Eric shows he's the Man

Eric shows he's the Man



BY RICH CIMINI
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER


D'Brickashaw Ferguson (c.),
fourth pick in last month's
NFL draft, shows blocking
technique during the first day
of Jets' minicamp.



And on his 116th day, Eric Mangini finally got a chance to coach football.
Mangini took the field for the first time yesterday as the Jets' coach, leading 40 rookies through the first day of a weekend minicamp at Hofstra. The NFL's youngest head coach, 35, called it an "important day for me." By the end of it, his agenda had become quite clear.

Football first, everything else second.

Mangini showed up 20 minutes late for his post-practice news conference, explaining that he felt it was important to spend extra time on the field. His predecessor, Herm Edwards, never was late for a date with the cameras. Feel free to interpret the contrast.

Once he got talking, Mangini was reluctant to discuss individual players, a tactic that underscored the theme of his pre-camp speech to the rookies. He's believes in the no-star system, borrowed from mentor Bill Belichick of the Patriots.

Addressing a group that included two soon-to-be millionaires (first-round picks D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold) and the possible quarterback of the future (Kellen Clemens), Mangini told them they're all equal, that past accomplishments mean nothing. To illustrate his point, he mentioned Wayne Chrebet, Victor Green and Rick Lyle, three former undrafted free agents who beat the odds.

Mangini appeared relaxed on Day 1, perhaps because he was back in his element - on the field, coaching.

"It was fantastic to finally get out of the meeting room, to stop talking about the scheme and the playbook and free agency and the draft," he said. "It was a lot of fun."