(8/7) Cimini: Gang's all here!

[Sperm Edwards]

Gang's all here!

But no one else is for dress rehearsal

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Eric Mangini had his team stage a 'mock game' yesterday.

If a team plays a football game and there is no one there to see it, does it count?

The Jets put a new twist on the age-old, philosophical question yesterday at Giants Stadium, where they played before 80,242 empty seats. Actually, it was a "mock" game, the brainchild of rookie coach Eric Mangini, who took the concept of a dress rehearsal to a new extreme.

It was a pre-preseason game that bordered on surreal. It included the national anthem (sorry, no jet flyover), the coin toss, an NFL officiating crew (with a miked-up referee), a public-address announcer, stadium music and TV timeouts. The scoreboard was in full operation, showing replays and commercials.

And no one was there to see it, not even Fireman Ed.

The two-hour session, which began at 4:15 (did the Giants play the early game?), was closed to the public. Which means it was the first time in a while the Jets didn't get booed at home.

"(The players) shouldn't get too used to that," guard Pete Kendall cracked.

Most teams have intrasquad scrimmages before the start of the preseason, but Mangini wanted to take it one step further, simulating a real game in a real stadium.

The former Patriots assistant said he borrowed the idea from his old team, which holds a similar exercise at Gillette Stadium. Of course, it's easier for the Patriots, who don't have to cross two rivers to get to their stadium.

"I always thought that gave us a real big edge because there was familiarity in those surroundings," Mangini said. "We had thrown into those end zones and we had worked on those sidelines. It was a real home-field advantage. That's what we were trying to do this weekend."

Mangini split the squad into green and white teams, and they played the first half like an actual game, sans tackling. In the second half, it was strictly situational, focusing on the two-minute drill.

The entire day was "about as close to a real game as you can get, while still simulating it," Kendall said.

Said Chad Pennington: "It felt just like a game. I had that pit in my stomach."

Indeed, if Mangini overlooked a detail, it was too subtle to notice.

Traditional game-day garb for the coaches? Check.

Headphones for the coaches? Check.

Telex photo machine on each sideline? Check.

The only thing missing was a crowd, which meant the attendance was only slightly less than the meaningless games at the end of last season.

Despite no fans, the stadium wasn't as quiet as a mime convention. To simulate crowd noise, rock music was played, which bothered the offense at times.

In between plays, the PA system blared the traditional, "Charge!" At one point, the PA announcer declared the winner of a fan giveaway, asking the person seated in a specific section, row and seat to come forward to collect the prize.

They're still waiting for the lucky fan.

The Jets spent the weekend in New Jersey, breaking up the monotony of training camp. After Saturday's open practice at Giants Stadium, the Jets stayed over, using their regular-season hotel. There were team meetings and a curfew, the same itinerary as a regular game.

Once they arrived at the stadium by bus, the team followed its usual pregame routine. They simulated everything, right down to the stadium music. As players stretched on the field, Guns N' Roses blared in the cavernous building:

"Welcome to the Jungle."

It was a memorable day, if only you could've seen it.

Originally published on August 7, 2006