passed his physical on zero sleep must mean Lee Suggs was in bad shape.
Mangini said Barlow’s day off does not preclude him from Friday’s game against the Giants, but the coach said he will be cautious in using the running back. Imagine the ramifications of Barlow missing a blitz pick-up because of unfamiliarity with the schemes, allowing a clean hit on Chad Pennington that re-injures his shoulder. Better off keeping Barlow on the sideline (or just letting him play when Ramsey is on the field!).
Today’s practice will focus on the Giants game. Mangini said he is using preseason as a way to install all of the regular-season processes. He said he even spent a portion of practice going over how to execute a scout team. The game-planning isn’t so much about beating the Giants, but getting used to the program that will be in place when the regular-season starts.
Just a few other tidbits: Mangini said he has no philosophical problem with a rookie being the No. 2 quarterback, and he also said that Ramsey’s extended contract signed before training camp will play no role in determining the quarterback pecking order. That’s good news for Kellen Clemens fans … Adrian Jones, who began training camp playing left tackle with the starting unit, has been moving around while Anthony Clement has taken over the right tackle job. Mangini said Jones gets shuffled because of his versatility at other positions – left tackle, guard – and he doesn’t want Jones to be thrust into a different position without being able to reference some work there from training camp. Still, the Jets were able to run the ball more effectively on the right side against Washington with Clement over there than they did against Tampa Bay with Clement … Tui Alailefaleula spent some time on the sideline yesterday after he had his “bell rung” in the trenches. Mangini said that’s part of the learning curve … Islip HS product Darrell Adams looked like he was headed for prison with his wrists handcuffed and his ankles shackled. All that was missing was the Hannibal Lector facemask. But Adams was just doing extra work on the heavy bag with coach Bryan Cox, and the rubber handcuffs and elastic leg straps were there to keep his form consistent ... Mangini's usual 11:40 press conference was supposed to be moved to 12 noon, lending a spark of speculation that something was up behind the big green door, but it turned out he was just going over some third-down strategies with the team and actually walked into the press room at 11:43. He apologized for being late, but he was actually early and caught nearly everyone off guard.
By Tom Rock
Just a quick note that Kevan Barlow "practiced" with the team. He walked onto the field about 45 minutes into the workout, stretched out on his own, then participated in a few drills. He spent more time shaking hands than taking handoffs. Afterwards he met with the media. He was very open and comfortable and seemed like a good guy.
Rasby and Pennington practiced as well.
By Tom Rock
Chad Pennington is with the team and will practice today. Kevan Barlow is with the team, but his status for today’s practice is less certain.
Barlow, the 49ers RB traded to the Jets, was at Hofstra this morning and undergoing his team physical while coach Eric Mangini administered his late-morning press conference. That the media briefing was not pushed back to 12:30 – as it was when Lee Suggs flunked his physical – may be the best sign of progress. Mangini said depending on the results, Barlow could be on the field for today’s 2 p.m. practice. I’ll update that later.
The Jets also made some other roster moves, releasing DE Val Barnaby and WR Curtis Williams while signing veteran TE Walter Rasby. Rasby is undergoing his team physical today as well.
Mangini said the best play of the game was the Brad Smith reverse touchdown run. No kidding. He said it best exemplified the things the coaching staff had been stressing during the week, blocking downfield and not giving up on plays. He said he enjoyed the 23-play drive that ate up most of the third quarter, but was still disappointed that it resulted in a field goal and not a TD. Red-zone mistakes.
Today’s practice will focus more on the Jets and less on Friday’s game against the Giants. The team will work on the mistakes it found in the Washington tape – a few fumbles and 11 penalties being the most glaring – and continue the installation of the systems.
One correction on my part. I did post that there have been no turnovers by the Jets and of course Chad Pennington had that fumble in the first game. I meant to say there have been no interceptions. I’ll be like A-Rod and say I’m not going to give excuses then follow it up with excuses: It was late, I was tired, and there are no copy editors to form a human safety net below me when I post these blogs. But like I said, no excuses!
By Tom Rock
Just got back from the game at FedEx (where the Jets delivered, get it?) and figured I’d post a blog since I haven’t in a day or so.
This was a game that showed the good and the bad of the Jets. Rookies Brad Smith and Leon Washington scored TDs on a reverse and kickoff return, respectively, and Reggie Newhouse made a sweet catch in the end zone on a smart pass by rookie Kellen Clemens in the fourth quarter. Then there were the bads: the penalties, the continuing inability to finish extended drives with six points. Bollinger took a shotgun snap to his facemask from Nick Mangold and Tim Dwight and Cedric Houston each had moments where they had difficulty hanging onto the ball. But, it should be noted, the Jets have yet to turn the ball over in the preseason.
I wrote an early story about the kicking game, which is probably what most of you saw in Sunday’s newspaper. Unfortunately the kicking game was pretty sorry. They asked Ben Graham to do a few things that came across as awkward, and while he boomed a few punts and pinned one inside the 5 in the fourth quarter, there was a 7-yarder AND an 8-yarder thrown in. Nugent was OK, converting all of his kicks, but nothing exceptional.
The Jets got some production from the running game, which was nice to see, especially for Houston and Blaylock, who have been under the gun a bit this week with the Suggs-No Suggs situation. I think the Jets will still make a move for a running back – word is swelling that they are very interested in TJ Duckett in Atlanta – but I just have a hunch that they feel a little burned by the Suggs deal and will wait for other teams to cut down their rosters so they can pick up a veteran. Had the running game flubbed again tonight, there would have been some pressure to get the Duckett deal done. Now, the Jets can be a bit more patient.
Watching SportsCenter right now and this kid Bell for Denver looks legit. The Broncs may be cutting Ron Dayne pretty soon – he’s making too much $$$ to be a third-strong RB. Ask you Giant Fan Friends what they think of that move. You might get that same knowing grin you got from your Eagles Fan Friends when you bragged about getting Rich Kotite for a coach!
Mike Tannenbaum and Terry Bradway were sitting a row behind me in the press box, by the way, and Mike was working his phone throughout the contest. Couldn’t help but wonder how the Blaylock stock fluctuated throughout those conversations.
Chad Update: Nothing new. Mangini said he isn’t sure if Pennington will be back with the team for Monday’s practice. He did say that he doubts he will make a decision on a starting QB this week. He also said that Chad’s absence this weekend will not count against him in the “competition.”
When I first heard that Pennington would miss practice, the weasley reporter part of me immediately thought he had injured his shoulder. But when I thought about it for a few minutes I realized, as others did on message boards and chatter, that it would be pretty bad to pin an injury absence on a “family illness.” That’d be bad, bad karma.
By Tom Rock
The Jets will go Chad-less today, and perhaps beyond.
Eric Mangini announced at his midday press conference that Chad Pennington will not practice this afternoon while he attends to a family illness. Mangini said he has no timetable for Pennington’s return, and he could miss the preseason game in Washington on Saturday night.
Mangini said he was impressed by yesterday’s practice in that both DBs and WRs seemed to be very focused on their central role, which is catching footballs. Indeed, Justin McCareins made a nice grab on a deep ball from Pennington and Tim Dwight snagged a sweet pass over the middle, splitting two defenders for a completion from Patrick Ramsey. Reggie Newhouse also hauled in a terrific grab, one-handed on a pass thrown behind him.
Mangini had one of his most engaging press meetings today. He wasn’t spilling the playbook (or even the depth chart), but he seems to be getting more and more comfortable with the daily briefings. He spoke about some personal things besides football today, such as his pregame routine of talking with his kids and his thoughts on being “the young guy.” He even cracked a few jokes on his way out of the room. He’s no Johnny Carson, but then again, neither is Jay Leno.
The tunes at Wednesday’s practice seemed to be taken down a bit, lyrically anyway. Both Andrew Gross of the Journal News and I blogged about the suggestive songs that had been coming out of the speakers lined up next to the practice field – and in close range to the kiddie park set up in an adjacent parking lot. The raunch was cut out and the songs were more of a PG-13 variety. Before inflating myself by suggesting that the power of the pen (or the keyboard or the blog or whatever it is I do here) was responsible for a positive change in society (I’m getting choked up and can faintly here the Battle Hymn of the Republic beginning to swell in my mind), I doubt I had anything to do with it. More likely, others with more pull in Jets camp (i.e. Woody Johnson, who was on the field Tuesday) put the kibosh on the strip-club songs.
Speaking of strip clubs. No, um, speaking of Andrew Gross, check out his blog at http://jets.lohudblogs.com/. He’s been getting a little lonely over there with very few comments. Even though he is sitting just three seats away from me right now, tell him I said HI!.
Any fishing questions or reports of big catches can be sent to mcasey@newsday.com. Keep those lines tight!
By Tom Rock
The fallout from the fall-apart of the Lee Suggs deal continues to linger at Jets camp, and today the big story is the arrival of Derrick Strait. He’s the cornerback-slash-safety who was traded to Cleveland then returned to the Jets after Suggs failed his physical. Must be difficult to come back to a place that though so highly of you they swapped you for a running back who has been healthy just over half his career and had eight carries last season.
Mangini said he hadn’t spoken with Strait since the deal fell apart, but might seek him out at some point. “He understands how I feel,” Mangini said.
Mangini also said he speaks with Browns coach Romeo Crennel often, including last night and this morning, and said their recent conversations were not set askew by Crennel’s comments on Tuesday implying that the Jets may have purposely nixed the Suggs deal, perhaps with a better deal in sight. “I love him as a guy and he and I have a great friendship,” said Mangini, who worked under Crennel in New England. “There has never been awkwardness in our relationship.”
Running back isn’t the only position the Jets are looking to improve at. NT Grady Jackson visited the Jets today, but Mangini would not comment on how that meeting went. Jackson’s fitness has always been an issue in his career, and Mangini also declined to comment on his impressions of the big guy who has reportedly been close to 400 pounds at times. The Jets do need help at NT, as Dewayne Robertson has been shifting between there and DE along with Kimo von Oelhoffen. With Pouha hurt and Pope gone early in training camp, the front line has been a little thin. It won’t be, in more ways than one, if Jackson plops himself here in Hempstead.
Not to be a prude, but some of the songs being played at Jets camp have been raising eyebrows. Most of the naughty words have been dubbed out or skipped over, but the themes in songs such as Jibbs’ “Chain Hang Low” and “London Bridge” by Mindless Self Indulgence have been making training camp feel a little blue. (I’ll let you Google the lyrics and see for yourself). I like the idea of the music – as an entertaining portion of practices; I’m not sure if or what help it gives to the players – but there should be some kind of filter before the tunes are blasted. Especially when the speakers are just a few yards from Jets Fest, the kiddie park with inflatable attractions for the young ‘uns. I actually like some of the songs that are played and have downloaded a few onto my iPod. But I don't play them in the car with the kids.
By Tom Rock
Good thing the Jets kept the receipt. Lee Suggs turned out to be a lemon after failing a physical administered by the Jets on Tuesday morning, and the Jets sent him back to Cleveland. In return, they get cornerback Derrick Strait back in green and white. Here’s a friendly tip, Derrick: Don’t unpack your bags. The Jets will be on the prowl for another RB and Strait could be part of that package. A semi-decent cornerback like Strait with some versatility to play safety is a player many teams are looking for, especially at this point in training camp when they are realizing their current crop ain’t gonna cut it.
Mangini announced the nixed deal at his daily press briefing, which was pushed back about an hour from the usual 11:40 a.m. start. I can only assume that the Suggs situation had something to do with that change in times. When the Jets announced that Mangini would not appear until 12:30, there were some giggles and a sense that something could be up. “No conspiracy theories,” warned Jets PR guy Doug Miller. An hour later, we didn’t need a theory.
“It’s just part of the process with any trade of acquisition,” Mangini said of the Suggs scuttle. “It happens almost weekly in the NFL.”
A few other notes from the day. The Jets waived running back Nick Hartigan, a rookie free agent from Brown. Bad timing for Hartigan, who was probably looking forward to the game at Washington on Saturday. Hartigan is from Fairfax Station, Virginia, and was likely to have tons of family and friends in the stands to see him play. Or at least walk onto the field. But training camps have no heart and roster moves must be made.
The Jets have been pretty lucky in terms of injuries to their interior linemen this season. One reason may be that all of the offensive grunts have been wearing braces on both legs. On Monday, though, backup guard Isaac Snell went down with an apparent knee injury after blocking on a reverse end-around to Brad Smith. Snell was helped off the field and remained on the sideline with his leg wrapped for the rest of practice.
By Tom Rock
Jets coach Eric Mangini raved over Kellen Clemens’ poise in the 2-minute drill during Friday’s game, a drive that resulted in the only points of the game for the Jets. Clemens showed the ability to conduct the offense on a tight schedule, calling a timeout after he was tackled at the 2 with six seconds left then throwing a pass away when it was clear no TD options were available to set up the FG with two seconds left.
After the game, Clemens said the speed of the game – and the players – was different that in college. “That run towards the end zone, he closed way faster than I’m used to,” Clemens said of the second-and-goal play from the 4 in which he rolled to his left and ran for a 2-yard gain. “I thought I had a chance (to score a touchdown) until I took about three steps and it was all over from there.”
It seems Clemens has a real shot at the backup QB spot. Assuming the Jets go with three QBs on the roster – and assuming Pennington stays healthy, a much more risky assumption -- that could make things tight for both Ramsey and Bollinger. Their battle could surface Saturday in Washington as both will likely get significant playing time after getting the scraps in the preseason opener.
As for Sunday’s practice, the coach was not happy. If you haven’t heard, at least nine players were forced to run laps for mental mistakes that included things such as false starts, botched exchanges on snaps and handoffs, and muffed punts. About 25 players ran wind sprints toward the end of practice, apparently after they were slow to jog back during a drill. Mangini said all of the practices for the rest of training camp are scheduled as one-a-days, but he holds the threat of two-a-days over the players and said if they cannot accomplish their goals and meet standards during one practice, it will have be done during two.
The Jets brought in big FB Jamar Martin, who was waived by the Saints. He practiced for the first time yesterday. Stacey Tutt also saw time at FB. Based on the tailbacks currently in camp and the inexperienced offensive line, fullback could be a significant position for the Jets this season.
I don’t normally take requests, but here’s the update on Chad:
He participated fully in practice this afternoon's and took most of the snaps with the first team. He threw a full slate of passes, and while some of them seemed to have a little taken off of them, a couple had zip. The ones that floated may have been part of the drills. He said afterwards he was curious himself how the shoulder would react, and said he was fine and felt no discomfort.
By Tom Rock
The latest explanation for Chad Pennington’s extended stay in the training room after Friday night’s game was so he could chat with Eric Mangini and go over things while they were still fresh in each others’ minds. That according to Mangini at his late-morning press conference on Sunday. Mangini said Pennington is suffering from soreness, but no more than any other player after a game.
He also said the competition remains wide open at quarterback and the rotation will stay in place for at least another week. But if Chad is not the starting QB in Mangini’s mind (if not his words), why the long post-game debriefing? Mangini said he didn’t have such a talk with Clemens or Ramsey.
Still, the rotation play goes into preseason game number two. Expect Ramsey to get a bulk of the looks at Washington on Saturday.
At first glace it appeared running back Cedric Houston was the one who missed his block that allowed Pennington to suffer the hit on his cocked right shoulder in the second quarter on Friday night. After watching the films, though, it appeared the entire offensive protection was at fault. Houston flung his body into the block but Kalvin Pearson leaped over him and struck Pennington on the arm. Pennington was unable to move away from the hit because the rest of the Bucs’ defense was swarming into the backfield.
Mangini scrubbed today’s two-a-day in favor of a meeting in the morning to go over the game tape and a single practice in the afternoon. Asked if the move was a reward, Mangini emphatically shook his head NO. He said the schedule from here on out depends on what is accomplished and how the team responds. There could be five more two-a-days, he said, there could be all single practices.
Mangini said he liked what little he saw of Leon Washington at running back. Brad Smith made an impression as well. Jovan Witherspoon obviously wasn’t very impressive in the preseason game since he was waived today.
The Jets didn’t just go over the game tape, they “self-scouted” every aspect of the road trip from the bus ride to the coaches communication to the meals to the play-calling. Mangini said he spoke with the entire team about how small the difference is between winning and losing.
It was pretty small on Friday, just a matter of not touching the ball in the second half.
By Tom Rock
If it’s going to be like this all season, I may want to go back to the fishing beat.
The Jets’ major weaknesses glared in Friday night’s 16-3 loss to the Bucs, and those weaknesses are depth on defense and a running game. The Green Team could not move the ball in the second half, while the Bucs plowed the field for a pair of 80-yard drives and held onto it for the final 7:20 to seal the win. It’s a good lesson for the Jets: When you can run the ball effectively, you can control the game.
Unfortunately for the Jets in this game, they couldn’t. Blaylock and Houston showed little to discourage the rumors surrounding their position. It feels like the Jets would rather throw to the backs than hand the ball off to them, though Blaylock said he doesn’t think the passing component is stronger in this offense than any other he’s been a part of.
Mangini’s post-game presser was interesting, held in a storage area under the stadium where a small podium had been set up with a Jets backdrop. On TV it may have looked like an interview room, but in reality we were standing where they store the extra towels for the sideline along with the spare pirate ship. I can only assume it’s there in case the one in the end zone sinks.
As for the content of his speech, well, it was clear he was trying to pry some positives from the evening’s events. He continues to show excitement over all of the mistakes the team makes because he can use them as teaching tools. At some point, though, winning and performing has to take precedent over teaching.
The big post-game story was Chad Pennington. Reporters waited almost an hour for the starting quarterback to emerge from the training room following the game. I say this not to complain (at least not entirely to complain, since we were all on deadline at that time) but to wonder about Chad’s shoulder. He said he was in the back checking stats and hanging out, but my Spidey-sense was tingling that something may be wrong with Pennington’s shoulder, especially after that last hit he took with his right arm cocked to throw. I’d be surprised if he wasn’t back there undergoing some sort of treatment on the shoulder. Not that he'll be sidelined by it, but I'm sure it needed to be iced thoroughly and probably inspected by some MDs. He said he plans on practicing in full on Sunday, so I suppose we’ll see then.
By Tom Rock
The Jets had a practice this morning that was closed to the public as well as the media, a walk-through before their preseason opener on Friday night in Tampa. Afterward, the team was expected to leave for a charter flight to Florida at about 2:30 p.m. No word on how that went, but some Jets officials were concerned that the increased security at all of the airports could slow down the travel. Even though the Jets fly on a charter, they still have to go through security checks. You think it’s tough getting a laptop through the airport, try getting trunks filled with football helmets, coaching equipment and medical supplies onto a plane.
Mangini is often describing situations as “fluid,” but apparently fluids aren’t allowed on planes anymore so he may need a new adjective when he gets to Tampa.
Some interesting special teams quirks unfolded at the evening practice on Wednesday. I won’t burst the bubble on the secret, but let’s just say there were some interesting options other than a straight punt or field goal attempt.
Speaking of gimmicky plays, converted QB turned WR Brad Smith continues to shine in training camp. Not only can he be useful for those end-arounds and option passes that all former college hurlers can turn, but he has proven to be a sure-handed WR. That seems to be the Jets’ deepest position so far, so his chances of making the team might be hurt by the competition, but his versatility probably gets him a spot on the 53.
Who’s gonna start at QB Friday night? It’ll either be Chad Pennington, or someone else, because as we’re said here before, Chad has earned the job. All he has to do is stay healthy for the next month and he’ll be under center on Sept. 10 for the season opener. I have a feeling Mangini may start either Bollinger or Clemens. Just a hunch. He’s shown a propensity for tossing players into strange situations in training camp, blowing a whistle and forcing them to run a two-minute drill or a red-zone offense without preparation. I think starting Bollinger or Clemens would be just the kind of curve ball Mangini likes to throw at players. Besides, those are the two who really need to work. If Chad is the starter Ramsey will be the backup. If Chad is hurt, Ramsey will be the starter and one of the other guys will need to be an able backup. I see the competition at QB really a race for the No. 3 spot. That’s bad news for Brooksie, but he might play himself into someone else’s QB rotation.
I had a chance to chat with Bay Shore native Darrell Adams yesterday. Nice kid. Turns out five years ago, when they faced each other in a high school scrimmage, Adams was the offensive center for Islip and D’Brickashaw Ferguson was the defensive tackle for Freeport. Now, with both at Jets training camp, their positions have flip-flopped.
Adams said he is looking forward to his first NFL experience Friday night, and hopes he can stick around on the roster long enough to play in some games at the Meadowlands and dish out tickets to family and friends.
“I know I’m going to be awestruck at first with the crowd and the fans and just being in an actual NFL stadium and not as an observer,” he said of getting into Friday’s game. “I’m going to be out there playing, and I can’t wait.”
Gotta run. Flying down myself tonight. Four hours getting through security for a 2 and a half hour flight. Yippee!!!
By Tom Rock
Today is the last time we’ll see the Jets until Friday night’s game against the Bucs. Still no answer on who the starting QB will be. Eric Mangini said he and the staff would have to crunch some numbers and evaluate the remaining practices before making their decision. Even then, he said that nothing should be read into the fact that someone will start the preseason opener. In other words, if it’s Chad, don’t assume Chad is the starting quarterback. If it’s not Chad, don’t assume it’s not going to be Chad. I use Chad as an example here because he’s really put this competition to bed. I don’t know if No. 10 will be starting on Friday, but unless he gets roughed up and takes a physical step backwards, he’ll be the starter on Sept. 10 in Nashville. You don’t need to calculate numbers to see he’s the best QB the Jets have. Mangini said he’s looking for “consistency” from a QB, but how can a guy show that while playing with a different group every day?
Today’s practice wasn’t just Jets offense vs. Jets defense. There was a certain amount of scouting involved and some players wore red numbers on their jerseys to replicate Tampa Bay players. Mangini said it was more to make the players comfortable with the game-week process than to actually break down what the Bucs will be doing on Friday.
Justin McCareins continued his dropped-ball streak this morning, flubbing a short toss from Brooks Bollinger early in the long workout. It was a low throw, but one that should have been made. McCareins spoke to a few reporters after the practice – besides the 2:38 workout he also spent about 40 minutes on the field doing individual work – and seemed a bit gloomy. Perhaps he knows he’s in danger of not making this team. It was interesting that the Jets brought in a pair of WRs today, Curtis Williams and Mario Hill.
A bunch of interceptions in this morning’s practice, probably more than there has been in any other practice so far. Ray Mickens, Rayshun Reed, Andre Dyson and Omowale Dada each had a pick, and Eric Barton intercepted a pass by Pennington and returned it for a TD, hootin’ and hollerin’ the whole way down the field. Free-agent safety Jamie Thompson got hurt in a late drill and was scraped up off the grass and hauled to the side pretty quickly. It’s a heartless game for those FA guys trying to make the team.
A lot of guys will get their first taste of the NFL on Friday night. It’ll be Mangini’s first game as a head coach, too. With any other coach, I’d expect to learn a lot about the team off the preseason opener, but I think Mangini will play things close to the vest. It’ll be interesting to see how the coordination between the sideline and the coaching booth works and how the team responds to the game-time environment which the Jets attempted to simulate last weekend.
By Tom Rock
After a weekend in New Jersey and a day off on Monday – or at least a day without practice, more on that later – the Jets went back to the grind of training camp at Hofstra today. Eric Mangini said this begins the “next phase” of readiness for the season, as the Jets continue to install their offensive and defensive schemes but also start preparing for Friday’s preseason opener in Tampa.
Mangini said he hasn’t decided on a starter for the Bucs game yet. Dollars to donuts it’ll be Pennington, though. He’s really the only one who has shown any progress with the system. Today he played with the first team on offense – he and Ramsey took all of the 11-on-11 snaps – and looked sharp. His one gaff was an interception, but it was a pass thrown to Justin McCareins that was dropped right into the hands of waiting DB Andre Dyson. Pennington followed the flub with a pair of strong throws to Coles on each sideline. I’m thinking that the direction of those passes is a good sign about Pennington’s arm strength. I’ve been told that the easiest pass when returning from a shoulder injury is the one down the middle but turning to a sideline and throwing against the body can be taxing. Chad seemed to have little difficulty with those passes today, and the offense as a whole seemed to attack a longer field than it had been.
As for Coles, he spoke with the media and made some interesting remarks about the feedback he gets from the coaching staff. Turns out the reporters aren’t the only ones groping around for information. Coles said it is difficult to find out where you stand as a player because the coaches are so tight-lipped with praise and commentary, even to their own players. That’s similar to what Derrick Blaylock said last week, about there being no official depth chart on which to gauge progress. Interesting, especially at positions such as WR and RB where a host of players are competing for only a few spots on the roster.
Someone asked Mangini if he is paranoid. If he is, I suspect that question will only add to his condition. I don’t think he’s paranoid. And I don’t think his ultra-secretive atmosphere comes from a competitive streak, which he claimed. I think he’s just a first-year coach mimicking the systems he’s been involved in and I think the shroud will be raised (somewhat) as the year and years progress. You get the sense that a guy like Belichick is the same 24-7, that when a familiar face paces him in the parking lot and asks innocuously “How’s it goin’?” he gives a stern “no comment.”
I don’t think Mangini is like that. I think he has a football coach’s front but once he gets away from the podium he’s a charming guy with a sense of humor. His exchanges with reporters today were probably the most heated they’ve been so far (not “play to win the game” or “it’s a privilege to cover this team” heated, but a bit contentious nevertheless), and he never budged from his stern line of withholding the info he thinks he should. But he also didn’t let the interaction fluster him or anger him. At least he didn’t let on that it might have.
He played things pretty cool. Which, I suppose, is what you’d want to see from an NFL head coach.
By Tom Rock
A couple of things that came out of the Jets’ closed-door scrimmage in the cavernous Gi@%&$ Stadium, not all of them good.
The Jets are still considering trading for a running back to replace Curtis Martin – Cleveland’s Lee Suggs is that latest rumored to join the list of candidates – and the three who played yesterday did very little to distinguish themselves and call off those overtures. The longest run from scrimmage was seven yards, and it came from Derrick Blaylock. Beyond that, the second longest was five and it came on a scramble by Brooks Bollinger. Granted, there was no formal tackling. Officials spotted the ball as best they could based on the physical two-hand-touch methods set out in the rules by the Jets. So there was no chance for any of them to break a tackle, a considerable disadvantage. Still, there were too many one and two yard running plays and not enough 5s and 6s. The one good part was the running backs’ role in the passing game. It looks as if whoever lines up in the backfield will be a big part of this offense, even if it isn’t on the ground.
Mangini said he was happy with the mistakes made by players and coaches over the weekend because it gives him “teaching tools.” Yes. I suppose he would have been heart-broken had the Jets returned to Hofstra after a perfect performance. He seemed especially (and coyly) concerned about offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer’s play-calling, even though the O.C. was working with a fraction of his playbook.
“I’m sure as the two offensive coordinators go back to their respective teams and look at what they called, there are going to be times that they think ‘Wow, I really should have done this instead,’” Mangini said. “That’s part of the value of this as well, for Brian, to self-scout himself in those situations.”
A few good points, if you please. There were no turnovers. Pennington looked sharp and his throwing mechanics are so much less strained than they were last training camp. He still has to prove he can take a hit before Mangini officially names him the starter, though. And if the rotation holds and the practice schedule remains the same, it’ll be Pennington’s turn to play with the first team at Friday’s preseason opener in Tampa Bay. The kicking game was decent. Graham’s punts seemed to lack the height and hang time they have at Hofstra. Nugent was the only player to score a point in the scrimmage, kicking three field goals, two for the Green team and one for the Whites. But he also missed a 50-yarder wide right and came up short on a 56-yarder at the end of the first half. There was a confusing penalty after that miss, with four seconds left, and the ball was re-spotted on the 23 for another Nugent attempt. This one sailed through from 41 yards. I wonder if Mangini orchestrated that penalty to give his kicker another chance and end the period on a good note.
Pete Kendall summed up the experience, saying it was better than a practice but not as good as a game. When he was talking about the lack of a crowd, Cimini noted that there was no booing.
“Yeah,” Kendall said, “they shouldn’t get too used to that, I suppose.”
By Tom Rock
I hate to start trouble with only my second blog, but I can’t help but wonder if the Jets like their New Jersey fans more than they like their Long Island fans.
The team pulled out all of the stops for the announced crowd of 6,000 or so who came to the Meadowlands to watch Saturday’s practice. Not only was radioman Bob Wischusen on the public address mic announcing the players and explaining what the heck was going one, the NJ faction of the extended family received a 10-minute autograph session in which everyone on the Jets – EVERYONE including Coach Mangini and Woody Johnson – bellied up to the wall and signed autographs. And they signed EVERYTHING. At one point Woody Johnson put his signature on someone’s sneaker.
I understand these were special circumstances, and I’m not honestly saying that the Jets don’t respect their LI faithful. But it would be nice for the fans to see some of those perks at Hofstra, if not in the coming weeks then maybe next year when Jets Camp makes its final stop in Hempstead. Having someone explain the format and the goals of the drills was extremely helpful as the chaos on a training camp field can be overwhelming to the non-initiated. And the autographs, well, I can see where that can be difficult to do on a daily basis. But maybe the Jets should have one or two days when they approach the fences around the soccer field at Hofstra and, in unison, pull out their Sharpies. Obviously there are many things -- scoreboard entertainment, sound systems -- that will never translate from an NFL stadium to a college soccer field, but I think Jets fans would enjoy the little details.
As for the practice itself, it was very uneventful. Pennington didn’t play much – he was out of rotation so to speak – and Clemens and Bollinger took most of the reps. Ramsey didn’t take an 11-on-11 snap.
Mangini said this trip to the Stadium was to simulate a game-day experience. The idea of a field trip to check out what is supposed to be a home field is so simple, I can understand why it had been overlooked.
With about 20 minutes left in practice and some visitors making their way out of the Stadium, Andrew Gross of the Journal-News had the line of the day when he noted that even the fans were getting ready for the regular season.
Practice ended with Mike Nugent attempting a 60-yard field goal that came up short. This after both Bollinger and Clemens failed to get into decent scoring position during the two-minute drill. The lesson was this: If success hinges on the ability of the third- and fourth-string quarterbacks to drive the ball in the closing seconds and Nugent’s ability to kick field goals from midfield, 2006 will be a long season.
By Tom Rock
Great. My first day on the blog and the Jets cancel practice.
Luckily, for me anyway, Thursday night’s practice was closed to the
public so there are a few nuggets worth reporting from that event,
which has been dubbed a situational, non-contact scrimmage. That’s a
fancy term we came up with for an intrasquad game where Mangini calls
out scenarios (ball on the 40, down by eight, 2:15 left in the game)
and the boys go at it.
By now you’ve read all over that Pennington looked good and Ramsey not
so much. Some of that has to do with poise and confidence in the
pocket, but a lot may have to do with the pocket itself. While
Pennington was comfortably nestled behind the starting o-line (which
includes 6.25 percent of this spring’s first round draft picks; Nick
and Brick get better each day), Ramsey was under pressure behind the
second line. Still, he didn’t help matters by stumbling out from under
center on one play and taking a pair of delay of game flags. I’m not
sure, but it seemed the music got a little louder as Ramsey was trying
to change plays or direct traffic at the line. I wonder if Mangini is
testing him.
Unlike last year’s training camp, there is no competition in the
kicking game. Just two skinny guys standing around, wagging the legs
once in a while, trying to look busy. But when they are needed, Ben
Graham and Mike Nugent have looked sharp. In Thursday’s morning
practice Nugent whacked a 58-yarder with two seconds left on the
imaginary clock -- and he split the condensed uprights. Thursday night
he put a 50-yarder through, into the wind, to win the “situational,
non-contact scrimmage” in overtime and cap the practice. (The winning
FG was set up nicely by a long punt return from Tim Dwight).
As for Graham, he just puts footballs in orbit.
Mangini is moving the preseason preparations to Jersey for the weekend,
trying to simulate a game-day experience for the players and coaches. It
will work for the LI fans as well, I suppose. Give them a chance to
warm up and practice the haul to the Meadowlands. And if you close your
eyes real hard and concentrate, you may be able to take some of those
“mental reps” and feel what it’ll be like in 2008 when the Jets land at
their new training facility in the Garden State and going to a training
camp practice will require an entire day off rather than one or two
hours of hooky from the office. Saturday’s practice at Gi@&%# Stadium
is open to the public and begins at 2, but Sunday’s will be closed.
Thanks to Ken for yielding his seat in the press room so easily. No
thanks to Ken for placing incredibly high standards on covering this
beat. It would have been so much easier to walk into a job that had
been ignored, betrayed and dismantled by the previous guy with nowhere
to go but up.
Finally, on my credentials, which some have voiced concern over. I’ve
never seen a football game before, so I’m definitely looking forward to
my first. If this Pennington guy is supposedly so good, how come he
only plays with half the team? I noticed a pretty amazing coincidence
that almost all of the Jets regular season games fall on a Sunday. Why
is that?
That’s it for now. Blog Numero Two will have an East Rutherford
dateline. Until then, remember: bluefish are blitzing in Manhasset Bay,
stripers at thick in Plum Gut, and the porgy run should pick up in a
week or two.
By Ken Berger
Well, my worst fear has come true: Cimini has scooped me on the news of my own departure.
It’s true, after six seasons, plus six months, three weeks, and two days of the Eric Mangini Era, I will be leaving the Jets beat to become Newsday’s NBA columnist. Tom Rock already looks to have settled nicely into my corner seat in the media room between Cimini and Hutch. He’ll do a great job, when he’s not being pelted by crumpled up paper balls.
As Neil Best was reported to have said near the end of his nine-year tenure as Newsday’s Giants beat writer, “I’ve wasted the best years of my life in this room.” I say that jokingly, and I know he did, too. This has been a better, more enjoyable experience than I ever imagined when I arrived six years ago to chronicle the one-and-done exploits of Al Groh.
I can say that I was good for a few laughs. A couple of my favorite competitors have come and gone over the years, but this room from Day One has been a better place than anyone could hope to work because of the people working in it. I’ve worked a lot of places, and I find it hard to believe that there is a newspaper beat in the country that measures up.
I came in with the Shaun Ellis-John Abraham-Chad Pennington-Anthony Becht draft class, and from the looks of things a few months ago, Ellis was going to be the only one to outlast me. Not so. Rarely have I seen so many bad things happen to as good and honest a guy as Pennington in sports, and now I am leaving just when he appears to be getting some of the good stuff that he deserves. It would have been unprofessional to openly root for someone I was covering, but now that I no longer have that conflict, I will be rooting hard for him.
I doubt I will ever cover anyone like Curtis Martin again. He couldn’t have been more gracious, accommodating, or professional. I hope things work out for him, too.
Pete Kendall was the funniest guy I met here, by a lot. Randy Thomas was the hungriest. Kareem McKenzie was the biggest and most interesting to talk with about things other than football. Victor Green would say anything you wanted him to say, which came in handy.
It wasn’t all he
