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.