FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – The New York Jets opened training camp Saturday to their fans, and it was a packed house. Up until the storm sirens sounded, the fans were loud and engaged on every rep. The fans had every right to be anxious after suffering a long and painful off-season. Dealing with missing the playoffs, and waiting up until Thursday to see Ryan Fitzpatrick signed must have been torture.
However, Fitzpatrick was back and New York looked like a team that was hungry for retribution. Right from the first snap, the tone of physicality was set early. Players were really getting after it, and Coach Todd Bowles mentioned about the effort level in his press conference.
Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker were the obvious stand-outs from the receiving core. Both look in excellent shape and haven’t lost a step. Marshall seemed to be the most vocal, and is starting to emerge as a leader. The receivers and backs battled all afternoon, and that’s exactly what you want to see if you’re Coach Bowles.
If there was one group that stood out, it had to be the defensive backs. Marcus Williams was someone that showed impressive physicality, and made a few plays defensively. Williams spoke with us about how that physical mentality has been taken on by the Jets.
Dee Milliner had the highlight play of the camp. On a side route, Milliner popped the ball out from a receiver who had caught the ball. Milliner then had the presence of mind to catch the ball, and drag both toes for the interception. This was very encouraging to see, knowing Milliner’s past injury problems. Milliner spoke about how important it is for him to be healthy and on the field this season.
Darrelle Revis suited up, but didn’t participate in contact drills. Revis did some lateral agility work off to the side, so whether he is 100% is uncertain. The Jets are smart to be careful with their multi-million dollar investment.
Fitzpatrick looked a little rusty, but started to pick it up towards the end of practice. He still had zip on his ball, and didn’t make many poor decisions. Geno Smith also looked like he was in great shape and had velocity on his throws. However, Smith made more poor decisions that led to interceptions out of any of the quarterbacks. Christian Hackenberg also was missing a lot of his throws, mainly on short routes in the dirt. Bryce Petty looked decent, but as a whole the quarterbacks are all far from game form.
Nick Folk looked to be in game form already, and 100% healthy. Folk was pretty much automatic in practice, and also hit a 58 yard field goal in the indoor facility.
Jets training camp will continue Sunday afternoon, and also will be open to the fans again.
Jet Under The Radar:
- Rookie WR Robbie Anderson (6-3, 190 lbs) out of Temple University is someone to keep an eye out for. Anderson is raw, but has shown impressive speed.
Barry Holmes is a Senior Writer for PureSportsNY.com. Follow him on Twitter @BHO732
(Featured Photo Credit: Barry Holmes)