By Tom Rock
End of Day 1 at rookie mini-camp, so I figured I’d throw out a few observations from the 45 minutes of practice and 30 minutes of locker room time we were allowed to share with the players.
First, it was strange to see the locker room the way it was, with black sheets hung over veteran lockers (almost as if in mourning) and chairs placed in front of them. Basically the guys who were in town for the tryout got some floor space instead of a locker while the FAs and draft picks were about half a wrung up the ladder in the auxiliary locker room which looks more like a storage space. The tryouts had their belongings spread out on the floor in front of them. Jeez, even Les Nessman from WKRP had some tape on the floor to give the impression of some personal space!
On the field, there wasn’t much. We all joked about how well this year’s crop of potential Jets can stretch. I’ve never been one to base a prediction solely on calisthenics and flexibility, but judging by the toe-touching and midsection rotating I saw today, I’d have to guess the Jets will at least get to the AFC Championship Game. I hear the Colts do some mean jumping jacks.
Truth be told and snarky sportswriter comments aside, there was a little more than just warm-ups to be seen. Darrelle Revis looked pretty comfortable fielding punts. Sad part is that he might not get the chance to participate in that area much after word gets back to special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff that Revis said he’s “a great coach for his age.” Westhoff is 59, but compared to young coaches like Mangini and Schottenheimer he’s a definite elderstatesman on the staff. Revis also looked good in one-on-one tackling drills and some staged 3-on-3 punt return drills. In other words, he’s not Aaron Ross. Yet.
Safety Leonard Peters, who has the Troy Palomalu hair hanging down his back, made a dramatic clothesline tackle on tryout Rayshaun Kizer during one-on-ones. Wait, not a tackle. Mangini reminded us all that this is a non-contact mini-camp. Maybe it was just a very aggressive hug for good luck. Second-round draft pick David Harris let Revis blow past him in one drill, but he was able to make a one-handed takedown on free agent RB Alvin Banks on a later rep. Mangini said Harris looked “fluid” in pass protection. The big question is, how will be look when he’s covering actual receivers rather than walk-on LBs who are posing as receivers.
And our wrestling friends, Tommy Rowlands and Cole Konrad, looked very lost on the field, though it was pretty clear that the coaches are pulling for them. Particularly Rowlands, who was being “encouraged” by name by LB coach Jim Herrmann. Not sure if that’s a good sign or a bad sign, but certainly they have a different criteria when it comes to making an impression on the staff.
“You measure things a little bit differently when guys haven’t been exposed,” Mangini said. “The way you measure progress is going to be in smaller increments. You’re looking for potential and progress. But it’s such a radically different experience when it’s the first time getting into a stance or having a helmet on or any of those things. It’s all new. But they have their helmet on right, that’s a plus.”
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Mangini confirmed that G Pete Kendall has not been around for the voluntary offseason program the Jets are running, at least not recently. “His situation is unchanged,” Mangini said. “He participated early, he hasn’t been of late.” Kendall is reportedly looking for a new contract from the Jets and is staying away from the workouts. That likely strikes at the heart of Core Jet Values, and more than likely irks Mangini, even if he didn’t admit so. “Organizationally and personally, we really believe in the offseason program,” Mangini said. “It’s something that we believe in fundamentally and something that we believe helps with progress. I learned that with Coach Parcells and with Bill (Belichick). I’ve seen it work.” Mangini said participation in the offseason program is calculated on a complex scale with make-up days and guidelines. He said most of the other Jet veterans and returning players have been participating, though there are “some guys who are not as far along as the group.” The real tension will come in June when the players are scheduled to show up for a full-squad mini-camp. Whether or not Kendall participates in that decidedly non-voluntary function remains to be seen.