NYJ.com: In First Practice, Woodhead Shows His Drive -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Randy's Radar In First Practice, Woodhead Shows His Drive Published: Thu, July 24, 2008 - 1:19pm EST Stephen Haynes By Stephen Haynes <p>Stephen Haynes, 22, is a former Newsday intern and high school sports writer. He’s a Bronx resident and Brooklyn College student. His hobbies included penning poems and short stories.</p> File Under: Eric Barton, Justin Miller, Kellen Clemens, Kerry Rhodes, Dustin Keller, Danny Woodhead change font email article 07/24 ? The standout play in what was a pretty mundane morning practice of training camp (hey, it?s the first one) was a Danny Woodhead run during 7-on-7 drills. Woodhead, the rookie running back, took the handoff and shot through a hole off left guard for a couple of yards before being wrapped up. In those drills, which are meant to be slightly more physical than a game of two-hand touch after school, the play usually ends once the ballcarrier is corralled. But Woodhead kept plowing forward and wrenched his body from the grasp of two defensive linemen, losing his helmet in the process. A little overzealous maybe, but coming out of Chadron State and being 5-foot-7, that?s the kind of grit that has gotten him this far and the kind he?ll have to continue to show. Well, that and his 4.35 40 speed. ?I tried to hit the hole as hard as I could and wanted to keep the legs driving,? said Woodhead, who idolized Barry Sanders. ?It got a little physical, but you?ve still got to be a football player.? He succeeded in turning heads, which is a good start. The standout play on defense, if you?re wondering, was an Eric Barton interception of a Kellen Clemens pass over the middle. A Rookie on his First Day Tight end Dustin Keller, the second of the Jets? two first-round picks, didn?t distinguish himself in practice ? ?He looked like a rookie on his first day,? coach Eric Mangini said ? but he showed his versatility and looked comfortable running routes. Keller, who was arguably the Jets? biggest off-season addition to the offensive skill positions, was used at tight end, in the slot and out wide. He wasn?t thrown to much, but he ran good routes. He was billed as an athletic, dynamic tight end, and that?s what he looked like. ?I?m bouncing around here and there, so it?s important for me to learn a lot of stuff,? said Keller, whom the Jets traded up to 30th overall to select. ?I like being split out because I?ve got the strength advantage over a [defensive back] and I also think I?ve got an advantage with speed when I?m lined up with my hand in the dirt.? His blocking, which was a highlighted weakness coming out of college, was spotty at times, and he admitted as much. ?Blocking is definitely the biggest thing I have to get better at,? he said. ?It?s coming along and I?ve been spending a lot of time with Bubba Franks and [Jason] Pociask, trying to pick their brains for tips.? Rhodes Throws His Weight Around Kerry Rhodes, in attempt to improve his leverage and be more stout, added 10 pounds of muscle in the off-season, bringing him up to 220. The strong safety had five interceptions and 10 pass deflections last season but felt he needed to bulk up to become a more solid tackler and better defend the run in eight-man fronts. In that regard, the extra muscle should help him get better at shedding blocks. It also helps when he?s covering Bubba Franks (6'6", 270) in practice. Rhodes had him in single coverage a couple of times and played him tight, once swatting a pass from behind on a quick out route. He assured that the added weight wouldn?t come at the expense of any speed. ?You don?t want to get bigger to just be big,? said Rhodes, adding that he also wants to improve in coverage and get more interceptions. ?I did a lot of workouts to maintain the speed.? He actually threw out a number for the interceptions: nine. If he?s able to improve his tackling and haul in nine picks, there?s no way he could be denied a Pro Bowl selection again. Maybe. It's Miller Time Again Justin Miller, returning from a knee injury that had him shelved for 14 games last season, looked good in practice. He was thinner and showed the speed that made him a Pro Bowl kick returner in 2006. On one pass play, he locked up Laveranues Coles on a go route. Miller was stride for stride with the receiver and forced him toward the sidelines (there was contact, but not enough for him to get flagged had it been a game).
Rhodes sounds like he wants the all-pro nod. I'm loving the mentality of this team after coming off a 4-12 season. Everyone seems ready to beat the shit out of the other teams and get redemption. It's about time.
There was a picture last year showing Cotchery Rhodes and Vilma. Rhodes looked like the biggest guy in the bunch, even though Vilma had him by a few lbs.
yeah, from reading these brief TC reports, that's the feeling i get of the players' general attitudes. which is exciting.
I'm with you man I was hoping Miller would rebound and although it's early, this is a good sign! :jets:
Yeah... I needed this. If Miller does live up to what he can accomplish, there won't be any more of "Where is the #2 CB on the roster?" bullshit. Then... FS is the only spot to be filled - and I'm getting the hunch that Lowery will be fit to play just that. I'm in love with this secondary team.
I'll be happy if it happens, but I have yet to see anything from Miller during a regular season to make me think he will. Hell, I'll be happy if he ends up being simply servicable in a starting capacity.
Someone on another board mentioned that Westhoff made an appearance today. And also that Kris Jenkins was an utter beast.
