" A new page in the Jets' playbook -- X's and O's, plus R & R " ~ ~ ~

[kelly]

One of Todd Bowles' challenges this summer will be keeping his older players fresh and managing previously injured players through the training-camp grind.

Let's face it: The New York Jets have a veteran team, with several key players in their 30s, a couple of whom will be returning from major injuries. The head coach is cognizant of the situation, based on the way Bowles conducted the first two weeks of voluntary workouts.Center Nick Mangold, 32, was rested during team drills Wednesday (the final session open to the media), with Dakota Dozier taking the first-team reps. Wide receiver Brandon Marshall, 32, who skipped the first week of practice, was on a limited regimen. Even linebacker David Harris, 32, was given rests here and there. Ditto, running back Matt Forte, 30. At least nine starters will be at least 30 years old by opening day, so it makes sense to take it easy.

Marshall, who manages his body as intensely as a CEO running a Fortune 500 company, said at the end of last season he planned to take more down time than usual, and he apparently has done that.He hinted that last week's highly scrutinized absence was due,in part,to recharging his battery for the long haul.  "There's a big story, 'Where's Brandon?'" he said, alluding to the reported Ryan Fitzpatrick protest. "It's all about getting myself to a place where I'm [good] in December and January. That's what it's about, that's championship football. That's what I want to play is championship football."

Let's not forget about the injured players.Cornerback Darrelle Revis,30,sitting out the offseason as he recovers from wrist surgery,will be behind on conditioning  (particularly upper-body), so he figures to be on a pitch count. Defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson also will be monitored closely, as he will be returning from a surgically repaired broken leg. He still hasn't signed his franchise tender, so he's not rehabbing under the supervision of the Jets' training staff.Tackle Ryan Clady, who underwent ACL surgery last May while playing for theDenver Broncos, is making progress and made his debut this week in team drills. Wisely, the Jets aren't pushing him. The goal is to be ready for the Sept. 11 regular-season opener, not for relatively meaningless practices in the spring.

"He’s a little rusty," Bowles said, "but he hasn’t played in a while."

This will be part of Bowles' job description in 2016, making sure his players -- the old and the battered -- aren't worn down by the start of the season. It's the new normal at One Jets Drive.

>   http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/60707/a-new-page-in-the-jets-playbook-xs-and-os-plus-r-r

[kelly]

Jets Declare It’s Time to Move Forward

The Jets completed their second week of OTAs Thursday and they’ll have four more sessions next week to end the voluntary portion of their offseason program. Then it’s mandatory minicamp the week of June 13^thbefore a break and training camp report day is scheduled for July 27.  While the Jets have continually stated their intentions to re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick, it continues to be business as usual on the football field.“I don’t envision anything but coaching the guys that are here, and if he’s here, I can envision it,” head coach Todd Bowles said this week when asked foresaw Fitzpatrick leading his team. "If he's not, I've got to envision the next man up.”

 

The next man up at this moment is Geno Smith.  In the two OTA sessions open to the media, Smith has looked sharp. He has a solid grasp of the offense and coordinator Chan Gailey said last week that Smith is doing good things in all aspects — mentally, physically and decision making.“It seems like the game has slowed down,” WR Brandon Marshall said of Smith. “We had two-minute today and you guys were out there and you were able to watch, there was just a sense of poise. His comfort and it was pretty good to kind of watch him manage the situation and that’s the process for all players. You     have to give guys time. Every guy is different and he seems to be growing, and that’s a good thing for all of us.”

 

Marshall, who missed the Jets' open OTA on May 25, told reporters that he was in Florida last week. Bowles knew his star receiver would not attend the voluntary workout and deemed the absence as valid.“There is a thin line between supporting your teammate and also being detrimental to the team,” Marshall said. “But you guys know how I feel about Ryan. At this point, it’s time for all of us to move forward and try to figure out how we can win some games.”

The 32-year-old Marshall, who established franchise marks with 109 receptions and 1,502 receiving yards last season and tied for first in club annals with 14 TDs, has had more quarterbacks throughout his career than he has accrued seasons.“It’s an interesting career when you have a different quarterback almost every year, every other year,” he said. “So sometimes stability is good, but it’s the National Football League. It’s not a unique situation, it happens all the time.”

 During his meeting with the media this week, Eric Decker also discussed his absence on the 25th.“Coach knew where I was. I informed him the week before that I was going with my wife —  it doesn’t even matter where I was,” Decker said. “But I’m here now, obviously focused on getting better and being the best teammate and being a leader in the receiver position, so that’s kind of where my mindset’s at.”Paired up with Marshall in 2015, Decker caught 80 passes for 1,027 yards along with 12 touchdowns. He got more team reps than Marshall did this week and he looked to be in midseason form and in sync with Smith.  The business at hand on the football field continues to move on.

OTA Musings
Dakota Dozier  has gotten some valuable reps at center as  Nick Mangold  celebrated the birth of a child last week and watched most of team drills upon his return … As we wrote about recently,  Buster Skrine  is comfortable on the outside and he hauled in a nice interception Wednesday in a late-game situation … It will be fun to watch this defensive line once the pads come on in training camp.  Leonard Williams  has been camping out in the offensive backfield … The Jets have a great luxury with  Matt Forté  and  Bilal Powell  in the backfield because both those dudes have sick mitts … Mangold referred to Forté as a “special runner” and the former Bear has now said on a couple of occasions that he looks forward to a power running game under Chan Gailey …  Erin Henderson , who is paired up inside next to  David Harris , has looked spry and also has become quite the chatterbox on the field … Finally football in June is a lot different than what we will see in two months.

>      http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-6/Jets-Declare-It’s-Time-to-Move-Forward/9b54a987-3648-4508-ac0e-76f8fb6a5609