Jets camp questions

[Kentucky Jet]

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!?

TRAINING CAMP STARTS TODAY!!!

After months and months of waiting, we are now knocking on the door of the Twenty Ten season, and folks, we are knocking hard. Jets training camp begins today, and the first practice of the day, one unfortunately closed to the public, is set to begin as I type this. There are a ton of great storylines to follow, and while loads of fun awaits anyone with willing to make the pilgrimage north (especially those who stop by the Mangold Maniacs party tonight at 7:30 PM at the Dark Horse bar), but the rest of us need not be concerned about missing any breaking Jets news: we’ll see it all through the inescapable eye of HBO’s army of cameras. Of course, even Hard Knocks, notable for having the fastest turnaround of any reality show on television, still needs a couple weeks to warm up. So for now I suppose your only training camp options are to grab your kids and jump in your SUV, or go to the team webpage and obsessively hit refresh until August 11th.

Here’s what to watch for at camp between now and when Hard Knocks tells you what to watch for:

Darrelle Revis: We already know his similarly unhappy offensive counterpart Nick Mangold will not be withholding his services in the weeks to come, so the only potential holdout situation is Revis’s, but it’s a damn serious one. Does anyone among the general public even know where the man is right now? There’s not much more that can be said about this perpetual thorn in our side, only that any action Revis ends up taking will define our entire camp. This is what people across the country will be watching for. This is what will drive the TV show. I don’t actually mind all that much if Revis ends up missing practice, since he doesn’t really need it, but I do mind very much if he creates a massive distraction, takes our entire camp hostage and uses Hard Knocks as a platform to mouth off about team management. Play nice, Darrelle. You’ll get your money in time.

Training Camp Battles: In the traditional sense, there’s only one of these things, and it’s the audition to replace Alan Faneca at guard. Regardless of whether Vlad Ducasse or Matt Slauson wins out, the media will have its eye closely honed in on the pair, and will be looking for mistakes to exploit. Elsewhere, there’s some proving to do at the safety position and Shonn Greene and LT, while not in any way competing against each other, will be looking to maximize their carries this year. Plus, in Tomlinson’s mind, he has the capabilities to move up from running back 2 to running back 1-B. Let’s see how the old man shakes out (God knows the media would also love to run “LT is washed up” stories every week between now and September).

Vernon Gholston: This is the Ohio State Busteye’s last chance to get it right with the Jets, and in all likelihood, as an NFL starter. Yes, we’ll be watching to see how he performs at his new post at defensive end, but really, we just want to see him get a sack. Yeah, it’s practice and it doesn’t mean as much, but if he can’t take down Mark Brunell in a drill, he ain’t knocking down Joe Flacco or Tom Brady either.

Nick Folk: Let’s face it, aside from inexplicably releasing Thomas Jones, there wasn’t a less popular move this offseason than the decision to bring in the inconsistent former Cowboy. After Folk missed all four of his first practice kicks in green, that concern moved to Defcon level 7. If Folk doesn’t perform consistently at camp, fans will be calling for his head, even if we’ve moved past the point on the timeline where that would be reasonable. Truth is, Folk’s spot on this roster isn’t concrete yet, and if anyone’s going to lose their job this month, it could very well be him (although I do not expect this to happen at all).

Mark Sanchez: For two reasons – A) he’s coming off of knee surgery, and while he’s expected to be 100% by opening day, fans are going to want to see that progress, especially after he was limited in minicamp and he’s the second-year quarterback. More than anyone else, Mark Sanchez holds the keys to our success as a team this year, and he knows it. He plays the game’s highest profile position on one of the highest profile teams in the country, that also happens to be from the highest profile NFL market and have its own TV show. Let us just say that, yes, people will be watching. I for one think he’ll have no trouble handling it.

The Smaller Names: While I’m confident that Hard Knocks will pound this into our heads, you’ll want to know who Kenwin Cummings, Cory Reamer and Jamaal Westerman are now, because these are the kids who will be competing for various spots on the depth chart and the 53 man roster. Danny Woodhead’s saga will likely lack the drama it bore a season ago, but that won’t sap any of the excitement out of watching Britt Davis and Chauncey Washington fighting for their careers. This is good stuff, people.

New York Jets 2010 Training Camp Schedule

Monday: 8:20 a.m. (closed to public) and 4:20 p.m.

Tuesday: 8:20 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (ST)

Wednesday: 8:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m.

Thursday: 8:50 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (ST)

Friday: 8:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m.

Saturday: 6 p.m. (scrimmage)

Aug. 9: 8:20 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (ST)

Aug. 10: 8:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m.

Aug. 11: 8:20 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (ST)

Aug. 12: 8:50 a.m. and 4:20 p.m.

Aug. 13: 8:20 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (ST)

Aug. 14: 8:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m.

Aug. 15: 8:50 a.m.

Aug. 18: 8:20 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (ST)

Aug. 19: 8:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m.

Aug. 23: Time TBA (at Florham Park)

Aug. 24: Time TBA (at Florham Park)

Aug. 25: 6 p.m. (at Hofstra)