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Hunter’s in a Connecticut State of Mind These Days

There’s definitely a little something about the Nutmeg State that is adding spice to Washington State native Wayne Hunter’s game.

Offensive coordinator Tony Sparano, for example, has talked highly about what he wants to get this year out of Hunter, the Jets’ right tackle. And Hunter appreciates Sparano’s appreciation.

“Tony knows I can play the position,” Hunter said. “Everybody knows I can play the position or else I wouldn’t be the right tackle here. They would’ve brought in somebody else by now. The fact of the matter is that Tony believes in me and I believe in myself.”

Sparano, as we’ve become familiar, was born in West Haven, Conn., was a four-year center at the University of New Haven and went on to become the head coach there.

He’s also is a big fan of OL coach Dave DeGuglielmo.

“I love him. I think it’s a good change for me,” Hunter said. “Nastiness — an offensive lineman should have that. And I think I lost a little of that over the years. I think ‘Guge’ is going to restore that for me and light a fire under my butt. He’s going to push me out the door.”

DeGuglielmo was a Boston guy but he spent a few years coaching at UConn before moving on to the pros.

And Hunter likens Coach Guge to someone else he respects in his life.

“He’s exactly like my offensive line coach in college at Hawai’i, Mike Cavanaugh, who’s with Oregon State now,” he said.

Cavanaugh … born and bred in Connecticut, graduated from Southern Connecticut State.

We mention Wayne’s Conn-ection as an interesting note, but Hunter isn’t just relying on his coaches to rebound from 2011. He’s doing a lot of the heavy lifting himself. We won’t know for sure until he and his Jets linemates and teammates hit the field for minicamp in mid-June and training camp in August, but it feels as if Hunter has a great attitude for ’12. He knows he needs to step up but he hasn’t lost faith in himself.

“I think there’s a lot of stuff that I need to get better at,” he said a week ago in the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center locker room. “I’m still the starting right tackle for the New York Jets. That hasn’t changed and it’s not going to change. I know my play’s got to get better. I had a lot of good games — a lot of good games. I also had some bad games. Inconsistency was my word for the year. So that needs to get better and it will get better.”

Today he sounded a similar theme.

“In my opinion, the opinion of my peers and the opinion of a lot of people in this league, I’m one of the more talented right tackles in the league,” he said. “I’ve just got to put it on the field. Last year is already in the past.”

“My job right now,” he concluded, “is just to get better, and also to just win the fans back.”

Get better, get nastier, grind away at the opponents like he did at the end of the 2010 season — that will win the fans back and underscore his belief in himself.

Shonn on Sparano

Add tailback Shonn Greene’s comment to the list of quotes about what Sparano has brought to the Jets. What does Shonn like about his new OC? “I think just his passion, his style of coaching,” Greene said. “He’s very loud. He’s demanding — in a good way. He just makes you want to work that much harder.”

Eagles Kickoff

For any who missed it and want to mark it on their calendars, the Jets’ preseason finale at Philadelphia on Thursday, Aug. 30, will kick off at 6:35 p.m. ET.

Mom’s Day Is Big at Richardson’s House

Mother’s Day is just around the corner on Sunday, which means new Jets DE Jay Richardson is about to turn the corner for his family’s annual Mother’s Day dinner at mom Deborah Johnson’s house in Dublin, Ohio.

“Mother’s Day is my favorite time of the year,” said Deborah, who has three sons, in a story just posted this morning on usafootball.com. “The greatest gift you can give me is a meal to share with family. That is the tradition I inherited from my mother, where we sat around the table and discussed everything. It is a time that families can connect. Dinner at our house doesn’t start on Mother’s Day until everyone is there.”

Will the Jets’ defensive line start the season with Richardson on the roster? Mike DeVito, in the feature we just posted on newyorkjets.com, discusses the DL’s increased versatility and talent, and Richardson, signed last month as a street free agent, could be one of the contributors.

The 6’6″, 280-pounder was Oakland’s fifth-round pick in 2007 out of Ohio State. In three years with the Raiders, he played in 48 games with 22 starts and produced seven sacks and 108 tackles before spending last season as a backup on Seattle’s DL.

Lankster Honored in NYC

Matt Slauson isn’t the only Jet who’s overcome his stutter. Ellis Lankster, the Jets’ cornerback and special-teamer (and also Slauson’s neighbor in the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center locker room) was honored by the Stuttering Foundation at its May 8 gala in New York to celebrate National Stuttering Awareness Week and the foundation’s 65th anniversary as the world’s leading charitable organization helping those who stutter.

“Ellis shows his true toughness by sharing his struggles with fluency as a child,” said Jane Fraser, president of the foundation. “He refused to let his stutter keep him from his dream of playing professional football, and he is committed to helping and inspiring children attain their dreams by overcoming the obstacles they face.”

Fraser presented Lankster with the Foundation’s “Converting Awareness into Action” Award for the hope and inspiration he brings to the stuttering community.

Lankster’s main accomplishment had nothing to do with stuttering but it did have to do with executing something tough to do at Philadelphia in Week 15 last season, then doing it again about 15 minutes later. Lankster recovered two special-teams fumbles vs. the Birds, off a first-quarter kickoff return and a second-quarter punt return, making him the first Jet in at least 30 years to snag two ST fumble recoveries in the same game.

Hill Among Rookies in NFLPA Spotlight

Jets second-round WR Stephen Hill is one of the 35 members of the NFL’s 2012 rookie draft class who are set to be highlighted beginning Thursday, May 17, at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere presented by Nike.

The rookies will wear professional game jerseys for the first time and thus will be the first class to model Nike’s new uniforms as they participate in photo shoots at the Rose Bowl by trading card companies Panini America and Topps.

Hill, plus Nick Toon, the son of Jets Ring of Honor WR Al Toon who is a Saints draft pick out of Wisconsin, are among the rookies who will be front and center during the three-day event that will conclude Saturday night, May 21, with an exclusive wrap party sponsored by Nike and Verizon that will bring together players past, present and future at Colony Hollywood in Los Angeles.

Teammates Survey the Locker Room QB Scene

It was quite a scene in the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center locker room early this afternoon, a media horde descending on the Green & White on an otherwise average day in May.

It was reporters’ first chance to chat with Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow after the quarterbacks have had some time to work together on and off the field. And while No. 6 and No. 15 were put through their paces with questions about starting and locker room chemistry and one offense or two, the QBs’ teammates watched with relative amusement. Only because at this time, in the middle of the offseason, there’s nothing not to like about the new working arrangement.

“Problems in the locker room? I don’t think so,” said TE Dustin Keller from half a room away. “If the two two didn’t get along so well, that could be the case. But they have a great working relationship. Tim’s a great guy. You see them joking around, laughing. You’re not going to do that if you’re enemies. They’re getting along in the quarterback room.”

“It kind of reminds me of when Brett Favre got here,” said DT Mike DeVito, reflecting on those halcyon days of 2008. “Back then people would ask me, ‘What’s Favre doing now?’ like I lived with the guy. This is about the same. But I’m grateful Tim’s here. He’s a great person, he’s a hard worker — he and Mark and Greg [McElroy] are in the weightroom an hour after the offense is done. He sets a great example on and off the field.”

RT Wayne Hunter is another Jet who welcomes Tebow to the mix.

“For me, I was really excited about him coming here, for his faith, for one, being a strong Christian,” Hunter said. “And number two, I was really excited about what he’s brought to this team. He brings a whole ‘nother level, a whole ‘nother dynamic.”

Darrelle Revis was asked about whether you can have two leaders at one position, or more specifically two leaders at the QB position, on one team, and he replied with an honestly noncommittal answer.

“That’s a tough question,” Revis said. “I don’t know. I can’t come up with an answer to that question, as much as I want to. I don’t know. We’re all experiencing the same thing.”

But Revis was far from downplaying the impact Tebow can have on that other side of the ball.

“These are my teammates. I’m here to support everybody on this team,” he said. “Who starts? It doesn’t matter. Everybody’s going to play on this team. Even if we need some practice-squad player to step up and play one week. We’re getting ready. This is a big year and we’re going to play some awesome football because last year was disappointing. 8-8 and we didn’t make the playoffs.”

The experiment in May is to start blending Tebow’s talents with Sanchez’s and all the other components on offense so that such an ending doesn’t happen again. And as these Phase II offseason practices morph into OTAs in a few weeks and then into the full-squad minicamp in mid-June, the Jets seem to like the different ambience in the locker room and the offensive players are eager to take coordinator Tony Sparano’s operation to the field.

“It’s been great coming in and learning a new offense,” Keller said. “There’s always going to be some ups and downs. Obviously we want to run the ball, and we’ll see as time goes on how much we pass the ball. But Coach Sparano is very vocal and he’s very honest. Those are things you can really appreciate about him. I think it’ll be good for us. It’s almost similar to college, in your face. He expects the most out of you, and obviously these guys expect the most out of themselves. It kind of pushes you to the next level.”

And as we know from the comments from head coach Rex Ryan, Sparano, Mike Tannenbaum and Woody Johnson, Sanchez will be the starter, and Tebow will be a catalyst.

“When you’ve got Tebow on the field,” Hunter said, “it’s going to be crazy. And that’s all I’m going to say about it now.”

Eric Allen will have a news feature with Sanchez talking about Tebow and Tebow about Sanchez, which will be live on the site shortly.

Streamlined McKnight

This is always the time of year to revisit with the veterans and see where they’re going with their strength and conditioning. It’s true that all teams went through similar situations last year during the lockout, but it’s also true that this year’s vets are working with new strength coach Bill Hughan and his team for the first time ever in an offseason program, since he started with the Jets last year.

Some of the changes are impressive, such as with Joe McKnight.

“I put on about 15 pounds. I was 197 at the end of last year,” said the more muscular third-year RB and the NFL’s defending kickoff-return leader. “I’m getting my strength right. I’m not a wide receiver, I’m a running back. I’m just continuing to work on my explosion.”

And, I asked, has the extra weight slowed him down at all? He smiled knowingly.

“From what the strength coach has told me, I’m just as fast as ever,” he said. “And I feel just as fast. But I feel stronger, too.”

That sounds like a dangerous combination. We’ll bring you more stories about some of the bodily transformations some of the Jets have made as we visit with the veterans once a week heading toward the minicamp next month.

Saying Goodbye to Another Jets Writer, Ike Kuhns

Updated, 4:50 p.m. ET

Another Jets beatwriter has passed on. Ike Kuhns, 76, who covered the Jets during their glory days in the late Sixties, as well as the Cosmos at the height of their popularity and a stadiumful of other sports, all for The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., died April 26 after a short illness.

Frank Ramos, the Jets’ long-time public relations director, recalled that Ike was an easy person to like and a hard-working professional on the beat.

“He could pick things up easily when pinch-hitting for someone else after years of not covering the Jets,” Ramos recalled. “Also, he was one of the few people to pick the Jets to win the Super Bowl. I don’t think we’ll see the likes of Ike again.”

Kevin Manahan, in his recent tribute to Kuhns on the Ledger Website, wrote:

On the day of Super Bowl III, The Star-Ledger published Kuhns’ forecast for the game. While the Colts were seen as unbeatable, he mocked the 18-point spread and predicted a Jets upset.

I remembered Ike as Frank did, “pinch-hitting” on the Jets in the Nineties when I first started covering the team, filling in for Don Williams (who died last September) or Dave Hutchinson. I can tell you one of the worst feelings as a beatwriter is getting a day “off” but having to spend it getting your backup up to speed on the team, what story should be written that day, advising the desk on the errors that needed to be fixed after the story was filed.

The Ledger never had that problem on the Jets because Kuhns was ready to roll on any number of sports. He was less a pinch-hitter than a valuable utility man, and the newspaper’s readers were the beneficiaries, whatever the sporting event, up until his retirement in 2001.

The Star-Ledger reported that Kuhns will be remembered at a memorial service on Saturday, May 12, at 1 p.m. at the First Reformed Church in Lincoln Park, N.J.

Matt Simms Survives, Signs as Undrafted FA

Matt Simms, brother of Chris and son of Phil, had a modest goal as one of the 26 tryout players invited to the rookie minicamp at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center this weekend.

“It’s just survival and see what happens,” said Matt after Saturday’s morning practice. “I just want to keep playing the game I’ve been playing since I was a kid, and wherever that is, I would love to do it.”

For now Matt will be playing the game with the Jets, who announced today that Simms signed a contract with the Green & White as an undrafted free agent.

Simms (6’3″, 210) has had his ups and downs along the quarterback road. He was quarterback of the vaunted Don Bosco Prep team in Ramsey, N.J., near his Franklin Lakes home — in fact, he still has the second-most career touchdown passes in New Jersey playoff history, 15 for the Ironmen from 2004-06.

Then he began his collegiate odyssey, going from Louisville to El Camino College to 10 starts for Tennessee but just two of them as a senior, which led to him not only not being drafted but not being signed until today.

“You’re going to go through a lot of different things and it’s going to be hard to adjust to different scenarios,” Simms said. “I’m fortunate that I did have my brother and my father. They have tremendous knowledge of the game and they’re a great support system. Their help has really guided me through this process, even thought it’s been difficult at times.”

The Jets of course have a veteran depth chart of Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow and Greg McElroy at QB and then signed G.J. Kinne from Tulsa as an undrafted FA immediately after the draft. Now Simms makes five, in large part because head coach Rex Ryan and coordinator Tony Sparano were impressed with his throwing at the camp, which concluded with a morning practice today.

“They’ve got to show it to you,” Ryan said Saturday about all of the tryout players that will come to any team’s minicamp in a given year. “You’re out there, you’ve got 40-some guys out there. They need to pop off the tape.

“With Matt Simms, the thing you’re impressed with immediately is how he can throw the football. He has a great arm — he can really spin ‘em. The thing you don’t see is obviously him against the rush. But I followed him, I knew he was at Tennessee. He had his ups and downs when he was there, but he has the arm now, and he has the pedigree.”

We probably don’t have to tell you that Phil Simms had perhaps the greatest passing day in Super Bowl history for the Giants over the Broncos in SBXXI and has been the network analyst for more than 60 Jets games, including seven of their playoff games, beginning with NBC in 1997 and then from ’98 to present with CBS. Chris had 16 starts for three teams over five seasons and now is a New England assistant coach.

More Transactions

Besides Simms, the Jets also announced that they have signed sixth-round S Josh Bush out of Wake Forest, and OL Fred Koloto (6’3″, 297), another tryout who has started at LT and last season at LG for San Jose State. Previously the Jets announced they had signed tryout WR Royce Pollard (6’1″, 175), who had 71 catches for 1,011 yards and eight TDs as a senior at Hawaii.

They also announced today that they have waived C Kris O’Dowd out of Southern Cal, a street free agent they signed in March.

On His Second Day, Coples Rested a Little

Updated, 10:25 a.m. ET

First-round draft choice Quinton Coples got his first breather as a pro during this morning’s rookie minicamp practice. He doesn’t know why but it’s OK by him.

“It was a coach’s decision to sit me out,” Coples told reporters after the practice in the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center locker room. Did he ask why? “No sir. This is no time for questions. They tell me to sit down, I sit down. I trust the staff to make the best decisions for me and I’ll move from there.”

He said he’s not hurt and he’s ready to roll when he’s called on. He did do individual drills under the guidance of new DL coach Karl Dunbar and that will be part of what he takes back with him to North Carolina for a few weeks until he returns for OTAs.

“Coach Dunbar is definitely coaching me well,” he said. “He gave me drills that I’ll take back home with me, drills I’ve never done before, things like hand-placement drills, drills on reading offensive linemen with the way they set, just different adjustments.”

At his news conference this afternoon, head coach Rex Ryan said Coples’ rest was indeed a coach’s decision and nothing was wrong at all with Coples.

“Quinton had a good first day, we know what he can do, so this was a chance to give the other guys a chance to get in there and compete a bit,” Ryan said, adding that he’s done that at rookie minicamps before.

“Yeah, sometimes, especially with the linemen,” he said. “A lot of times, that’s really the only time to evaluate these guys. We’ve already evaluated Quinton. I just wanted to give them the opportunity to compete and see how they move.”

So whatever Ryan did with Coples today, it certainly wasn’t a benching. Rex reviewed what he and the Jets loved about Coples in last week’s first round.

“You look at his ability, he’s 6’6″, 285 and runs a 4.7, and his production? Compare him with any of the other pass rushers,” he said. “He had 10 sacks, then he had a ‘terrible year,’ 7.5 sacks. Look at the tackles for losses, the forced fumbles — he’s got all that. He’s got range, he uses his hands in the pass rush, he can flips his hips and all that kind of stuff.

“He’s a young man that I really feel there might be more to give. I think he’s going to have an upside. So I thought that was a terrific pick for us.”

Player and coach definitely like the progress so far, before the pads go on and the intensity goes up this summer.

“I just expect to be good,” Coples said of his one full minicamp practice and today’s half practice. “I trust the staff and I feel they’re going to coach me up to the best of my ability.”

Family Affair

There are a few players with famous fathers at this camp, but D’Anton Lynn, the undrafted free agent DB from Penn State, said RBs coach Anthony Lynn won’t be helping him secure a roster spot, for a couple of reasons.

“They’re all about business here,” said Lynn fils. “I’ll have to earn my spot on the team. Me and my dad were joking after practice when I called him on the phone. So much is thrown at us so fast that I honestly forgot he was here at the practices.”

But while Anthony won’t be coaching up his son, D’Anton appreciates that this is a fairly unusual situation.

“It is very cool,” he said. “Not many people get to say they played for their dad, especially at this level.”

Ryan, who admits he was helped up the coaching ladder by being the son of Buddy, thinks it’s definitely an advantage for D’Anton having his father in the game. And he also likes some of what D-Lynn brings to the field.

“The thing that jumps at you is that this is a converted corner,” he said. “In the new NFL, that seems what you’re looking at. He was a corner at Penn State and was a very productive player there. I thought he was smart and a good tackler, and that’s what you’ve seen here. We put him back inside, at nickel and had him work at safety. When you have guys competing for jobs, you want position flexibility. He might not be a starting-caliber safety or a starting-caliber corner, but he might be a guy that fits in in between and that’s what you want. He’s also a special-teamer as well, so I think he’s got a chance.”

Practice Notes

Second-rounder Stephen Hill continued to go up and grab catches all over the field, including a double move down the field on a deep ball from tryout Matt Simms. … Aussie TE Hayden Smith had a nice grab on a crossing pattern among several and the pro-level rugby player looked more comfortable this morning than he did Friday morning. … LB Demario Davis showed some quicks to get into the backfield a few times during team drills. … RB Terrance Ganaway burst free behind a sealing block by OL Anthony Parker for a big gainer. … Nice pass breakups by undrafted FAs Donnie Fletcher and Ryan Steed. … The Jets told reporters Saturday night that tryout WR Royce Pollard out of Hawaii has been signed as an undrafted free agent.

Hill, Rookie Class Already Hard at Work at Minicamp

Stephen Hill continues to impress. First, he confirmed he signed his rookie contract on Thursday, the day that the Jets’ rookie class reported to get their physicals, get photographed and get prepared for today’s start of minicamp.

Stephen, you seem to be the kind of guy who likes to get business taken care of and get out on the field.

“Yes, sir, definitely,” he replied.

And sure enough, No. 84 was the first player who jogged out onto the practice field, past the Victory Tree, at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center, all alone in the May drizzle but joined minutes later by the rest of the 57 or so draft picks, undrafted free agents, tryout candidates and first-year invited players for the first workout of minicamp.

“Yeah, I like to be the first one out there and get my body prepared for the hard work,” he said.

Hill’s hard work for the day looked solid. On the comeback and slant route drills, Hill caught the hot passes often delivered by WRs coach Sanjay Lal and took off upfield. On a 7-on-7 drill, rookie G.J. Kinne’s pass deflected off of two defenders — and Hill was there to snap the ball up for the offense right before it hit the ground.

The 6’4″, 215-pound second-rounder from Georgia Tech appeared to drop one low ball, and he couldn’t quite catch up to a deep sideline pass. But otherwise he looked at home — especially as he worked through some of the pro routes that many seem concerned to see him master after he spent three seasons in Tech’s triple-option offense.

“Yeah, I can run all the routes,” Hill said. “You take a little time before you actually master them. Repetition is definitely what it is.”

He admitted to “drooling a little” when he got into his playbook and saw the routes that might free him up for, oh, about 50 receptions as a pro, or one more than he had in his three college seasons combined. How did he bide his time waiting for his one or two balls a game for the Yellow Jackets? His answer provided a greenprint for any player who ever thinks about being impatient or depressed with his career path.

“Basically, I’m a winner,” Hill said. “Anytime you win, it’s the biggest thing. If Coach called my number, I’d be there for him.”

As Hill spoke with reporters, it was hard not to notice the one short blade of grass still sticking to his left cheek. Nice touch for a hard-working wideout.

Rookie Quotes

First-round DE Quinton Coples on how he fits into the Jets’ defensive scheme so far: “I feel like I fit in great.” … When tryout WR Kris Byrd from Virginia made a one-handed grab below his knees of a pass thrown by Lal during slant drills, Lal responded: “Nice catch. Way to overcome coaching.”

Robert T. Griffin, like all the draft choices, had a number of footballs to autograph on Thursday night. He was signing “Robert Griffin” when about halfway through he said, “This is a little tiring,” and shifted to signing the balls “RGII,” which was his nickname as part of the offense that protected RGIII, Robert Griffin III, at Baylor. “I was called different things — ‘Big Grif,’ ‘RGII,’ Robert. It was all good,” Griffin said. “I’m just out to make a name for myself. That’s what life’s all about.”

Rex Ryan is expected to address reporters at 3 p.m. ET today. … The assembled players will have a walkthrough late this afternoon. Then they’ll repeat today’s schedule Saturday at the Atlantic Health complex.

Tony’s O: ‘I’m Excited About the Possibilities’

It had been a while since reporters had heard from Tony Sparano, and so today the Jets’ new offensive coordinator checked in with “the beats” on a conference call. To give you an idea of how hard he’s pushing it already at the start of May, his call was scheduled to begin at 2:15 p.m. ET, but he wasn’t able to break out of his offensive meetings until after 2:50.

And when Sparano talks, people listen. It’s not because of what he says about his players because like Rex Ryan he generally speaks positively about the players he’s working with, and what he says behind those meeting room doors will stay there.

As he said when a writer said that the players have described his style as “no-nonsense” and how would he describe his approach to those players, he replied, “Non-nonsense, honestly.”

Expanding on that terse retort, Sparano said, “My approach has been to spend very little time talking about things that happened in the past and worry about what’s ahead for us. We know we have to improve, every one of us. I have to be a better coach. From the players’ standpoint, we all have to do the job there. My deal with the players now is that we have a handshake deal — I’m going to give you my best effort every single day, you can bet on that, and I expect the same from the players on this side of the football.”

As for particulars, Tony had plenty. Eric Allen, my partner, will have a news story about the favorite topic of the day, which was Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, even a dash of Greg McElroy, the Wildcat, improvement behind center, and managing the QB situation. I’ll give you a few of the other topics that Sparano handled with his typical informational tone provided with his Connecticut/Massachusetts lilt that, somehow sounded to me as if it had a little Chicago thrown in, although to my knowledge Tony S has never worked in the Windy City.

Offensive weapons in general — “Honestly, I’m very excited about it. One of the things I felt coming in here were just some of the outstanding parts here, I think Coach Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum have done a great job that way, in putting together some of the pieces here. Our tight ends, even some of the young players at the position, we’re anxious to see how they develop. The wide receivers, we’re anxious to see how Jeremy Kerley will come along, Tone and his ability out there, then you add a player like Stephen Hill to that group. I was part of drafting Pat Turner in Miami, so to see how he’s developed, a lot of these players have developed really well along the way. … I’m excited about the possibilities we have.”

Santonio Holmes’ skill set — “I think he has special ability. There’s an interesting take when you’ve been on the other sideline, in the other room preparing for the players the Jets have here right now, having to figure out how you’re going to handle Dustin Keller, Santonio Holmes, or the running game with Shonn Greene and that offensive line. I think this guy has really special ability. He can catch it and run with it. He makes the hard catches, the acrobatic catches. He works really hard at it. The guy wants the football. The thing I’ve noticed about Tone in my time being around this guy is that he’s a competitive guy. I like that. With the skill players, I just love that fact that those guys love to compete.”

Shonn Greene and the backfield — “I’ve been really, really impressed with Shonn. First of all from the mental standpoint, this guy’s excellent. He sees the field really well, he’s got a good understanding of what’s going on at that position. … Those guys have so many things to think about in terms of protections, the different run keys and so on. He’s working hard this offseason and I’m excited about what’s going on. We have a good group of young players. Joe McKnight I’m excited about, Bilal Powell, and John Conner, having a fullback go in and block you. This is an exciting group of players to work with.”

Wayne Hunter and the right tackle spot — “We obviously have a long time to go here before we get to opening day. Rex might’ve mentioned this before as well, but when I was in Miami, Wayne was coming up prior to the Jets re-signing him. We thought an awful lot about him and we wanted to bring him down there at that time. I had some history with him, I know his college line coach really well, I know what he’s thought of Wayne. Wayne has been tremendous here right now with us. So I’m excited about it, all those guys up front. It’s a good group with some good players up there and some good young players coming through as well.”

Sparano was also asked what he’s thought so far of working with Rex in the same complex rather than working against him on opposite sidelines.

“Honestly, it’s been tremendous,” he said. “I can’t thank Rex and Mike and Mr. Johnson for giving me this opportunity here. But getting a chance to work with him every day now, being around him every day — it’s contagious. … The way he coaches, Rex Coaches with a passion. He cares about his players, he wants to win so bad. You just want to be around people like that. For me, I wanted to be on a team where winning is the priority and there’s lot of passion and enthusiasm. That’s what I have here right now. So I love it. Rex has been great for me and I just want to be able to return the favor.”

There’s not a lot of controversy here, but there’s a sense that “No-Nonsense” Sparano has rolled up his sleeves and has gotten to work. He’s not going to tell you everything that’s going on, but we know he’s focused on the future, not the past. And his work will soon be on display, at the rookie and full-squad minicamps and for all to see in Cortland beginning in less than three months.

Mike, Rex, Joey Put a Bow on Draft Weekend

Mike Tannenbaum, Rex Ryan and Joey Clinkscales came downstairs from the war room one final time this draft weekend to share their thoughts with the Jets reporters still holding their draft vigil in the media wing of the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center.

No one knows better than Mike T of the perils of any draft and how it may or may not work out. But as he summed up for reporters and fans alike: “I do like what we got accomplished.”

The Jets made five picks today since Mike and Joey (minus Rex, plus Terry Bradway) made their last appearance. They did talk about those third-day picks, but questions naturally still involved those three studs drafted in the first three rounds.

“I’m going to be excited to see what these guys,” Tannenbaum said, referring to Rex and his coaches, “do with Quinton [Coples] week in, week out. Stephen Hill, he gives us something we haven’t had in terms of size and speed. Demario Davis, what we liked about him was that he’s a little bit different than what we have. He has speed that Bart [Scott] and David [Harris} don't have."

Ryan fielded a question about Hill, the Georgia Tech wideout, being considered a starting WR from day one. Rex didn't flinch, and his answer segued into an interesting discussion of what Coples' presence now means for the defensive line.

"Do I think Stephen Hill will start? Yes, I do," Ryan said. "I think anytime you draft a guy that high ... I used to tell [Ravens GM] Ozzie Newsome the same thing: ‘How are the teammates going to look at it?’ Well, they proved in college that’s why you had them there [on the board]. You had a vision for those players. That’s why you took them.”

And Ryan added, with Coples, the North Carolina DE, that’s what you’re looking at, too, a new starter in the front line of defense. And yet it’s not quite as cut and dry as that.

“It doesn’t mean this player or that player’s not going to start. There’s so many different roles, so many things they can start on, sub team, things like that. They’re all going to play significantly.”

The Coples introduction into the D-line rotation, for example, could impact Mike DeVito. Ryan acknowledged that, yet certainly sees DeVito in very important roles ahead.

“I can tell you this about Mike DeVito — he’s an outstanding football player, no question about it,” the coach said. “Some guys come in as free agents and are real success stories. Mike’s one of those players. I know he’s a tremendous player. But to explain his exact role, I really don’t feel I can do that right now.”

It’s all about the packages.

“Sione [Pouha]‘s in the middle, Kenrick [Ellis] is in the middle and all that. We do have unusual depth right now,” Ryan said. “We really have it set up where we can do a lot of things with those fronts. Quinton Coples, he’s not going to play 70 snaps a game for us, but he’s definitely going to have a huge role in our defense.

“I remember Bill Walsh would take nine defensive linemen to games. I’m not saying we only need seven offensive linemen, but you want to have guys that are fresh to rush the quarterback, ideally in the fourth quarter. I think the more of these guys you get, the better it is for your team. We’re excited to have all these guys, excited to have the depth we have.”

Another thing that excites Ryan is the Demario Davis deal. He went through the measurables and then added some intangibles of the ILB from Arkansas State.

“He’s a gifted athlete without question. And he’s a very mature young man, a leader in their locker room. He’s got a great presence about him,” Ryan said. “He reminded me of a young Bart Scott when he came in. You see a lot of the same qualities that Bart possesses. I just think it’s going to be great, Bart as a mentor for this young man. I think it’s an ideal situation to come in to with him and David. Nick Bellore I thought was a tremendous pickup for us last year and he’s been outstanding this year in the weightroom. And Josh Mauga. We’re as deep as we’ve ever been there at the inside linebacker position.”

Tannenbaum summed up today’s picks with a few observations that will be elaborated on in the coming weeks as these players arrive for next weekend’s rookie minicamp, get integrated into the veteran core for the mid-June full-squad minicamp and training camp beyond:

S Josh Bush: “We feel good about Josh. He’s going to come in and compete.”

RB Terrance Ganaway: “We feel good about him and about Robert Griffin, who were Baylor teammates. He’s a bigger back and we were looking for something different from the rest of the depth chart.”

Griffin: “He had a great visit. Rex and Joey and I, we like him a lot.”

S Antonio Allen: “We were pleasantly surprised we could get him where we did. He was very productive at South Carolina, very versatile.”

WR Jordan White: “He’s a great kid and we think he can come in and not only play but help us on special teams.” White returned punts his last two seasons at Western Michigan.

Clinkscales wasn’t called on much at this newser until the end, when the Jets’ vice president of college scouting was asked if, now that the draft is over, he can clear up those rumors about him leaving for the Oakland Raiders to work under new GM Reggie McKenzie, his former Tennessee Vols teammate back in the Eighties.

“I expect to be here,” Clinkscales said. “My job is talent evaluator. I understand where the connection comes in. Reggie and I played high school ball and college ball together. I’ve known Reggie forever. But this is where I started and this is where I intend on being.”

Hill Travels in Some Big-Name, Big-Number Circles

Stephen Hill showed a remarkable skill with some impressive namedropping during his first news conference as  a Jet at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center.

“Yeah, definitely Calvin Johnson,” Hill, the Georgia Tech wideout, told reporters at midday today when asked if he agreed with VP of college scouting Joey Clinkscales’ likening of Hill to “Megatron.” the Madden NFL ’13 cover dude. “And if I can say a little old school, I’d say Jerry Rice.”

If you look at one set of Hill’s Yellow Jackets numbers, his receptions, you’d say, well, good luck with that. In Tech’s triple-option offense he totaled only 49 career receptions, an average of 16.3 per season, 1.3 per game.

But look at another set and you might say, why not? Hill had nine touchdown receptions in his college career, each of which went for an average of 55.2 yards per catch. As a junior last year, he had five TDs for a 64.0 average per catch. His 29 total catches averaged 29.3 yards per catch, leading all of college football.

That Georgia Tech offense was feast and famine for a wideout of Hill’s skills, but as he said about shifting gears from the triple option to whichever pro offense he was ticketed for, “I’ve been away from school for four months. I did a lot of transitioning, especially going down to the IMG campus, working hard six days a week. My only transition is just playing faster and playing against great guys.”

And to help him with that transition, well, Hill dropped a few more names, this time of some quarterbacks.

“I worked out with Ryan Tannehill, Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins,” Hill said. “And Vinny Testaverde kind of threw it to me, too.”

Yes, that Vinny T, the Jets’ own former QB who helps out some young up-and-comers at the Bradenton, Fla., complex.

“Oh, yeah, definitely Vinny can still spin that thing,” Hill told Eric Allen for newyorkjets.com. “It’s amazing to see a guy who played so many years and still moves so great. He gave me a lot of tips, on how to get in and out of breaks. And he told me to just stay in my place, go out there and be a pro.”

Hill, who just celebrated his 21st birthday the day before the draft began, has a great head start on that goal. Every player is more than the sum of his numbers, but in Hill’s case some additional numbers pop out and tell a little something more about how the 6’4″, 215-pounder from Lithonia, Ga., may adapt to North Jersey and a New York state of mind:

4.36 — That was Hill’s announced 40 time at the February combine, although he was told one watch had him at 4.28. “I’ve had that speed since I was a kid. I just keep working, working, no days off. I’m in a no-days-off period. I knew I was fast when I started running track at the age of 6,” he told reporters. To EA he agreed, “It’s good to have this type of speed. It’s a blessing to have this type of speed.”

11’1″ — That’s Hill’s broad jump distance. Sound like a long way to leap? That’s tied for the seventh-longest broad jump at the combine at all positions since 2006. I won the states in my junior year and in my senior year I came in third behind Eric Berry and Brandon Boykin. Jumping against those guys was such a boost to my confidence.” As a senior Hill set the Georgia state long jump record at 25’8¾”.

39’5″ — His announced vertical leap at the combine. That’s just a merely impressive stat, tied for fifth-highest among all positions at this year’s workouts. But wait, there’s a catch. “I really thought I had a better jump, but they had me redo it.” He said his best vertical came in high school,  a 42’0″ leap. That would have been in the top 10 for verticals in the last seven combines.

84 — That’s the uniform number Hill is expected to  wear as a Jet. Why 84 after he wore 5 at Georgia Tech and 25 at Miller Grove High School? “I wore 84 in high school for an All-America bowl game after my senior season. My dad, Henry Hill, wore it when he was in high school, and I had a big game wearing it. Now I’m getting to wear it again.”

Hill’s dad, mom and family came up from Georgia with him for his introduction to the area today. And he’ll be back for next weekend’s rookie minicamp here at the Jets facility, where we’ll get to see No. 84 start working on some new numbers and achievements at the next level.