I’ve you’ve been following Twitter at all today, then you already know that the first day of mandatory minicamp kicked off this morning. You’ll probably be happy to hear that I am not going to provide a play-by-play of what happened today. (But you can find that on Jetstwit.com, from the amazing Erik Manassy). Instead, I have extracted  a lot of important and newsworthy information and provided some commentary on it.

I can tell you that the general consensus on today is that the defense once again outplayed the offense.

Note: I have relied heavily on Jenny Vrentas and the two beat writers from Jets insider, Chris Nimbley and Wesley Skyes for the insight on practices this off-season. I find it to be the most informative and perhaps more importantly, the least obnoxious.

Rex Changes His Approach with Media. (Sort of).

Today we saw Rex Ryan attempt to take charge of situation with the media that has quickly gotten out of control. The team informed the media that Rex would be conducting his chats with the media prior to the start of camp, rather than after practice had concluded. According to the Post, the official reason is related to film study and meetings, but I suspect that it’s not the only reason.

Ryan is changing the plan to have more time to study film and attend meetings in the afternoon. Under this plan, he takes care of his media obligations in the morning, goes to practice and then has the rest of the afternoon to meet with coaches, players and watch film.

Of course, when he did speak with the media he engaged in his regular hyperbole, using words like “tremendous” to describe quarterback Mark Sanchez. I usually take his off-season trips to the podium with a grain of salt, and I believe you should do the same. He’s not going to say anyone looks bad, and you won’t see him pretend to be someone he is not. Get used to it.

Defense

• Darrelle Revis was in attendance for camp this morning. As Cimini tweeted, Revis will not comment on his status for training camp, but he did add he hopes that he and Mr. T can sit down “soon.”
• Safety LaRon Landry did not and will not participate in team drills in camp, but he was present at the facility, attended meetings and was working off to the side with trainers. Rex said he never expected Landry to participate in this camp anyway, for what it’s worth.
• Rex praised the work of rookie safety Josh Bush saying, “He has really looked good. He’s been impressive,”  but he wants to see how physical he can be in camp. (Per Manish Mehta). I’m very curious to see what kind of a role Bush can play this year and what effect it could potentially have on the re-singing of Jim Leonhard.
• Rex told the media that outside of Cromartie and Revis, Bart Scott and Muhammed Wilkerson have impressed him the most this offseason. Par for the course with Revis and Cromartie, as they have performed as expected.
• Between Rookie minicamp, OTAs and the first day of mandatory minicamp, it sounds as though Quinton Coples is making an impression. From someone who was somewhat critical of the Coples selection on draft day, I am thrilled to hear how he is playing. I am also looking forward to seeing what this defensive line will look like this year, particularly given the presence of Karl Dunbar and the new schemes the unti has been running in practice.
• The defensive unit got the better of the offensive line and quarterbacks today, racking up 5 total sacks. I don’t mean to minimize or overemphasize sack totals from minicamp, but I do think this is a sign that this defense can get a little more pressure on the QB than we’d seen in the past. It also means the offensive line has some work to do.

» Continue reading “Day One of Jets Minicamp (CliffNotes Style)”

The second day of  NFL scouting combine featured skill position players (QB, WR and RB), Monday featured DL and LB, while today showcased the defensive backs.

Here is a brief summary of the top performers from Sunday-Tuesday, with an emphasis on some of the players the Jets could/should target (indicated with in bold).

Early Notes from Today (DB)

• CB Janoris Jenkins: The DB from Northern Alabama’s was Tuesday’s consensus top performance. Jenkins ran in the 4.4 range and performed very well in the drills. Morris Claiborne will still be considered the top corner prospect but Jenkins is not far behind. The only thing keeping him from really jumping ahead are “character concerns.”
• CB Josh Robinson: The UCF corner had the best broad jump (11’1″) and second best vertical (38.5), which was a surprise to many who didn’t see that kind of speed from him on tape. Robinson definitely raised some eyebrows and his stock will rise
• SS George Iloka:  The Boise State safety ran a 4.59 40, but decisions were split on his performance in the drills. Some felt he improved as he progressed through, while others felt he was stiff and showed poor footwork. Interest in him will rise and he could go as high as the second round as this safety class is not as strong .

Notes from Monday (DL, LB)

• DL Fletcher Cox: Cox ran an impressive 40 and showed really explosiveness and athleticism during positional drills.
• NT Dontari Poe : Poe was one of the top performers from Monday (some are calling his performance “freak-ish”). The Memphis DT boasted a 4.87 40 — and he weights almost 350 pounds. He can play in both a 3-4 and 4-3 and he will be highly sought after by teams looking for an elite DT/NT.
  

  South Carolina OLB/DE prospect Melvin Ingram

• DL Nick Perry – Perry’s vertical (38.5), broad jump (10’4″) and 40 time (4.5 at 270 pounds!) showed Perry’s explosiveness and maybe have helped put to rest of the concerns about him coming in.
• DE/OLB Melvin Ingram: Ingram performed well enough at the combine to possible overtake Courtney Upshaw as the “top” pass rusher in the draft, though his “body” is still a concern to some.  It’s become more likely that Ingram will not be available to the Jets at #16, and if they want him they may have to move up.
• LB Luke Kuechly: The Boston College alum solidified his status as one of, if not THE top linebacker in the draft after a fast, fluid workout. » Continue reading “Tales from the Combine – Part Two”