By JetNation Staff
The biggest concern for the Jets is Chad Pennington. Chad sat out the morning session and participated in the afternoon drills only. Chad simply didn’t air it out. He is at the point where he is still building arm strength. His accuracy was as good as it has ever been. It is simply premature to comment on his comeback though. He is out there which is obviously good. It won’t be until game situations that we know without any doubt what Chad has because he is still holding back at this point.
This unit showed emotion. They were loud, especially in the afternoon session. Mawae was spirited, greeting the younger players as they came off the field with high fives. What a difference Dinger makes. They ran out of the shotgun often. And they are beginning to look comfortable in it. They executed some nice misdirection pass plays and also had a shotgun shuttle pass\run that was executed perfectly.
The Jets receivers simply OWNED the Giants defensive backfield. They made it look easy. Coles, McCareins and Cotchery all played strong. Cotchery had an amazing afternoon session. He is the # 3 receiver because he can do things that Wayne can’t at this point. Chas Gessner is having a real solid camp. The # 5 receiver spot seems to have his name written all over it. Harry Williams stole a lot of Jonathan Carter’s reps during practice. Despite his small school status he looked extremely quick and polished. Williams and Gessner are making for a very difficult decision when it comes time for final cuts.
As much as the Jets made passing look easy, they struggled running the ball. Curtis did not run much, they seemed to be resting him. Blaylock looked fast and strong and broke a few nice runs. But they lacked consistency on the ground. The Giants got a lot of penetration and were able to tackle the ball carrier for a loss on more than a few occassions. Adrian Jones held his own in pass blocking but he needs to be watch closely when the presason games start. He still has a lot to prove.
The secondary left something to be desired. Ray Mickens missed an easy INT in the morning session. On the day that Ty Law was rumored to be a Jet, Ray could have used an INT. Donnie is more intense than last season (if such a thing is even possible). But he makes it clear that he is in charge. Denny Marcin was very vocal as well with the defensive line. Corwin Brown (Secondary) has a younger unit so he seems to be doing more teaching as they go. He pulled many players aside for what seemed like individual instruction.
There were at least five fights. Most were minor but the Shockey fight (vs the Jets Secondary) was heated. Donnie Henderson and Tom Coughlin also exchanged words over the tempo. Donnie is consistent. Practice hard play hard. The only scary moment came when Marko Cavka was trapped under a pile and had no helmet on. He walked away though and seemed fine. The other fights were mostly pushing. Although Herm did get in the middle of a tussle in the afternoon session and was forceful in directing the players back to the sidelines.
1. Brooks Bollinger – Brooks performed well enough in Hackett’s short passing attack to earn a roster spot. But he does not seam to be a good fit for Dinger’s long passing game. He was very inconsistent with his throws and made some terrible reads.
2. Ray Mickens – With the signing of Ty Law appearing to be imminent Ray’s jersey will soon be needed. His time here looks like it is coming to an end. Law’s presence will add to a crowded secondary including established starter David Barrett and promising youngsters Derrick Strait and Justin Miller. It looks like the fifth roster spot will go to Pete Hunter.
3. Jonathan Carter – The starters at WR are set with Coles and McCareins. Cotchery is having such a good camp he looks like the # 3 guy. Wayne is looking small, he has lost a lot of weight. Herm has been loyal in the past so even though his best days are behind him, it looks like he will grab roster spot # 4. Unless the Jets keep 6 wideouts (possible) that leaves one spot open. Chas Gessner is the leading candidate for that spot. His showed tremendous hands today and his size is a factor that simply can not be ignored (6’4″ 215lb). Gessner consistently out muscled and out jumped the Giant DBs. He along with Cotchery were the offensive stars of the day.