BP Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Jones keeping up BY RICH CIMINI DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Friday, June 1st 2007, 4:00 AM After only three spring practices, Thomas Jones already has discovered at least two notable differences between the Jets and his previous team, the Bears: The Jets' playbook is more creative and their practices are noisier. The veteran running back likes Eric Mangini's affinity for blasting music from sideline speakers, saying, "It makes you pay close attention to the calls." The actual calls are what really have him excited. He believes Brian Schottenheimer's multi-faceted attack can make him more of a big-play threat than he was in Chicago. "There are a lot of opportunities for me to get the ball in the open field," the Jets' biggest off-season acquisition said yesterday at Hofstra. "Chicago's offense was a little more...we were pretty predictable as far as the running game. Our philosophy was, 'Let's do what we do,' and that's run the ball. "Here, we have so many great players on offense. We have a lot of players who can make plays. I'm just one of those guys." Jones, who came to the Jets in a March trade, rushed for 1,210yards last season, but he averaged a pedestrian 4.1 per carry. The Jets expect Jones to provide balance to an offense that was too reliant on Chad Pennington and the passing game. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin, who still is mulling retirement and may not make an announcement for several weeks. "He's an exciting player," Pennington said of Jones. "We're going to do everything we can to put him in a successful position to help us win." Jones, who will share time with Leon Washington, could be a factor in the passing game. In Chicago, he was just a check-down option. Regardless of his role, he already has impressed his new employers with his intense work ethic. He's a workout warrior, evidenced by his chiseled frame. "Every time I go to the weight room," Mangini said, "he's there." Maybe, in this offense, Jones can show some speed with all that muscle. MAN-TO-MAN: Mangini, commenting for the first time on Justin Miller's recent arrest for misdemeanor assault, declined to say whether Miller has been disciplined by the team. "He understands exactly how I feel," Mangini said. "We had a good discussion. It was a very clear discussion."...C Nick Mangold sat out with an undisclosed injury, believed to be back soreness.... WR Justin McCareins, thought to be on the bubble, is having "a really good offseason," according to Mangini. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BP Posted June 1, 2007 Author Share Posted June 1, 2007 TWO PLAYERS CONCERN JETS MILLER, KENDALL HAVE ISSUES By MARK CANNIZZARO PrintEmailDigg ItStory Bottom June 1, 2007 -- As Eric Mangini's Jets took part in a 90-minute organized team activity (OTA) practice yesterday at Weeb Ewbank Hall, it looked like a lot of fun in the sun. Quietly and behind the scenes, however, Mangini and the Jets are dealing with a couple of unsettling issues that don't seem to have any resolution in sight. One involves cornerback Justin Miller, who practiced despite recent off-the-field legal problems stemming from an alleged late-night altercation two weeks ago. The other involves a player who's not at these offseason workouts, starting left guard Pete Kendall, who's staying away as a protest over a contract he believes isn't fair. Kendall, who's due to make about $2 million this season, feels he's underpaid and his absence is a statement to express his disdain. "He's extremely frustrated and disappointed and unhappy over the economic status of his contract," Kendall's agent, Neil Schwartz, told The Post yesterday. Schwartz said he believes the Jets should "make it right" with Kendall, who's been a good soldier as a Jet, changing positions in 2005 when center Kevin Mawae was injured and helping to tutor D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold. "It's easy," Schwartz said. "What we're asking for is extremely fair. It's not like we're asking for something that's unconscionable." Mangini did his best to downplay the situation yesterday, saying, "All these camps are voluntary." The coach was quick to add, "To me, the offseason program is extremely important. These OTA days [practices] are extremely important. They give us a chance to get a lot of work done to really set the groundwork leading to training camp. "But these are voluntary days. The players do have the right to choose whether or not to be here." Truth is, in this NFL, particularly under the leadership of a disciplinarian head coach, these offseason camps are voluntary in semantics only. The reality is, they're as voluntary as paying taxes by April 15 every year. Every Jets player except Kendall and RB Curtis Martin, who's retired but simply hasn't announced it yet, is participating. Miller, arrested May 21 for allegedly taking a punch at a woman outside a West Side nightclub before fleeing from cops, practices but knows some form of disciplinary action, whether by the team, NFL or judicial system, is coming. Miller, a dangerous kickoff returner who was the only Jet voted into the Pro Bowl, sounded contrite yesterday. "It's an unfortunate situation," Miller said. "Right now, it's a legal matter and I can't discuss it. I'd just like to reiterate my apology to my team, the organization and my fans." Miller said he's "talked to the league," but was intentionally vague about whether he spoke to commissioner Roger Goodell, who has forged a reputation for having zero tolerance for off-field transgressions. "Character is extremely important to us, and personal conduct is extremely important to us," Mangini said. "Justin, Mike [Tannenbaum, the GM] and I met and discussed that with him. He understands exactly how we feel. We've had very clear discussions. "There is a process here, a legal process that's in place. We'll let that process go through the full course." * The Jets will hold their 2008 training camp at Hofstra University, not at the team's future headquarters in Florham Park, N.J., a source told the Associated Press. It was widely believed this summer would be the Jets' final camp at Hofstra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BP Posted June 1, 2007 Author Share Posted June 1, 2007 Jets fine rookie for part in Miller assault case Friday, June 01, 2007 BY DAVE HUTCHINSON Star-Ledger Staff HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Jets rookie wide receiver Chansi Stuckey, a seventh-round pick out of Clemson, was one of two men reportedly with cornerback/kick returner Justin Miller the night he was charged with third-degree misdemeanor assault for allegedly striking a woman at a Manhattan night spot in the early morning of May 20, a team official told The Star-Ledger yesterday. The official requested anonymity because such matters are handled internally. Advertisement Stuckey, who played with Miller at Clemson, has been fined an undisclosed amount, the official said. The team, however, is awaiting the outcome of police and NFL investigations before taking disciplinary action, the official said. Miller is expected to be fined as well. The league isn't expected to take any action against Miller because he's a first-time offender, the official said. Under terms of the league's conduct policy, a first-time offense generally doesn't result in discipline. Jets coach Eric Mangini said yesterday that he and GM Mike Tannenbaum met with Miller and expressed their displeasure. Mangini said he also spoke to commissioner Roger Goodell. There is no meeting scheduled with Miller and the commissioner. "Character is extremely important to us and personal conduct is extremely important to us," Mangini said yesterday before the start of an organized team activity session that was open to the media at the Jets' Hofstra University training complex. "I've expressed that to the team and Justin. He understands exactly how I feel. ... There's a legal process in place, we'll let that process go full course (before disciplining Miller)." Yesterday, Miller, a Pro Bowl kick returner last season, again apologized for his actions but said he couldn't get into any details of the incident because it's a legal matter. Miller, 23, has had brushes with the law before. In 2005, a week before the Jets drafted him in the second round, he was arrested for disorderly conduct for cursing and failing to obey police officers during a house party he was hosting. In 2002, he pleaded guilty to a drunk-driving charge. The Jets will hold their 2008 training camp at Hofstra, not their new facility in Florham Park, according to a high-ranking team official. The official requested anonymity because the plans haven't been finalized. Initially, it was thought the Jets' new home would be ready in time for the 2008 training camp. Several of the team's offices, however, may be ready by the summer of 2008. The tentative plan is to have some support staff move to New Jersey at that time while the team remains on Long Island. LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson, whose weight dipped to under 290 pounds last season, is back up to roughly 305 pounds. The club wants to bulk up the 6-6 Ferguson through a rigorous off-season program. Ferguson was listed at 312 pounds last season. Veteran LG Pete Kendall continues to be a no-show at the team's off-season program because he wants a new contract. Advertisement Though an argument could be made that Kendall is underpaid ($1.7 million base salary in 2007), he's only in the second year of a four-year, $11.3-million deal that paid him $5.2 million in bonuses and salary last season. QB Chad Pennington, who wants to cut down on the career-high 16 interceptions he threw last season, is enjoying his first rehab-free off-season in three years after back-to-back rotator cuff surgery. "It's fun," he said. "It's exciting for me to be a part of the team and to be able to come out here and work with my teammates ... focus on myself as a whole athlete and be able to get better as a quarterback." CB David Barrett ($3.6 million cap number in 2007) and WR Justin McCareins ($2.9 million) appear to be safe, although each may be asked to rework their contracts. Barrett, who was slowed by a sports hernia last season that required off-season surgery, worked with the first-team yesterday over rookie first-round pick Darrelle Revis. FB Darian Barnes, a Toms River native, also worked with the first team. C Nick Mangold didn't practice for an undisclosed reason. Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@starledger.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BP Posted June 1, 2007 Author Share Posted June 1, 2007 Jets' Jones is a coal miners' son ... and it shows Thursday, May 31, 2007 BY DAVE HUTCHINSON Star-Ledger Staff Thomas Jones and his six siblings would gather each morning before school and pray, just about the time their mother was emerging from somewhere five to 10 miles underground in the coal mines of the southwestern Virginia town of Appalachia. Well aware of the perils in the cold, damp, dark-as-midnight mines -- deadly explosions, rock slides and cave-ins are not uncommon -- the kids prayed for Betty Jones' safe return from the "hoot owl" shift, which kept her away from the family from midnight to 8 a.m. "You knew the chances of something happening down there," Thomas Jones said recently. "There were a lot of situations where people would be called to the (school) office, and you pretty much knew that something must have happened to their dad.... "It's a dangerous job." For 19 years, Betty Jones toiled in the mines, donning overalls, a hard hat and incredible courage. Jones' father, Thomas Sr., worked in the mines for a year before being laid off. A former member of the U.S. Air Force, he worked a laundry list of jobs: radio/television news broadcaster, coal miner, college admissions official and a maximum-security corrections officer. There wasn't a day that Thomas Sr. didn't punch a time clock. "My mother and father worked very hard," Jones said. "That's what I saw growing up. Those were the examples that I had." Jets coach Eric Mangini and general manager Mike Tannenbaum, who have put a premium on character and hard work while building the team's roster, jumped at the chance to get Jones and make him their No. 1 running back. To fill the hole created when likely Hall of Famer Curtis Martin's right knee gave out before the 2006 season, the Jets acquired Jones in a trade with the Chicago Bears in March -- a month after he had rushed for 112 yards in the Super Bowl -- and promptly signed him to a five-year, $20 million deal that included $10 million guaranteed. "He's the type of person we're looking for in our program, and I hope that his work ethic is infectious to our other players," Tannenbaum said of Jones, who will turn 29 in August. "He's a lead-by-example guy." When Jones was 5 years old, he promised his parents he would make it to the NFL, buy them a new house, a new car and get them out of the coal mines for good. Every Mother's Day and Father's Day, not having enough money for gifts, he would give his parents a card, repeating his pledge. A few months after he was the seventh overall pick in the 2000 draft, Jones sent home the first installment of his signing bonus -- roughly $1.5 million -- so his parents could buy their dream house. Having raised their kids in a tiny, tar-paper home, the Joneses could afford a house with a huge kitchen, which comes in handy for family reunions, and a swimming pool. "My wife and I were ecstatic. So were the other kids," Thomas Sr. said. "...That's the kind of person Thomas is in terms of commitment to family, people and his employers." LEARNING ABOUT HARD WORK Betty Jones went underground in 1979, knowing she could make nearly three times as much money by trading her air-conditioned office as a secretary at the local community college for a hard hat and the hazardous mines. With bills to pay and seven mouths to feed, she and Thomas Sr. ignored pleas from their families not to go. There were no women working in the local mine, but Betty and another woman (who quit two years later) were hired and given just one week of training -- four days in the classroom and one day underground. "After going underground for one day, I said this wasn't for me," said the charming and well-spoken Betty Jones, who was a heavy-equipment operator. "It was dirty, damp and very dangerous. I wasn't going to come back. But another woman and I decided to give it a try for one week and 19 years later I was still there." Betty and Thomas Sr. are from a family of coal miners, but that didn't make their time underground any more bearable. "It was tough work, physically demanding," said Betty Jones, who was set to go back into the mines after recovering from a back injury when Thomas was drafted. "But again, that's where the money was. It was very difficult as a woman, but I had a job to do. I had to carry my weight. I didn't want the men saying I couldn't do the job." Said Thomas Jr.: "Now, when I look back at it I think, 'Wow.' But growing up, that's all you know. It was like, 'My mom works in a coal mine. That's her job.'" Above ground, Thomas Sr. was busy molding sons Thomas and Julius, who's three years younger and also reached the NFL and started last season for the Dallas Cowboys, into men. He didn't want them spending their lives in the coal mines. He stressed education and made them read the entire newspaper, not just the sports section. He taught them about persistence, perseverance, patience and having faith in the "good Lord." "All my two sons are used to is hitching up the wagon and pulling," Thomas Sr. said. "There's no substitute for hard work." Thomas Jr. graduated with a degree from Virginia in three years and is just 15 credits shy of a master's in psychology. Julius graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in sociology after being ruled academically ineligible for the 2002 season. In fact, six of the Jones' children have college degrees and the seventh will be a freshman at Virginia this fall. When Thomas Jones told his father he wanted to be a football player and asked for a set of weights, Thomas Sr. instead instructed him to start doing push-ups and sit-ups. Often, in the middle of the night, Thomas Sr. would hear the plank floor creak as Thomas, and later with Julius, did their push-ups and sit-ups because they had forgotten to do them earlier. The boys would crawl out of bed at 6 a.m. every morning, even during the summer, to run up and down a nearby hill some 20 to 25 times. "I give my father a lot of credit: He opened our eyes," Thomas said. "He told us there was another world out there. Sometimes when you grow up in a small town, you don't know that." BUILDING MUSCLE, CHARACTER Thomas Jones describes himself as a "workout warrior," and one look at his chiseled 5-10, 220-pound frame gives credence to his boast. He has the upper torso of a bodybuilder. His lower body is built for speed. Three days a week he arrives at the Jets' facility about 6:30 a.m. for the team's off-season workouts. The first session runs from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., but that's only a warm-up for Jones. After the group session, a sweat-drenched and focused Jones takes a brief break and attacks the weight room again. He'll call it a day around noon, although he sometimes comes back to work in solitude, driven by the memory of his soot-covered mom emerging from the mines. Jones works out six days a week, resting on Sundays. In addition to working with the Jets' training staff, he has a personal trainer. And his teammates have no interest in trying to keep pace "No," Jets fullback Darian Barnes said emphatically. "I will not work out with Thomas. There's nooooo way." Said Jones: "The more I work out, the harder I work, the better prepared I'm going to be on Sunday." Though the past three seasons in Chicago were good ones, Jones hasn't always had a chance to shine on Sundays. A stellar career at Powell Valley High School (he had two 3,000-yard seasons) and three years as a starter at the University of Virginia -- he finished with a school-record 4,698 all-purpose yards and broke several records set by recently retired Giants star Tiki Barber -- helped make Jones a first-round pick in 2000 by the Arizona Cardinals. But he quickly found himself far away from home with an organization that couldn't get out of its own way. The Cardinals were 15-33 during his first three NFL seasons, and Jones rushed for 1,264 yards and nine touchdowns in that span. The team even sent him to a psychiatrist and suggested he was faking an injury; Jones had three dislocated ribs that affected his breathing and his play. "It was tough to go into that type of situation when you're young," Jones said. "You're picked that high and you're pretty much expected to turn the whole team around. When that doesn't happen, people put labels on you. "But I wouldn't change my career if I could. When I'm done, I can say I came from a tough situation (in Arizona) and overcame a lot of obstacles." Jones asked for and was granted a trade to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There, coach Jon Gruden helped jump-start his career and he rushed for a then career-high 627 yards and scored three TDs. The next season, Jones signed with the Bears as an unrestricted free agent. "I never lost faith in God that He would put me in the right situation," Jones said. Even so, Jones knew before last season that Chicago wasn't big enough for he and Cedric Benson. Benson, drafted fourth overall in 2005, was given $16 million guaranteed and Bears general manager Jerry Angelo staked his reputation on him. And even though Jones was focused enough to lead the Bears to the Super Bowl with 1,210 yards and six touchdowns, he was also studying NFL rosters. "The Jets are the team I was looking at," Jones said. "...I knew there was a chance I might be traded. I followed the Jets all the way to the end of the season, even when they made the playoffs. This was definitely my first choice." And as Jones begins anew with the Jets and takes over for Martin, it can all be traced back to the morning prayers, the late-night push-up and sit-up sessions, watching his parents do the grunt work of a nation, the father-son talks. "Thomas saw the rigors we endured and the schedule we had," said Thomas Sr., who, along with Betty, owns a music catalog business. "He was always determined. He has always been a hard worker. "Work ethic is nothing but preparation. It's not when you sit down to take the test, it's what you do prior to taking the test. That's what has engulfed him." Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@starledger.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BP Posted June 1, 2007 Author Share Posted June 1, 2007 Strong-armed runner Former Bear Jones has major biceps and never tires of building them up BY TOM ROCK tom.rock@newsday.com Email this story Printer friendly format June 1, 2007 Thomas Jones rolled up his sleeves and got right to work. Or maybe it was just that he couldn't find a jersey with sleeves that fit his freakishly large arms. The Jets running back was one of the new faces mingling with familiar ones yesterday at one of the squad's Organized Team Activities. Although Jones was brought to New York in an offseason trade with the Bears to dazzle with his 1,000-yard legs, it's his upper-body strength that is drawing early attention. With his bulging, tattooed biceps on display below those tucked-under white sleeves, it would be easy to think that Jones was the only Jet wearing full pads during the shorts-and-helmets practice. But it was all him. "He's a physical specimen," quarterback Chad Pennington said of Jones, and coach Eric Mangini understatedly complimented his "progress in terms of his muscle mass." Jones has referred to himself as a "workout warrior" and quickly secured a reputation on the team as a ferocious weight lifter and a hard worker. Four months ago, Jones was preparing for the biggest game of his life. He ran for 112 yards in Super Bowl XLI, but his Bears lost to the Colts. Now he is starting over with a new team and even higher expectations. His job with the Jets will be to take the place of future Hall of Famer and soon-to-be-retired Curtis Martin, a shadow an entire gaggle of running backs could not find their way out from last season. "He's an exciting player," Pennington said. "Everyone knows what kind of a running back he is. We're going to do everything we can to make sure we put him in a successful position to help us win." That could mean more pass plays for the eight-year veteran. Jones said the Jets' offense is more similar to the one he was a part of with the Cardinals the first three years of his career. He averaged nearly two receptions per game as a part-time starter in that system. "There's a lot of opportunity for me to get the ball in the open field and do some things out there," Jones said. "Chicago's offense is a little more ... predictable as far as our running game. Here we have so many great players on offense, we have a lot of guys who can make plays, and I'm just one of those guys." With Jones and his bodybuilding physique in the backfield, the Jets could very well be armed and dangerous. Notes & quotes: Martin and G Pete Kendall are the only players on the roster not participating in the voluntary OTAs. Martin is expected to formalize his retirement soon, but Kendall reportedly is staying away to force a trade or get the Jets to renegotiate his contract ... C Nick Mangold did not practice yesterday but rode a stationary bike ... CB Justin Miller did not address anything specific about his recent arrest on third-degree assault charges after he allegedly punched a woman outside a Manhattan nightclub, but he reiterated his apology to the team and the fans and said he was glad to be back on the field. "This is what we are here for," he said. "We are here to have fun and make this team better." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BP Posted June 1, 2007 Author Share Posted June 1, 2007 Upset Kendall a no-show at practice Friday, June 1, 2007 By J.P. PELZMAN STAFF WRITER NEW YORK -- Organized Team Activity is the official name for the Jets' practice session Thursday, one of several that will precede their formal minicamp later this month. Sounds like a get-together at the shore, or perhaps a barbecue, doesn't it? But these so-called voluntary workouts are no day at the beach, although one Jet certainly feels burned already. Only two players were missing Thursday at Hofstra University -- running back Curtis Martin, who is likely to retire shortly, and left guard Pete Kendall. Kendall is "extremely frustrated, unhappy and disappointed," said his agent Neil Schwartz. Kendall, who will be 34 by opening day, is set to make $1.7 million this season, and would like to make a little more considering some of the deals that were given to free agent guards in the off-season. Derrick Dockery signed with Buffalo for $49 million over seven years, while Eric Steinbach signed a seven-year, $49.5 million contract with Cleveland. While the Jets have not commented publicly on the apparent standoff, it seems clear they don't want to renegotiate any contracts. But coach Eric Mangini stopped short of criticizing Kendall. INITIAL REACTIONS J. P. Pelzman offers scoops, secrets and stories from the world of college and pro sports. Visit the blog "These OTA days are extremely important," Mangini said, adding that Kendall "has done a lot of good things for us. I can't express how much he helped those young guys [then-rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold] last year. But these are voluntary days. ... The players do have a right to choose whether or not to be here." When asked if he thought the situation might be resolved soon, Schwartz said, "I hope so." He added that Kendall would report for mandatory minicamp, which is set to begin June 14. One player who seemed glad to be at practice was cornerback Justin Miller, who is facing charges of third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, for an incident that allegedly occurred on May 20. "I appreciate every day I'm out here," Miller said. "This is what we're here for. We're here to play football, we're here to have fun and make this team better as an organization." He didn't comment about the alleged incident, saying, "it's an unfortunate situation and right now it's a legal matter that I can't discuss." Miller did say he talked to someone from the NFL about it, but that it wasn't commissioner Roger Goodell. Mangini said he and general manager Mike Tannenbaum met with Miller and that he "understands exactly how we feel and we've had discussions, very clear discussions." He declined to say if he would discipline Miller at some point, calling it an "internal" matter. Miller acknowledged that discussion and added that he and Mangini "have always been on the same page." JETS BRIEFS: A high-ranking Jets official said Thursday that this will not be the team's last training camp at Hofstra. Construction already has begun on the site of the Jets' future complex in Florham Park, but the team official said it wouldn't be feasible to move the football operations there by the start of the 2008 camp. It's possible the football operations could be moved there for the 2008 regular season or the 2009 camp. ... Mangold sat out practice with an undisclosed injury, possibly to his back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbok Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 I'm glad Jones is getting use to us... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nj meadowlands Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Jones sounds AWESOME... I'm excited to check him out this season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barton Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Jones sounds AWESOME... I'm excited to check him out this season Homo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECURB Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Jets fine rookie for part in Miller assault case Friday, June 01, 2007 BY DAVE HUTCHINSON Star-Ledger Staff HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Jets rookie wide receiver Chansi Stuckey, a seventh-round pick out of Clemson, was one of two men reportedly with cornerback/kick returner Justin Miller the night he was charged with third-degree misdemeanor assault for allegedly striking a woman at a Manhattan night spot in the early morning of May 20, a team official told The Star-Ledger yesterday. The official requested anonymity because such matters are handled internally. Advertisement Stuckey, who played with Miller at Clemson, has been fined an undisclosed amount, the official said. The team, however, is awaiting the outcome of police and NFL investigations before taking disciplinary action, the official said. Miller is expected to be fined as well. The league isn't expected to take any action against Miller because he's a first-time offender, the official said. Under terms of the league's conduct policy, a first-time offense generally doesn't result in discipline. Jets coach Eric Mangini said yesterday that he and GM Mike Tannenbaum met with Miller and expressed their displeasure. Mangini said he also spoke to commissioner Roger Goodell. There is no meeting scheduled with Miller and the commissioner. "Character is extremely important to us and personal conduct is extremely important to us," Mangini said yesterday before the start of an organized team activity session that was open to the media at the Jets' Hofstra University training complex. "I've expressed that to the team and Justin. He understands exactly how I feel. ... There's a legal process in place, we'll let that process go full course (before disciplining Miller)." Yesterday, Miller, a Pro Bowl kick returner last season, again apologized for his actions but said he couldn't get into any details of the incident because it's a legal matter. Miller, 23, has had brushes with the law before. In 2005, a week before the Jets drafted him in the second round, he was arrested for disorderly conduct for cursing and failing to obey police officers during a house party he was hosting. In 2002, he pleaded guilty to a drunk-driving charge. The Jets will hold their 2008 training camp at Hofstra, not their new facility in Florham Park, according to a high-ranking team official. The official requested anonymity because the plans haven't been finalized. Initially, it was thought the Jets' new home would be ready in time for the 2008 training camp. Several of the team's offices, however, may be ready by the summer of 2008. The tentative plan is to have some support staff move to New Jersey at that time while the team remains on Long Island. LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson, whose weight dipped to under 290 pounds last season, is back up to roughly 305 pounds. The club wants to bulk up the 6-6 Ferguson through a rigorous off-season program. Ferguson was listed at 312 pounds last season. Veteran LG Pete Kendall continues to be a no-show at the team's off-season program because he wants a new contract. Advertisement Though an argument could be made that Kendall is underpaid ($1.7 million base salary in 2007), he's only in the second year of a four-year, $11.3-million deal that paid him $5.2 million in bonuses and salary last season. QB Chad Pennington, who wants to cut down on the career-high 16 interceptions he threw last season, is enjoying his first rehab-free off-season in three years after back-to-back rotator cuff surgery. "It's fun," he said. "It's exciting for me to be a part of the team and to be able to come out here and work with my teammates ... focus on myself as a whole athlete and be able to get better as a quarterback." CB David Barrett ($3.6 million cap number in 2007) and WR Justin McCareins ($2.9 million) appear to be safe, although each may be asked to rework their contracts. Barrett, who was slowed by a sports hernia last season that required off-season surgery, worked with the first-team yesterday over rookie first-round pick Darrelle Revis. FB Darian Barnes, a Toms River native, also worked with the first team. C Nick Mangold didn't practice for an undisclosed reason. Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@starledger.com great... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Homo. I thought the same exact thing lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nj meadowlands Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Homo. Barton, just because your nuts seem to have descended doesn't mean I can't still beat your ass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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