Saturdays Jets News

[SoFlaJets]

Jets notebook

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Smith back at QB

Brad Smith wore a red No. 16 for much of Friday's practice and coach Eric Mangini indicated it isn't a temporary thing, and that Smith will be competing at that position.

"Brad is working at quarterback now," Mangini said of the former standout quarterback at Missouri who was converted to wide receiver as an NFL rookie last season.

"He's a quarterback that plays receiver some and does some other things. Brad is a quarterback and you will see him throughout camp playing quarterback and in preseason games he will play quarterback. He's just a quarterback that has the versatility to play other positions."

Revis still holds out

The Jets have yet to sign their first-round pick, Darrelle Revis of Pittsburgh. Revis' agent, Neil Schwartz, who also represents frustrated left guard Pete Kendall, declined to comment Friday on the Revis negotiations. The cornerback is the Jets' first holdout from the first round since linebacker James Farrior in 1997.

Houston leaves

Running back Cedric Houston left the team Thursday and Mangini said Friday, "From conversations, I think it's permanent. He's made a decision that he wants to move on with the rest of his life. I respect that decision."

According to an NFL source, while the Jets have received a roster exemption for Houston because he left the squad, he also was placed on the non-football injury list.

Houston had a thyroid condition diagnosed in 2005 and has used medication to regulate it.

The Jets filled the roster spot by signing sixth-year veteran Tony Fisher, who had six carries for 9 yards and 14 receptions for 159 yards with St. Louis last season. Fisher was placed on injured reserve (knee) after the eighth game.

[SoFlaJets]

Kendall fed up with Jets

Saturday, July 28, 2007

By J.P. PELZMAN

STAFF WRITER

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Pete Kendall has lost his patience, his desire to play for the Jets, and apparently, his starting position.

But say this much for the always-quotable 12th-year left guard -- he hasn't lost his sense of humor.

Although Kendall worked mostly with the second unit Friday on the Jets' first day of training camp, he did have some plays with the first team.

"Yeah, I get a chance to take a few varsity reps every now and again," Kendall said. "I guess I'm a pledge. I'm in a probationary period. I might get a letter jacket later."

That's doubtful, considering Kendall has made it quite clear he'd like to be transferred away from this program. Kendall is scheduled to make $1.7 million this season and wants $2.7 million.

Kendall said the Jets' position has been that they don't restructure contracts that have at least three years remaining, but he's said numerous times that he restructured his contract after the 2005 season to help the team with its salary cap.

Kendall said Friday he has told both coach Eric Mangini and general manager Mike Tannenbaum that he doesn't "want to be here," yet he still is a Jet.

It didn't help his mood either when he reported for camp and found he had been assigned to a dorm for rookies and first-year players. It was changed once he notified Mangini and Tannenbaum.

"To me the writing's on the wall," Kendall said, "with where I'm taking my snaps and whoever it was in the building [that] thought they must have been pleasing Eric and Mike to stick me in the rookie dorm. ... It's comical to the point of absurd."

Kendall indicated he wasn't accusing Mangini or Tannenbaum of that.

"Do I think that the minutiae of the rooming list crossed the head coach or the general manager's desk?" he asked rhetorically. "No, not necessarily. But I do think it speaks volumes."

"There's no conspiracy theory here. There's no grassy knoll," Mangini said of Kendall being assigned to that dorm. "I didn't send out secret agents. There was a mixup. It was fixed."

Mangini also said, "What Mike [Tannenbaum] and I are responsible for is doing what is in the best interest of the New York Jets and that's what we are committed to doing. That's what we will always do."

That means the Jets probably aren't going to budge. Third-year pro Adrien Clarke took most of the first-team reps at left guard Friday, and Kendall fully expects to be released, but not right away.

"I don't expect to be here" for the regular season, Kendall said. "I don't know why they have me out here with the second team. I don't know if their plan is to wait until the end and then ask me to take a pay cut. That would be even more comical. I'm just hoping to move on.

"I've expressed to Eric that my belief is that if Eric wanted this to be done, it would be done," he said. "That's my belief."

"Pete is here and we're working as a team," left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson said. "The situation will play out."

"They're treating me fine," Kendall said of his teammates. "You see so many guys shrug their shoulders and shake their heads in regards to what's going on. The point has been made."

[SoFlaJets]

Kendall shows up but still wants out

Saturday, July 28, 2007

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Disgruntled veteran guard Pete Kendall has told anyone who'll listen that he doesn't want to be a Jet anymore, yet there he was in his familiar No. 66 jersey.

"I asked for my release again," said Kendall yesterday, adding that he reported to training camp to avoid a $14,000 per day fine. "I don't understand why I'm still here. I'm running with the second team. It's seemingly devolved to be personal. ... The last time we (he and coach Eric Mangini) spoke it ended with me saying, 'Eric, I don't want to be here anymore.'"

Kendall, entering his 12th season, was seething after he arrived and found he had been assigned to the rookie dorm. After talking to Mangini and GM Mike Tannenbaum, he was moved. Mangini said there was "no conspiracy theory, no grassy knoll," just an honest mistake.

Kendall, who often stood alone during practice and has been demoted to second team, isn't buying that.

"To me, it speaks volumes about what the atmosphere must be like," Kendall said. "Whoever it was in the building must have thought it would be pleasing to Eric and Mike. Do you think the rooming list crossed the head coach or GM's desk? ... It's comical to the point of absurd at this point."

Kendall, who is locked in a contract dispute, said he believes Mangini has vetoed his request for a $1 million pay raise because Tannenbaum agreed that his request was reasonable.

"I don't expect to be here," Kendall said. "Why this had to get drawn out, I'm not sure."

Asked if the club was being vindictive with Kendall, Mangini said he and Tannenbaum are doing what's in the best interest of the Jets. Third-year pro Adrien Clarke is starting at left guard.

CB Darrelle Revis became the first rookie holdout under Tannenbaum since 1997 when he failed to report yesterday. The stumbling block in negotiations is believed to be the number of years. Revis wants five, the Jets want six.

Revis' agent, Neil Schwartz, declined to comment yesterday.

Mangini confirmed a report in yesterday's Star-Ledger that RB Cedric Houston left the team for good because he no longer wanted to play, saying, "He's made a decision that he wants to move on with his life (without football)."

Houston, who was expected to make the roster, is walking away from a base salary of $435,000.

Brad Smith, a multipurpose performer last season, is taking major reps at quarterback while also playing some wide receiver.

"I like him in the quarterback position and the things that he allows us to do," Mangini said. "He's a threat with the ball both running and passing."

The Jets signed veteran RB Tony Fisher (Packers and Rams) and rookie free agent LB Mark Zalewski. ... In the afternoon session, S Eric Smith had a nifty interception and DE Bobby Hamilton drilled RB Alvin Banks.

[SoFlaJets]

Players lauding Mangini's method

Saturday, July 28, 2007

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

Star-Ledger Staff

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- The Kool-Aid is going down a little more smoothly in year two of the Eric Mangini Era, but it can still taste a little bitter on occasion.

The practices are endless and relentless. Players had better know their assignment, or Mangini will find someone who does. There are no warm and fuzzy player-coach relationships. Every position, except quarterback, is fair game.

The only satisfactory results are victories.

None of that is any different from last summer, when some Jets bristled at the start of training camp when faced with then-35-year-old Mangini and his tough-love approach -- a byproduct of learning at the side of Bill Belichick for 10 seasons, and a far cry from the low-strain practices and player-friendly tactics of former coach Herman Edwards.

Of course, it helped Mangini's cause that the Jets, projected by some to finish in the AFC East cellar, went 10-6 and earned a playoff berth.

"I think everybody always understood out of the gate that (Mangini) knew what he was doing," wide receiver Laveranues Coles said yesterday in between a two-a-day session to start training camp under the piercing sun at Hofstra University. "...From the time he walked through the door and broke things down for us on film and talked to us, you pretty much knew he was a genius when it comes to understanding the X's and O's.

"Never at any point did guys doubt his knowledge of the game. I think some of his methods in terms of getting it across may have been questioned. ... Whenever you're in one system and things change, you don't understand why. But as time goes on and it's proven to work, you understand why he did it and you can see why he put us through the things he put us through."

Now, Mangini must prove he can keep the Jets a playoff contender. The buzz surrounding the Jets is totally different from last summer, when Mangini was an unknown commodity, quarterback Chad Pennington was coming off his second rotator cuff surgery and Curtis Martin couldn't run.

Mangini is trying to shield his team from those expectations. Newspapers are all but banned from the locker room, and Mangini doesn't use clippings to motivate his team. The only articles on the locker room bulletin board are about players getting in trouble and how to avoid those situations. Players know about the lofty expectations -- but only because the media and friends have told them.

"For us, we really tried to tune (the expectations) out," inside linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. "We went through the off-season as if we were the underdogs, as if we had something to prove. And we're taking that approach right now."

Said Pennington: "We believe that the previous season doesn't have any bearing on the next season. You can't bank on what you did last season happening again. You have to start all over from scratch."

Mangini isn't resting on his laurels, either. He brought in boxing trainer Teddy Atlas to improve his team's hand placement and hand speed. The off-season program was demanding. He took the team to an "off-site, team-building exercise that incorporates the military" on the final day of minicamp last month.

"I think each day, each week, each year, we're learning more and more about Coach Mangini," Pennington said. "...But at the same time, he's doing a very good job of making sure he's getting better as a coach, introducing new ideas and new concepts ... to push us to get better."

Added Vilma: "He's consistent. That's the biggest thing about (Mangini). Whether we win or lose, he takes the same approach and he expects us to. You're going to have ups and downs (in the season) and you don't want to see your coach going up and down. He's going to be consistent, a mainstay. We feed off that."

And even though Mangini doesn't give fire-and-brimstone speeches, he nonetheless gets his team ready to practice and play.

"He tells the truth," defensive end Shaun Ellis said. "You can get motivated by someone telling you the absolute truth about you and the team. If it's good, it's good. If it's bad, it's bad. You just have to rally around it. He gives all the information to us, and you either learn it or you're not here."

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@starledger.com

[SoFlaJets]

Now Jets know what to expect

BY TOM ROCK

tom.rock@newsday.com

July 28, 2007

Chris Baker recently spent some time weighing the pros and cons of ignorance. Last year he and other Jets players had no idea how punishing and difficult training camp would be under rookie coach Eric Mangini. This year they are all too aware of what awaits them in the next month.

"Last year we didn't know and it just kept coming," the tight end said after his first taste of Mangini's second training camp Friday. "This year we know what to expect. I guess when you know what to expect, it makes it a little easier."

Linebacker Jonathan Vilma said Mangini's consistent approach was one of the factors that helped the Jets reach the playoffs a year ago but also noted that there have been a few changes this time around.

"He wants to improve his coaching and we want to improve our game," Vilma said. "The structure of practices moves much more smoothly now. He wants to get the most out of us and the most out of the coaches."

Houston leaves

Cedric Houston appears to be finished. On the verge of his third NFL season, the running back left the Jets for personal reasons and explained to Mangini that he is moving on with his life. "From our conversations, I think it's permanent," Mangini said of the departure.

Houston, a sixth-round draft pick out of Tennessee in 2005, probably wouldn't have made much of an impact on this year's team. By the afternoon the Jets had signed running back Tony Fisher and given him Houston's No. 32 jersey.

Jet streams

Brad Smith worked the first half of practice as a receiver, then switched to a red jersey and took snaps with the quarterbacks. Mangini said Smith now is considered a quarterback who can play other positions. He is listed on the roster as a quarterback ... WR Tim Dwight and LB Matt Chatham, both on the PUP list with foot injuries, were on the field but did not dress for or participate in practice ... The Jets signed LB Mark Zalewski.

[SoFlaJets]

Unhappy Kendall still reports to Jets camp

BY TOM ROCK

tom.rock@newsday.com

July 28, 2007

Eric Mangini said he thought practice ran much smoother on the first day of this season than it did last season, when he was a rookie coach still finding his way around the job and the Hofstra complex.

That may have been the case for him as the Jets took the field for the opening of training camp Friday, but for two players who were considered to be potential crucial contributors this year, things are about as smooth as a gravel road.

Veteran guard Pete Kendall ripped the team for not honoring his request to be traded or released - a demand he originally made public during last month's minicamp and reiterated Friday - and first-round draft pick Darrelle Revis has yet to be signed and was not on the field for either of the first day's workouts.

In neither case does a resolution seem imminent, and it places the Jets in the odd position of having a player who does not want to be here on the field and a player they want to be here off it.

Mangini insisted neither situation will be a distraction - "We have a locker room full of professionals," he said - but they do represent the types of off-the-field diversions the team avoided in its playoff run a year ago.

Mangini reveled in what was considered to be a quiet season last year that produced little grumbling and exceeded expectations. In one day, 2007 might have produced as much clamor as 2006 did all year.

Kendall, who started 14 games last year and is asking the Jets for an extra $1 million on his scheduled base salary of $1.7 million for 2007, made it clear he is not happy being at training camp. Ultimately, the 34-year-old veteran said, his decision not to hold out came down to two elements: Holdouts are a negotiating tactic and the Jets are not negotiating, and he saw no reason to pay the possible $14,000-per-day fine for a player under contract missing practices.

"I don't understand why I'm still here," Kendall said after taking part in the morning practice. "I've clearly expressed that I don't want to be here."

Kendall went on to say he has bitter feelings toward the organization, especially after he showed up at Hofstra earlier in the week and was assigned a room in the dormitory for rookies and first-year players. He also said he was baffled to be taking reps with the second offensive unit (though he split time with Adrien Clarke with the first team as practice progressed). "It has seemingly devolved into the personal," Kendall said. "It's comical to the point of absurdity at this point."

Mangini said the assignment to the rookie dorm was an honest mistake and was rectified when brought to his attention. "There's no conspiracy theory," he said, "no grassy knoll."

Kendall said he was told by general manager Mike Tannenbaum that his contract request is not unreasonable. (Tannenbaum has declined to comment on that assertion.) Kendall thinks Mangini is holding up the resolution: "It's my belief that if Eric wanted this deal to be done, then it would be done."

As for Revis - who is represented by Neil Schwartz, the same agent as Kendall - the cornerback reportedly is seeking a five-year contract; the Jets would like to lock him up for six years. Revis is the first Jets draft pick to go unsigned at the start of training camp since James Farrior in 1997. Schwartz did not return phone calls.

Rams defensive end Adam Carriker and Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons, the players drafted immediately ahead of and behind Revis, recently signed five-year deals.

"Anybody who is not here is really missing opportunities to get better and compete for what I'm sure they all want, playing time," Mangini said. "We are going to focus on the guys that are here."

Even, apparently, the ones who don't want to be.

[SoFlaJets]

Quick hits from around training camp

Tom Rock

July 28, 2007

The music was still there for the opening practice, but it wasn't the loud, rambunctious, spin-your-ears-around-your-head anthems that Eric Mangini instituted last year to simulate crowd noise and force players to concentrate. No, jTunes 2.0 featured a more cultured blend, heavy with classical piano and only a small dose of the Black Eyed Peas and U2.

The soft strains of the tinkling ivories may have been soothing, but they were out of place for a football field ... especially one at 8:45 in the morning. They seemed better suited to an elevator or a waiting room. I kept half-expecting to hear Mangini's voice piped over the chords uttering the words: "Your call is important to us; please stay on the line."

The bottom line

The first practice was a shaky affair with bungled handoffs, botched snaps and dropped passes. Is it too soon to write this team off? Maybe we'll give them one more day.

[SoFlaJets]

Kendall unhappy, top pick unsigned as Jets open camp

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

(Original publication: July 28, 2007)

HEMPSTEAD - Eric Mangini's second training camp as coach of the Jets opened with a disgruntled veteran on the field and the team's first-round pick unsigned.

Known for running a tough camp, Mangini already has some controversy to deal with.

"I'm sure they look forward to (camp)," a noticeably thinner Mangini said with a grin yesterday after the morning practice. "Most kids like to go to camp, and this is just our adult version of camp. We probably won't be telling any ghost stories, but I think it'll be a good time for everybody."

Well, not quite. Left guard Pete Kendall, who asked the Jets months ago to trade or release him because of a bitter contract dispute, was with the team at practice, but was far from happy.

Then again, at least he was there. Cornerback Darrelle Revis, the No. 14 overall pick in April, became the Jets' first unsigned first-round no-show for the start of training camp since linebacker James Farrior in 1997.

"We're going to focus on the guys that are here," Mangini said. "And we're going to focus on those guys and get them better, and collectively get better."

Kendall, a co-captain who turned 34 earlier this month, is looking for a $1 million raise on his $1.7 million salary. The Jets haven't budged.

"I have nothing to add," Neil Schwartz, Kendall's agent, said when asked for comment.

Schwartz is also Revis' agent.

Instead of staying away from camp, Kendall thought it made more financial sense to report because he would lose $14,000 each day he's absent. So, as he did during mini-camp, he kneeled on the turf by himself at times and watched the first-team offense go through drills.

"To me, a holdout's a negotiation tactic," he said. "There's no negotiation, so at this point, it doesn't make a lot of sense for me to start giving money back."

Instead, Kendall again recently requested that the Jets trade or release him.

"I don't understand why I'm still here," he said. "I've clearly expressed that I don't want to be here. I'm running with the second team. It's seemingly devolved into a personal thing. I show up and I'm assigned to the rookie dorm. I don't get that."

After speaking with Mangini and general manager Mike Tannenbaum, Kendall had his living quarters changed. Just a big mistake, Mangini said.

"There's no conspiracy theory here," Mangini deadpanned. "There's no grassy knoll. I didn't send out secret agents. It was a mix-up. It was fixed."

But maybe too late to smooth over hard feelings.

When it was pointed out that he practiced with the first team at times during mini-camp, Kendall flashed his familiar sense of humor - without cracking a smile.

"Yeah, I get a chance to take a few varsity reps every now and again," he said. "I guess I'm a pledge on probationary period. I might get a letter jacket maybe later. I don't know."

Note: The Jets signed veteran running back Tony Fisher and linebacker Mark Zalewski. Fisher, who spent last season with St. Louis after four years with Green Bay, should add depth to the Jets' running-back corps. Fisher, who played at Notre Dame, made it in time to participate in the late practice yesterday. Running back Cedric Houston left the team abruptly Thursday for personal reasons, and Mangini thinks Houston's departure is a permanent one.

[SoFlaJets]

Kendall Rips Team On First Day

by: Brian Bohl | Senior Writer - NY Sports Day | Saturday, July 28, 2007

HEMPSTEAD, NY

[SoFlaJets]

UNHAPPY CAMPER

KENDALL STILL WANTS RELEASE FROM JETS

By MARK CANNIZZARO

PETE KENDALL

Assigned to rookie dorm.July 28, 2007 -- Against his will, Pete Kendall, embroiled in a nasty contract dispute with the Jets, reported on time to training camp Wednesday night and found a surprise awaiting him.

"I show up and I'm assigned to the rookie dorm," the guard said yesterday, his voice dripping with disgust and disbelief.

When he turned up for yesterday's 8:45 a.m. opening practice, Kendall then found another unwelcome surprise. Despite starting 47 of 48 games in his three-year career with the Jets, Kendall was assigned to work almost exclusively with the second-team offensive line.

"It's seemingly evolved into something personal," Kendall said of the dispute between him and coach Eric Mangini. "It's comical to the point of absurd at this point."

This issue is not going to be resolved, and is almost certainly headed for the Jets releasing Kendall at the latest possible moment in camp so he has a difficult time hooking on with another team.

"I do expect to be released, yes," Kendall said. "Every day that it goes on it makes it harder for me to find more work. I think they've made their point. I want to move on."

Kendall is scheduled to make $1.7 million this season after making an average of $3 million the past two seasons. He has been adamant about a raise of about $1 million but the Jets have been completely unwilling to budge. It was speculated widely he would hold out of camp. But Kendall decided he didn't want to cost himself the $14,000 per day in fines.

Mangini, asked about the rookie dorm issue, said, "There's no conspiracy theory here. There's no grassy knoll. I didn't send out secret agents. There was a mix-up. It was fixed."

Kendall, who last spoke to Mangini on Wednesday night, said he believes his contract situation cannot be fixed.

"I don't have any hope of this being salvaged," he said. "I've asked for my release again. I've clearly expressed that I don't want to be here. Even the general manager (Mike Tannenbaum) acknowledges that my request is reasonable. So, when the general manager says it's not unreasonable, does there have to be an Exhibit B?

"I expressed to Eric that it's my belief that if Eric wanted this deal to be done then it would be done."

*

As of last night, rookie CB Darrelle Revis, the 14th overall pick in the NFL Draft, was not yet signed, meaning he missed the first two practices of training camp. Steelers LB Lawrence Timmons, the 15th overall pick, was signed to a five-year deal worth $15 million with a $8 million signing bonus.

Perhaps complicating matters with this negotiation is the fact Revis' agent is the same as Kendall's, and there obviously is some bad blood between those sides.

*

Mangini said RB Cedric Houston informed him Thursday he was leaving the team for personal reasons. Someone close to Houston said he left because football wasn't a priority in his life anymore.

"He's made a decision that he wants to move on with the rest of his life and I respect that decision," Mangini said.

*

Brad Smith is now a QB on the roster, not a WR who can play some QB, and he's competing for one of the backup spots, according to Mangini.

Given his value to the team, that makes backup QB Marques Tuiasosopo a possible casualty to the numbers game.

[SoFlaJets]

For Jets

[SoFlaJets]

Jets dealing with unhappy campers

Kendall wants out of fold, Revis still not in it

BY RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Saturday, July 28th 2007, 4:00 AM

Dingruntled about his $1.7 million salary, Pete Kendall wants to a raise or a release.

The Jets opened yesterday with a unwelcome daily double: An unsigned rookie and an angry, 11-year veteran who believes he's being treated like a rookie.

Guard Pete Kendall, continuing his month-long verbal assault on the organization, blotted Day1 of Eric Mangini's second training camp at Hofstra. Claiming the acrimony has become "comical to the point of being absurd," Kendall - unhappy with his contract - accused the Jets of pettiness by assigning him to the rookie dorm. To him, it was the ultimate indignity.

"I've clearly expressed that I don't want to be here," said Kendall, who got his room changed after complaining to Mangini and GM Mike Tannenbaum. "It's seemingly evolved to be personal."

If Kendall had remained in the rookie dorm, he wouldn't have seen first-round pick Darrelle Revis, who became the Jets' first draft pick in 10 years to miss the start of camp. The last late-arriving rookie was James Farrior in 1997.

The sticking point with Revis is the length of the contract. The Jets want to sign the cornerback out of Pitt for six years, the maximum for a player drafted in that slot, but Revis prefers five. The players chosen before and after Revis (this year's 14th pick) - the Rams' Adam Carriker and the Steelers' Lawrence Timmons - signed five-year deals, a trend that could prompt Revis' camp to dig its heels in deeper.

"Anybody that's not here is missing an opportunity to get better and to compete for something they all want - playing time," said Mangini, who didn't have these types of distractions in his first year.

The Kendall situation is bizarre, to say the least. The Jets don't want to give him a raise - he's due to make $1.7 million this season - and Kendall is convinced they don't even want him on the team. He appears to have lost his starting job, with unproven Adrien Clarke receiving many of the reps at left guard. Kendall, who threatened a holdout, said the only reason he showed up was to avoid a $14,000-a-day fine.

So why keep Kendall? Mangini said every decision is based on "the best interests of the New York Jets." Translation: Despite his rancor, Kendall still is a solid player and the Jets don't want to surrender an asset. They also don't want to give him a "Get Out of Jail Free" card because they know he'd probably sign with a divisional rival - the Dolphins? - in a heartbeat. But there's some risk involved. If Kendall were to suffer a serious injury, the Jets would be on the hook for his salary.

Mangini insisted the rookie-dorm assignment was an honest mix-up, saying, "There's no conspiracy theory, no grassy knoll. I didn't send out secret agents."

Kendall didn't directly accuse Mangini of stooping that low, but he added, "To me, it speaks volumes about what the atmosphere must be like. Somebody in the organization must have thought it would put them in the good graces of the head coach or the general manager to turn the screw just a little bit."

During practice, Kendall's bitterness was apparent. He often stood by himself during drills, seemingly distancing himself from the crowd. Reminded that he did get some work with the starters, Kendall cracked, "I got a few varsity reps. I feel like a pledge on a probationary period. I might get a letterman jacket, I'm not sure."

He'd settle for a pink slip.

SMITH RECEIVES QB SHOT: Wide receiver Brad Smith has been moved to quarterback, his college position, and he will compete for a backup job. ... RB Cedric Houston, placed on the reserve/left camp list, apparently has quit football. "He wants to move on with the rest of his life," Mangini said. The Jets, looking for running back depth, signed former Rams RB Tony Fisher.

[SoFlaJets]

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