Jets News 7/31

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DUSTIN THE WIND

SPEEDY TE KELLER WOWING JET VET

By DAN MARTIN

OPEN MAN: Rookie tight end Dustin Keller, the 30th overall pick in this year's draft, looks for a pass during workout yesterday at Jets' training camp at Hofstra.

Bubba Franks is headed into his ninth season and knows a few things about succeeding in the NFL. And he likes what he's seen from rookie Dustin Keller.

"The kid is showing some sparks," Franks said of the 30th overall pick. "It's pretty impressive to see him out there running his routes. He's fast. It's gonna be very interesting to see him play during the season."

Yesterday was a good example of why the Jets New York Jets are poised to get more production out of the tight-end position than in years past.

Keller constantly found ways to get open, but his most eye-catching play came when he was blanketed along the sideline by safety Cameron Worrell. Despite being interfered with, he hauled in a 30-yard pass from Kellen Clemens Kellen Clemens .

"He was interfered with and still made the play," Clemens said. "He's a smart kid. He'll help us out this year."

Having someone like Franks around should help.

"I didn't have a veteran guy when I got there," Franks said of his first year in Green Bay. "It was all me. Dustin, at least he has two or three veteran guys to help bring him along, because wisdom is dangerous. I wish somebody would have taught me the things that I know now when I was a rookie."

Keller appreciates having someone like Franks around.

"When I first got here, my head was kind of spinning," said the 6-2, 248-pounder. "I wasn't playing very fast, so a lot of people out there [said], 'I thought this kid was fast?' I wasn't sure about my routes and now it's a lot smoother."

The evidence of that has been on display throughout training camp, but Franks - and Chris Baker Chris Baker , if he ever gets on the field - should ease his transition.

"Every single rep I take in practice I get critiqued [by Franks]," Keller said. "I feel like I get a step up on everybody else."

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Clemens isn't just dealing with the possibility of Brett Favre taking his job, he's also seen Chad Pennington outperform him during this training camp. So when he says he hasn't been paying attention to the Favre saga, you tend to believe him.

"It's so much just speculation right now and there's so much stuff going on in-house that I don't even worry about that," said Clemens, who was better yesterday after a dreadful Tuesday.

His main concern is the man he took the job from last year. Pennington has been impressive so far.

"You can't help but notice when Chad makes a great play and there have been plenty throughout training camp," Clemens said. "But it's kind of like worrying about what Brett Favre is doing right now in Green Bay. That's out of my control."

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WR Laveranues Coles and LB David Harris were both out again yesterday with what the Jets are describing as "leg" injuries, while LB Matt Chatham (foot) also missed practice.

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Jets' hard-line stance with contract works with tight end Chris Baker

RICH CIMINI

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

The Jets are not going to show Chris Baker the money.

When the previously disgruntled Chris Baker showed up for training camp last week in a decidedly optimistic mood, claiming his agent and the Jets were "talking," it fueled speculation that their nasty contract impasse was going to end with a new deal for the veteran tight end.

Were the Jets blinking? Uh, not exactly. In fact, there have been no contract negotiations, the Daily News has learned. From all indications, Baker is prepared play the season under his existing contract, which averages $1.65 million per year.

Barring a dramatic change, the Jets will have avoided another Pete Kendall nightmare by maintaining a hard-line stance with Baker. A year ago, their refusal to bend for Kendall, who wanted a new contract, resulted in a public-relations disaster. They wound up trading Kendall, a deal that may have hurt team chemistry.

This time, the Jets stuck to their guns - and didn't shoot themselves in the foot.

Baker, still not practicing because of an old back injury, declined Wednesday to discuss his contract. Asked if he will play on his current deal, which runs through 2009, he said, "I'm just preparing to play the season and I'll let (my agent and the team) handle the other stuff."

His Rockland-based agent, Jonathan Feinsod, was seen at practice on the Jets' sideline, but his visit apparently wasn't Baker-related. He declined to comment.

Baker, who caught a career-high 41 passes last season, issued a pay-and-or-trade-me edict last month at minicamp. He also blistered the team with venomous rhetoric, accusing the front office of reneging on a promise to renegotiate.

Why the change of heart? A couple of reasons, perhaps.

When Baker was placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list on the eve of training camp, he became somewhat vulnerable because his base salary ($683,500) isn't guaranteed until he passes the team physical and returns to practice. Perhaps he also recognizes the improved depth at tight end, which hurt his leverage.

The Jets signed Bubba Franks, a former Pro Bowler with the Packers, and used a first-round pick on Dustin Keller. Eric Mangini also has praised Jason Pociask, a third-year player who has improved. Better competition tends to motivate injured incumbents, although Baker insists that isn't the case.

"I'm very confident in myself and my abilities," he said. "I know when I get back that I'm going to be on the field."

When that happens is anybody's guess. Baker proclaimed himself "ready to go," but the team is proceeding with caution. Eric Mangini said Baker is "making progress ... but we don't want to rush it." If Baker returns and re-injures his back, the Jets would be on the hook for his salary.

From all accounts, Baker has been a good soldier since reporting to camp, with no lingering bitterness from the spring squabble with management. Mangini lauded Baker for his "great" attitude. Maybe the Jets placated him by promising to re-open talks if he has another productive year, but as of now, those talks haven't begun.

In the meantime, Keller continues to thrive, making several nice catches Wednesday. Franks, 30, the elder statesman of the group, said of the rookie, "He's going to be very good. He's already showing signs of being a great player."

PICK SIX: QB Kellen Clemens, fighting Chad Pennington for the starting job, ended practice with an interception - his sixth in nine practices. ... WR Laveranues Coles (thigh), LB David Harris (leg) and LB Matt Chatham (foot) sat out for the second straight day. ... Mangini became emotional when discussing his late father, Carmine, who suffered a fatal heart attack 21 years ago Wednesday. He was 56. The family held a fund-raiser Wednesday in his hometown, Hartford, the first annual Carmine Mangini Memorial Picnic, at a shelter for the homeless.

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BY ERIK BOLAND | erik.boland@newsday.com

July 31, 2008

Eric Mangini wasn't talking about Brad Smith, but he easily could have been.

"I think it was Bill [Parcells] that always talked about the third training camp and how pivotal [that] was for a guy because they really had two years to understand what it means to be a pro football player, they've had two years to go through the process," Mangini said. "At that point, they should be pretty close to who they are."

Exactly who Smith, a receiver going into his third year, will be could be determined by the end of training camp. It is an important year for Smith, a fourth-round selection from Missouri, because the Jets, in his first two seasons, seemed unsure of exactly how they wanted to use the quarterback-turned-receiver.

In this year's camp, Smith and Chansi Stuckey are the favorites to nail down the No. 3 receiver job behind Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery.

Mangini said Smith has excelled wherever he has put him, even calling him a "bowling ball with butcher knives" as a punt- team gunner as a rookie. But there had been no consistent role, and Mangini said yesterday, "You're looking for the progress as a receiver as his primary spot."

That progress was delayed because Smith was limited for May's organized team activities (OTAs) and June minicamp because of a back injury. But he has been on the field in training camp, showing evident progress as a receiver. In one 11-on-11 drill yesterday, for example, Smith picked a Kellen Clemens throw off the shoulder pads of Hank Poteat, who was not looking back at the ball, for a 20-yard pickup down the middle. A penalty negated the play but the catch stood out as one of the day's best.

"It's a good opportunity for him to narrow in and focus," Clemens said. "He was slowed a little last year with some injuries, had a good offseason and it's really showing up in a lot of ways. He's doing some really good things and getting used to playing the position."

The position the 6-2, 210-pound Smith has slowly been getting out of his system is quarterback. Smith and Mangini smiled, though probably for different reasons, when recalling Smith's first training camp in 2006.

"It was tough for him," Mangini said. "You're used to having the ball in your hands every single play [as a quarterback]. Nobody's jamming you. You're not reading stuff, running full speed with someone covering you, having to adjust your route. It's a different way to see the world."

Said Smith: "It's definitely a big difference. That first year, I was just trying to soak it all in."

Smith caught only nine passes for 61 yards his first season and went up to 32 catches for 325 yards and two touchdowns last season, though there were injury issues. The prevalent thought is that this season is a big year for Smith to show whether he can make it as a wideout.

Smith said every year is "big," but he did more work this offseason than in the past trying to learn and study the position. That included watching film, talking to coaches and now, in camp, observing the route running of Coles and Cotchery.

"It's finding those things out that really makes a difference," Smith said.

Although there was some frustration with the time he missed this offseason on the field, it was far from a waste.

"From watching other guys and watching film all offseason, and talking to the coaches about what I could do to get better, it's all coming together," Smith said. "I'm starting to get better."

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New York Jets rookie tight end Keller looks like something special

by Dave Hutchinson/The Star-Ledger

Wednesday July 30, 2008, 8:09 PM

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- It's one thing for a rookie to get praise from his general manager and coaches. After all, they played a part in drafting him, and his success, or lack thereof, is a reflection on them.

But it's quite another to get the stamp of approval from a three-time Pro Bowler who plays the same position and is competing with the rookie for playing time.

Veteran tight end Bubba Franks, who has made a career of working the middle of the field and catching touchdowns from Brett Favre in Green Bay, gushed Wednesday about the potential of rookie tight end Dustin Keller, saying he has a chance to be special.

Keller, the 30th overall pick, made the play of the day in practice Wednesday at the Jets' training complex, pulling in a 30-yard pass down the left sideline from quarterback Kellen Clemens, despite being interfered with by safety Cameron Worrell. It was the type of play the Jets hope to see often this season.

"The kid is showing some sparks," said Franks, a ninth-year pro who has 256 career receptions for 2,300 yards and 32 touchdowns. "It's pretty impressive to see him out there running his routes. He's fast. It's going to be very interesting to see him play during the season.

"He brings a lot (to the table). I enjoy watching him. I remember when I was that age coming out here. You're trying to prove a point. I think he's starting to get it a little bit. He's improving every day. He already has the signs of being a great player."

The Jets surprised many when they traded up into the first round to nab Keller, who had 142 career catches for 1,882 yards and 16 touchdowns at Purdue. The Jets view the 6-2, 248-pounder as a playmaker in the mold of the Colts' Dallas Clark, a tight end who can take advantage of mismatches with linebackers and big safeties because of his speed and athleticism.

"He's doing a good job and working hard," Clemens said. "He'll help us out this year."

Keller has lined up all over the field and said he's finally starting to pick up the Jets' offense after struggling during minicamp. He said he sees how he'll be able to use his superior speed against linebackers and safeties to stretch the field.

"I'm excited," he said. "Everything is just starting to come together. Everything makes a lot of sense to me now. I understand why we're doing what so I can move a lot faster out there.

"I'm just really happy where I'm at. When I first got here and they were throwing a lot of stuff at us, my head was just spinning. A lot of people were like, 'I thought this guy was fast?' But I was out there not sure about my routes. Now everything is going a lot smoother."

Keller said Franks and veteran Chris Baker have been a big help.

"Every single rep I take in practice, I get critiqued by two good veterans who have been around for a long time," he said. "It's great input. I feel like I'm getting a step up on everybody else."

Fact is, tight end is quietly emerging as one of the deepest positions on the team. In addition to Keller and Franks, third-year pro Jason Pociask is having an unexpectedly solid camp and Baker (back injury) is content and should be coming off the physically unable to perform list soon.

Even though Keller and Franks are mainly receivers, Pociack is primarily a blocker who can play on the line or in the backfield and Baker is an all-around talent.

"Each guy kind of brings a different dimension to the field," said Baker, adding that he's feeling as good as he has in months and is close to returning. "It's kind of exciting to be a part of and help make the position itself be a core strength of the team."