Mangini gets first shot at taking Jets to school

[GreenBeans]

http://www.bergenrecord.com/

Thursday, July 27, 2006

By RANDY LANGE

STAFF WRITER

Eric Mangini sent his players off into the early summer after their June minicamp with this assignment:

"We've got to continue to make progress. We've got to focus on the physical side, make sure we're getting stronger and faster, in better shape. We need to make sure we're building mentally on where we are now."

Today, Mangini starts to find out if his new students -- some almost as old as he is -- did their homework.

All the Jets' veterans and their three top draft picks -- provided they sign -- report to the team complex at Hofstra University for the first training camp under their 35-year-old, first-time head coach. They will join the rest of the rookies already on campus.

And Friday, the Mangini era goes public. The first two-a-day practices of summer will be held under the observation of Gang Green fans eager for a new start after last season's 4-12 debacle, which was followed by the departure of coach Herm Edwards for Kansas City.

Many want to connect the dots between Mangini and Bill Belichick, New England's three-time Super Bowl-winning coach and Mangini's boss the previous six seasons. Linebacker Matt Chatham, who left the Patriots for the Jets this off-season, said not so fast.

"I wouldn't compare them yet," Chatham said. "But a lot of the things Bill keeps talking about with his players every year, you're going to hear from Eric as well."

Certainly the camp schedules are similar. Mangini has planned seven double sessions, compared to Belichick's eight. That number seems low, although it is becoming the NFL norm these days as coaches cut back on the traditional death-march approach to training camp. Buffalo will have only two two-a-days, though a handful of teams have scheduled as many as 12.

All Jets practices this summer under Mangini should feel different from those during the five years of Camp Herm. For one, Mangini's workouts will run longer, to two hours-plus, as they did at minicamp.

A point of emphasis for the new coach is agility work, such as drills the players go through on long maroon bags.

"Progress can come in a lot of different forms," Mangini said. "The agility bags are one form. Individual drills are another, group work is another. We're looking for each period, each section, each group to improve daily."

The improvement will have to be phenomenal for the Jets to jack from last year's record back into playoff territory.

For starters, they don't even have a quarterback depth chart. While some coaches get nervous with a two-QB competition and three is rare, Mangini and new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer insist they're running a four-way competition, with Chad Pennington, Patrick Ramsey, Brooks Bollinger and Clemens rotating in running the first-team offense for the first week or two of camp.

Curtis Martin is back as the starting tailback, but he's 33 and will probably be limited initially as the medical and training staffs continue to ease him back from his December arthroscopic knee surgery.

The only speed added at wide receiver was fourth-round rookie Brad Smith, Missouri's four-year quarterback starter; and Tim Dwight, the veteran slot man and kick returner who's battled nagging injuries recently. The line needs D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold to report quickly to begin its healing from last year's mangled group. Ferguson is expected to report today.

Defensively, new coordinator Bob Sutton unveils his scheme, featuring the 3-4 more prominently than at any time since the 2000 Al Groh Jets.

The unit will be slower -- John Abraham is gone and Kimo von Oelhoffen, a prototypical 3-4 end, has arrived. End Shaun Ellis and tackle Dewayne Robertson must bounce back from underwhelming seasons, LB Jonathan Vilma must show he can thrive in the 3-4 and Bryan Thomas gets a shot filling a role on the Jets like the one outside LB Willie McGinest played on the Patriots.

E-mail: lange@northjersey.com

[Bugg]

RE-the 4-way competition-keep hearing that they would like nothing better than for Clemens to win the job outright or be slotted number 2, looking to have him as their guy by midseason.

[Fred Jetstone]

While some coaches get nervous with a two-QB competition and three is rare, Mangini and new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer insist they're running a four-way competition, with Chad Pennington, Patrick Ramsey, Brooks Bollinger and Clemens rotating in running the first-team offense for the first week or two of camp.

Is this really, actually, genuinely true?

If so, I admire the constitutionaly democratic spirit of it.

Forget, no taxation without representation. I say, no calisthenics without reps.

The Constitution of the United States of America

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America and a democratic qb selection process for all.