[vilmatime51]

May 13, 2007
Rookie minicamp, the sequel
By Tom Rock

First question from my wife this morning: “Why does Eric Mangini hate mothers?”

“Not all mothers,” I told her on my way out the door. “I’m sure he likes his own.”

So we’re here on Mother’s Day morning for the second day of rookie minicamp. Just got back from the last of the workout sessions we’ll be able to watch, and other than a chilly wind that forced Samoan safety and Hawaii product Leonard Peters to bundle up with long sleeves, it was pretty much the same as Saturday’s practice. The stretched. They drilled. They stumbled over bags. And Darrelle Revis blew past David Harris in an open field tackling drill.

A few new faces on the second day, all of them tryouts from colleges such as Williams, Bloomsburg and West Liberty State. They also brought in QB Marvin Burroughs from Villanova. Word is they were counting on Oklahoma QB/WR Paul Thompson until late in the week, but as Mangini noted on Saturday, it just didn’t work out contractually.

A few observations, many of which will be deep afterthoughts by the time training camp begins:

Fire-dancing safety Leonard Peters didn’t look as sharp as he did on Day 1 (maybe the cold did get to him), and was yelled at by Mike Westhoff during one of the “tackling” drills (which is really a sizing-up and breaking-down drill since there is NO CONTACT!). “Why are you gonna stop, Leonard? Keep going, dammit!” Westhoff yelled. (I’ll have to check in with the Entourage blog to see if that D-word eliminates the sentence from BPL contention.)

No contact? Don’t tell Illinois State RB Pierre Rembert, who put his head down and tried to run over DB Justin Rainey from Middle Tennessee State. Both players wound up on the ground and Rainey seemed miffed. NON CONTACT, Pierre!!!

Chansi Stuckey made a few sweet cuts in the open-field drill. They were against tryout linebackers, but it seems that his foot is feeling much better. His hands, though could be a concern. He didn’t look as solid fielding punts, certainly not as smooth as Revis, who appears to be a natural.

Interestingly, Revis was always a ball-carrier in the open-field drills so we never got to see him make any tackles or defensive plays. His first move on Harris was his best of a handful of tries; after that he appeared the throttle down a bit and not make sharp cuts. He was still fast enough to elude most of the would-be tacklers, though.

On a non-football note, Jay Cross was on the sideline of the workout wearing a spiffy vintage Titans hat (NY Titans, not Tennessee for all those youngsters who don’t remember). Dark blue with a gold “T” on the front. Very nice. It also sparked some speculation that the Jets might wear throwback Titans jerseys for a game this season.

We get Mangini in a few minutes and the locker room after that. Then, that’s it. Rookie minicamp will be over from a media point of view. The players will be around tomorrow and then most will go back to their regular lives: Waiting for the next police test, interviewing for jobs in marketing or whatever college football players major in these days, or, in some cases, training for the 2008 Olympics as a wrestler. Good luck to all of them.

Oh, and Happy Mother’s Day to all whom it applies to. Unlike some people, I don’t hate mothers.

[vilmatime51]

from Rich Cimini's blog..

Notes From Another Day of Stretching
Thoughts and observations from this morning's minicamp practice -- or at least the 45 minutes that was open to the media:

Once again, there was some real good stretching. I think the Patriots should be worried . . . During the walk-through period, No. 1 pick Darrelle Revis lined up at left cornerback. That's interesting because it has been widely assumed that Revis would compete for a starting job at right corner, with veteran Andre Dyson holding down the left side. Obviously, it's too soon to draw conclusions. Many teams play their best corner on the left side because it's the so-called hot corner. That's because most quarterbacks are righthanded and tend to throw to that side. Later, I asked Eric Mangini about Revis' position. He said Revis has been playing both sides in this camp. As you know, the coach is big on position versatility. Obviously, we'll find out more in training camp.

There was another one-on-one, open-field tackling drill, the closest thing to live action that we get to see. Once again, Revis and Michigan LB David Harris (second-round pick) were faced off. Once again, Revis, a ballcarrier, ran by him rather easily, although Harris did get an arm on him this time . . . Curiously, Revis didn't get any tackling opportunities; he was strictly a ballcarrier. Too bad, because we've heard so much about Revis' toughness and aggressiveness in run support . . . By the way, Revis and Harris are rooming together at the team hotel . . . There was one semi-decent collision in the tackling drill, as RB Pierre Rembert, a tryout player from Illinois State, ran into DB Justin Rainey, a tryout player from Middle Tennessee State . . . Rough morning for Hawaii S Leonard Peters. First, he got wasted by James Madison RB Alvin Banks in the tackling drill. Later in the same drill, he was indecisive on a tackle attempt and incurred the wrath of special teams coach Mike Westhoff. "Why are you stopping, Leonard?" Westhoff yelled. "Keep going, damn it." Good to see that Westhoff is in mid-season form . . . Peters, he of the Troy Polamalu-like hair, is an interesting guy. Today in the locker room, he talked about fire-knife dancing back in Hawaii. Peters has been performing the Polynesian custom since he was 12, mainly for tourists, and he has the scars on his hands and arms to prove it. Prediction: He will be the star of the rookie talent show in training camp.

We got to see Revis and Clemson WR Chansi Stuckey (seventh round) field some punts. Revis displayed excellent hands, making like an outfielder with a couple of above-the-head grabs. He looked smooth and confident on most of his attempts, misjudging one only slightly. Revis was a punt returner at Pitt and should compete for that job with the Jets. Stuckey didnt fare as well, misjudging a couple of punts . . . To replace Oklahoma QB/WR Paul Thompson, a would-be free agent who didn't show, the Jets brought in Villanova QB Marvin Burroughs for a tryout.

FB Jesse Allen is from Virginia Tech, so naturally he was asked about the recent tragedy on his campus. Allen was off-campus, about a mile away, when the shootings occurred. "The whole day turned into watching TV, trying to figure out what was going on. It went from a couple of injured to a few dead. Then that horrible number came into play." . . . Curtis Martin's locker remains intact, which is not a surprise. Martin told me last week that he works out about twice a week at the facility. He also said he's expected to have a decision shortly on his future. From all indications, he will announce his retirement . . . Football coaches never let their guard down, not even at a quiet May minicamp. For instance: Mangini declined to single out any outstanding performers, lest he give the competition a head's up on potential sleepers on the Jets' roster.

[vilmatime51]

from Andrew Gross's blog..

OK, back to football…

Four new guys in uniform today: Bloomsburg wide receiver Rocco Forgione, Williams wide receiver Jon Drenckhahn, West Liberty State wide receiver Renard Stevens and Villanova quarterback Marvin Burroughs.

Forgione, by the way, worked on the move Invincible.

Also, Jets President Jay Cross was hanging around practice this morning wearing a New York Titans cap. The buzz is, the Jets will wear a throwback Titans uniform for one game this season, probably the home game against the Bills.

As for practice, we got to watch what would be a one-on-one tackling drill during training camp. However, during rookie minicamp, it was a two-hand touch drill. Still, there was a big bang when Illinois State running back Pierre Rembert ran over Middle Tennessee State defensive back Justin Rainey.

Undrafted free agent safety Leonard Peters didn’t have the best time in the drill. First, James Madison running back Alvin Banks, another undrafted free agent, blew past Peters. Then, after converted Virginia Commonwealth basketball player Jesse Pellot-Rosa got past Peters, special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff barked at Peters, “Why’d you stop, damnit.’’

Honestly, from the portion we were able to watch, I was most impressed with Penn State punter Jeremy Kapinos, who seemed to have a strong leg, though he could get some more height on his punts. Like Jets punter Ben Graham, Kapinos is left-footed.

[vilmatime51]

some pics from today..

Peters in action...

[nysackexchange]

Who is that clown wearing Leon's number???

[EnRiCH13]

some pics from today..

Leon change his number?

Dunn? Wearing 29?

[S-Dubb]

Thanks again V.T. Man Peters has got some serious locks going on. He might want to put them up or trim them. We all seen what happened to Troy last year when he intercepted a pass and Larry Johnson through him to the ground by his mane.

I'm liking the small reports on Revis. He seems very fluid and a natural out there. Definitely a good sign!

Oh and isn't Polumalu's number 43?.. Well Peters has the same number. Interesting.... it would be cool if Peters and Troy talk and if Troy could kinda mentor Peters a bit.

Man I can't wait Until August!

[vilmatime51]

Leon change his number?

Dunn? Wearing 29?

yea and the guy next to him is wearing TJ's number...maybe they just ran out of numbers..

[Jetsfan0099]

Yea they are not going to make the team anyways.

[jets0n]

Why does fat ass Tom Rock feel like he has to tell us he's married? Maybe because it's bullshit... that's just me talking though. Fat girls need loving too...


None the less, I laughed at the Leon joke. Good one. Stuckey is taller than Revis... what's up with that?

[Jetsfan115]

can harris tackle anybody lol. he better be worth the picks we traded to move up.