NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS

August 6, 2015

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Table of Contents

ASSOCIATED PRESS ................................................................................................................................................ 2

Football is coming: ‘Game of Thrones’ creator at Jets camp (Dennis Waszak) ......................................................... 2

DAILY RECORD ....................................................................................................................................................... 3

Summer campers meet training campers at Jet practice (Jane Havsy) ..................................................................... 3

NEWSDAY .............................................................................................................................................................. 4

Todd Bowles: Low-key guy, but with a temper (Kimberley A. Martin) ..................................................................... 4

Eric Decker likes competitive nature Brandon Marshall brings to Jets (Ari Kramer) ................................................ 5

THE RECORD .......................................................................................................................................................... 5

Jets notes: Chris Ivory impresses (J.P. Pelzman) ....................................................................................................... 6

Jets: First-year lineman may start (J.P. Pelzman) ...................................................................................................... 6

ESPN NEW YORK .................................................................................................................................................... 7

Author behind ‘Game of Thrones’ visits New York Jets’ training camp (Rich Cimini) ............................................... 7

Here’s an upset: Jets’ offense controls defense in a goal-line drill (Rich Cimini) ...................................................... 8

Eric Decker likes what he sees from Geno Smith (Kieran Darcy) .............................................................................. 9

Chris Owusu carving a name for himself at Jets camp (Kieran Darcy) .................................................................... 10

New York Jets reach the one-week mark of training camp (Rich Cimini)................................................................ 11

NEW YORK POST .................................................................................................................................................. 12

‘Game of Thrones’ creator at Jets practice – and comments on spoiler talk (Brian Costello) ................................ 12

Rookie Bryce Petty on NFL life and whether he’s the Jets QB of the future (Steve Serby) ..................................... 12

NJ ADVANCE MEDIA ............................................................................................................................................ 14

10 Jets with rising stock after first week of training camp (Dom Cosentino) .......................................................... 15

Does Jets’ Todd Bowles think Lorenzo Mauldin can take Calvin Pace’s starting job? (Darryl Slater) ..................... 15

Jets’ Willie Colon says Ray Rice absolutely deserves a second chance in the NFL (Darryl Slater) ........................... 16

5 Todd Bowles takeaways, as Muhammed Wilkerson sits out Jets practice again (Dom Cosentino) ..................... 17

How Jets factored into Tom Brady deflategate appeal hearing (Dom Cosentino) .................................................. 17

Darryl Slater’s Jets 53-man roster projection and analysis, version 1.0 (Darryl Slater) .......................................... 18

10 observations from Day 5 of Jets camp, where Darrelle Revis’ impact was on full display (Dom Cosentino) ..... 21

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS ...................................................................................................................................... 22

Can Geno Smith bounce back after his first poor practice? Will Muhammed Wilkerson see action: 3 things to watch at Jets camp (Seth Walder) ........................................................................................................................... 22

Jets Insider: Eric Decker talks up cornerbacks; Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin pays Gang Green a visit (Stephen Lorenzo, Peter Botte) ....................................................................................................................... 22

THE NEW YORK TIMES ......................................................................................................................................... 24

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Jets Linebacker Carries New Load as Fullback (Ben Shpigel) ................................................................................... 24

WALL STREET JOURNAL ....................................................................................................................................... 25

Jets and Giants Training Camp: Who Does It Better for Fans? (Stu Woo)............................................................... 25

METRO NEW YORK .............................................................................................................................................. 29

Jets notebook: Wilkerson out again, Ivory looks strong (Kristian Dyer) ................................................................. 29

Leaner, faster Tommy Bohanon looks to make Jets roster (Kristian Dyer) ............................................................. 30

Damon Harrison is the NFL’s interview bomb king (Kristian Dyer) ......................................................................... 31

WEDNESDAY’S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS............................................................................................................... 32

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Football is coming: ‘Game of Thrones’ creator at Jets camp (Dennis Waszak) Associated Press August 5, 2015

http://www.pro32.ap.org/article/football-coming-game-thrones-creator-jets-camp

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — George R.R. Martin took his rightful place at New York Jets training camp and — spoiler alert! — everyone survived.

The "Game of Thrones" creator, a big Jets and Giants fan, watched the two-hour-plus practice Wednesday at the Jets' facility with general manager Mike Maccagnan — playing the role of the kingsguard, of course — at his side.

Decked out in a black Jets hat, black pants, T-shirt and suspenders decorated with skulls and crossbones, Martin chatted with players, fans and Jets officials who surely wanted to know the fates of characters Jon Snow, Arya Stark, Sansa Stark and Daenerys Targaryen, among others. He also sat down for a video interview with Jets left tackle, and "Game of Thrones" fan, D'Brickashaw Ferguson.

Martin is the author of the "A Song of Ice and Fire" epic fantasy novels that were adapted by HBO for its Emmy-winning dramatic series "Game of Thrones." The books and series are known for major characters and fan favorites meeting their untimely, and often gruesome, demise.

It won't be the only local stop for Martin, who is planning to be at the Staten Island Yankees game Saturday night. The game will take on a "Game of Thrones" theme, with the home Yankees playing as the Staten Island Direwolves and the visiting Hudson Valley Renegades dressing in the gold and red colors of the House of Lannister.

Martin is currently in the process of writing the sixth book in the series, "The Winds of Winter," which will be followed by "A Dream of Spring." In his free time, Martin also keeps an online journal in which he blogs about whatever's on his mind, including the state of the Jets and Giants.

Both the show and novels are popular topics of conversation in workplaces around the world, including in NFL locker rooms. The Wall Street Journal wrote in a story published Wednesday that many players around football camps are debating about spoilers for the "Game of Thrones" series, which completed its fifth season in June.

Martin had an easy solution on how to settle it all — and, no, not trial by combat.

"I think all the players," Martin said, "should read the books."

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DAILY RECORD

Summer campers meet training campers at Jet practice (Jane Havsy) Daily Record August 5, 2015

http://www.dailyrecord.com/story/sports/2015/08/05/jets-host-summer-camp-day-florham-park/31179291/

FLORHAM PARK – “Geno!”

The roar came from the center of the bleachers at the New York Jets’ training facility in Florham Park on Wednesday afternoon.

And again, “One... Two... Three... Geno!” The 70 neon-clad kids from Linden Recreation Day Camp wanted to make sure the Jets quarterback heard them.

He showed no reaction, but they weren’t dissuaded, calling out a few other players’ names before drifting off into individual conversations again. Andrea Morrison, an 11-year-old from Linden, said she’s a Dallas Cowboys fan, “but once they scream it out a lot, you know (who’s who). ... It’s a once in a lifetime chance.”

The Jets invited more than 1,500 youngsters from 23 New Jersey summer camps to watch practice at their Florham Park facility on Wednesday.

Wharton Municipal Alliance Chairperson Robin Ghebreal said “every kid in town” wanted to go to training camp. She brought 52 of them, ages 7 to 15, hoping they’d interact with the professional football players just 20 minutes from home as “real people.”

The community is invited to training camp in Florham Park on Aug. 11, 15 and 16, with free tickets available to download from the Jets’ website. The Jets will also host a special session for season-ticket holders on Aug. 19, and local youth football teams on Aug. 24.

“They’re right here, and they’re a lot bigger than they look on TV,” said 12-year-old Julia Spinelli of Millington. “You can go see them and you can cheer for them. You’ve seen them up close now. They’re just people.”

More than 150 campers from Asbury Park Recreation piled onto school buses for the long drive up the Garden State Parkway.

Nasear Henry, a 12-year-old staying in Asbury Park for the summer, particularly wanted to meet Jets QB Geno Smith on Wednesday. A former quarterback in Chambersburg, Pa., Henry was trying to think of questions to ask the players — if any got close enough.

“(Smith) taught me, as a quarterback, that everything is possible, so don’t give up on your dreams,” Henry said. “He’s just himself on the football field. He deals with all the publicity and people saying he’s not good, but he really is good.”

Alexander Edmond stood out from the crowd of 103 middle schoolers wearing the turquoise T-shirts of Old Bridge Twp. Summer Recess Program, dancing to the music blaring over JetsFest before practice. Edmond admitted he isn’t interested in sports, but he brought a Jets logo printout colored in a rainbow to get autographs for his father, Amel Edmond.

“I don’t know what to expect,” said Edmond, a 12-year-old from Keyport. “All the dancing at the inflatables are going to be oodles of fun. ... I was hoping something good would happen, and it did, the dancing. I love to dance. I can dance any time.”

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Joe Dotro of Randolph, thought he was going to “meet the players and learn what they do” on Wednesday. Instead, he and his teammates on the Randolph Bulldogs had lunch and watched younger kids try out the inflatable slide and obstacle course before practice began.

“They’re not really that good,” Dotro, a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, said of the Jets. “I just hope to get better as a player, and I hope I have a good future in football.”

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NEWSDAY

Todd Bowles: Low-key guy, but with a temper (Kimberley A. Martin) Newsday August 5, 2015

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/todd-bowles-low-key-guy-but-with-a-temper-1.10712758

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Todd Bowles is letting the world in on a little secret. He's got a temper. And a foul mouth, too.

"I cuss quite a bit,'' the Jets coach told Newsday, just before he headed inside to watch film after Wednesday's practice.

"Trust me. It comes out,'' he added with a laugh. "Ask Cromartie, he'll tell you.''

Cornerback Antonio Cromartie is the only current Jet who has a history with Bowles. They were together last season when Bowles coordinated the Cardinals' defense. They're together again -- with Bowles as the first-time head coach of a franchise that hasn't reached the playoffs since 2010.

But this is a different time. And a different coach.

Bowles is without a doubt the anti-Rex Ryan, but it's not an act or a calculated PR strategy devised by the Jets' front office. Hyperbole isn't Bowles' thing, and neither is putting on a show for the sake of the cameras.

"I do have another side to my personality,'' Bowles said, smiling. "You just haven't seen it yet.

"I'm a rah-rah guy. I say what's on my mind and I get across what I need to say. If I have something to say, believe me -- whether it's out here or in the meetings -- my point is very well-received. It gets across.

"Now, if somebody blatantly does something [wrong] after I taught them, told them, re-taught them on the board, in the classroom, the whole nine yards . . . Then I'll probably just go off the handle.''

He has been mild-mannered in front of the cameras, and often his interview demeanor can be described with one word.

"Comatose? Ouch,'' Bowles said playfully as he feigned being stabbed in the chest.

Ryan provided six years' worth of back-page headlines and bulletin-board material. Bowles can't even bring himself to get excited about what he sees on the field. "For me, it's camp,'' he said, shrugging.

Bowles is seeking steady guys he can "grow to trust. But if you stand out one day and the next day disappear, that does nothing for me. So I hold my comments and wait until I see some growth in that person.''

He also explained his lack of emotion over the highly anticipated Darrelle Revis-Brandon Marshall matchups in practice.

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"As a coach, I don't have the mindset to just say, 'Oh, this is the matchup I've been waiting for,' '' he said. "I'm trying to help Dee [Milliner] with his technique, [Dexter] McDougle with his technique, and go from there. So I try to move around so I can't get focused on those two guys.''

Bowles' dry delivery is no act. It's just a part of who he is. He also knows many of his players have grown accustomed to having a loud, likable and emotional coach leading the charge.

And, frankly, he doesn't care.

"I'm not coming in here to win a personality contest,'' he said. "It's football, and if I know what I'm doing and they're listening to me, they'll go along. If I don't know what I'm doing and look like I'm lying to them, they'll figure it out. Players know.

"There are some guys I can yell at, there are some guys I can talk to and there's some guys I can say one word to and they get it,'' he added. " . . . And because everybody hasn't seen it yet, doesn't mean it's not there. Nor do I have to bring it out just to show anybody. It just comes out naturally. And when it comes out -- it comes out.''

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Eric Decker likes competitive nature Brandon Marshall brings to Jets (Ari Kramer) Newsday August 5, 2015

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/eric-decker-likes-competitive-nature-brandon-marshall-brings-to-jets-1.10712915

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Eric Decker went from a perennial offensive powerhouse in Denver to a Jets team that ranked 28th in points per game in 2014.

With the Jets acquiring five-time pro bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall, expectations are higher for the offense in Decker's second year. But just how prolific could the offense be in comparison to Decker's Denver teams?

"I don't compare one offense to the other," Decker said after training camp Wednesday. "It's completely different. We've got a third-year quarterback compared to a 15-year quarterback."

In other words, Geno Smith is no Peyton Manning. But that's nothing new.

What is new is Decker's running mate at wide receiver. He said he and Marshall share a competitive nature, and that has fueled them.

"If he gets a good grab, I want to come back and get one," Decker said. "Those things, we feed off one another."

Jet streams

George R.R. Martin, the writer of the fantasy series that became HBO's "Game of Thrones," watched practice with general manager Mike Maccagnan. Martin is a longtime Jets fan.Maccagnan said, "I am a big fan of Mr. Martin as a writer and I love the series, so it was a pleasure to spend the afternoon with him and his wife. It was great to talk Jets history with them and hear how closely they have always followed the team."

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THE RECORD

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Jets notes: Chris Ivory impresses (J.P. Pelzman) The Record August 6, 2015

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/football/jets-notes-chris-ivory-impresses-1.1387418

Featured back Chris Ivory’s bruising running style has made him the Jets’ go-to guy in short-yardage situations, especially near the goal line. And coach Todd Bowles couldn’t help but notice him Wednesday.

Bowles’ practice itinerary included a full-contact goal-line drill in which only the quarterbacks were exempt from being hit. Ivory, helped by good blocking, had two touchdown runs during the drill. He led the team with six rushing touchdowns in 2014.

"He’s tough," Bowles said of Ivory. "He’s as advertised. We knew he was tough and we could pop him up in there. But he cuts well [and] he’s got good vision, so he did a good job."

But Bowles said he’d like Ivory to improve his receiving skills. Ivory had a career-high 18 catches for a 6.8-yard average and one touchdown last season, after totaling only five receptions in his first three seasons. Still, Bowles sees room for improvement.

"He’s going to have to become a better receiver," he said. "He has decent hands, [but needs to be] concentrating a little more. But running the ball is not a problem at all for him."

Bowles added, "I thought the offensive line came off the ball some [during the drill]. I thought defensively we need some technique work.’’

Interesting visitor

Author George R.R. Martin was on hand for Wednesday’s practice and watched from one sideline next to general manager Mike Maccagnan. Martin’s series of epic fantasy novels have been adapted into the popular HBO series "Game of Thrones.’’

Martin is a fan of both the Jets and Giants.

"I am a big fan of Mr. Martin as a writer and I love the series," Maccagnan said, "so it was a pleasure to spend the afternoon with him and his wife. It was great to talk Jets history with them and hear how closely they have always followed the team."

Briefs

Star DE Muhammad Wilkerson sat out practice for the second consecutive day after tweaking his hamstring in practice Sunday. The Jets did not practice Monday. Bowles reiterated that he intends to err on the side of caution with Wilkerson’s injury. He said Wilkerson has not had any further setbacks since suffering the injury. … Second-string QB Ryan Fitzpatrick threw his first interception of training camp. It was picked off by LB Jamari Lattimore. … The team will practice today and Friday before having their annual Green and White practice Saturday night at MetLife Stadium.

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Jets: First-year lineman may start (J.P. Pelzman) The Record August 6, 2015

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http://www.northjersey.com/sports/football/jets-dare-say-qvale-may-be-a-starter-1.1387394

FLORHAM PARK – Brent Qvale has heard many mispronunciations of his unusual last name.

Ka-vally. Ka-veil. Q-valley. Even "Quail."

"The ‘Qv’ part always messes people up," the first-year offensive lineman said Wednesday after practice. "It’s spelled with a ‘v,’ but it sounds like a ‘u.’ That’s the best way I can describe it."

Thus, it is pronounced "Qually." Perhaps the Jets P.A. announcer should start practicing now, because it’s possible that Qvale could be introduced as one of the offensive starters when the Jets open the season against visiting Cleveland on Sept. 13.

Qvale, an undrafted free agent who spent last season on the practice squad, is one of several players getting a serious look at right guard. Qvale, third-year pro Brian Winters and veteran incumbent Willie Colon all have gotten first-team reps at the position during training camp, and coach Todd Bowles said Wednesday the competition is "even" so far.

The 6-foot-7, 315-pound Qvale played left tackle in college at Nebraska, and also has been getting reps at right tackle during camp.

"It’s the NFL, so there’s always pressure," Qvale said. "It’s [about] taking your opportunity and making the most of it, and being able to execute and give it your best and stay at that high level. That’s what you’ve got to do. When you’re playing each spot, you’ve got to be able to do different things."

As for guard, he said, "Technique-wise, it’s still a work in progress, obviously. I think it’s getting better every day, though, the more and more that I do it."

Qvale suffered a concussion early in his first training camp last year, yet impressed the organization enough once he returned that he was signed to the practice squad. His determination isn’t surprising, considering the example set by his parents.

Sanford Qvale played tackle at North Dakota State and was drafted by Buffalo in the 16th round in 1974, although he never played an NFL game. Carol Qvale played volleyball for North Dakota, and older brother Brian Qvale was a star basketball player for Montana.

"Both my parents taught me hard work and discipline," said Qvale, adding that he also has been inspired by the career of his brother, who has played professionally overseas for four years and was with the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets in training camp last year before being cut in October. Brian Qvale has signed to play in Germany during the upcoming season.

Qvale said he’s been impressed by seeing Brian’s "hard work and determination and how he handles himself very maturely."

Qvale, who is from Willison, N.D., likes the New Jersey suburbs and Manhattan.

"It’s different [from home], but I really enjoy it out here," he said. "I’ve adapted to it and I like the Florham Park area, but I also like going to the city."

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ESPN NEW YORK

Author behind ‘Game of Thrones’ visits New York Jets’ training camp (Rich Cimini) ESPN New York August 5, 2015

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http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/13384119/new-york-jets-host-george-rr-martin-author-hbo-game-thrones

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- George R.R. Martin, who wrote the series of books that spawned the popular HBO series "A Game of Thrones," took a break from science fiction Wednesday to visit the real world of an NFL training camp.

Martin is a New York Jets fan, and he spent several hours at the team's facility, watching practice under a hot sun, talking with general manager Mike Maccagnan on the players' sideline and meeting with a couple of big fans, tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and nose tackle Damon Harrison.

"I'm a big fan of Mr. Martin as a writer, and I love the series, so it was a pleasure to spend the afternoon with him and his wife," Maccagnan said. "It was great to talk Jets history with them and hear how closely they have always followed the team."

Martin, a New Jersey native, wore a black Jets cap, a black T-shirt and black pants -- and, oh, yes, black suspenders covered with skull-and-crossbones images:

"We had a good time," said Ferguson, who interviewed Martin for the team's official web site. "His mind ... to create all that we've seen with the books, it's just amazing. He has created this whole world, this fantasy, with dragons and wolves and kingdoms.

"It's just amazing that he's been able to put pen to pad and make that happen.

Martin, 66, didn't stop to talk to reporters after practice, but he offered one comment as he was escorted inside the Jets' facility.

Asked about a published report that described how players across the league are upset because they're encountering "Game of Thrones" spoilers among teammates in training camp, Martin laughed.

"I think all the players should read the books," he said.

Martin professes to be a Jets fan, but that hasn't stopped him from criticizing them on his personal blog.

When the Jets traded Darrelle Revis in April 2013, he wrote, "It's hard to be a fan of the New York Jets," adding they "got rooked" by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

When they traded for Tim Tebow in 2012, Martin wrote, "What the hell are they thinking over there at Gang Green Central?"

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Here’s an upset: Jets’ offense controls defense in a goal-line drill (Rich Cimini) ESPN New York August 5, 2015

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/52738/heres-an-upset-jets-offense-controls-defense-in-goal-line-drill

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- What we learned on Wednesday, Day 7 of New York Jets training camp:

1. They still do real hitting in camp (on occasion): It's one of the highlights of camp -- a full-contact period at the goal line, offense versus defense. Surprisingly, the offense won the day, scoring on 5 of 8 plays from just inside the 2-yard line. Yes, you read that correctly -- offense over defense. The Geno Smith-led offense went 3-for-3, scoring on two runs by Chris Ivory and one by Bilal Powell. The offense went 1-fo-3 with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback (Powell run) and 1-for-2 with Bryce Petty at the helm (Zac Stacy run). Afterward, Todd Bowles said he was impressed with the way the offensive line came off the ball. It was

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particularly evident on Ivory's first run; he scored untouched, running behind Willie Colon and Breno Giacomini. The defense was hurt by technique and assignment errors, according to Bowles. The offense hasn't won too many battles in these parts in recent years. It should savor the victory.

2. Ivory looks like he's ready for the season: The Jets don't have a speed back, per se, but Ivory showed plenty of giddy-up in the goal-line period. On the second play, he showed a burst, beating safety Jaiquawn Jarrett to the corner and scoring. Jarrett had the angle on Ivory, but Ivory displayed an extra gear. Fantasy alert: Look for Ivory to be the goal-line back again this season. He led the Jets with six rushing touchdowns in 2014, the only player with more than one. Said Bowles: "He's tough. He's as advertised."

3. Mo Wilkerson isn't pushing his hamstring: The star defensive end, in negotiations for a long-term contract, missed practice for the second straight day. He's still listed as day-to-day, according to Bowles. We'll say it once again: There's no point in taking any chances this early in training camp.

4. Neck and neck and neck at right guard: No one has emerged as the early frontrunner in the ballyhooed right-guard competition (pardon the sarcasm). Technically, Colon is the starter, based on his incumbent status, but "it's all even," Bowles said. Colon is sharing the first-team reps with Brian Winters and, to a lesser extent, Brent Qvale. Oday Aboushi and Ben Ijalana could get a look next week. Remember, the Jets are keeping tabs on free-agent guard Evan Mathis. If no one stands out after another couple of weeks, it wouldn't be a surprise if their interest in Mathis turns serious.

5. Calvin Pace shouldn't be worried (yet): It doesn't appear that rookie Lorenzo Mauldin has much of a shot to unseat Pace by opening day -- and we shouldn't be surprised by that. Pace, 34, might be a geezer (in football years), but he's a cagey veteran who can play the strong-side linebacker position in his sleep. The coaches love Mauldin's motor and energy, but he has a long way to go before he gives Pace a push. Mauldin, a third-round pick, is learning the strong and weak outside positions. The current start on the weak side (i.e. rush linebacker) is Quinton Coples.

6. The stReak ends: Well, it ended for Fitzpatrick, but not Smith. Fitzpatrick threw his first interception of camp, and it was ugly -- a throw to the right flat that was picked off and returned for a touchdown by line Jamari Lattimore. Smith has yet to throw an interception through six practices. He had another solid day, hitting 6 of 10 passes. He found Eric Decker for a couple of touchdowns, both about 30 yards. This was a nice rebound practice for Decker, who had the dropsies on Tuesday.

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Eric Decker likes what he sees from Geno Smith (Kieran Darcy) ESPN New York August 5, 2015

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/52737/eric-decker-likes-what-he-sees-from-geno-smith

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Eric Decker was arguably the star of the New York Jets' practice on Wednesday, making several catches, including a long touchdown early in the session.

He's working against a very different secondary than the one he faced in practice a year ago -- Pro Bowl cornerbacks Darrell Revis and Antonio Cromartie are now covering him much of the time -- and Decker thinks that's a plus.

"It’s great," Decker said. "You go against the best in the league, it makes you better. The competition is greater, and it’s just gonna make you a better football player."

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The quarterback throwing to Decker, Geno Smith, is the same. But Decker sees some changes in the third-year man from West Virginia.

"It’s continued growth,' Decker said. "Since the offseason he’s done a good job of his accountability, his discipline, how he watches tape, how he comes to practice, accountability toward his teammates, making sure we’re all doing the right thing, on the same page.

"He’s definitely taking that leadership role. [We're] just kind of watching him grow every day. He’s definitely done a terrific job."

It was another day without an interception from Smith, which is certainly a good sign.

"He’s a guy that's on the right track," Decker said. "He’s made some really good decisions throughout camp, and if he continues to do that he’s gonna have success."

The addition of a Pro Bowler at wide receiver, Brandon Marshall, should help Smith. Decker thinks it'll help his own game, too.

"That competitive fire we both have pushes one another in practice," Decker said. "If he gets a big grab, I wanna come back and get one, and all those things. We feed off one another."

Decker's numbers dipped in his first year in New York. After posting back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with the Broncos in 2012 and 2013 -- including double-digit touchdowns each time -- Decker finished with just 962 yards and only five touchdowns in 2014.

But remember, a future Hall of Famer was throwing to Decker in Denver.

"I don’t compare one offense to the other. It’s completely different," Decker said. "We’ve got a third-year quarterback compared to a 15-year quarterback. The fact that Peyton Manning was in the same offense for all those years, and Geno I think is on his third or fourth now, you can’t make comparisons. But we have an opportunity to put a good team together."

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Chris Owusu carving a name for himself at Jets camp (Kieran Darcy) ESPN New York August 5, 2015

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/52708/chris-owusu-carving-name-for-himself-at-jets-camp

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- At New York Jets practice Tuesday, during 11-on-11 drills, Darrelle Revis spent the bulk of his time covering one wide receiver.

No, it wasn't Brandon Marshall. And it wasn't Eric Decker, either.

Revis was marking Chris Owusu, who's been a pleasant surprise early in training camp.

"He’s smart, he’s steady, he’s more deceptive (than you think), he’s quicker than you think, he’s always in the right place and he’s young," Jets coach Todd Bowles said of Owusu on Saturday. "He just needs a chance to play."

Owusu, 25, got a chance to play with the first string Tuesday, along with Marshall and Decker. Jeremy Kerley worked with the second unit.

And Owusu continued to make plays -- beating cornerback Buster Skrine for a long gain early on, and a third-down catch over the middle late in the day.

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He wasn't perfect -- there were a couple completions he couldn't quite make. But then again, he had arguably the best cornerback in the NFL draped over him much of the time.

"It’s a privilege to go out with the [first unit], to compete with the best out there," Owusu said. "I’m not taking it for granted."

The Jets signed Owusu last September, after he was waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After going undrafted in 2012 out of Stanford, and brief stints with the San Francisco 49ers and San Diego Chargers, Owusu signed with Bucs but played in just 17 games in three years, with 16 catches for 158 yards.

He started off on the Jets' practice squad but ended up playing in five games last season, including the final four. And in the season finale in Miami, he made a splash with a 36-yard reception, a 23-yard touchdown run and an 87-yard kickoff return.

He also made waves with a video he posted to his Instagram account this spring, showing off some serious hops during his offseason training.

"We were just doing some explosive movements, they put some boxes up and wanted me to jump, and I Jumped," Owusu said. "I just wanted to go out there and post a little bit of what my training was like, and it kind of blew up."

Now Owusu is kind of blowing up here in Florham Park. And with the injury to second-round pick Devin Smith -- Smith is expected to miss most of training camp with broken ribs and a partially punctured lung -- there is a big opportunity for someone like Owusu to take advantage of.

"It’s been a dream of mine to play in the NFL," Owusu said. "To be here is such an honor, such a privilege. And to be with this team is such an honor and a privilege. I just wanna make the most of it."

He may not be the most talented receiver on the roster, but he's probably the smartest. Owusu majored in human biology at Stanford.

(Also, one of his younger brothers played defensive back at Harvard, another currently plays wide receiver at Stanford, and his sister played basketball at Columbia.)

And he's smart enough to learn from going up against a guy like Revis.

"You have to bring your 'A' game every time," Owusu said. "It brings a focus to you, and to the receiving corps and to the quarterbacks, knowing there’s someone out there like that."

The matchup will resume Wednesday.

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New York Jets reach the one-week mark of training camp (Rich Cimini) ESPN New York August 5, 2015

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/52731/jets-reach-the-one-week-mark-of-training-camp

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Wednesday morning's wake-up call, Day 7 of New York Jets training camp:

What's happening: As usual, the Jets will be on the field at 1:50 p.m. ET for stretching, followed by a special-teams period. The full-squad practice begins at 2:20 and runs for about two hours. Practice is open only to fan-drawing winners and selected summer camps.

What's hot: Let's start with the injuries. We'll have an eye on defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson (hamstring), who sat out Tuesday. He's listed as day-to-day. Some folks might be wondering about running

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back Stevan Ridley (knee), who remains on the physically-unable-to-perform list. Reading between the lines of Todd Bowles' comments, it doesn't sound like Ridley's return is imminent. Bowles stressed they're not rushing him. ... The quarterbacks were spotty on Tuesday, perhaps because of the windy conditions. We're not talking a MetLife Stadium-in-December kind of wind, but it definitely affected some of their passes. ... Let's see if wide receiver Eric Decker rebounds after a shaky day. Ditto, rookie quarterback Bryce Petty. ... It has been a quiet camp for Jeff Cumberland and Jace Amaro in terms of pass catching. A harbinger of how Chan Gailey uses his tight ends?

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NEW YORK POST

‘Game of Thrones’ creator at Jets practice – and comments on spoiler talk (Brian Costello) New York Post August 5, 2015

http://nypost.com/2015/08/05/game-of-thrones-creator-at-jets-practice-and-comments-on-spoiler-talk/

“Game of Thrones” creator George R.R. Martin watched Jets practice Wednesday, and everyone lived to tell about it.

Martin, a big Jets and Giants fan, watched practice with Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan. He held a roster in his hand and observed the two-plus hour training camp practice.

“I’m a big fan of Mr. Martin’s as a writer and I love the series, so it was a pleasure to spend the afternoon with him and his wife,” Maccagnan said. “It was great to talk Jets history with them and here how closely they have always followed the team.”

Martin sported suspenders decorated with skulls and crossbones along with a black Jets hat.

After the practice, he did an interview with Jets left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson for the team’s website.

The Wall Street Journal recently did a story about NFL locker rooms being divided over “Game of Thrones” spoilers. Someone asked Martin about it as he left the field.

“I think all the players should read the books,” he said.

Martin is the author of the “A Song of Ice and Fire” fantasy novels that were turned into the award-winning series “Game of Thrones” on HBO. The books and series are known for the gruesome deaths major characters usually suffer. But all of the Jets most popular players survived Wednesday.

Martin has a blog that sometimes features his thoughts on the Jets and Giants. He has been known to deliver blistering commentary on the Jets when the team is not playing well.

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Rookie Bryce Petty on NFL life and whether he’s the Jets QB of the future (Steve Serby) New York Post August 5, 2015

http://nypost.com/2015/08/05/rookie-bryce-petty-on-nfl-life-and-whether-hes-the-jets-qb-of-the-future/

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The lyrics are from Creed, the song “With Arms Wide Open,” the singer Bryce Petty, the audience Jets veterans.

“Well I just heard the news today; Seems my life is gonna change; I close my eyes, begin to pray; Then tears of joy stream down my face; With arms wide open under the sunlight; Welcome to this place I’ll show you everything; With arms wide open; With arms wide open.”

This was Monday, at an annual rite of summer for rookies all over the NFL. Why this song?

“One, because that’s about the only song that I know from first verse to like the chorus part of it,” Petty said. “I actually had two buddies at Baylor that anytime we’d do karaoke, that’s the song we’d always go to, it’s just fun to kinda reenact his voice.”

Petty was asked how he was received.

“I think the guys liked it,” he said. “It was crickets at first just to see if I would screw up the lines so they could boo me. But I think they realized the talent came out, and I think that I got a lot of respect.”

It is exactly the kind of career trajectory the Jets envision for Petty, the Chosen One by Jets fans disenchanted with Geno Smith to be the Quarterback of the Future. The future being 2016 at the latest.

Broadway Bryce sounds terrific, but Petty is grounded and perceptive enough to offer a more realistic takeoff on Broadway Joe’s famous, “I Can’t Wait Until Tomorrow ’Cause I Get Better Looking Every Day” when you ask him how long it will take him to master a pro system that is foreign to the spread he ran at Baylor and he says: “Who knows? I’m not worried about it. What I am worried about is being better tomorrow than I was today.”

He laughs readily, is mature beyond his 24 years, knows he’s no longer big man on campus.

“The hardest part,” Petty said, “is just going from, when I would walk into the building at Baylor, I knew everybody. I knew everything there is to know, as far as, ‘All right, we’re going to add this in today, we’re going to put this in.’ And now, it’s like every day I’m like taking notes like I’m in high school all over again. That part’s tough because I like to know everything. I like to be on top of things, and so sometimes when I’m not is when I get kind of frustrated with myself because I want to be able to know everything that’s going on.”

It’s hard not to like this kid.

“The biggest thing for a quarterback, especially a young guy, is to come in with no ego and have a willingness to learn,” Ryan Fitzpatrick said. “He’s certainly done that. That’s all you can ask for, somebody who will come in and put in the time, and he’s done that.”

Petty laughs out loud when you ask him if he thinks he has what it takes to cope with the New York environment.

“It’s part of it, it’s part of it, you guys got a job just like we do,” he said. “Unfortunately, I think, sometimes you guys get a bad rep, sometimes we get a bad rep on how we handle things, but at the end of the day, like I said, you guys got a job, we got a job. You guys are going to ask tough questions. There’s going to be games where it’s going to suck to answer those tough questions. So as long as you handle it maturely, as long as you don’t think that you’re bigger than the team, I think that anybody can handle that.”

You have no chance in this market if you are thin-skinned. Petty is certain he is not thin-skinned.

“No, no, no, I don’t think so,” Petty said. “My dad’s always messed with me ever since I was a little kid. I’ve been messed with kind of my whole life, so I’m definitely thick-skinned in that area. But then also, I don’t read a whole lot. I know who I am as a quarterback, I know who I am as a player on and off the field.

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There’s going to be days where I’m not on my game, there’s going to be days where I am, and I’m not going to read it either or.”

His father Todd was his coach from first through sixth grade. “The normal father-son banter, I guess if you will — never let me get too big-headed about things, and just keeping it loose, and I think that’s important, man,” Petty said. “If you can’t laugh at yourself, then you got bigger problems to fry.”

No wonder his favorite quarterback was Brett Favre.

“He plays with such a tremendous amount of passion. … You could tell that every time he was out there that he loved what he was doing, and that’s something that I always admired about him, but I’ve always tried to model myself after, especially with social media, with society, you’re put under a microscope, there’s so much pressure, and I always felt like he was … like I could see a little kid in him every time he played,” Petty said. “I love playing the game, because I started it when I was young ’cause I loved it and I want to keep doing that, even when the pressure’s as big as it is.”

Favre came from tiny Kiln, Mississippi. Petty comes from tiny Midlothian, Texas. He is hardly awestruck by New York.

“I love it. It’s so much different than my five stoplights in Midlothian, Texas, but it’s a lot of fun. A lot of fun,” he said.

He has the size and the poise and a good arm, and won’t be thrown into the fire like Marcus Mariota will be. Just because you throw for 4,200 yards a year ago doesn’t mean you are ready for the NFL. Petty knows that. Says he knows who he is as a quarterback. So who is he as a quarterback?

“You’re going to get a guy who loves the game, a guy that’s going prepare his butt off, and wants to be great,” Petty said. “And I think that those things, as far as intangibles that can make somebody special, you got to have those three things — you got to love it, you got to want to prepare, and you got to want to be great.”

It’s a chess game to Petty, and he recognizes you can’t be Bobby Fischer overnight. So he has no timetable to be great. The biggest hurdle for him?

“It’s really what is Coach [Chan] Gailey wanting out of this play?”

Petty said. “When he calls this, what is he looking for? There’s certain looks that a defense has that can give this play problems — what are those problems? There’s certain looks a defense can give that we love — what are those looks? It’s little intricacies like that, that’s what I want to know, that’s what I want to learn.”

Petty said he is thrilled he can learn under Smith and Fitzpatrick.

“For me it’s a tremendous blessing, and almost a godsend to be here,” he said.

His message to Jets fans:

“Shoot, that you’re going to get a guy that first off wants to be here. I love this place. This place is awesome, it’s exactly where I want to be. I’m going to give you guys, I’m going to give this team all I got. And get excited for this year, we’re going to be good.”

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NJ ADVANCE MEDIA

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10 Jets with rising stock after first week of training camp (Dom Cosentino) NJ Advance Media August 5, 2015

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/08/10_jets_with_rising_stock_after_first_week_of_trai.html

FLORHAM PARK — The first week of the Jets' first training camp under head coach Todd Bowles is now in the books. And while it's way too soon to know who's going to make the 53-man roster, that won't stop us from trying. And, besides, a number of guys have already made an early impression.

Keep in mind that camp practices in a lot of ways are not what will happen in games, especially regular season games, when specific game planning takes place. Why is this worth noting? Because sometimes things that happen that practice are happening because the Jets want to work on something specific, in a specific way, for a specific situation. These are practices, after all, and the aim is to prepare for any and all scenarios that might arise when the games actually matter.

Now, then, with that out of the way, let's get to the list. Scroll through the gallery above for a look at which players are off to a good start after one week, and be sure to see our explanations in the captions.

As always, feel free to vent your guts in the comments below. We welcome compliments, disagreements, or general thoughts about whatever.

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Does Jets’ Todd Bowles think Lorenzo Mauldin can take Calvin Pace’s starting job? (Darryl Slater) NJ Advanced Media August 5, 2015

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/08/does_jets_todd_bowles_think_lorenzo_mauldin_can_ta.html

FLORHAM PARK — Now that Lorenzo Mauldin, the Jets' third-round draft pick this year, is practicing at Calvin Pace's strong-side linebacker spot, some people might wonder if Mauldin has a chance to take Pace's starting job in 2015.

After all, Pace will turn 35 in October. Last season, Pro Football Focus rated Pace the 39th-best 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL, out of 46 players at that position.

Following Wednesday's training camp practice, Jets coach Todd Bowles slammed the brakes on any thought of Mauldin challenging Pace for a starting role — at least for the time being.

"That's way too early," Bowles said. "I mean, heck, Calvin's played it. Calvin knows it inside and out. Calvin's our starting outside linebacker."

Pace, a 13th-year veteran, has been with the Jets since 2008. For most of his time with the organization, he has played strong-side linebacker, though he did get some action at rush outside linebacker.

The coaches worked Mauldin at both the strong-side and rush outside linebacker spots in the spring, because they wanted to see what he did well. Mauldin said that when he returned to Florham Park for training camp, he was told he'd work exclusively as a strong-side linebacker.

But Bowles said he still wants Mauldin to learn both outside linebacker spots, adding that the positions are "interchangeable."

The pass-rushing aspects of playing 3-4 outside linebacker aren't foreign to Mauldin, who mostly played defensive end at Louisville. But he will have to learn how to master the coverage duties of the position, especially if he stays on the strong side — a spot that could demand more coverage than rush linebacker.

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"He's got a motor," Bowles said of Mauldin. "But he's got a lot to learn mentally, as far as blocks and setting himself up and those types of things. Recognizing screens. But he's got a live motor, and that's impressive."

Another reason Mauldin is getting mostly strong-side reps, according to Bowles: Julian Howsare, an undrafted rookie linebacker who is a long shot to make the team, has dabbled as a fullback. This leaves the defense "a little shorthanded," Bowles said.

"[Mauldin] is going to have to learn both [outside linebacker] spots anyway," Bowles said. "We thought it was a good time to teach him, rather than later."

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Jets’ Willie Colon says Ray Rice absolutely deserves a second chance in the NFL (Darryl Slater) NJ Advance Media August 5, 2015

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/08/jets_willie_colon_says_ray_rice_absolutely_deserve.html

FLORHAM PARK — Former Rutgers and Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice is still looking for a second chance in the NFL. Willie Colon, the Jets' veteran right guard, wholeheartedly believes Rice deserves one.

"Yeah, I totally do," said Colon, who doesn't know Rice personally. "I think at the end of the day, we all deserve a second chance. We're all human. We all make serious mistakes, critical mistakes that can characterize you. And right now, this is a dark cloud overhead. When people say Ray Rice, they think about that one incident.

"But they don't think about how he was a great ball player previous to that, how he was good in his community, how he was a factor on that Ravens team. I used to play against him [when Colon played for the Steelers], so I know.

"If he gets a chance to reinvent himself and be honest about his approach, and do the necessary things to never go there again, why not? I think we all make mistakes. We all deserve a second chance. They gave Mike Vick a second chance. They gave Ben [Roethlisberger] a second chance. They gave a lot of other people who have done a lot worse crimes second chances. So why not him? ... Honestly, I would give him a second chance."

Rice, who was caught on video knocking out his then-fiancée in an Atlantic City casino elevator, was reinstated to the NFL in November. But he is still looking for a team willing to sign him. During a recent interview with ESPN, Rice said he is a "rehabilitated man," but added, "I can understand why some people will never forgive me."

Colon is correct that Vick worked his way back into the NFL (and eventually played for the Jets) after going to federal prison for running a dog-fighting ring. Roethlisberger, Colon's former quarterback in Pittsburgh, was suspended four games after being investigated for sexual assault. He was not charged.

Donté Stallworth also got back into the NFL, following a one-season suspension, after he pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter.

"I think at the end of the day of the day," Colon said, "as long as [Rice has] done enough things with getting counseling, managing his anger problems, finding out the root of what caused that incident ... I think one

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thing about America you've got to appreciate is we're the land that gives each other the ability to reinvent ourselves."

Still, Rice is a 28-year-old running back, a position the NFL doesn't value as much as it used to. He has 1,631 career carries on his body. Teams aren't lining up to sign veteran running backs like him, especially not guys with image issues.

So will Rice get another chance from an NFL team?

"I hope so," Colon said. "I don't know. He's a really good [veteran running back]. He's not one of those throwaways, if you will. I think he's definitely a guy who plays hard. Every time I've played against him, he's been a huge factor. He's somebody you've got to game plan against."

Colon took a similar approach, regarding second chances, to Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson, following Richardson's awful July — a four-game marijuana suspension, followed by a resisting arrest charge. He sped from police, when they caught him driving 143 mph, with a 12-year-old kid and loaded gun in his car.

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5 Todd Bowles takeaways, as Muhammed Wilkerson sits out Jets practice again (Dom Cosentino) NJ Advance Media August 5, 2015

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/08/5_todd_bowles_takeaways_as_muhammad_wilkerson_sits_1.html

FLORHAM PARK — The Jets got down and dirty by running goal-line drills at training camp on Wednesday—a battle the first team offense won by going 3-for-3 on three running plays.

Here's a quick rundown of what head coach Todd Bowles had to say afterward:

1. Muhammad Wilkerson's injury. Wilkerson was out for a second straight day with an injured hamstring. Like Tuesday, Bowles said Wilkerson would be "day to day." He added: "Starting out at the beginning of training camp, guys are going to be a little tight, a little sore. We just want to err on the side of caution instead of throwing him out there." Leonard Williams, Leger Douzable, and Stephen Bowen again took Wilkerson's place at practice.

2. That goal line drill. Bowles said he liked how the offensive line got off the ball, but he thought the defense missed a few assignments and messed up with technique. "First day out, we'll look at the film and correct it and move on," Bowles said.

3. Chris Ivory impressed. Ivory scored two of the three goal-line touchdowns, but he broke off at least one other big run in the open field. "He's as advertised," Bowles said. "We knew he was tough. We knew he could pound it up in there. But he cuts well, he's got got vision. He did a good job [Wednesday]."

4. Not necessarily looking for a "speed back." Bowles wants to emphasize versatility with the running backs—not just speed, but an ability to block, catch passes, and play on third downs.

5. Calvin Pace is the starter. The Jets still want third-round pick Lorenzo Mauldin to learn both the SAM and WILL linebacker spots, but while he is getting more work at SAM, veteran Calvin Pace is still going to be the starter there when the season begins.

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How Jets factored into Tom Brady deflategate appeal hearing (Dom Cosentino) NJ Advance Media

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August 5, 2015

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/08/how_jets_factored_into_tom_brady_deflategate_appea.html

FLORHAM PARK — The never-ending saga that is Deflategate, in which the NFL created a Church Committee-style saga involving one of its marquee stars over the deflation of footballs that turned out to be not all that deflated, is still in the news. And in this latest turn of events, the Jets played a tangential role.

Those fools at Deadspin pored through the transcript of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's hearing to appeal his four-game suspension last month, and one of the points of contention surrounds the high air pressure in the game balls used by the Patriots in their win over the Jets in Foxborough last October.

(There's also the conspiracy theory involving Mike Kensil, the league's director of operations who had previously been a longtime Jets employee. There's a segment of Pats fans who believe Kensil forced the league into coming down on the Patriots, and that Kensil was behind the leak to ESPN's Chris Mortensen that 11 of the Patriots 12 game balls from the AFC title game had been more than two pounds per square inch below acceptable levels. The Wells Report has since proved Mortensen's initial report to be false. That's given new life to the theories about Kensil, since someone at the league office leaked false info about the extent of the deflation, which lit the kindling for this "scandal." But until the league acknowledges who leaked the bad information, Kensil's going serve as an easy scapegoat.)

Some of the ground about Jets-Patriots game had been covered months ago in the Wells Report, but now we get to hear Brady himself on the matter. The footballs used in that Jets-Pats game were super-hard (16 pounds per square inch, Brady would later learn), and Brady had yelled at team equipment manager John Jastremski that night about it. Also, because the weather conditions were rainy, the procedure for praparing the footballs was changed: Instead of using a leather conditioner to soften the balls up (and make them slippery, heh), the Pats used old balls (heh again) from training camp.

Brady testified that he later had a conversation about the footballs with Jastremski, who explained to him that the footballs were inflated much higher than normal. But Brady also said he had no idea that the league had an allowable threshold for how the balls ought to be deflated. Brady then said he talked to another equipment manager, who informed him of what the allowed levels were (12. 5 to 13.5 psi), after which Brady directed that equipment manager to say something to the officials to make sure the balls would never be that hard again (heh).

Fast forward to the AFC championship game in January, when the Patriots allegedly used underinflated footballs that in reality weren't all that inflated and oh my goodness why in the world is any of this even still a thing? Because it was raining, Brady remembered the Jets game and told Jastremski not to use leather conditioner on the game balls. According to Brady, the inflation levels were never discussed in connection with the AFC title game.

Later, an NFL lawyer questioned Brady at length about the inflation levels of the game balls during the Jets game. Writes Deadspin, "The NFL's lawyers try multiple times to get Brady to admit that he prefers his footballs to be at the lower end of the range, while Brady maintains that the only thing he knew is that the 16 PSI the balls were inflated to during the Jets game was way too high, and that 12.5 PSI is essentially arbitrary."

Much like the NFL's disciplinary system under commissioner Roger Goodell.

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Darryl Slater’s Jets 53-man roster projection and analysis, version 1.0 (Darryl Slater)

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NJ Advance Media August 5, 2015

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/08/projecting_jets_53-man_roster_for_2015_version_10.html

The Jets are one week into training camp, if you count last Wednesday's report day as the start of camp.

They've held five practices, including just three in full pads, so there is a long way to go before their final, 53-man roster is determined.

But at the one-week mark, such as it is, we'll take a stab at predicting it anyway.

The Jets currently have 90 players on their roster. They must cut down to 75 by Sept. 1, and to 53 by Sept. 5 — eight days before the season opener.

So who is going to make the team? (Remember, some of the cut guys could be retained on the 10-member practice squad.)

Here's a look at last year's final 53.

And here is our initial educated guess at the final 53 for 2015:

QUARTERBACKS (3)

Retained: Geno Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bryce Petty

Cut: Jake Heaps

Analysis: This is an easy position to predict. The Jets aren't going to put Petty on the practice squad, because another team could scoop him up.

RUNNING BACKS (3)

Retained: Chris Ivory, Stevan Ridley, Bilal Powell

Cut: Zac Stacy, Daryl Richardson, Tommy Bohanon (fullback)

Analysis: A lot of this depends on whether Ridley, recovering from ACL and MCL tears, starts the season on the physically unable to perform list. He hasn't practiced yet in training camp. You'll notice we don't have the Jets keeping a fullback on their final 53. Bohanon is their only current fullback.

WIDE RECEIVERS (7)

Retained: Eric Decker, Brandon Marshall, Jeremy Kerley, Devin Smith, Chris Owusu, T.J. Graham, Quincy Enunwa

Cut: Saalim Hakim, Austin Hill, DeVier Posey, Walter Powell, Jonathon Rumph, Arthur Williams, Shaq Evans

Analysis: Fringe receivers need to play well on special teams. Owusu and Graham do that. Owusu has also impressed as a receiver so far. Hakim is fast and does a good job on special teams, but he doesn't have great hands. Posey has been injured to start camp, so we'll leave him out for now. It's a tough call between Enunwa and Evans for our final spot. Both have played solidly so far in camp.

TIGHT ENDS (3)

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Retained: Jace Amaro, Jeff Cumberland, Kellen Davis

Cut: Wes Saxton, Steve Maneri

Analysis: No surprises here. Maybe the Jets decide to stick with just two tight ends, since Davis is primarily a blocking tight end. But we'll keep him onboard for now.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (9)

Retained: D'Brickashaw Ferguson, James Carpenter, Nick Mangold, Willie Colon, Breno Giacomini, Oday Aboushi, Brian Winters, Dakota Dozier, Ben Ijalana

Cut: Brent Qvale, Jarvis Harrison, Dalton Freeman, James Brewer, Wesley Johnson, Charles Brown

Analysis: Yes, Ijalana is pretty much exclusively a backup tackle, but that's an important person to have. Aboushi can also play tackle, which helps him, even if he doesn't win the right guard competition against Colon, Winters, and Qvale. We're projecting Qvale, a converted tackle, as the odd man out. The Jets have been grooming Dozier, a guard, to also play center. So Freeman is cut.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (6)

Retained: Damon Harrison, Muhammad Wilkerson, Leger Douzable, Leonard Williams, T.J. Barnes, Kevin Vickerson

Suspended: Sheldon Richardson

Cut: Stephen Bowen, Ronald Talley, Jordan Williams, Davon Walls, Deon Simon

Analysis: Vickerson has been hurt, so that's a tough call. But the Jets need an extra guy, since Richardson is out for the first four games. They'll have to make a roster move whenever he returns.

LINEBACKERS (9)

Retained: David Harris, Demario Davis, Calvin Pace, Quinton Coples, Lorenzo Mauldin, Erin Henderson, Jamari Lattimore, IK Enemkpali, Trevor Reilly

Cut: Jason Babin, Deion Barnes, Julian Howsare, Taiwan Jones, Joe Mays

Analysis: Babin will be the most prominent veteran cut, as we're projecting the Jets to go with the younger Enemkpali as Coples' backup. No other real stunners among the linebacker cuts.

SAFETIES (4)

Retained: Calvin Pryor, Marcus Gilchrist, Antonio Allen, Jaiquawn Jarrett

Cut: Rontez Miles, Durell Eskridge

Analysis: Pretty straightforward here. Two starters and two backups. This is the two-deep the Jets have been going with throughout camp, as Allen and Jarrett are backing up Pryor and Gilchrist.

CORNERBACKS (6)

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Retained: Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, Buster Skrine, Dee Milliner, Dexter McDougle, Darrin Walls

Cut: Curtis Brown, Keith Lewis, Dashaun Phillips, Marcus Williams

Analysis: Williams did some good things as an undrafted rookie last year, but there's no room for him in this talent-rich cornerback group.

SPECIAL TEAMS (3)

Retained: Nick Folk, Ryan Quigley, Tanner Purdum

Cut: Jacob Schum

Analysis: It would be a shocker if this spot unfolded any other way.

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10 observations from Day 5 of Jets camp, where Darrelle Revis’ impact was on full display (Dom Cosentino) NJ Advance Media August 5, 2015

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/08/10_observations_from_day_5_of_jets_camp_where_darr.html

FLORHAM PARK — You know the drill by now: One day of simple observations at Jets training camp is not, in and of itself, indicative of a player's overall ability, for good or for otherwise. Guys have good days, guys have bad days.

Here, then, are a few notes of what I saw when the Jets returned to the practice fields on Tuesday for the fifth time since camp began.

1. The Brandon Marshall experience. Curious as to what Marshall, the Jets' new receiver does all day at practice? We watched his (almost) every move here, and Antonio Cromartie figured prominently in what went down.

2. Replacing Muhammad Wilkerson. With Wilkerson, the Jets' starting defensive end, sitting out practice as he nursed a hamstring injury, the Jets turned to Leger Douzable and Stephen Bowen as replacements, with first-round pick Leonard Williams also getting reps. Douzable was also with the first team in nickel. Sheldon Richardson, suspended and perhaps facing additional discipline from the NFL, worked exclusively as a backup Tuesday. It was Douzable who forced the first turnover from Smith or Fitzpatrick by stripping the ball from Smith and recovering it.

3. Pepper Johnson is intense. The voice of the former Jets and Giants linebacker, who's now the Jets' defensive line coach, could be heard booming across the summer heat as he put his charges through position drills including work against blocking sleds and a heavy bag. Not sure what this means except that Pepper Johnson is intense, which I've now written twice in one paragraph.

4. Some Eric Decker drops. Three, by my count. Decker had two in position drills and another in the team periods. Which can happen. Decker will be integral to the Jets offensive plans this season. He'll be fine.

5. The quarterbacks. You were probably wondering when we'd get to this, huh? Darryl Slater has a more complete breakdown here, but just know it was a bit of a rough day for Geno Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick—and rookie Bryce Petty, who threw a pair of interceptions.

Daily Clips Cont.

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6. Those right guards. The Jets continued to work Willie Colon, Brent Qvale, and Brian Winters into a rotation at right guard. Oday Aboushi, a starter at left guard for more than half of last season, hasn't yet gotten any work with the 1s at camp. Said head coach Todd Bowles: "We're getting some guys looks early. We'll get some guys looks next week. But, no reason."

7. How are the safeties doing? Bowles likes the communication going on between Marcus Gilchrist and Calvin Pryor with the 1s, and with Antonio Allen and Jaiquawn Jarrett with the 2s. "They're getting to know each other and knowing how to disguise and do things," Bowles said. "I think Jarrett and Allen, from a disguise standpoint and stripping the ball and those types of things, have been outstanding thus far. If you look at a strip, it's probably Jaiquawn or Double-A [Allen] getting it out so I think all four of them are working pretty well together."

8. Marcus Williams flashing. Williams, a cornerback fighting for a spot behind Cromartie and Darrelle Revis, is having a good camp. And not just in coverage. During one team period play Tuesday, Williams jammed up wideout Walter Powell at the line so much, Powell was forced to move laterally and step out of bounds before getting into his route. The Jets' defenders certainly noticed.

9. The Revis impact. Chris Owusu, a receiver making a strong push for a spot on the 53-man roster, was matched up a lot against Revis, the all-world cornerback, in team periods. I'm not sure Owusu caught a pass all afternoon, though that likely says more about Revis than it does Owusu.

10. Cromartie likes what this defense can do. "Honestly, I think there's not going to be a lot of time left to try to drop back and throw the ball, or take a five-step drop and throw the ball," he said.

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NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Can Geno Smith bounce back after his first poor practice? Will Muhammed Wilkerson see action: 3 things to watch at Jets camp (Seth Walder) New York Daily News August 5, 2015

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/3-watch-jets-camp-geno-smith-bounce-back-article-1.2315400

The Jets take the field today at 2:20 p.m. Here are three things to keep an eye on:

1. Geno Smith excelled in the ball security department through the first few practices (well, as much as one can excel in drills, anyway), but the Jets QB had a rough day on Tuesday and committed his first turnover after getting stripped by Leger Douzable. We'll see if he's able to bounce back quickly on Wednesday.

2. How long will Muhammad Wilkerson's hammy hamper him? The defensive end tweaked his hamstring on Sunday and then sat out Tuesday's practice. Keep an eye on the star defensive lineman to see if his work increases at all today.

3. Smith wasn't the only QB to struggle on Wednesday — Bryce Petty threw two interceptions as well. The rookie isn't in the starting equation for now, but his development in training camp will give the team a sense of how long it will take to develop him into an option to hit the actual playing field.

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Jets Insider: Eric Decker talks up cornerbacks; Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin pays Gang Green a visit (Stephen Lorenzo, Peter Botte)

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New York Daily News August 5, 2015

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/eric-decker-hypes-cbs-george-martin-pays-jets-visit-article-1.2315919

Eric Decker is glad that he doesn't have to match up against Darrelle Revis or Antonio Cromartie on Sundays, but he's happy to do it every other day of the week.

The Jets' wide receiver lauded both of the team's starting cornerbacks on Wednesday, and Decker is looking forward to getting better during practice by trying to shake two of the best defensive backs in the NFL.

"When you go against the best in the league, it makes you better. The competition is better. It's just going to make you a better football player," Decker said. "I think Cromartie is great. He's a long armed guy, he's smart, he's got good instincts. Throughout the league, I think he's one of the premiere cornerbacks, for sure."

Revis and Cromartie will primarily match up daily in practice with Decker and Brandon Marshall, who the Jets hope can be a formidable one-two punch in the passing game. Decker admitted that he and Marshall have been pushing each other on the offensive side of the ball.

"If he gets a big grab, I want to come back and get one," he said. "I'm not really a big statistics guy. I can't say what everybody will get.

"Obviously we all want to be in the top tier of the receiver position.

But what really counts is wins. We just want to be able to make the big play. Situational football is what makes great teams and pushes you through the playoffs and into the championship game. For us to be efficient in the red zone and efficient on third down, that's what our goal is."

MO' PROBLEMS

Defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson missed his second straight full day of practice since tweaking his hamstring on Sunday.

"No setbacks. Still day-to-day," coach Todd Bowles said. "Starting out the beginning of training camp, guys are gonna be a little tight and a little sore. So we just want to err on the side of caution instead of the other side."

FOOTBALL IS COMING

Jets fan George R.R. Martin - the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire series, which spawned the hit HBO show "Game of Thrones" - observed training camp on Wednesday and met with GM Mike Maccagnan.

The 66-year-old Bayonne native was asked how he feels about spoilers from the television show becoming a big topic in NFL locker rooms.

"I think all of the players should read the books," Martin said.

CONTACT!

The Jets ran a few 11-on-11 plays with full contact in goal-line situations for the first time in camps.

"Short yardage and goal line, if you don't go full speed it's gonna look bad, so we got a couple plays in," Bowles said. "It gives you a good luck at the running backs, slamming up in there."

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THE NEW YORK TIMES

Jets Linebacker Carries New Load as Fullback (Ben Shpigel) The New York Times August 5, 2015

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/06/sports/football/jets-linebacker-julian-howsare-carries-new-load-as-fullback.html?ref=football&_r=0

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Like many players in high school, Julian Howsare started on both sides of the ball, though for college he had to choose. The coaches at Clarion University projected him as a defensive end, so that was where he played, demoralizing quarterbacks with an array of speed rushes and spin moves.

Part of him yearned to play offense again — whenever the Golden Eagles possessed the ball near the goal line, Howsare would badger the offensive coordinator, Chris Weibel, to let him run it in — but by the end of a career studded with awards and accolades, he had begun attracting interest from some N.F.L. teams.

One was the Jets, who, projecting him as an outside linebacker in their 3-4 scheme, signed him soon after the draft. Howsare’s intelligence, athleticism and aggressive temperament appealed to them, and it was those attributes that prompted Coach Todd Bowles to seek him out for a conversation Sunday and pose a potentially life-altering question just before defensive meetings were about to start: How would you like to play fullback?

Of course he would, Howsare said, and the transformation began at once. He hunkered down with his tablet and started studying the offensive playbook so that he would at least know where to line up. In his locker appeared a white pinnie — the color worn by offensive players — that he would have to slip over his green jersey. While linebackers practiced their coverage skills, he huddled with the running backs, performing agility drills and catching passes and evading tackling dummies.

“It’s another opportunity for me to show what I can do,” Howsare said.

As one of 90 players on a roster that must be whittled to 53 by Sept. 5, Howsare finds himself in the predicament of trying to make the team at a position he last played five years ago, as a senior at Altoona High School in Pennsylvania. As it has been explained to him, the switch is temporary but indefinite.

The Jets still consider him a linebacker — “Make no mistake about that,” Bowles said — but they are intrigued enough by his prospects that he will take reps at fullback until further notice.

“Sometimes you don’t know what you have until you take a shot at it,” General Manager Mike Maccagnan said in an interview.

For Maccagnan, the idea started percolating during off-season workouts, when it struck him how much Howsare looked like a fullback. Unlike taller, more linear outside linebackers, Howsare, listed as 6 feet 3 inches and 255 pounds, carries his weight through his lower body and legs. In pedigree and in size, he reminded Maccagnan of another defensive end-turned-N.F.L. fullback who played at a smaller college, James Develin of New England.

“Watching him as a linebacker roll his hips and take on blockers, you start thinking of it in reverse,” Maccagnan said of Howsare. “If he’s a fullback and going into the line of scrimmage and uncoiling on contact, he had the flexibility and athletic ability.”

The fullback’s role has changed over the years, evolving from that of a pure lead blocker — almost like an extra guard — to, as spread offenses have infiltrated the league, another pass-catching threat out of the backfield. According to Pro Football Focus, the Jets deployed a fullback on 19.1 percent of their offensive

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snaps last season, but Bowles said he and coordinator Chan Gailey had yet to determine how often they would use one.

“It’s not a natural position,” said the Jets’ likely starter, Tommy Bohanon. “It’s not natural to run 5 yards and hit a linebacker square in the face.”

The running-5-yards-and-hitting part comes naturally to Howsare. He recorded 39 sacks and 57 tackles for a loss at Clarion, about 80 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, and developed a reputation as such a dogged and ferocious player that the conference rival California University of Pennsylvania started referring to him as the Chain Saw (when the Cal graduate Rontez Miles learned that Howsare had joined the team, he said, he ran around the Jets’ complex asking: “Where’s Chain Saw? Where’s Chain Saw?” until he found him). As a senior, Howsare was selected as a finalist for the award given to the best lineman — offensive or defensive — in Division II.

“There was no one that could block him,” Weibel, now the head coach at Clarion, said in a telephone interview. “There was no one that would put forth the effort or match his effort on the field.”

It is everything else that commands a recalibration. However similar Howsare views the responsibilities, the differences greet him every time he lines up.

Instead of having the freedom to pursue the ball any way he chooses, he must harness his aggression. If a guard misses a block, Howsare must prevent the play from breaking down before he can proceed to his assignment. If the ball carrier cannot make it back to the line of scrimmage, that, in essence, is Howsare’s fault.

“The hardest part is really just the flow of the game and learning how to get into the holes and get into your blocks,” said Bohanon, who switched to fullback from running back as a freshman at Wake Forest. “It’s something you definitely have to learn over a few years.”

Howsare does not have a few years. He has a few weeks. The more he can do, Bowles told him, the more appealing he becomes for the Jets or potential employers elsewhere, who will determine the position that fits him best.

Whichever position that is. Back_to_Top

WALL STREET JOURNAL

Jets and Giants Training Camp: Who Does It Better for Fans? (Stu Woo) Wall Street Journal August 5, 2015

http://www.wsj.com/articles/jets-and-giants-training-camp-showdown-who-does-it-better-for-fans-1438792473?tesla=y

For the first time in years, both the Giants and Jets are holding training camp at their respective New Jersey practice facilities, each within 40 minutes of Manhattan.

In other words, they’ve made it easy to answer the question: Which New York football team makes training camp more fun for fans?

These preseason practices, free to the public, weren’t always supposed to be so entertaining. For decades, Giants and Jets fans who schlepped to remote college campuses were rewarded with nothing but bleacher seats, sunburns and unparalleled views of their favorite receiver riding a stationary bike.

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Now, as NFL teams try to make training camps appealing to entire families, the Jets and Giants have set up free, carnival-like festivals next to the football fields, complete with food trucks, inflatable slides and other activities that have nothing to do with learning the 3-4 defense.

NFL teams don’t try to make money off training camp, but rather are thinking long term, said Robert Tuchman, whose business, CAA Premium Experience, manages corporate hospitality at major sporting events. “It’s more about generating passion for the team, which will include fans becoming season-ticket holders and buying more merchandise,” he said.

I spent this past weekend sweating through both the Giants’ and Jets’ camps, where I ate a ham-and-pineapple empanada, signed a waiver to hurtle down the aforementioned slide and, oh yeah, even watched some football. Then I graded the training camps in five categories, worth 20 points each, so each camp received a final score of up to 100.

ACCESSIBILITY

Jets (Florham Park, N.J.): Parking is a piece of cake, as it should have been considering that five—five!—attendants guided me to my spot. Far less fun was leaving my car and joining what one fan, Sarabeth Gottlieb, called “the longest line I have ever seen in my life.”

Full disclosure: Sarabeth is 7 years old and has never had to replace a lost driver’s license in New York. But it did take her family 23 minutes to reach the entrance to the facility, where fans wriggled through two airport-like metal detectors.

To be fair, the line had disappeared by the time practice started.

Admission is free, but fans must reserve tickets in advance.

Jets Score: 13/20

Giants (East Rutherford, N.J.): Imagine driving to a Giants game, only to find that 2,000 fans showed up. (This may be a reality if Tom Coughlin doesn’t fix the defense.)

You can park right next to the Giants’ practice facility, which is essentially in MetLife Stadium’s parking lot. Several security guards with hand-held metal detectors quickly wand fans. The bleachers are a couple dozen yards beyond the entrance. We’re talking driver’s seat to bleacher seat in five minutes or less.

Admission is free. No tickets are required.

Giants Score: 18/20

FOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT

Jets: Took the day off work but find yourself missing your Midtown lunch? Don’t worry, the Jets have you covered with two food trucks at training camp.

On Saturday, one sold traditional fare, such as burgers, cheesesteaks, chicken fingers and burritos. The other was exotic by NFL standards: empanadas. My chicken one was delicious; the ham-and-pineapple one not so much, maybe because I had actually ordered the bacon mac-and-cheese one instead, or maybe because it was a ham-and-pineapple empanada.

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There was one more food stand as well as an Italian ice and ice-cream stand. The prices were un-MetLife Stadium-like: A hot dog will set you back $2, while an ice-cream bar is $3.

The Jets set up about eight activities for kids, including two inflatable slides, an inflatable obstacle course and two football-toss games. A DJ played family-friendly pop songs at non-family-friendly decibels. A favorite was the photo booth that provided props, including a helmet and shoulder pads, producing what will probably be my Christmas card.

Jets Score: 18/20

Giants: The Giants may have quadruple the Lombardi trophies of the Jets, but they have half the inflatable slides.

The Giants’ kids’ area has about six activities, including the slide, one football-toss game, one beanbag-toss game, a face-painting station and a balloon artist. There was also a videogame truck, but it was temporarily closed because the air-conditioning was kaput.

Stands selling Rita’s Italian Ice and Dippin’ Dots were welcome sites, but the only major food stand was a Premio truck hawking sausages, hot dogs and peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches. My $5 sausage came with a stale bun.

Giants Score: 11/20

THE STANDS

Jets: Much a like a high-school football stadium, the bleachers hold 1,400 fans and sit 10 yards from the sideline, where reporters and even general manager Mike Maccagnan loiter. On Saturday, a fan yelled at Maccagnan: “Hey Magic Mike. Are we signing Evan Mathis? I just saw it on my phone!”

Maccagnan turned around and stared at the fan with a raised eyebrow, getting big laughs. Some other fans gently heckled a newspaper columnist. And after Geno Smith made some good throws in practice, the crowd even started chanting the quarterback’s name, raising the question of whether these are the same fans who go to regular-season games at MetLife Stadium.

Jets Score: 20/20

Giants: Craig Hart, a 45-year-old Giants fan from Philadelphia, loves almost everything about training camp. “The only bad thing is you can’t see anything because of the fence.”

Surrounding the practice field is a fence that’s about nine or 10 feet tall. If you get a seat in the bleachers, you can see over it without a problem. But the bleachers were so jammed on Sunday that fans resorted to standing along the fence. The crowd was three-people deep in places.

Compared with the Jets, the bleachers are farther back from the field. So even though the crowd was relatively engaged, cheering good plays, they couldn’t interact with any of the players, coaches or executives.

Giants Score: 10/20

RELIEF

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Jets: Wear sunscreen. The bleachers don’t provide shade, though the Jets do have tents behind one of the end zones and picnic tables with umbrellas near the food trucks. There are also at least four misting stations where fans can cool off. The Jets have well-marked free water coolers throughout the camp.

The bathrooms are all portable toilets, but they were clean and had no wait.

Jets Score: 12/20

Giants: Wear even more sunscreen. There is so little shade at the Giants’ facility that fans resorted to sitting behind the bleachers to eat their ice cream or just find some respite. A Giants spokesman noted that there are awnings at the camp, but they were retracted Sunday because of concerns about the wind.

The Giants also provide misting stations, portable toilets—and a luxury portable-toilet station.

Giants Score: 7/20

AUTOGRAPHS

Jets: After each practice opens to the public, one position group (e.g., linebackers, cornerbacks, etc.) signs autographs. The problem is that the Jets don’t announce in advance which group signs because head coach Todd Bowles decides that day.

On Saturday, it was the offensive line, which disappointed 10-year-old Ben Gottlieb, Sarabeth’s brother, who was hoping to score Muhammad Wilkerson’s autograph. By chance, Wilkerson signed autographs for about 15 minutes by his own volition, but left before he got to Ben. He and Sarabeth did get to stand in a kids-only area, where they got better access to offensive linemen whom they didn’t totally recognize.

The Jets held their sole alumni signing day on Sunday, with 47 former players including Laveranues Coles, Mark Gastineau and Al Toon in attendance.

Jets Score: 11/20

Giants: If you really want an autograph at Giants training camp, you will get one. Especially if you’re a child.

There’s only one autograph area where current players sign, and it’s open only to children 12 years and under. Unlike the Jets, the Giants announce on their website which players will be signing autographs on which days.

Fear not, grown men and women. During five of the nine practices open to the public, the Giants have former players scheduled to sign, all announced in advance. On Thursday, it will be Ottis Anderson and Carl Banks.

Giants Score: 16/20

Final Training Camp Score: Jets 74, Giants 62.

How do the Giants feel about this critical loss to their cross-stadium rivals?

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Giants director of sales and marketing Kevin Frattura said the team is “reviewing and evaluating the fan experience at camp and will continue to make improvements.”

The teams’ training camps run through Aug. 27.

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METRO NEW YORK

Jets notebook: Wilkerson out again, Ivory looks strong (Kristian Dyer) Metro New York August 5, 2015

http://www.metro.us/kristian-dyer/jets-notebook-wilkerson-out-again-ivory-looks-strong/zsJohf---99WIAdY7IMs/

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – It doesn't appear that Muhammad Wilkerson will be rushed back anytime soon as the New York Jets defensive end missed a second straight day of training camp on Wednesday with a hamstring injury.

Wilkerson, who missed about half of Sunday's session with the aforementioned injury, stretched with the team but did not participate in drills. Instead, he was limited to the rehab area where he stretched some more and rode the stationary bicycle. With the Jets off on Monday, Wilkerson did not practice with the team yesterday or today, a trend that may play out for the rest of the week.

Head coach Todd Bowles was typically low-key when it came to giving an update on Wilkerson, who is in the final year of his rookie contract.

“No setbacks, still day-to-day,” Bowles said on Wednesday.

“It's starting out the beginning of training camp, guys are going to be a little tight, and a little sore. So you just want to err on the side of caution than you would the other side, throwing him out there since it's early in camp.”

The Jets might as well sit him through the week including Saturday's Green & White Scrimmage held at MetLife Stadium.

JETS NOTES

→ It was a good day from running back Chris Ivory who was tough to stop in the live goal line session. The team's leading rusher last year, Ivory runs with a fierce, combative style that is borderline bruising.

“He's a hard worker. He doesn't say much, he comes keeps his head down. Grinds every day,” Bowles said. “He's where he's supposed to be. He's a good blocker, teaching him how to be a better receiver, he has some decent hands. Just concentrating a little bit more but running the ball isn't a problem for him.”

→ After a rough performance on Tuesday, quarterback Geno Smith bounced back on Wednesday. He threw better balls and had a perfectly placed pass to Eric Decker for a 25-yard touchdown pass.

It wasn't perfect, his accuracy and ball placement is still erratic at times but he showed some resiliency in bouncing back from a pretty bad Tuesday.

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→ The Jets entertained roughly 1,500 children as part of their Camp Day. One child yelled out “Go Giants!” and got lustily booed, including a young boy who stood up and responded with “Who is the fool who said that?” The next generation of Jetsfandom is born.

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Leaner, faster Tommy Bohanon looks to make Jets roster (Kristian Dyer) Metro New York August 5, 2015

http://www.metro.us/kristian-dyer/leaner-faster-tommy-bohanon-looks-to-make-jets-roster/zsJohf---qgdmOr4pUbn/

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – Don't look now but Tommy Bohanon is making an impact for the New York Jets.

Not much is thought of Bohanon these days. He is, after all, a draft pick selection of former general manager John Idzik, who is despised around these parts. Then there's the fact that he was a teammate of Idzik's son at Wake Forest, further burying him in the eyes of public perception.

A season-ending injury last year and that he is a fullback, a role that is a bit under-appreciated (and is perhaps a dying position) means that Bohanon is an afterthought when evaluating the Jets roster.

That is until this training camp.

He is one of the surprise names of camp, putting in some very solid performances during these first sessions of training camp. There is also a new offensive coordinator in Chan Gailey whose offense will utilize Bohanon's skillset, letting him be more of a receiver this year than just the obligatory blocking role. It is a fresh slate for a player who shies away from attention, who just wants to come to work and contribute to the team.

“I get to split out, be in the backfield and still be the lead blocker. I still can go out and run routes and do those sort of things. There's more I can do than in the previous year,” Bohanon told Metro.

“I like being able to go out and do those type of things. I did that in college. I like being able to go out and show that do, do that. It's good.”

During the offseason, he focused more on agility and running rather than just weightlifting. The workouts included more route running and sprinting then in the past plus he emphasized cutting and agility work more as well. Bohanon has always been thick in terms of his build but now with a new offense asking him to be more multiple, he's had to adjust his offseason workouts to accommodate this new workload.

In response to Gailey's requirements for a fullback, he's gotten leaner. Last year around training camp time, Bohanon was around 14 to 15 percent body fat. Now he's nearly the same weight but his body fat is around 10 percent now.

The result, the soft spoken Bohanon says, is that he can better fit into this system.

“I'm more explosive so I'm able to finish my blocks better. I'm able to get out there and run routes better. Just overall more explosive,” Bohanon said.

On Tuesday after a day off, Bohanon was quick out of the backfield. His blocking was solid but he got out into the open twice in 11-on-11 sessions to be a reliable outlet when quarterback Geno Smith was under pressure. The result was two first downs.

There's plenty of talk that the Jets might not carry a fullback – plenty of teams don't these days – but the Jets fullback doesn't think that the position is ready to be put six-feet under. Not yet.

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“I think there's been a resurgence in the position the last few years. The Patriots used a fullback in the Super Bowl; the Seahawks did as well and they were in that game,” Bohanon said. “We've always used one here and I've been used in a lot of different ways. It's a different role this year, a bigger year.”

There is already a sign that he has progressed and is solid on the depth chart: J.C. Copeland, brought in during the offseason as competition at the position, was cut last week.

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Damon Harrison is the NFL’s interview bomb king (Kristian Dyer) Metro New York August 5, 2015

http://www.metro.us/kristian-dyer/damon-harrison-is-the-nfl-s-interview-bomb-king/zsJohe---mzYRXW2Ulr8Ws/

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – Photo bombing has been "a thing" now for a few years, but NFL journalists take note: Damon Harrison is ready to interview bomb you.

Twice in the span of as many months, Harrison, the New York Jets' star nose tackle, has interrupted interviews by this very reporter to ask his own questions. The first instance came during minicamp in mid-June when Metro New York was interviewing Quinton Coples. Harrison came in with a hand towel, rolled it up to look like a microphone and chimed in with a question. He didn't even ask if he could cut in.

In other words, he will be perfect for this job.

Last week during training camp, Harrison again interview bombed this hard-hitting journalist, although this time he came more prepared.

While interviewing Jets safety Rontez Miles (who has had a good camp by the way), the man known as "Snacks" came up with his cellphone and began to fire away with some questions. With his IPhone in video camera mode, Harrison did his best "Larry King Live" and tried on the role of being an intrepid reporter.

He pushed this beat reporter aside to ask some questions. Not to be outdone, Metro New York recorded audio of Harrison grilling Miles to bring you this transcript. There's mentions of cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie as well as fellow safeties Jaiquawn Jarrett and Marcus Gilchrist.

Harrison: How do see yourself improving the past couple of years? What do you think you're doing differently?

Miles: I'm studying harder, I'm taking the playbook more serious. There's guys here as far as yourself and other guys Revis and Cro that are making me increase my level of play. Making you step up.

I'd say studying the playbook more, being more of a professional.

Harrison: After losing a guy like Dawan Landry, who is the guy in that room that takes that place as the leader to help the young guys out? And are you finding yourself in a position to help the young guys out?

Miles: Overall, I can't even speak for the safeties, we're a young group. J.J. is a smart guy, Gilchrist is a very smart guy too.

I'd say Revis and Cro overall takes the head of the room. They know what they're doing, they've been around long enough. You have to respect their words

Harrison: Sir, I just want to let you know, somebody asked, I think it was NFL.com, who is the one player that we haven't seen a lot from, that you can see being a big producer in the future.

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And I want to let you know, I said Rontez Miles.

Miles: I appreciate that bro (there's then a man hug moment between Harrison and Miles, beat reporter wipes eyes, both of them. It's like watching an episode of Little House on the Prairie).

Harrison: That's the truth man, that's the truth.

*Beat reporter, composed from shedding tears moments ago, brazenly jumps in*

Dyer: What do you think of his questions?

Miles: I'd give him a 10, those were good questions.

Dyer: Is there a media career for this guy down the road?

Miles: Yea. He's not shy man, he's good in front of the camera.

*Harrison walks away to interview bomb me another day*

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WEDNESDAY’S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS

BASEBALL

American League

CHICAGO WHITE SOX — Placed RHP Daniel Webb on the 15-day DL. Reinstated RHP Nate Jones from the 60-day DL. Agreed to terms with 2B Tony Thomas on a minor league contract.

CLEVELAND INDIANS — Designated LHP Michael Roth for assignment. Claimed RHP Deolis Guerra off waivers from Pittsburgh.

DETROIT TIGERS — Optioned RHP Jose Valdez to Toledo (IL). Recalled LHP Matt Boyd from Toledo. Sent LHP Kyle Lobstein to Lakeland (FSL) for a rehab assignment.

HOUSTON ASTROS — Designated RHP Dan Straily for assignment. Recalled RHP Asher Wojciechowski from Fresno (PCL).

NEW YORK YANKEES — Optioned RHPs Nick Rumbelow and Caleb Cotham to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (IL). Designated RHP Danny Burawa for assignment. Announced INF/OF Garrett Jones elected free agency and signed him to a one-year contract. Selected the contract of RHP Luis Severino from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

TAMPA BAY RAYS — Claimed OF Daniel Nava off waivers from Boston.

National League

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Optioned RHP Zack Godley to Mobile (SL). Recalled RHP Allen Webster from Reno (PCL).

ATLANTA BRAVES — Released LHP Josh Outman.

CHICAGO CUBS — Placed RHP Rafael Soriano on the 15-day DL. Assigned C Taylor Teagarden outright to Iowa (PCL). Agreed to terms with LHP Clayton Richard on a one-year contract.

MIAMI MARLINS — Optioned LHP Chris Reed to New Orleans (PCL). Selected the contract of LHP Chris Narveson from New Orleans.

Daily Clips Cont.

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MILWAUKEE BREWERS — Optioned RHP Preston Guilmet to Colorado Springs (PCL). Recalled RHP Tyler Cravy from Colorado Springs. Sent RHP Brandon Kintzler to the AZL Brewers for a rehab assignment.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS — Assigned 3B Joaquin Arias outright to Sacramento (PCL).

American Association

FARGO-MOORHEAD REDHAWKS — Released C Joe Staley. Signed C Luke Bailey.

JOPLIN BLASTERS — Released LHP Scott Heath.

KANSAS CITY T-BONES — Released INF Ernie Banks Jr., OF Kyle Richards and INF James Boddicker.

LINCOLN SALTDOGS — Signed RHP Chase Cunningham. Traded OF Steven Tinoco to Joplin to complete an earlier trade.

SIOUX FALLS CANARIES — Released OF Jake Luce.

Atlantic League

SUGAR LAND SKEETERS — Signed INF Daryle Ward.

Can-Am League

OTTAWA CHAMPIONS — Released INF Jon Talley.

QUEBEC CAPITALES — Signed INF Cedric Vallieres.

Frontier League

FLORENCE FREEDOM — Signed OF Frazier Hall. Released OF Kyle Carter.

FRONTIER GREYS — Signed RHP Mason Hope.

NORMAL CORNBELTERS — Signed RHP Cody Gappa and INF Ty Morris. Released OF Kyle McHugh and RHP Marc Rutledge.

RIVER CITY RASCALS — Released 1B Marc Flores.

SCHAUMBURG BOOMERS — Signed INF Robby Spencer.

TRAVERSE CITY BEACH BUMS — Released RHP J.T. Mickelson.

FOOTBALL

National Football League

BUFFALO BILLS — Activated TE Chris Manhertz from the PUP list.

CAROLINA PANTHERS — Announced the retirement of CB Chris Houston. Released P Matt Wile. Signed CB T.J. Heath and DT Kenny Horsley.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS — Released CB Chris Cook.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS — Activated S Earl Thomas from the PUP list.

Daily Clips Cont.

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TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS — Waived LS Courtland Clavette.

WASHINGTON REDSKINS — Signed CBs Bryan McCann and DreQuan Hoskey. Waived S Phillip Thomas. Waived-injured CB Tevin Mitchel.

Canadian Football League

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS — Signed RB Ray Holley and WR Giovanni Aprile from the practice roster and RB Nic Grigsby and WR Robin Medeiros to the practice roster.

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS — Signed LB Carlton Littlejohn and RB Tyler Thomas to the practice roster.

HOCKEY

National Hockey League

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS — Agreed to terms with D Viktor Svedberg on a one-year contract.

American Hockey League

SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE — Agreed to terms with D Hubert Labrie.

ECHL

ELMIRA JACKALS — Re-signed F Matt Tassone.

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