The Boone Docks

Rod Boone talks Jets and answers your questions today in his first live chat at 1 p.m.

Lots of moving parts happening at today's OTA out here at The Hangar.

Between Thomas Jones, Kerry Rhodes, Mark Sanchez, Kellen Clemens and a couple of collisions, there was no shortage of interesting happenings as the Jets concluded their penultimate OTA.

We'll start with Jones. We don't know how he's feeling about finally ending his boycott of the team's offseason training activities because he declined to speak with the media. For the hour or so we were allowed in the locker room, he never even set foot in there. Perhaps he wasn't looking forward to facing the bright lights of the gaggle of television cameras that were hanging by his locker.

Either way, it would've been nice to hear what he had to say. This would've been the ideal time to address the matter, and put it behind him so he can get back into the good graces of Jets fans who weren't pleased with his stance in his contract dispute. We don't know if Jones plans on attending next week's OTA session, but according to coach Rex Ryan, Jones told him he's "happy to be here."

I'll give Jones this: Cat was on swole. As you can see from my amateurish photography with my BlackBerry, his arms are huge. He kept himself in pretty good shape.

Jones' presence left Leon Washington as the only player who's not participating in the voluntary session. Washington is still looking for a new deal and it's unclear when he'll be back with the team, although the June 9-11 mini-camp remains a strong possibility because Washington will face stiff fines if he doesn't show up.

■ S Kerry Rhodes, who missed last Thursday's practice because of a personal reason, was back out on the field. Even though he's been cleared by the Morris County prosecutor, he had little to say about the alleged rape incident at his Morristown, N.J. house, repeating several times that "It's a pending legal matter and I can't really talk about it right now."

At one point during practice, while the offensive and defensive players were resting as the special teams practiced punt coverage, Rhodes was chatting one-on-one with Jets owner Woody Johnson. The conversation lasted a few minutes.

■ Speaking of Johnson, he was on the sidelines along with GM Mike Tannenbaum early on in practice, sporting his trademark look. He was wearing a suit and a Jets baseball cap, and wasn't standing far from a pretty violent collision between S Jim Leonhard and LB David Harris. Leonhard was running down a high-arching directional punt off the foot of Eric Wilbur, who booted the ball down the far sideline. Leonhard was going full speed and looking up while he was motoring toward the sideline. He ran smack into Harris, who was standing on the sideline and wasn't wearing a helmet. Harris walked off the field with a towel held up to his face and didn't return.

"He's fine, he's here," Ryan said. "I just saw him. I did tell him that, 'You're not a handsome guy anyway.' Another scary thing but he's fine. They were able to save all his teeth, so that's good."

The other collision of note came in 7-on-7s, when WR Wallace Wright was clobbered by S Eric Smith as Wright tried to reel in a Mark Sanchez pass. Wright took a pretty good shot from Smith.

■ Kellen Clemens ran off the field just before the end of practice, waiving a while towel and surrendering the starting QB job to Sanchez. Ok, so the last part of that line was a test to see if you were paying attention.

Seriously, though, Clemens sprinted off with about 10 minutes left in practice because his wife Nicole was in labor. She was about to deliver the couple's second child at a nearby hospital. The Clemens' already have a 1-year-old daughter, Kate Elizabeth.

Up until the last no-huddle series Clemens participated in -- a series in which he completed 4-of-6 attempts but was picked off by Rhodes on a pass intended for Jerricho Cotchery -- he was clearly outperforming Sanchez. And that brings us to the rookie QB.

■ Playing mostly with the second team, Sanchez struggled again, misfiring on several attempts and progressing through his reads a bit slow. He was 2-for-6 on his second-to-last series of 11 on 11s (which came just after Clemens' bolted) and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer barked at him right before one play, screaming: "Watch the play clock, Mark."

Sanchez did finish things off on a positive note, going 3-for-3 in a two-minute drill on the final series of practice. He capped his so-so afternoon off with a roughly 15-yard touchdown to TE Jack Simmons.

"It was important," Sanchez said. "That first special categories period, I missed Dustin [Keller} wide open. He ran a great route. I made the right read and then my footwork was off. Those things as a rookie are important. You've got to put all three on the same page, get it right and then make it happen. ... But to finish the way we did, throwing a touchdown at the end, that always makes up for a lot and it helps. It's a good way to head into the weekend. But there's a lot to learn from today, so I'll study that film."

Also in fairness, Ryan said Sanchez threw a beautiful corner route for a TD in Wednesday's practice, which we weren't here to see.

■ As for another QB (and Penn State Joe, this is specifically for you), it's apparent Chris Pizzotti has some work to do. He's a tall guy at 6-foot-5, but he's clearly a project. In the reps I saw from him, his footwork wasn't great and his mechanics seem a bit flawed. He's going to need some coaching, but his size makes him intriguing. He also has to put on a few more pounds.

■ And now, the next installment of the Rex Ryan Comedy Hour.

"The best play today had to be Kellen Clemens' wife," Ryan said. "Like any good football wife, she waited until after practice to go into labor. So we're proud of her."

■ Remember, we're scheduled for our first live chat here at 1 p.m. tomorrow. I'll try my best to answer any burning questions you might have then.

Drew Rosenhaus was right.

After skipping all of the voluntary offseason workouts up until this point, running back Thomas Jones is back with the team, rejoining them for today's OTA session out at Florham Park. Rosenhaus, Jones' agent, indicated last week via Twitter that Jones would be present today and the soon-to-be 31-year-old is currently practicing with his teammates.

Jones, who led the AFC in rushing with 1,312 yards last season, is due a base salary of $900,000. He was skipping the voluntary sessions as a way to voice his displeasure with his contract, which he was hoping to get re-worked. But that's not likely considering he's already earned $13 million during the first two years of his four-year deal and is on the wrong side of 30.

As for Leon Washington, who's facing a situation we detailed in the post below, he didn't show up today. Washington's contract calls for a $535,000 base salary this season and he wants to be paid like some of the league's other playmakers who bring similar skill sets to the table.

There is no media availability today, so we won't be able to report how Jones looked, etc. But there is access out at The Hangar tomorrow and it's the same schedule as we've had the last few weeks. We'll have another detailed practice report plus the usual news and notes, so be on the lookout for that.

(Update, 5:55 p.m.): Huge transaction to tell you guys about. Kidding, kidding.

The Jets just announced they've been awarded TE Martrez Milner off of waivers. Milner, a Georgia product who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 260 pounds, was former Giants' practice squad player and was released by the the other tenants of Giants Stadium last Thursday.

Besides adding Milner, the Jets also waived OL Kyle Link and TE Rob Myers.

Hope everyone had an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend and didn't stuff themselves too much. Besides being the unofficial start to the summer, it also signals training camp is nearly two months away.

It'll be here before you know it.

The Jets have two more OTA sessions scheduled -- one this week and another next week -- before the mandatory June 9-11 mini-camp. The burning question, of course, is will Thomas Jones and Leon Washington be showing up?

Drew Rosenhaus sent out a Tweet last week stating Jones would be there for this week's activities, and the super agent added later in the week in another Tweet how impressed the Jets will be when they see what kind of shape Jones is in. (Silly us. We thought staying in good shape was part of an athlete's job requirement, especially those who play the skill positions in football.)

So we'll probably know more on Jones' status tomorrow, but at this point we can't say the same thing about Washington. The speedy playmaker, who attended Chansi Stuckey's party over the weekend, remains unhappy with his current contract and is looking for another. He's in the final year of his four-year rookie deal and is slated for a base salary of $535,000 in 2009.

Here's where the problem lies: The current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expires after the 2009 season, and while that might not seem like a huge deal to some, it really is. See, if there is no new agreement reached, it creates a very different financial landscape for what would be an uncappped year and leaves 116 other players in the same boat as Washington.

The hangup, really, is the CBA. If the current CBA didn't expire after this season and the same rules applied as they have for the last 16 years, then Washington would be an unrestricted free agent upon the completion of his four-year deal and his value would be higher. As it stands now, if the NFL doesn't have a new CBA and next season is an uncapped year, those who are in Washington's shoes will be restricted free agents.

Let's bring in some numbers to further explain and make things a bit clearer. If Washington is an UFA, he would be looking to command the type of dollars San Diego's Darren Sproles (one-year, $6.621 million) and Jacksonville's Maurice Jones-Drew (four-year, $31 million with $17.5 guaranteed) are receiving.

Washington would probably be in the $5.5 to $7 million per season range. But if there's no new CBA and he turns out to be a RFA, then he would probably be looking at more of the $3 million per season range. That's a potential gap of $4 million and that's why both sides are having trouble seeing eye-to-eye.

The Jets don't think it's a smart decision financially to pay Washington as if he's going to be a UFA when they have no idea what's going to happen with the labor deal. Washington and his camp want to operate as if things are status quo the way they've been over the last 16 years, meaning they want what they think is fair market value for a UFA with his talents.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is why there's a stalemate between both sides.

Delving a little deeper, of those 116 who are in the same financial boat as Washington, only three have signed extensions. That would be Jones-Drew, Vikings CB Cedric Griffin (five years, $25 million with $10 million guaranteed) and 49ers LB Parys Haralson (four years, $15 million with $6.5 mill guaranteed). So as you can see, this is a complicated issue and no NFL general manager wants to be the first to overpay on an extension for one of these players and set a market that might change depending on what happens what the CBA.

Translation: Washington probably won't be getting a new deal any time soon.

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■ In the unlikely case you didn't hear, New Jersey police are investigating an alleged rape probe at the Morristown town house of Jets safety Kerry Rhodes. Although the probe is apparently still ongoing, Morris County's prosecutor has cleared Rhodes' name, saying he's not the target of the investigation.

■ In other AFC East news, the guy with the (pregnant?) supermodel girlfriend who Jets fans love to hate made his return to the field today at the Patriots' OTAs. You couldn't miss his return if you tried. ESPN has had a Brady-a-thon going on all morning/afternoon. But then again, what did you expect? There's nothing else to talk about. It's not like the NBA Playoffs are in full swing or there were a zillion baseball games on Memorial Day to discuss.

Guess more new info on the guy who was the Jets' quarterback last season (we'll keep him nameless; I'm banning his name from this blog) and his next retirement speech supposed unretirement wasn't available.

■ On a programming note, at the moment we're scheduled for our first live chat at 1 p.m. Friday right here.

Well, as expected, today was all about Mark Sanchez.

It was my first opportunity to see the franchise QB in action and it wasn't exactly one of his better days. It was just the third OTA practice for Sanchez and his first in front of the cameras and notepads since his steamy GQ photo shoot became an internet sensation.

Sanchez and Kellen Clemens shared the bulk of the snaps with a little bit of Erik Ainge sprinkled in. Sanchez was pretty erratic, missing his target more often than not. He had a couple of passes picked off, at least one batted down by a lineman, and others that were tipped by a defender. Sanchez was awful in the two-minute drill, completing just 1 of 4 attempts and had a would-be sack. He threw one pass in traffic over the middle that was intended for WR Wallace Wright and fell incomplete. Probably a good thing, too, because even though the OTAs are no-contact and all, if Wright did bring it in ... oh boy.

"You're gonna get somebody killed Sanchez!" LB Bart Scott screamed in fun.

When Sanchez dropped back on one play and never found a receiver, failing to get rid of the ball at all, that prompted someone to shout at the rookie QB: "You can't hold the ball in this league!"

Let's just say the footage from today is definitely something Sanchez won't be putting in his archives. Oh yeah, and he took -- and is still taking -- plenty of abuse from his teammates over his GQ spread. But he said the pictures were taken more than two months ago and admitted he didn't think it would be as big of a deal if he wasn't playing in this huge media market.

As for Clemens, he was better than Sanchez but not overly impressive. He had one nice would-be touchdown pass to Brad Smith for roughly 25 yards during a red zone drill, and did lead the offense to a 37-yard Jay Feely field goal during the two-minute drill, going 3-for-6.

■ No Thomas Jones or Leon Washington present today and nothing new on them at the moment. Ryan said he hasn't been following Drew Rosenhaus' Twitter feed, but heard that Jones might show up next Wednesday as Rosenhaus indicated. Said Ryan: "I hope he does."

■ Speaking of RBs, third-round pick Shonn Greene has a hamstring injury. Ryan doesn't think the injury will be an issue, though.

■ The offense was once again dominated by the defense. The attacking defense just suffocated the offense, crashing through the line for would-be sacks. DBs were blanketing the receivers and came up with more than a few interceptions. During one drill where the defensive backs were going one-on-one with the receivers, David Clowney was going up against CB Ahmad Carroll, and as Carroll was covering him, he shouted "C'mon and get some of this!"

So if you ask me who impressed me most today, I'd say the defensive backs. They were flying all over the field. Ryan was working with them at the outset of practice, lobbing balls during a tip drill. Must've fired them up.

■ Spoke with Bubba Franks in the locker room and he told me he doesn't expect to do too much before training camp. In the meantime, he's getting treatment on his injured knee for about four hours per day.

"My main thing is getting healthy and staying healthy," Franks said. "I think that's really the only problem, is being healthy."

■ Who said emotions don't run high in OTAs? OL Tavita Thompson and LB Jason Trusnik got into a bit of a scrum after a play before quickly being separated. With temps in the 80s, it could've been the warm weather that confused them, making them believe it was training camp.

■ Jamaal Westerman, the undrafted rookie DE from Rutgers, is learning the inside linebacker position. If you want to know how the Jets feel about the 6-foot-3, 265-pounder, Ryan said that should pretty much answer that question.

■ S Kerry Rhodes didn't attend today's session because of a personal issue.

■ And now ladies and gentlemen, the latest installment of the Rex Ryan Comedy Hour.

Jane McManus, a great friend of mine and former co-worker at The Journal News, was putting her tape recorder atop the podium seconds before the Ryan was about to start his press conference. Jane loves her roller derby as some of you may know.

So figuring it was the prime time to strike, Ryan offered up: "So should we start with any roller derby questions?"

Laughter ensues and Jane shoots back: "Just wait until I get you on skates, Rex."

"Oh," Ryan said, "that could be trouble."

We're live out here at The Hangar for today's OTA session.

This will be our first chance to see Mark Sanchez, Shonn Greene, Matt Slauson not to mention all the undrafted free agents work with the veterans. Should be fun to see the interaction and how the early QB competition is shaping up now that the Jets' new franchise QB is here.

Same schedule as last week for the most part with one more addition: we'll get to speak with assistant special teams coach Ben Kotwica after we're done with Rex Ryan.

Of course, we'll be back with a practice report and plenty of nuggets on everything revolving around the team. So check back later this afternoon.

10:55 a.m. -- Practice open to media
12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. -- Players available in locker room
1:45 p.m. to 2:05 p.m. -- Rex Ryan press conference
3 p.m. -- Ben Kotwica available

Apologize for not posting this right away.

When I got the news, I was on the Major Deegan crawling up to the George Washington Bridge heading over to the NBA Studios in Secaucus, N.J. with the King Fixer for coverage of tonight's NBA Draft Lottery. For those of you Jets fans who are also a part of Fixer Nation, there will be a live draft blog over in Fixerland where you can discuss the lottery's results.

Anyway, the Jets announced the signing of offensive lineman Matt Slauson. Terms of the deal with their sixth-round draft pick out of Nebraska were not immediately available. Selected with the 193rd pick of April's draft and listed at 6-foot-5, 340 pounds, Slauson was a second-team All-Big 12 selection at right guard as a senior.

With the signing of Slauson, the Jets made a roster move, releasing CB Tyron Brackenridge.

But the signing of Slauson takes a bit of a back seat to the stir super agent Drew Rosenhaus created a little over an hour ago. He sent out a Tweet on his Twitter page stating disgruntled RB "Thomas Jones will attend the Jets OTA next Wednesday."

Jones, of course, had been staying away from the voluntary workouts because he's unhappy with his contract. So it should be interesting to see what happens when he reports next week.

Rosenhaus' revelation comes of the heels of the Alvin Keels' sitdown meeting with the Jets on Monday. Keels is looking to get playmaker Leon Washington a new contract and the face-to-face talks could mean there's some progress in negotiations.

So as inconceivable as it might've seemed just last week, there's a possibility the Jets could have both Jones and Washington back in the mix before the mandatory June 9-11 mini-camp.

Erik Ainge took a few steps back in the pocket, unaware initially that Dwight Lowery was flying in on a corner back blitz from the left side of the defense.

Lowery timed the blitz perfectly and by the time Ainge spotted him motoring unblocked, it was way too late. If it were a real game, Ainge would've been peeling himself off the field turf slowly as if he was a Fruit Roll-up.

This play, which occurred during the waning minutes of last Thursday's OTA practice, provided the perfect backdrop for new Jets linebacker Bart Scott to dip into his bag o' comedy. Scott, keeping practice light in only a way that he can, was standing on the sidelines with a few teammates and immediately crumpled to the ground.

He turned on his back and began reciting lines from the fight scene between Craig and Deebo in the movie "Friday," which starred Ice Cube and Chris Tucker.

"Get up Craig! Get up Craig!" Scott shouted to no one in particular as he still lay on his back, rapidly moving his arms and legs like a director had yelled "Action!"

Then Scott, proving he can be a showstopper all by his lonesome, fast-forwarded a few lines. He skipped to the scene after Craig had already beat Deebo to a pulp, offering up the respective lines of Craig's sister Dana (who's played by the lovely Regina King) and father Willie (comedian John Witherspoon).

"He think he's a Mack," Scott said, repeating Dana's line before going into Willie's.

"Yeah, macaroni."

I couldn't help but bust out laughing because I knew exactly what scene Scott was re-enacting. Simply put: the guy is a load of laughs and likes to have fun. Expect much more of that from the chatty LB. That's just his personality. It's how he was during his tenure with the Ravens (sorry he's in Baltimore garb in the picture; we don't have one of him in a Jets' uni yet).

When we were in the Jets' spacious locker after practice and once he was done holding court (he talked to a flock of writers about subjects ranging from the Jets' defense to Fat Burger), I asked Scott about his amateur acting job and keeping things light.

"Football is a game, man, and sometimes we make it too serious," Scott said. "I don't want a coach to tell me I can't talk out on the football field, I can't have fun and play. It's a game. My fondest memories of football are playing out on the grass, Turkey Bowls and stuff like that. Now you want me to come here and make it a job? If it's a job, then it's work. This isn't work, what I was doing today. That was fun. I was going out and playing with my friends."

That led to Bob Glauber's follow up statement about him not fitting in with Eric Mangini, to which Scott answered rather quickly.

I asked Rex Ryan how important it is for a guy like Scott to be joking around at practice, keeping the rest of the team loose.

"I think it's great," he said. "You have to let everyone express themselves as long as it is not detrimental to the football team. They are having a good time out there. D-Wood (Damien Woody) told me, he goes, 'Man I never heard a guy get on somebody so much. No cuss words, no nothing. He's just getting on people.' But he goes, 'It's a good thing.' I'm like, 'Yeah, no kidding.' It is because he's trying to pick up everybody’s game. If he can get the offense riled up and ready to go, we are going to get everything that the offense has. They are going to compete and that's all he's looking for, everybody to compete. Whether he's getting on the punter or whatever.

"It is not just him; trust me," Ryan continued. "The offense is giving it right back. Some of our coaches will give it right back to each other. It is a fun thing, but it's a competitive thing. As soon as somebody starts chirping, you want to prove him wrong and Bart knows that better than anybody. But it livens up practice. It's hard to go out there and have a bad practice when guys are flying around having a good time with each other."

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■ The Jets resume OTA action today and you guys will be happy to know that Mark Sanchez and all of the Jets' recently drafted rookies are present and accounted for. They're all out there at the Hangar and are participating in today's activities.

I'll get my first look at them Thursday, which is the next scheduled media availability. Randy Lange had an item on it and I just had it confirmed. Sanchez posted a little something on his Twitter page about heading to the East Coast Sunday after finishing up his long weekend. But as you can see here, reader beware when it comes to these Twitter accounts. You might get duped because of all the fakes out there.

■ Speaking of showing up for the OTAs, another AFC East squad is conducting theirs this week as well and you'll be surprised who's decided to attend the voluntary workouts. Then again, he has a reality show coming up and this gives him some material. Yawn.

■ (Update, 1:55 p.m.): According to ProFootballTalk, Leon Washington's agent Alvin Keels is going to have a sitdown meeting with the Jets with hopes of reaching a new agreement. He posted a Tweet about an hour ago stating he's visiting two cities in one day. Stay tuned.

There's a small silver lining that accompanies the saga revolving around Leon Washington and Thomas Jones, the Jets' two running backs who are skipping the voluntary off-season training program activities because of their unhappiness with their respective contracts.

It's giving the Jets the opportunity to get a good close look at Danny Woodhead, the guy who spent most of the time lined up in the backfield at running back during the Jets' OTA practice out at the Hangar yesterday.

"Anytime you can get that experience, it's vital to you," said Woodhead, who's battled back from a serious left knee injury suffered during training camp last season. "Right now, I'm just trying to go with what I've got and you just work as hard as possible to get the system down to where I can just play fast all the time."

But with the expected return of Washington and Thomas sometime in the coming weeks, and once third-round pick Shonn Greene is signed and in camp, Woodhead will most likely be on the outside looking in. That's where a veteran like fullback Tony Richardson comes into the picture.

He's been in Woodhead's ear, telling him not to worry about the obvious numbers game.

"That's the biggest advice I gave him," Richardson told me. "Sometimes young guys get caught up in, 'You've got Thomas Jones, you've got Leon Washington, you just drafted Shonn Greene.' You have no control over that. What you have control over is the opportunities you have in the reps that you get. And I said this is a blessing in disguise because you never know how things work out. So if you continue to keep busting your butt and making plays like he's been doing, just let the chips fall where they may."

And if they don't fall with the Jets, then it's sort of an open audition for Woodhead. Play well and someone will find a spot for him somewhere.

"One thing about this business, you've got be realistic that you aren't interviewing for one team, you are interviewing for 32 teams," Richardson said. "So when you look at that mindset, it really helps him a lot."

Initially signed by the Jets as a free agent last May, Woodhead was a beast at Division II Chadron State and won two straight Harlon Hill Trophies, which honors the best player in D-II. He ran for an NCAA-best 7,962 yards and is second all-time in all-purpose yards with 9,749.

He also rushed for 2,756 yards during the 2006 campaign, which is an NCAA record. Not bad for someone who's generously-listed at 5-foot-9, 200 pounds.

"No. 1, he is tough," coach Rex Ryan said. "They bounce him around and he pops right back up. He gives as well as he takes. The other thing I noticed is he can really catch the football."

"The other day out here at practice," Ryan added, "he actually beat Calvin (Pace) to the boundary and turned it up on him. ‘I was like wow. I never thought I would see that.’ The young man has some ability."

He's getting to showcase it now and he's looking to make the most of his chance to shine.

"This is what everyone wants," Woodhead said. "They want to get as many reps as possible and I'm cherishing this."

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Now, onto a few quick things I wanted to leave you guys with.

■ One thing I forgot to mention in yesterday's OTA report was the status of the recently re-signed TE Bubba Franks. He didn't practice because of a knee injury, although Ryan wasn't too worried.

"We don't think it's serious," Ryan said. "Obviously, we wouldn't have signed him if that was the case. But we think Bubba will be fine when we go to training camp."

■ Hutch has the particulars from Alvin Keels' chat on Sirius last night. Keels, who's Leon Washington's agent, basically is saying the current Collective Bargaining Agreement is partially to blame for his client's situation.

■ Bob Glauber has a nugget on Brian Baldinger's take on the Jets' new coach. Everyone seems to love the guy and it's easy to see why.

■ My man E-Bo is making his debut as our Yankees' beat writer today and even threw up his first post. Actually, I'm a little jealous. See how easy his last name fits with just about anything catchy? E-Boland and the Bombers. Perfect. Guess ours isn't too bad, either. Even the Daily News' Rich Cimini likes it. (Thanks Rich!). Anyway, go ahead and profess your affection to E-Bo over there even if you aren't a Yankees fan.

■ With that, time for the next installment of the Rex Ryan Comedy Hour:

Ryan was asked yesterday why is DE Marques Douglas so productive.

"I always say, 'Don't judge him by his appearance. He is not a real good looking kid.'"

So Rex, do you think Douglas is frustrated by flying under the radar?

"I'm sure it is frustrating for him. It has been good for me, but it has been frustrating for him. I am kind of glad he looks like he looks."

Winding things down here in lovely Florham Park. There was an NFL Films crew here testing out a new camera. They shot practice trying to get a handle on their new technology. Apparently, the camera they were using shoots 1,000 frames per second in HD and uses a 1080p format.

For those who are not HD freaks like me, that means it's being filmed in the best clarity that's on the market. Blueray disks utilize a 1080p format and the picture is stunning. So I can't wait to see how things turn out with NFL Films' new toy once they start using it for real.

Ok, onto some football. Here's what we've got.

--* Most of you want to know about Leon Washington and Thomas Jones. I banged out a story that's up on our Web site detailing what Rex Ryan had to say about what's happening with the Jets' two disgruntled running backs. The gist of what Ryan said is he expects them both to be present when the mandatory mini-camp is held June 9-11. Also, he's confident both will be with the team when the season opens.

"I think when we go to play our first game in Houston," Ryan said, "I believe both of them are going to be with us and ready to go. I definitely feel confident of that."

--* Neither Kellen Clemens nor Erik Ainge were particularly sharp. Clemens had a few good throws, but he also was a bit erratic at other moments. Ainge seemed to struggle with his reads at the end of the 11-on-11s as the defense dialed up the intensity and started mixing up its coverages. Dwight Lowery sped through on a corner back blitz from the left side on one play that would've left Ainge plastered on the turf if it were a real game situation. Ainge threw a lofty pass off his back foot down the right side that was up for grabs more than anything. Luckily for him, it fell incomplete.

-- * K Jay Feely was banging field goals right down the middle. He was mostly kicking in between the 30- and 38-yard lines and every one I saw was true. Granted, they came in the climate-controlled indoor practice facility so take that for what it's worth.

-- * P Eric Wilbur boomed his share. Punting from about the 20-yard line, he let loose on high-arching kicks of 45, 57, 60, and 50 yards. He did 'shank' one that went just 42 yards. Kid has a pretty good leg (or so it seems).

-- * Ryan was lobbing passes to the defensive lineman during a tip drill at the beginning of practice. As a defensive-minded coach, he's already preparing the troops to improve on the giveaway-takeaway ratio.

--* Which players caught my eyes? I would say definitely RB Danny Woodhead (we'll have more on him later just for you Mr. Green T). He is showing an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and the generously-listed 5-foot-9, 200-pounder has low center of gravity. Ryan had high praise for the second-year man from Chadron State.

The other was CB Donald Strickland. He picked off Clemens once and nearly reeled in another a few plays later. Obviously, this was my first time watching him in action and he appears to have a knack for reading routes as well as making a play on the ball. We're exercising caution because this was only an OTA and no one was in pads, etc. But he looked pretty good.

-- * And we'll end our first OTA blog post with a few great one-liners from Ryan. We'll make this a constant feature because the man provides plenty of material.

On sitting in on Bill Callahan's offensive line meeting and hearing the verbiage being thrown around: "I’m like, 'What am I in French class or something?'"

Then there was Ryan's choice of Jets' garb he wore today. He had a green hoodie and most of the front part of it was white, leading to my man J.P. from The Record to say "It looks like an apron."

Picking which item to wear isn't hard for Ryan, who said: "Here’s what I normally go in and say, 'All right, which one has the four Xs on it? I’ll go ahead and wear that bad boy."

Wait, he had more.

"That’s like you go to these stores and it’s like, 'Uh excuse me, where's the men's section?' They're like, 'What are you talking about?' I'm like, 'There’s no four Xs here.' So it’s brutal. Short Hills Mall, I love you, but c’mon. Step up a little bit would you please?"

Also, our columnist Bob Glauber caught up with Lito Sheppard and wrote a little something on him.

We're going to retire "The Fort." That's an E-Bo trademark and we're not going to infringe upon his copyright territory. So we'll affectionately call the Jets' sparkling Atlantic Health Training Center "The Hangar" because it looks like someone dropped a place to stash airplanes in the middle of nowhere here in Central New Jersey.

Ok, so below is the schedule we have for today. We'll be heading to the indoor practice field in a few minutes and I'll return soon after that to give you a sense of what went on today. So come on back.

10:55 a.m. -- Practice open to media
12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. -- Players available in locker room
1:45 p.m. to 2:05 p.m. -- Rex Ryan press conference

Those are the words of Alvin Keels, Leon Washington's agent.

Keels posted a Tweet on his Twitter page regarding the contract negotiations with the dynamic kick returner/running back.

My gut reaction is the Jets and Washington will come to some sort of agreement that benefits both sides. Washington is a valuable part of the team and his ability to score every time he touches the ball is a skill that not many can say they have.

As for the Jets' other unhappy running back, he's apparently in good shape and is poised for a breakout season. Well, at least that's what super agent Drew Rosenhaus says on his Twitter page.

We'll have a more of an update I'm sure tomorrow when I head out to Florham Park for the OTA media availability. I'll post the entire schedule in the morning, so check back for that.

Actually, maybe I'll just Twitter the schedule. On second thought, I'm still not too keen on the whole Twitter thing just yet, but looks like I will have to join eventually. If nothing else, I can Twitter my life away.

As that fella married to Beyonce named Jay-Z once said, "Allow me to re-introduce myself."

Those who follow this blog religiously might remember me from posts such as this one. If you an avid reader of other Newsday blogs, you might have seen me here, or possibly here, maybe here or even here. So as you can see, I've been all over the place for the better part of the last year.

But that all changes now. It's nothing but J-E-T-S! Jets! Jets! Jets!

I'm looking forward to it and I hope you all are as well. I know some of you are pained by the departure of my man E-Bo. He built a solid following as I already knew, but was quickly reminded of once I returned from vacation the other day and saw you guys showered him with 150-plus comments on his goodbye thread. As I joked to E-Bo, maybe I should've just gotten back on the darn plane. You guys didn't even know who was going to replace Erik and already the poor sap replacing him was being skewered.

I understand the passion of Jets fans, though. See, my introduction to the world of professional athletics began with the Jets at an age when I had no idea what professional football was.

As a native Long Islander who grew up in Uniondale and lived in the shadows of Hofstra, my cousin, who's also like a niece to me, used to take my older brother and I over to the Jets' practices nearly three times a week during the mid 70s. She was in pretty good with some of the players, like Bob Boyd and Rich Caster.

After practice, we'd be lucky enough to play on the field with some of those guys, tossing the football around and all. Of course, I can't really remember much about it.

"They used to bench press you guys like you were weights, especially Spider Man (Boyd)," my cuz recalled the other day when I told her about the irony of me covering a team that holds a special place in her heart. "He was a happy go lucky guy. He’d put you up over his head -- up and down, up and down like he was lifting weights. And ya’ll weren't scared either."

So that was my introduction to the Jets and I have several friends and family members who love them some Gang Green. Believe me, one of my close childhood friends is a big Jets fan and so is an older cousin of mine. In fact, we were down in the sticks of North Carolina celebrating my great aunt's 90th birthday on draft day a few weeks ago. I was watching the draft on my laptop and when we saw the Jets trade to the fifth slot after Seattle passed on Mark Sanchez.

If you could see the look on his face, that pretty much summed up what the rest of you Jets fans were feeling at that moment. So believe me, I'm in tune with the pulse of you guys for the most part. It will take me awhile to get up to complete speed, so bear with me.

E-Bo did a lot to build up a large following and I'm going to bust my you-know-what to make sure that we keep it going and make sure this blog remains as the best there is to offer. I'm also truly happy to be a part of Newsday's great football team, which includes Tom Rock and Bob Glauber and look forward to working more closely with them.

So with that, let's get on with it. Time to do this.

Sorry, me again, one more time.

Thought you'd be interested to know that Jason Taylor is coming back to the AFC East again .... with the Dolphins ... a year after being traded to the Redskins.

Not a bad deal for the Tuna. Tell your veteran pass rusher to take a hike if he'd rather compete on "Dancing With The Stars" than particpate in the off-season program, get a second-round pick for your troubles, and then bring the guy back a year later.

Very worthwhile transaction for the Dolphins, who will need all the help they can get trying to defend their AFC East title.

UPDATE: IRA reminded us of Taylor's disdain for Jets' fans. AOL Fanhouse's Michael David Smith captures that sentiment with the headline from this item: "Jason Taylor sees the Jets as slightly preferable to suicide."

(AP Photo)

Roderick Boone officially takes over on the Jets' beat today, and he'll be posting an introductory message shortly.

I will now get the hell out of the way, but not before thanking all of you for your patience - and patronage - in the brief time between beat writers.

It was a guilty pleasure posting on a blog that has so many terrific readers and commenters. Again, thanks for bearing with us, and best of luck to Rod, who will handle his new assignment like the true professional he is.

Please keep in touch. I'm only a click away, and I'll continue weighing in on the Jets in my own corner of the blogosphere.

Ciao!

(btw, no hidden meaning about the picture of the handoff here. It's the only shot I could find of a handoff. That it's a former Jet handing off to a potentially former Jet - probably not, though - is pure coincidence. Carry on.)

(AP photo)

Leon Washington's agent has a Twitter page, and he has been communicating some of his thoughts about the Jets running back's boycott of this week's voluntary Organized Team Activities (OTAs).

A few examples of his comments reveal how things are going - and also reveal how Twitter will ultimately be the ruination of us all:

" want to get my client Leon Washington back into the off-season program. Its a business however and that's what we will need 2 address."

"Good morning to all. I have a lot of work on my plate today. I'm hoping to have a productive conversation with the Jets today."

"I need a massage!"

"I think the Jets are a little pissed at me right now! Oh well...its part of the business."
"Not much poppin today other than the Jets talking sideways in negotiations."

I need a massage??? Oy. (That's me, not him.)

The Browns have a Hall of Fame luncheon every year at this time, and the head coach ordinarily makes an appearance.

But new head coach Eric Mangini was a no-show at yesterday's affair, drawing the ire of a fan who led off a question-and-answer session with team president Mike Keenan about why Mangini was a no-show.

Keenan explained that Mangini was busy, but that the coach hoped to make an appearance at next year's event.

Whoop-de-do.

Here's some more stuff from Keenan on Mangini:

“It doesn’t mean that is the only way you can have success and that has been evident the last few years,” Keenan said of the fact Mangini had head coaching experience. “But if you look back the last 10 or 15 years, (previous NFL head coaching experience) is a really important thing. Since the Browns have been here in 1999 we’ve gone the other routes and it really hasn’t worked that well.”

Keenan recalled that Mangini had been dismissed by the Jets on a Monday and had his initial interview with Browns owner Randy Lerner two days later. A more extensive interview was held that Friday and Mangini’s preparation impressed the Browns.

“He had looked at all 16 games and had broken down game tape and was prepared to talk to Randy Lerner and myself about exactly what he saw on this team and the strengths and weaknesses and the items he needed to change,” Keenan said.

No surprise there; Washington has expressed his desire for a new deal for much of the off-season.

But he may be ratcheting up the intensity - as much as that's possible in early May - by not showing up for Day 1 of the team's OTAs (official team activity). Hutch reports Washington decided to skip the workouts as a show of his discontent over negotiations.

Washington has so far been a participant at all the voluntary training sessions, and has generally sounded an upbeat tone over his expectations of a new deal. Last week, he indicated that there had been no change in negotiations. That's to be expected, since talks generally do not heat up this early.

In other words, no need to hit the panic button just yet, even though backfield mate Thomas Jones is also in the midst of a contract dispute.

Washington switched agents in the off-season, going with Alvin Keels instead of his original agent, Alan Herman. It's my understanding that Herman would have advised Washington to remain away from the team for the duration of the voluntary activities, a clear departure from what Washington actually did.

He made a point of showing up for all the voluntary sessions, and only now has indicated a willingness to boycott in a show of defiance.

It's an interesting strategy, and we'll see if it reaps dividends in the end.

UPDATE: Interesting item from Mike Florio of Profootballtalk.com, who quotes Thomas Jones agent Drew Rosenhaus wondering whether the media will treat Washington's absence from yesterday's OTA opener the same as Jones. Hmmmm.

Please join me in congratulating Roderick Boone on getting the gig as Newsday's Jets beat writer.

Rod has covered many sports at Newsday and, before that, at the Journal News in Westchester, and he will no doubt do a fine job in covering the Jets. Rod knows and loves football, having worked many Jets and Giants games along the way, and is anxious to get going on his new assignment.

He also knows that Erik Boland enjoyed a very loyal following, and he'll do his part to make sure that readers get the latest news and insight into all things Jets. EBola himself is a big fan of Rod, and I'm sure he'll give his endorsement.

Rod will be spending tomorrow covering the Mets and will dive into the Jets' action with his first blog post on Wednesday.

Welcome aboard, sir.

... but at least thejetsblog.com proprietor can get/give his latest fix on all things Jets.

Check out Bassett's one-liner on his post about the re-naming of Pro Player Stadium to Landshark Stadium, and you'll know why he's a fave of the football blogosphere.

... but I won't post it here, because it is abundantly clear that Boland's legion of readers couldn't give a Craphonso Thorpe about their former quarterback.

So, if you want to read up on he-who-shall-not-be-named, click here.

TJ was noticeable by his absence today for the start of OTA's (no surprise there, he hasn't shown up to a single voluntary activity, because he's still steamed about wanting a new contract). He isn't fined for missing anything, although the Jets are within their rights to fine him if he misses next month's mandatory mini-camp.

I continue to believe that the Jets will find some middle ground with Jones, and that he'll be with the team this season. Yes, there will continue to be speculation about a possible trade (Jones-for-Braylon Edwards continues to have legs on the rumor mill). But I still maintain that somehow, some way, the Jets will get a deal done.

We'll see.

Jets veterans have gathered at The Fort for the first of a series of OTA's (official team activities), which is about as close to full-scale practice as there can be this time of year.

The media will only get to see one session per week - all on Thursdays. The availability dates as as follows:

May 14
May 21
May 28
June 4

The daily itinerary for each date:

10:55 AM Practice open to media
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM (approx.) Players available in locker room
1:45 PM – 2:05 PM Press Conference – Coach Rex Ryan.

More scheduling details:

Dates of the OTAs: May 11, 12, 14, 18, 19, 21, 27, 28. June 1, 3, 4

Mandatory Mini-Camp - June 9-11

Meanwhile, Hutch reports that the Jets have re-signed tight end Bubba Franks, whose biggest contribution last year was translating the Jets' offense for quarterback Brett Favre (cue the sarcasm). No telling whether Franks, who has failed to adequately fend off a reputation for dropped passes in recent years, will make the final roster.

But the Jets were looking for a tight end in the draft, and there was some talk that they had interest in Brandon Pettigrew. As it turned out, they had interest mostly in Mark Sanchez. They also had targeted Florida WR Percy Harvin, and attempted to trade back into the first round to get him. Harvin wound up going to Minnesota.

Click here to find out.

Discuss if you like.

La Monica here, and no, I'm not the new Jets beat reporter. Not even close!

I'm just one of the Web fellas over here, and while we all lament the loss of E-Bola to the Yankees beat (seriously, all the comments were awesome to read), we can console ourselves with a little video from the final round of auditions for the Jets Flight Crew.

Sure, hot-bodied girls in tight, skimpy clothing can't completely make us forget Boland and his Cosby sweaters, but it can help us clear our minds for three minutes. Plus, there's a hilarious Kerry Rhodes quote in the video.

NFL columnist Bob Glauber is at Jets today and will have updates on what's going on. Click here to read Glauber's updates.

This past weekend’s rookie minicamp marked the end of my tenure on the Jets beat for Newsday.

Long-time followers of the blog know I’m usually longer winded than that but there’s no sense in burying the lede.

Starting May 15, I will be switching to baseball and taking over the Yankees beat as our fine beat writer Kat O’Brien is leaving the paper to pursue her next career at the prestigious Wharton Business School. This was something that came about only in the last two weeks and didn’t become official until the end of last week.

It goes without saying the move is bittersweet.

Covering the Yankees presents an incredible opportunity, not to mention huge challenges, but the last year on the Jets beat was rewarding beyond words. It was a chance to meet a cross-section of people and, let’s face it, get paid to do something that rarely felt like work.

Life is good and continues to be.

I enjoyed working with and learning from members of the daily Jets media I held in high regard before coming to the beat and hold in even higher regard as I leave it:
Dave Hutchinson (Star Ledger), Rich Cimini (Daily News), J.P. Pelzman (the Record), Jane McManus (Journal News), Dennis Waszak (Associated Press), the recently married Greg Bishop (NY Times), Dan Leberfeld (Jets Confidential), Randy Lange and Eric Allen of newyorkjets.com, and Brian Costello (NY Post). Special mention and continued get-well wishes to the Post’s Mark Cannizzaro. There’s also Larry Hardesty (ESPN Radio) and Jerry Recco (WFAN) who both put up with my humorous-only-to-me barbs in this blog without repercussion. Honorable mention to the Times’ NFL columnist, (the Great) Judy Battista.

I appreciate the efforts of the Jets PR staff – led by Bruce Speight, along with David Tratner, Jared Winley and Meghan Gilmore – a group that unnecessarily presented me with a cake – a really, really good one, btw – at the Fort last weekend. And a cap-tip to last year’s Jets intern class – Christie Upton, Jeanette Owusu, and Matt Hintz, who one day will be evaluating personnel in this league.

Most of all I thank the readers and commenters here who made this blog so much fun to update daily (or at least semi-daily) over the last year, allowing me to take the subject matter seriously but never myself. As I said many times, whatever success this blog had was the result of those contributing to it. You entertained me far more than I entertained you.

I’m not sure who will be taking my spot here – one of the people I respect most in the business, Bob Glauber, will be filling in in the short term – but whomever you end up with, you’ll be in good hands. Newsday has plenty of talented people.

For those of you who are Yankees fans, feel free to join me over on that blog when I take over May 15 (though I encourage you to visit there before then), and even those are of you who aren’t Yankees fans, stop by and say hello anyway. And if you absolutely have some pressing Jets question that needs answering in the coming days, I still might be lurking somewhere nearby in the comments section.

And with that, feel free to talk some Brett Favre. Seems he’s considering his options...

I’ll give some cursory stuff on Mark Sanchez from the afternoon, then follow with the transcripts of today’s Rex Ryan and Brian Schottenheimer. Schottenheimer was particularly interesting in talking about certain aspects of Sanchez’s games, including his grasping of the playbook, what the Jets have seen here they didn’t during March’s private workout and Sanchez’s footwork.

This afternoon Sanchez was better than he was in the morning, going 12-for-15 for about 160 yards. One of his better throws came on an out to the left sideline that J’Nathan Bullock, the former Cleveland State basketball player who is trying to make the team as a tight end, made a nice grab of. The 6-5, 240-pound Bullock struggled at times yesterday, but saw a lot of balls today and I don’t recall any drops.

“He is a little more natural than most basketball players,” Ryan said of Bullock, a former tight end and receiver in high school.

Sanchez did nearly get picked off once, badly underthrowing a deep pass over the middle for Huey Whittaker that CB Manny Collins got his hands on. Earlier Whittaker hauled in a 20-yarder over the middle on a cross.

Sanchez in the 11-on-11s, as was the case in the morning, did more handing off than anything, with Shonn Greene getting most of the carries, followed by Jehuu Caulcrick. Sanchez went 2-for-4, completing a screen pass to Greene for a short pickup and hitting Paul Raymond on the sideline for a gain of about 12.

Not that we’re likely to see him again – though one never knows – Arkansas quarterback Casey Dick threw a deep strike to Bullock that would have amounted to about a 60-yard TD and also connected long with Britt Davis, who got behind safety Keith Fitzhugh, down the right sideline.

Anyway, click below the break for the transcripts of Schottenheimer and Ryan. We’re hopefully going to try and do a Live Chat either Tuesday or Wednesday to review minicamp.

Continue reading "Of quarterbacks, tight ends and a couple of transcripts" »

Rex Ryan was asked what he likes best about third-round pick Shonn Greene and began with a compliment.

“I love the way guys bounce off of him,” said Ryan, who then pulled a picture from his pocket depicting the rookie running back flattening Blake Hoerr, the Jets director of grounds who was holding a padded bag during yesterday’s indoor practice.

Ryan, after explaining the picture and more on the bounce effect, added: “Unfortunately, some of the passes bounce off him.”

Greene, who has looked very good over the first two days running, struggled holding onto some passes. In fact, Ryan said he overheard Sanchez apologize to Greene after one drop yesterday for not putting the ball on the correct shoulder.

According to Ryan, Greene’s response was, “I just don’t catch very well.”

Ryan laughed while telling the story but said, “Those are things we can work on,” and noted that Greene stayed a bit after practice with running backs coach Anthony Lynn.

As for Sanchez, the rookie wasn’t quite as “on” as he was yesterday, though there weren’t any major problems.

Most of his passing came in one-on-one (receiver on cornerback) drills and in the 7-on-7s. In the 11-on-11s toward the end of practice, Sanchez attempted just three passes, completing one to Paul Raymond on a short out to the sideline for about 12 yards. Cornerback Manny Collins (a tryout player from Rutgers) tried to jump the route and just missed on his diving attempt at a pick, the ball instead nestling into Raymond’s midsection.

In the 7-on-7s, Sanchez, seen to the right talking to Woody Johnson after practice, went 9-for-14 for let’s call it 168 yards. The reason I say Sanchez wasn’t quite as sharp is because defenders had more pass defenses than yesterday. CB Marquice Cole, who intercepted Sanchez yesterday after a deflection, had two PDs this morning in the 7-on-7s and Brandon Renkart had one on Sanchez’s first attempt of the 11-on-11s. As was the case yesterday, there were a couple of drops, with Paul Raymond and TE J’Nathan Bullock, the former Cleveland State basketball player, have one apiece.

TE Robert Myers (Utah State) got a lot of work with Sanchez. He ran a great route down the middle of the field in the 7-on-7s for a gain of about 30. I mentioned Bullock’s drop above but he made a nice catch on the sideline on an out for about 15 yards later in the practice. Other primary receivers so far in camp have been Huey Whittaker, Britt Davis and Marcus Henry, who didn’t have quite as good a day as he did Friday.

* We didn’t see much of tryout placekicker Gary Cismesia (Florida State) yesterday but we did today. He kicked in some early kickoff coverage drills, usually putting the ball around the 5-yard line, sometimes inside). At the end of practice he kicked field goals of 20, 25, 30, 35 and 48 yards. He missed from 43 (wide right) and 53 yards (twice). His first attempt from 53 yards looked like Phil Mickelson’s drive on 18 Sunday at Winged Foot in 2006. His second one was a markedly better kick, simply coming up short.

* Three players were not invited back for the second day, one of them someone I targeted here as having a good first day. The players were LB George Covington, OL Stephen Valenta and Hofstra WR Ottis Lewis, whom I doomed with praise. This is what’s known around here as getting Kapinos’d.

* Ryan once again talked up Rutgers’ Jamaal Westerman and Minnesota TE Jack Simmons.

* Speaking of tight ends, Ryan didn’t rule out signing a veteran, which is something he seemed to do after the draft.

“Certainly we’ll keep our options open if we think a veteran’s out there that can help our football team,” Ryan said today.

* Ryan had several good lines during his press conference, including when he referred to Harvard quarterback Chris Pizzotti as a “curve-buster.”

“I told him not to overthink things,” Ryan said of a moment during practice when Pizzotti was a bit slow at the line. “I was waiting for that opportunity.”

Afternoon practice will likely be shorter than yesterday’s afternoon session. Ryan, a big horse racing guy, was asked if it will be done by post time in Louisville and his response was succinct.

“Well, I’m certainly hoping so.”

Shorter practice in the afternoon, so not as much in the team drills.

But…

We finally got to see the punter posse out there at the start of practice and the first thing to know is Eric Wilbur, who looked too much like Ben Graham in the recent voluntary minicamp, was significantly better. But I’d have to give a slight advantage on the afternoon to T.J. Conley, the UFA who led the nation in punting last year.

Both had one wicked shank apiece, off the side of their respective right foots. But neither – thankfully – repeated the effort and, after they each boomed 6-8 kicks, we didn’t see much from them the rest of practice. I’d rank both in the “solid” to “pretty good” category for the day, though with the qualifier that the afternoon practice, as was the case in the morning, was indoors.

Mark Sanchez, meanwhile, wasn’t quite as good in the afternoon as he was in the morning, though he wasn’t bad.

He started by completing four of his first five passes in the 7-on-7s before skidding somewhat and finishing 8-for-16 for 118 yards. Rex Ryan lamented the defense getting its hands on five passes – not all of them Sanchez’s – in the morning but not recording on interception. The defense changed that in the afternoon and the victim was Sanchez.

It happened when Sanchez hung a ball on a deep pass down the middle for Paul Raymond. Though the ball traveled a good 50 yards in the air, it was slightly underthrown, allowing CB Marquice Cole (Northwestern) to tip the ball and make the interception on the deflection.

* Incidentally, if you’re wondering: yes, Cole is on the roster. For these rookie minicamps some second-year players can participate, the reason you read earlier about Marcus Henry and Paul Raymond catching passes (they caught quite a few in the afternoon as well). Some of the other roster players out there today: Huey Whittaker, Jehuu Caulcrick, Brandon Renkart, Kenwin Cummings, Stanley Daniels, Brian Schaefering, Mike Kracalik and Ropati Pitoitua.

Speaking of Henry and Raymond, Sanchez’s best 7-on-7 passes were passes to each of them on deep passes down the middle. Henry’s covered 25 yards and Raymond’s went for 27. Sanchez also threw a nice sideline pass to Whittaker for 18 yards. As he did in the morning, Sanchez threw the intermediate sideline routes pretty well.

Not much in the way of the 11-on-11s as Sanchez was 3-for-4 for 41 yards, the best throw a 16-yarder to Henry on the sideline that barely eluded the coverage of CB Sean Smalls.

* A few of the defensive guys who flew – and moved – around a bit out there: DL Matt Kroul, NT Josh Hunt, DE Zach Potter and DE Jamaal Westerman, whom Ryan mentioned after the morning practice.

* Third-round pick Shonn Greene dropped a screen pass with no one near him and spent several moments staring at the ground, obviously PO'd at himself. And RB Allen Patrick, a tryout player from Oklahoma, looked quite good running the ball in the afternoon. Has what seems like a great initial burst.

* Sanchez, during a water break, not only said “thank you” when the waterboy came out to him, but he also started chatting the kid up for nearly a minute, smiling as he did so. Always good to see that because, well, why not. Nothing wrong with being a nice guy.

The minicamp continues Saturday morning.

First, to the important stuff.

No punting this morning.

Presumably, punters Eric Wilbur and T.J. Conley will get their game on this afternoon.

Now, to Mark Sanchez.

In the 7-on-7s, Sanchez went 10-for-16 for (approximately) 125 yards, which included – again approximating here – a 65 yard touchdown pass to Marcus Henry. Henry broke open deep in the right seam, having beaten cornerback Sean Smalls (a tryout player from UMass), and Sanchez hit him with a perfect spiral that traveled about 25 yards.

That’s probably what stood out the most in watching Sanchez this morning – his consistency in delivering a spiral on almost every throw. His first few passes were behind the intended receiver, but he soon found his rhythm.

Among those, beside Henry, catching Sanchez’s passes: 6-3 WR Britt Davis (Northern Illinois), 6-2 WR Huey Whittaker (South Florida), 6-6 TE Andrew Davie (Arkansas) and 6-4 TE Robert Myers (Utah State). Myers showed a bit of alligator arms on a deep pass over the middle.

Sanchez didn’t do as much passing the 11-on-11s (I’m assuming we’ll see more of that in the afternoon), going just 3-for-4, though with two exceptional throws. One was a 19-yard completion (Smalls again was the victim) to Davis on the right sideline and the other was a play that went about 40 yards, a solid timing throw down the sideline to Paul Raymond.

Sanchez appears to be able to make “all the throws,” as the cliché goes, and he looked to have the gun to complete those intermediate (15 yarders) balls to the sideline.

Rex Ryan noted afterward – and not without some pride -- that Sanchez worked with some of the rookies last night on aspects of the offense. Ryan found out during practice because the unit looked a bit more in sync with the 18 plays it had been given than he expected.

“He’s a natural leader,” Ryan said of Sanchez. “Some guys can lead and some guys can’t.”

Ryan mentioned, as he did on draft day, the “swagger” Sanchez seems to possess.

Sanchez called his first day, “successful.”

Other things:

* Shonn Greene got a handful of carries in the 11-on-11s and made a good move after catching a screen pass in the right flat. He looks quick to the hole but with players in shorts and helmets, its hard to tell with these things.

* Ryan was asked if any other tryout players impressed him in the morning. He mentioned Rutgers UFA DE Jamaal Westerman and tryout players John Simmons, a 6-4 TE from Minnesota, and Brian Toal, a LB from Boston College.

I would throw in Hofstra’s Ottis Lewis, a 6-6 WR who made a diving reception on the first ball he saw, an out pass of about 10 yards thrown by Harvard QB Chris Pizzotti. The 6-5 Pizzotti, by the way, threw a couple of nice balls, including a 46-yarder during a positional drill that hit Davis in stride by the right pylon.

Afternoon practice at about 4.

And away we go with the official list of 17 undrafted free agents signed by the Jets, along with a bulletpoint or two.

J’Nathan Bullock: Tight end, Cleveland State
- Bullock was a basketball forward at Cleveland State, scoring 1,800 career points in 130 games.

T.J. Conley: Punter, Idaho
- A first-team All-America selection, he led the NCAA with a 47.4-yard punting average on 58 punts.

Emanuel Cook: Safety, South Carolina
- Earned All-SEC honors all three years he played.

Andrew Davie: Tight end/long snapper, Arkansas/Little Rock
- Davie, a former minor league baseball player in the Cardinals’ system who was drafted in the 32nd round in 2001, caught 24 passes for 199 yards and six touchdowns in college.

Britt Davis: Wide receiver, Northern Illinois
- Finished fifth on the NIU all-time charts for career catches with 146 and totaled 1,676 career receiving yards, 2,063 all-purpose yards and nine career touchdowns.

Keith Fitzhugh: Safety, Mississippi State
- Fitzhugh played in 48 games over four years, with six picks and eight pass breakups.

Matt Kroul: Defensive tackle, Iowa
- Started a record 50 games at Iowa, with 238 tackles, 19.5 tackles-for-loss, seven sacks and one interception.

Kyle Link: Offensive lineman, McNeese State
- Began as a tight end before converting to offensive tackle as a junior. He did not allow a sack as a senior.

Ryan McKee: Tackle, So. Mississippi
- Started three consecutive seasons at right tackle as the Golden Eagles surpassed the school’s record for total offense each season.

Rob Myers: Tight end, Utah State
- Caught 31 passes for 445 yards and three touchdowns in two seasons.

Michael Parenton: Center, Tulane
- Started 46 games for the Green Wave, spending last year at center after playing left guard as a junior, center as a sophomore and right guard as a freshman.

Chris Pizzotti: Quarterback, Harvard
- Two-time All-Ivy League QB who finished his career with 5,675 yards passing, 37 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Zach Potter: Defensive end, Nebraska
- Two-time Honorable Mention All-Big 12 choice, played in 50 games for Nebraska, starting 24, logging 96 tackles, 28 for loss and eight sacks.

Brannan Southerland: Fullback, Georgia
- A blocking fullback, Southerland had 17 rushing TDs and 6 receiving TDs in his career.

Ty Steinkuhler: Defensive lineman, Nebraska
- A 2008 Honorable-Mention All-Big 12 coaches’ choice, finished his career with 88 tackles, three sacks and 17 tackles-for-loss. He is the son of NFL offensive lineman Dean Steinkuhler.

Tavita Thompson: Tackle, Oregon State
- Started at left tackle as a junior and right tackle as a senior.

Jamaal Westerman: Defensive end, Rutgers
- Totaled 141 tackles and 26 sacks in four years at Rutgers.

Let's see who Boland will write about first.