“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.

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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

You can also watch head coach Rex Ryan’s Friday and Saturday news conferences scheduled to be streamed live on newyorkjets.com at 3 p.m. both days.

In addition to their eight draft selections, the Jets’ have agreed in principle with 10 undrafted free agents and have scheduled 23 players for tryouts. Friday will mark the first professional workout for dozens of talented players.

“We got some really good players who we think can contribute to us winning some football games,” said VP of scouting Joey Clinkscales.

Four months remain before the season commences for New York’s AFC representative with a visit from the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 9. But players will put their cleats on, button up their chinstraps and hit the field this weekend. While the youngsters will arrive shortly, the veterans have already begun training under strength coach Bill Hughan at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center, and a soft May rain didn’t force them inside this morning.

Spring is here, but fall is around the corner. It’s time for a little football so stay tuned to newyorkjets.com throughout the weekend for complete coverage of rookie camp.

“The rule of thumb is really three years,” said Bradway, the team’s senior personnel executive. “You really want them playing by the second year — at least some significant time — and then possibly be a starter. Not everyone is going to be a starter that you draft and we know that. Some guys have a lot of value as sub players, nickel players, whether it be on offense or defense. It normally takes three.”

But many pundits are asked to deliver draft grades within three hours of the draft’s end. And as fans of football, it’s something we demand and peek at even though it means absolutely nothing. The Jets college scouts will take a little break themselves before getting to work on the 2013 draft.

“Once the draft’s over, we’ll accumulate the names for the following year,” Bradway said. “We’ll do some initial work on last year’s tape. In August our scouts will hit the road and probably go until the first week of December.”

By December, the members of the Jets 2012 Draft Class (who made the team) will almost have a full season under their belts. Jets Nation can hope the class will be dubbed the “Elite Eight,” but we’ll only know in due time. The Green & White were happy with their weekend effort and they think it will lead to more W’s in the future.

Let’s take a look at what some analysts thought of the Jets draft and how some graded it.

CNNSI.com

DE Quinton Coples is a colossal roll of the dice at 16 overall, and the Jets decided to address their issues at offensive tackle by completely ignoring that position. WR Stephen Hill (43) will help that underwhelming unit, as might sleeper Jordan White (244). But there was more bad than good here. Grade: D+

John Czarnecki, Senior NFL Writer, Fox Sports

This franchise rolled the dice on all their first three picks, which has been their approach lately. It doesn’t mean the draftees aren’t talented, it’s just whether or not they are the right fit. There were questions about North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples, the first-round pick. Some scouts thought he had a bad habit of taking plays off. … They traded up for Georgia Tech receiver Stephen Hill because he’s a great blocker for their power running game. Now, that makes some sense because Hill only caught 49 passes in his college career. And he should be able to block because Tech used a triple-option running game. But Hill is 6-foot-4 and runs a 4.3 40-yard dash. … Demario Davis of Arkansas State is another edge rushing linebacker. … Baylor’s Terrance Ganaway, a 240-pound running back, could be a great find and should help on short-yardage. … Staying at Baylor, the Jets took right guard Brandon [sic] T. Griffin, a 335-pounder with no relation to his former quarterback teammate. Grade: C

Vinnie Iyer, NFL Writer, Sporting News

Key picks: DE Quinton Coples, WR Stephen Hill, OLB Demario Davis.
Rex Ryan got some 3-4 pieces, but we just don’t know if they’re the right ones. Hill has explosive potential with the right QB. Grade: C

Mel Kiper Jr., Draft Expert & College Football Analyst, ESPN

The Jets surprised me when they went with Quinton Coples over Melvin Ingram in Round 1. To be blunt, I just think Ingram is the superior player — and I have outside linebacker as New York’s top need. Coples is a more natural fit as a 4-3 defensive end, and the obvious conclusion is Rex Ryan intends to move him inside. Still, I don’t see him as a significant help in a need area — the pass rush. Stephen Hill is a major physical talent, but he’s a project in terms of route running. He can certainly keep safeties honest, however. You have to account for his deep speed, but I’m not sure he’ll be able to help a lot in 2012. I like the value of Demario Davis. He was my fifth-ranked OLB in this draft. Size is a question, but Rex may set him loose situationally. Grade: C

Pete Prisco, Senior NFL Columnist, CBSSportsline.com

Best pick: Second-round receiver Stephen Hill has the tools to be an explosive player, but he is raw. Can this regime get the best out of him? If they can, he will be a steal. Boom or bust pick.

Questionable move: Taking Quinton Coples in the first round is a strange move for this team. He doesn’t seem to fit what they do. Oh, and he also took last season off at North Carolina.

Third-day gem: Running back Terrance Ganaway put up big numbers in Baylor’s offense. He is a big back at 239 pounds.

Analysis: The Jets took two players in the first two rounds who are risks. Is that really something this front office and staff can afford to do? Add in the stupid Tim Tebow trade, and the Jets haven’t had a great start to 2012. It’s a feast-or-famine draft. Grade: C–

Mike Lombardi, NFL.com, NFL Network

Obviously Rex Ryan knows defensive players. He took Quinton Coples. He’s going to look at the junior tape and think, “Hey I can get that out of him.” … Stephen Hill has a chance to be a starting receiver for them — big and fast. And then the [Demario] Davis kid they took in the third round, I think he’s going to be a really good player in their scheme. I think he’ll be perfect for what they do.

Tony Pauline, Draft Analyst, CNNSI, Publisher, DraftInsider.Net

Stephen Hill/WR/NY Jets/Pick No. 43 — Hill was the vertical pass-catching threat in the Yellow Jackets’ option running attack. He turned in an immense combine workout and has been receiving first-round consideration since February. Hill is rough around the edges, yet the type of receiver the Jets offense desperately needs.

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.”

“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.

“One thing we did today and yesterday,” said Bradway, “was that we improved the speed of the team.”

“First of all, we wanted to get the best player available, stick to our board as much as possible,” said Clinkscales. “But I’m sure that was in our mind. We wanted to get faster. The league is getting faster, and it’s important for us to add that as well.”

North Carolina DE Quinton Coples put his get-the-quarterback 4.78-second speed on display at the NFL Combine in February. Hill has a rare combination of size and speed that enabled him to, well, not exactly boast but predict to Clinkscales that he would turn in a 40 time in the 4.3′s.

“In our interview at the combine, that’s exactly what he said,” said the Veep, “and he did it.”

And Demario Davis flashed anywhere from 4.5-4.6 speed at linebacker to help him flash to opposing ballcarriers, whether they’re heading into the hole of for the flanks, and then apply his strength and tackling skills to drop them in their tracks.

“I think we’re off to a good start,” said Tannenbaum. “We got Quinton on the first day, then Stephen Hill, we were excited about that. And we feel we improved the athleticism at the inside linebacker position. There’s other things we want to get done. We’ll see what happens. Not to manage expectations but Matt Slauson, a starter for us, we got in the sixth round.”

One position not addressed yet is the O-line. Mr. T was asked about that and replied:

“There’s a number of young players on our offensive line. Wayne Hunter’s back for another year and he’ll be competing for a position here, and there’s Caleb [Schlauderaff], Austin [Howard], Vlad [Ducasse]. We really did stick to our board, and at the time we took the highest-rated player on our board all three times.”

Asked to clarify his statement about Hunter competing for the RT position, T said, “I’d say Wayne’s our right tackle now. The offensive line we’ve said we’ll continue to monitor.”

And Vlad? “He’s at right tackle now, too. We’ll look at that once we get through the draft.”

One thing Tannenbaum assured, no surprise really: “I think our roster will continue to evolve. We’ll try to sign another veteran player here and there, depending on how tomorrow and on how the spring goes.”

Every rock, every day.

Draft Notes

With no fourth- and fifth-round picks now, the Jets will enter Saturday and the final day of the draft with five selections — three in the sixth round (Nos. 187, 202 and 203) and two in the seventh (Nos. 242 and 244). Assuming they use all five, they will have spent eight picks on players this year, the most in a draft since Tannenbaum, in his first draft as the Jets’ GM, used 10 picks.

Hill is only the fifth Georgia Tech player selected by the Jets in the draft. The last Yellow Jacket taken was also the Jacket taken highest by the Jets, DE Coleman Rudolph, who was grabbed with the 36th selection of the 1993 draft.

In case you didn’t catch this UNC trivia, Quinton Coples is only the seventh North Carolina player to be drafted by the Jets and the first first-round Tar Heel. The last time the Jets went to Chapel Hill for a Heel, they took two. In the 1997 draft they tabbed DT Rick Terry with the first pick of Round 2, the 31st selection overall, and two rounds later they tabbed “The Natural,” RB-KR Leon Johnson, in Round 4. One other popular Carolina player drafted by the Jets was LB Eddie Mason, a sixth-rounder in 1995.

Jets Nation can follow Rounds 2 and 3 here on newyorkjets.com as we’ll take questions and comments now and live as comments here on the Radar, on Twitter@nyjets and on Facebook.com/Jets.

Eric Allen will host  the video portion of the chat in Round 2 and newyorkjets.com editor-in-chief Randy Lange is scheduled to make an appearance as well.  Then we’ll continue with a text-based chat in Round 3 as we continue to provide round-the-clock coverage of the Green & White.

We’ll take questions and comments early, so fire away.

His body is all business and quite impressive when draped in his draft-night sartorial choice of a silver business suit and powder-blue tie.

Not to mention pointed black leather shoes that went on forever. How big is his foot?

“Size 15,” “Q” said a his little laugh. “It helps me with my balance.”

Body aside, he has that engaging chuckle. No doubt that bugged a few draft watchers, who felt Coples was a little inconsistent, maybe a little less than 100 percent serious about the game. But it’s a little personal trait that also may well endear him to fans and reporters after he takes down Tom Brady once or twice to prompt a new Jets cheer of “Kyooooo!” — and indicates an ability to handle the slings and arrows that he’s already faced leading up to the draft and will feel again if he has a few sackless games as the Jets’ Sweet 16 first pick.

“I definitely let it run off my back,” he said of criticism, adding that coming to New York from Kinston, N.C., and Chapel Hill will not faze him. “Not at all. I know in New York you’re under the microscope all the time. I know there are a lot of things going on. But at the end of the day I just want to be the best player I can be and help the Jets get to the Super Bowl.”

He also had a smile or two for the Jets fans in the Radio City Music Hall balcony, who seemed to greet him with a generally favorable reaction although there was an undercurrent of boos from those who wanted such other pocket pummelers as Melvin Ingram, Courtney Upshaw or Chandler Jones, who all were still on the board when the Jets selected at 16.

“Jets fans? They’re definitely fantastic,” he said, using another one of his trademarks, “definitely.”

Definitely there will be a lot on Coples’ shoulders as he begins his career as a New York Jet in earnest beginning Friday when he is scheduled to make his first appearance at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park, N.J. His play has drawn mostly awed but still mixed reactions. NFL Network’s Mike Mayock, for instance, has said:

“I did not like his senior year tape. I’ve been highly critical of him. However, he showed up at the Senior Bowl and showed he could play like Julius Peppers.”

Peppers, of course, is the 11th-year Panther and now Bear who, before his 100-sack career, was a terror for the Tar Heels.

“I don’t know Julius well but I’ve run into him before,” Coples said, adding with a little smile of healthy pride, “We’re the only two Carolina defensive linemen to be named first-team All-ACC twice. The only two. Ever.”

Coples has a more recent relationship with another Jet that he’ll be joining on the D-line soon. He and DE Muhammad Wilkerson were teammates at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia. “Wilk” was there as a post-grad, Coples as a high school senior.

“We didn’t room together but we stayed in the same dormitory,” Q said. “We’ve definitely talked. I saw him at the players’ association party last night.”

One other thing that seems to be a part of the Coples package is a willingness to please, to improve and to impress. His New Year’s resolution is “to take advantage of my opportunities.” And he said that, his silver and blue theme aside, he’ll look good in green and white.

“When Rex got me on the phone tonight, he asked me if I was ready to be a Jet,” Coples said with that infectious smile. “I definitely said yes.”

In fact, I’ll depart from the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center shortly after helping EA kick off the draft show and will then wend my way into the city and eventually end up at 51st and Sixth to take in the night’s proceedings, which should include meeting up with the Jets’ new first-round selection, whoever it is and wherever that choice is made, for some quality time in between his making stops at the draft headquarters and then down the street at the SNY studios.

Will the Jets spend that No. 16 pick? Who knows. We’ve heard the Jets might move up, might move back, might sit tight. If the Jets do spend the 16th selection, it will be only the third time they’ve used that pick on a player in their history.

The previous two Sweet 16s did well for the Green & White for a short while and have had good careers since their Jets days:

■ DE Hugh Douglas, who came to the Jets at No. 16 out of Central State in Ohio in 1995, left after the ’97 for the Eagles, and in all had a 10-year, 80-sack career and now is an ESPN talking head.

■ WR Santana Moss, No. 16 in 2001, who’s still going after playing his first 11 seasons for the Jets and Redskins and making 639 regular-season receptions combined. ‘Tana also holds the distinction (until perhaps Jeremy Kerley breaks it) of having the most recent punt-return touchdown for the Jets, on Jan. 15, 2005, in the playoff loss at Pittsburgh.

And the No. 16 the team had in 2000 only counts if you add an asterisk. The Jets parlayed that pick and their 48th choice in the ’00 draft and sent it to San Francisco for the 49ers’ 12th overall pick. With that choice they selected DE Shaun Ellis, who until last season was a longtime contributor to the defensive cause.

Keep Hangin’ In There, Steve

As always, reality intrudes into the Jets’ and the NFL’s world. Tonight when I take time out from draft developments, I’ll offer a quick prayer to Steve Mendelsohn as he follows the draft from his Dumont, N.J., home.

I detailed Steve’s battle with pancreatic cancer before the start of last season in a story on newyorkjets.com. The Jets’ frequency coordinator since 1999 had already beaten doctors’ prognoses that he had a year to live due to a lung sarcoid six years ago and three to five months to go from the cancer back in January 2011. His goal then was to make it to the Jets’ next playoff game. They didn’t get the postseason, of course, but Mendelsohn and his extended green family did go into the offseason together.

Steve was sent home from the hospital last week with a new prognosis of two to six weeks to live. He admitted to me that he was pretty down last Friday. But a list of Jets visiting his home this week, led by general manager Mike Tannenbaum and head coach Rex Ryan, has reinflated his spirits. His new goal: to attend one of the Jets’ early OTA practices the week after next.

“The GM made the request that I come out and have lunch then,” Steve said. “God has made my life plentiful these last weeks. I don’t take bad news easily when I know I can overcome it. So I’m coming out. Whatever it takes.”

Have a great draft tonight, Steve, and we’ll see you here soon.

McElroy, Posey Do the Honors

QB Greg McElroy and DB Julian Posey will team up with the N.J. Department of Agriculture to honor Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood on Friday morning for being one of the winning schools in the 2011-12 “Eat Right, Move More” contest. The program encourages Garden State schoolkids to take advantage of healthy foods in their school cafeterias and become more active.

“By the end of this offseason and going into this next year, I want to be considered a complete player,” Maybin told newyorkjets.com. “With everything that’s gone on my whole career, I feel like I’m finally in a place where I’m going to have a position to flourish as a complete player and really have that opportunity. Coming into this offseason, I really want to focus on every single part of my game to make sure I am that complete player when preseason rolls around.”

It was just last summer when many wondered if Maybin’s NFL career was over. After being selected No. 11 overall in the 2009 draft, the Penn State product went sackless in 27 games with the Buffalo Bills and was released in August. The Jets signed him and he made the 53-man roster on cutdown day before being let go before the opener. But he re-signed with the Jets in Week 4, appeared in 13 games and experienced his professional breakthrough.

“This is the most excited I’ve been my whole career for the start of a season. Just because coming into last year, a lot of things were uncertain for me,” he said. “Coming into the situation this year, knowing that I’m in a brand new situation, I’m a lot more comfortable with the team now having almost a full year under my belt. I’m just excited to really get a whole year behind me and really get a chance to get out there and help us win football games.”

The best pass rushers have good vision and Maybin isn’t wasting any time looking behind him. While he led his new club with six sacks, four forced fumbles and 24 QB hurries, the Jets stumbled down the stretch and narrowly missed a trip to the postseason.

“Really, as soon as the season ended, all I could do was start putting down goals for next year. It ended with a little bit of a sour taste in our mouth,” he said. “With me personally, I’m excited as I’ve ever been, but I definitely didn’t spend too much time reflecting. It was really on to next year as soon as possible.”

A new face last year, Maybin said he is welcoming his new teammates with open arms and the team is moving ahead with a “singular mindset.” He was particularly happy that NT Sione Pouha received an extension and he also believes unrestricted free agent signee LaRon Landry can be a valuable addition in the defensive backfield.

“Me being from the DC area, I had a chance to watch him for a few years out there in Washington,” Maybin said of the former Redskin. “I’m excited to have a chance to play with a guy like that because you think about guys who can really patrol that secondary and it’s an imposing task for a quarterback to have to make some of those throws sometimes. Anything to make the quarterback hold onto the ball a little bit longer, I’m in favor of.”

On Tuesday night, some of Maybin’s artwork was showcased at the fifth annual Fashion and Football Gala and Runway Show in New York City.

“It’s been a big year for us. As far as the art goes, it’s really taken off for us this year,” he said. “Being in the New York market now and being as big as art is in the city, there’s been a lot of opportunities for me to get some of my stuff out and people have been very receptive to it, so it’s exciting.”

“It’s now time to start over,” Holmes told me. “It’s a fresh start, new faces here, and I think it gives me better insight to myself, knowing I can lose a few pounds and come back in as if I’m the younger guy around here. I’m the oldest vet at receiver on our team right now, but I think those guys look up to me because I still have that young man’s mentality that I’m going to work every day, I’m going to outwork you, and if you try to be better than I am, I’m going to make sure I’m better than you at the end of the day.”

Many pundits believe the Jets will add another receiver in the early rounds of the draft and GM Mike Tannenbaum has 10 selections at his disposal. The Jets have the No. 16 overall selection on Thursday night and Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon, Notre Dame’s Michael Floyd, Baylor’s Kendall Wright and LSU’s Rueben Randle are expected to be targeted by teams early. But Holmes is happy with the Jets’ current group that includes former Raider Chaz Schilens, sophomore Jeremy Kerley and veteran Patrick Turner.

“I love my group. These guys, the attitude they bring toward me is they want to compete harder than what Tone’s doing. They want to know if Tone did it this way, how can we do it that way plus a little bit more than Tone,” he said. “They’re asking questions, ‘Tone, what do I do here, What do I do here?’ and I just refer back to myself looking up to Hines Ward over the years and playing in Pittsburgh.”

The Jets offense has a new commander in 2012 as Tony Sparano has replaced the departed Brian Schottenheimer as coordinator. While you can expect a commitment to a physical running attack, Sparano has also stressed the importance of producing chunk plays down the field.

“His attitude, the way he grabs our attention just by his voice, he doesn’t even have to look at us or say much. It’s the tone that he uses with us that grabs everyone’s attention and we’re focused,” Holmes said. “We’re excited to have a new guy around, a bunch of new faces, just that whole drive to make change and make it better. I think everybody is open for it. I’m definitely open for it. I’m excited. I hope Mark is and the rest of the guys that want to stick around and be around these Jets for the next few years.”

Even before the Jets were back at work here in Florham Park, Sanchez and a few of the Jets’ skill players met up with Holmes in Orlando to get an early start on 2012.

“When you’re in the business world and things aren’t working out, you go and talk to each other,” Holmes said. “If things don’t look good or feel right, you go and talk to them to make sure it is so when it’s time for the presentation to come, you’re not having these same problems that you were dealing with a long time ago.”

Holmes has never been one for down time. He told me he took less than two weeks off after the season ended and then it was back to work. But he was happy his teammates joined him this spring for a few days.

“For the simple fact that Mark, Dustin, Patrick — guys who came down to work out with me — I loved it, man. We had a great three or four days working out together,” he said. “We had a chance to go out to Disney and Universal, spend some time together and just have fun. I think that’s a part of us growing up and accepting our roles as part of this team.”

In all, the NFL announced today that 33 legendary NFL alumni — one for each team and two WRs, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, splitting the duties for the St. Louis Rams — will announce their teams’ picks live from Radio City Music Hall in New York.

The alumni scheduled to be on hand to make the announcements from the podium feature six Pro Football Hall of Famers, including two from the Class of 2012 — C Dermontti Dawson for the Steelers and T Willie Roaf for the Saints.

Any team would be happy to get the kind of Round 2 production that Walker gave to the Jets as the ’77 draft’s 33rd overall selection, the fifth pick of the second round. Walker played his entire 13 NFL seasons in the green and white. He totaled 438 catches for 8,306 yards for a 19.0-yard average that is the franchise career record.

And in his best season? Walker had several — he had 1,169 yards on 48 catches in ’78 for a 24.4-yard average that is still the franchise season mark. But he also had 61 receptions in ’83 and 12 touchdown catches in ’86, which included his franchise-record four-TD game in the classic 51-45 home overtime victory over the Dolphins.

Walker played in two Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro first-team WR in 1978.

“I like the draft for them,” Kirwan told me, by which of course he meant that he likes the draft if the Green & White fill certain needs during the seven rounds. Those needs, he enumerated, are pass rusher, wide receiver, running back and tackle. “If they come out of this with outside linebacker and tackle starters, and running back and wide receiver role players, then I think they’ve had a successful draft.”

Who to fill those spots in the first four or five rounds? That’s always the best part, listening to Pat talk about the players he interviewed and watched back in January at the Senior Bowl and who are now getting ready for their introduction into the NFL. You’re familiar with the names although maybe there a few Pat mentioned that you weren’t thinking of for the Jets on Days 2 and 3.

Prefacing his remarks about the pass rusher, Kirwan said, “I talked with Aaron Maybin recently. He gave them more than they thought he would last year. I didn’t know that Aaron’s relationship with Rex Ryan goes all the way back to his high school days. He’s a plus for the Jets.

“But they still have to go get another one. And they’re not going to do it with a 5-technique, so they’ll do it with an outside LB.”

Which ones if the Jets stay at 16?

“If they’re thinking about the position in the first round, it’s either Nick Perry or Courtney Upshaw. I think one of those two guys will be there,” Kirwan said. “If they say OLB in the second round, you’re probably talking about Shea McClellin. He’s kind of in the mold of guys that played for Rex in Baltimore, Jarret Johnson, for example.”

And if that need goes unfulfilled until Round 3, No. 77 overall? “You’re probably talking about Bruce Irvin,” he said of the 6’3″, 245-pounder from West Virginia. “And he may be the biggest diamond in the rough of them all.”

Moving on to the next potential starter, “The right tackle I like is Bobby Massie from Mississippi. He’s played the right side and at some time he may play the left. His stock grows,” Kirwan said, adding as an aside, “I’ve got 15 teams that want to come out of this draft with a [starting] tackle, and I don’t think there are more than eight of them. It’s a supply-and-demand issue. Mike [Tannenbaum] is aware of it. There’s just not enough of them available.

“If Massie’s gone at 47, the Jets could turn to Mitchell Schwartz. He’s the big Cal kid who I had at the Senior Bowl. He’s a big, strong, physical guy. Jeff Allen from Illinois’s in the conversation later. I liked him at guard. He’s got almost 50 college starts and he can play right tackle. So the Jets can get one of those tackles somewhere in the draft.”

Seeking a Complementary RB

As for the offensive backfield need, Kirwan said, “I think it’s a complementary player. I think there’s got to be some admission of what Shonn Greene isn’t. Last year the complement was LaDainian Tomlinson. At No. 77, I like Isaiah Pead, the Cincinnati kid. An offensive coordinator told me, ‘We like him because we intend on breaking the formation, getting him outside and running empty sets.’ “

Two other RBs he likes are Texas A&M’s Cyrus Gray and, on Day 3, another Ole Miss product, Brandon Bolden.

“Gray is the only back in the draft with over 100 college receptions,” he said. “Then Bolden down there in Mississippi, he’s like BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Poor Ole Miss was overmatched with LSU, Alabama — with just about everybody. It was pretty clear Bolden was the main target. And he still delivered.”

For wideout, Kirwan said, “I happen to be a fan of Marvin McNutt of Iowa, another Senior Bowl player. What I love about Marvin is that he reminds me of Donald Driver — smooth, slick route runner, very mature. I think he’s attainable, but you’d have to push into the bottom of the fourth round, I think.” The Jets don’t have a No. 4 at the moment.

So bear in mind, Jets fans, Kirwan is just like the rest of us independent draftniks, except that in a larger, truer sense he’s better than the rest of us because he’s a smart, engaging NFL observer who does this for a living. But he sees a plan he likes for the Jets on draft weekend:

“Nick Perry in the first round, Bobby Massie in the second, Isaiah Pead in the third, then parlaying into the fourth round for Marvin McNutt … I would be writing a long story about how excited I am for the Jets.”

Check Out Pat’s Book

Kirwan doesn’t apparently need me shilling for fans to buy the long story he has written, “Take Your Eye Off the Ball,” but I will.

“The book is doing very well,” he said of the little cottage industry he’s developed over the past year — he’s written a second edition, “Take Your Eye Off the Ball: Playbook Edition,” and produced a companion audio CD plus an audio book, read along with his “Movin’ the Chains” radio partner, Tim “T-Rock” Ryan.

Of the playbook edition and companion video, he said, “I went into the classroom with a whiteboard and shot four hours of video for the book, X’s and O’s on the board. Then I re-released the book as a spiral-bound for all fans who wanted to make notes in the book, like a playbook. That sold a whole bunch more.”

Kirwan has a second book project percolating, a “Movin’ the Chains” kind of approach with Ryan that he said he’s been discussing as an e-book, releasing a chapter at a time online. More details are sure to come. And if you want a little something to make drive time pass by a little more quickly, check out Pat Kirwan’s Website and order yourself the audiotape.

Dixon, Wilson Pitch In to Play 60

Marcus Dixon and Kyle Wilson are participating in the NFL PLAY 60 Youth Football Festival on Tuesday and Wednesday. Dixon and Wilson will be among the eight current players who will be joined by eight NFL alumni, the 26 draft prospects in the area this week, Commissioner Roger Goodell and more than 600 first-to-eighth-grade students from area schools to help reinforce that area New York/New Jersey kids stay active for 60 minutes a day as part of the league’s youth health and fitness campaign.

The clinics will be held at Chelsea Waterside Park on 11th Avenue in Manhattan. At each clinic, students will learn NFL FLAG drills from USA Football coaches and participate in drills with the players. Dixon will be in clinics on Tuesday afternoon, Wilson in clinics on Wednesday afternoon.

Jets-Bengals Details

The particulars of the Jets’ preseason opener at Cincinnati have been firmed up. The game had been set for Friday, Aug. 10 at Paul Brown Stadium. And the kickoff has just been announced as 7:30 p.m. ET.

“When the discussion comes to No. 16, I like the fit of Courtney Upshaw to the Jets,” Cirminiello told me this afternoon in between stories for his gig as senior writer at College Football News. “The talk has started to wane a little over the last week or so, but Upshaw’s a great fit for Rex Ryan’s system. I love his personality, he’s got a great motor, he has that kind of versatility where I think the Jets can move him to a couple of different positions, and he comes with that championship banner from Alabama.

Cirminiello also sees merit in the Jets perhaps being interested in such as Illinois OLB Whitney Mercilus, Syracuse DE Chandler Jones and Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd. “I’ve waffled a little bit recently,” he said, “but I’m still leaning toward Courtney.”

Cirminiello has more than just first-round leanings for the Green & White. Here are some of his notes by position on possible Jets targets in the lower rounds that will be held next Friday (Rounds 2-3) and Saturday (Rounds 4-7):

RB: Doug Martin (if he happens to slip to No. 47), Isaiah Pead and Chris Polk (really like in 3rd round), Tauren Poole (4th round)

WR: Rueben Randle (2nd), Marvin McNutt (3rd or 4th), T.J. Graham, Mohamed Sanu (feels so underrated to me), Dwight Jones (3rd-5th range).

OL: G David DeCastro, OT Cordy Glenn, OT Bobby Massie (2nd), Jeff Allen (3rd-4th), OT Markus Zusevics ( a real wild card because he’s hurt).

DE: Courtney Upshaw, Vinny Curry (3rd), Jared Crick (3rd-4th), Malik Jackson (4th)

OLB: Shea McClellin (love everything about him, but especially his versatility if around at No. 47)

S: Mark Barron, Markelle Martin (3rd), George Iloka (4th).

We obtained these notes not nefariously but because Rich will be joining Eric Allen, myself and a host of others on our second annual “NewYorkJets.com Predraft Show,” which will air on our site live next Thursday beginning at 6 p.m.

This is also Cirminiello’s second year on the show with us. He’s been covering college football and the NFL draft for  more than a decade with CFN and for the last six of those years in CFN’s affiliation with FoxSports.com. And in fact he appeared on he appeared on NFL Network last week to make pick Nos. 13-22, so you can see the context of his 16th pick for the Jets in that context.

Cirminiello’s also been the director of college awards for the Maxwell Football Club for the past five years. You can catch his observations in 140 characters or fewer on his Twitter page. And a week from tonight you can catch his last-minute analysis of the draft on newyorkjets.com.

On Thursday April 19 (tomorrow), GM Mike Tannenbaum, VP of College Scouting Joey Clinkscales and Senior Personnel Executive Terry Bradway will meet with the media at 1:00PM EST here at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center.  The news conference will be streamed live on newyorkjets.com and fans can catch the full archive moments afterwards.

Then on Thursday April 26, we will stream a live pre-draft show from the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center.  At 6:00 PM EST, we’ll simulcast both on newyorkjets.com and Facebook.com/Jets and get you ready for Draft kickoff with a unique event.  Guests scheduled to appear include Tannenbaum, Clinkscales and Bradway literally moments before they head off to the War Room.  Randy Lange, our editor-in-chief, will join me for a pair of segments and we’ll also get some insider views from longtime Jets beat writer Rich Cimini of ESPN.com and Rich Cirminiello of CollegeFootballNews.com.

There will be plenty of footage of the top prospects throughout the show, ESPN analyst/former Jets head coach Herm Edwards will take a look at his former club’s needs and Assistant Director of Pro Personnel JoJo Wooden will tell you what a Pro Day is all about.  We also promise a special guest to close as there will be interaction with Jets Nation — via Facebook and Twitter — throughout a show that is literally months in the making.  Mark your calendars for that one!

Earlier Wednesday, I hosted a live chat on the recently announced Jets 2012 schedule.  We thank everyone for participating and that archive is currently available on the site.

Tone Time
Early next week, we’ll broadcast an exclusive 1-on-1 with Jets WR Santonio Holmes as the game-changer talks about his recent Humanitarian trip to Africa and takes a look ahead to 2012.  Further details are on the way.

On the one hand, the Jets coach said it was a good thing to get the dates and times of their 16 opponents just a day after the veterans first reported to the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center to begin their voluntary strength and conditioning period.

“Yesterday I was really excited to finally have the team in our building, have a chance to talk to them,” Ryan said. “But I’m even more excited now. When that schedule comes out, now you start to visualize who you’re playing and it’s even more exciting. Now you realize the 2012 season is upon us.”

But Ryan was not seeing less challenging games on an easy schedule. They all looked tough.

Having the season opener at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 9, at 1 p.m. vs. the Buffalo Bills, 6-10 a year ago?

“Opening up at home is a good thing, but playing Buffalo, they’re a tough team,” Ryan said. “They’re much improved. They’ve got that big pass rusher [Mario Williams] coming in.”

Three consecutive home games from Games 4-6? Not bad, except …

“San Francisco [Sept. 30] and Houston [Oct. 8] back to back, they’re two of the more physical teams in the league,” Rex said. “That’s definitely a tough stretch.”

And a favorable second half with an opponents’ schedule strength of .453? That would be fine, too, but for the little matter of three of their last four games being on the road, at Jacksonville (Dec. 9), at Tennessee (Dec. 17) and at Buffalo in the regular-season finale (Dec. 30).

“Yeah, you see that little clump of games right there — whooo, that’s a tough December,” he said. “But you’re coming into some decent weather, Jacksonville and Tennessee, and I kind of like having San Diego come to our place in December.”

One other eye-catcher is anywhere New England appears on the schedule. The Jets will play the Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Oct. 21, and then the teams will get back together on Thanksgiving night at MetLife on Nov. 22.

“Oh, man. That one’s going to be a beauty, there’s no doubt,” Rex said with a laugh about the Turkey Night affair with the defending AFC East champ and the conference’s Super Bowl representative. “It’s a late-night one and our fans will be ready to roll. I know New England’s obviously a tremendous team, so it’s going to be a great challenge for us.

“The last time we played on Thanksgiving, we had success,” Ryan added about the 2010 holiday night game at their new stadium, the 26-10 victory over the Bengals. “That’s good. Hopefully history will repeat itself … and I hope my wife’s got the green-bean casserole ready for after the game.”

Summing it all up, Ryan came to a standard coaching observation: “I think it’s a real balanced schedule. It looks good. We’ll see what happens.”

The NFL will release its team-by-team and weekly schedules for all 256 regular-season games tonight. The schedule will be the star of the record three-hour-long “2012 Schedule Release Show” on NFL Network. The show, hosted by Rich Eisen and featuring Marshall Faulk, Michael Irvin, Kurt Warner and Steve Mariucci in the analysts’ chairs, will begin at 7 p.m. ET.

We’ll have the Jets’ portion of the schedule at 7 p.m. as well, giving you the ins and outs of their key homestands and gotta-have-’em road trips, this year’s primetime matchups and always-important AFC East clashes with the division-champion Patriots, the defensively fortified Bills and the ever-dangerous Dolphins.

In addition to the stories on the schedule, featuring comments from head coach Rex Ryan and players as we get them, we’ll also have a video schedule feature at newyorkjets.com/schedule.

And on Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET, come back to our site to participate in a live chat on the Jets’ 2012 schedule. Eric Allen and I will field your questions and observations on the sked, which you can send us in advance to the Jets on Facebook and the Jets on Twitter.

Holmes said the trade caught him a little off guard.

“I was surprised,” the seventh-year wideout said during his portion of the call. “He was a second-year guy and a first-round draft pick. Getting trading from the Broncos certainly was a surprise for himself and the whole NFL. My take, bringing him aboard, I think he’s going to do some great things for our team this year. He’s a guy we can depend on when situations come about. He’s going to show he’s a playmaker who can help this team win.”

Mangold said the “playmaker” angle intrigued him the most.

“As much as any other trade or movement that gets done, if it’s going to help our team, I’m all for it,” the seventh-year center said. “Tim’s won a lot of games. He brings a new dynamic for our offense. Any chance to make us a better team, I’m all for it. I’m excited to see how that plays into our plans moving forward.”

Ryan has already said those plans involve Sanchez as the starting QB, but just to make sure, he was asked about that angle again today.

“Of course, Mark’s the starter, there’s no question about it. That’s how we look at it,” the head coach said. “We know Tim can help us, too, no doubt. He’s an outstanding football player. You look at both those guys, they’re both really good players, and they’re good people, and that’s where it is. Anytime you’re on the field, regardless of position, there’s competition. But Mark is our starting quarterback, we’ve said that, and Tim’s our backup quarterback. But we recognize that he’s an outstanding player and we’re going to use his abilities. We’re extremely happy to be able to use both of them.”

How that all sorts itself out, well, that’s what this time of year is partly for. It’s also time for the Jets to see their new playbooks, the offense’s book courtesy of new coordinator Tony Sparano.

“Learning the new offense is going to be new for all of us. We’re going into this season with clear minds, having our expectations on what Coach Sparano is going to teach us this year. We’re eager and excited, man, to get out on the field come OTAs, and even in the little time we have in between [now and the OTAs].”

Our Time continues annual tradition of celebrating an accomplished person who stutters by honoring Slauson, the Jets’ starting left guard.

“It’s truly an honor to be recognized by Our Time,” Slauson said. “As a person who has battled stuttering my entire life, I feel it’s important to help kids that are afflicted with this difficult problem. Whether overcoming this impediment completely or simply becoming more confident when speaking, I want kids who stutter to know they can be successful and accomplish anything they want to.”

Our Time will also bestow its first Advocacy Award to longtime supporter and Chair Emeritus, Budd Mayer. And the event will bring out some big names and professional artists for performances and presentations, including Rachel Dratch, Edie Falco, Victor Garber, Mariska Hargitay, Richard Kind, Jesse L. Martin, Matthew Modine, John Oliver, Ron Rifkin, Amy Ryan and cast members from “The Book of Mormon.”

For more information on the event, you can reach Our Time at 212-414-9696.

Curtis Checks Out Canton

At the beginning the week we brought word that Curtis Martin had selected Bill Parcells to be his presenter at his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on Aug. 4. That came as part of Curtis’ visit to the Canton, Ohio, shrine to tour the Hall of Fame and meet with staff in preparation for his enshrinement.

You can go to the Pro Football HOF site here to read a short story on Martin’s visit and also watch a video in which Curtis talks about his career and his upcoming big day.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him,” Martin told the Canton Repository on Monday at the Hall of Fame, where he was making one of his pre-induction visits to meet with the Hall’s staff and get the Canton lay of the land. “You never know how life works. Maybe someone else would have been placed in my life to take the place of Parcells, but I think there’s only one of him. I just don’t see someone else having that type of impact on me.”

Back when we met with Curtis in his Indianapolis hotel room the day of the Super Bowl and of his introduction as a member of the Class of ’12, he showed the depth of his feeling for Parcells when he talked about his getting into the Hall and Parcells, also a final-10 HOF candidate in February, not making it in his third try.

“This year, the more emotional part for me was the fact that Bill didn’t get in with me,” Curtis said. “I’d rather he’d be going in without me. I think what he’s accomplished in this game is phenomenal. It was bittersweet for me.”

The night before, Martin telegraphed to NFL Network’s Fran Charles that Parcells would be his choice as presenter.

“I think it’s a simple decision,” he said then. “I’m definitely not even close to being in this position — I don’t think I’d have played more than four or five years — without Bill Parcells as my mentor.”

Smith is an Aussie athlete who was a Denver Division II basketball player and is still a pro rugby standout? The Green & White have done their share of cross-training over the years but such free agent signings of former wrestlers and basketball players and soccer standouts (think Pete Carroll, Jets, 1994 and Tony Meola) don’t often pay off for any NFL team.

Yet it only takes one once in a while to make it worth while. And Smith has got some things going for him as he attempts to make a little roster room for himself among the Rob Gronkowskis, Antonio Gateses and Dustin Kellers of the league. As Sam Monson said in his latest piece for ProFootballFocus.com today, “

“The first and most obvious thing that Smith has going for him is raw athletic talent. He played basketball in college before taking up rugby. Without meeting the NFL prerequisites for athleticism, Smith wouldn’t have a hope, but from his reported 4.75 40 time and his size, he qualifies. That athleticism is the reason that he was able to ascend rapidly in the rugby world to being a significant member of the US national team, but also (and perhaps more importantly), become a valuable squad player for Saracens rugby club of the English Premier division.”

Smith’s dimensions are a little more impressive than the 6’7″ and 240 pounds we pegged him at Saturday. He worked at the Senior Bowl this year and measured at 6’6″ and 265, a frame that he reportedly moves at 4.75-second speed in the 40. You can watch some of his drills in this YouTube piece, if you haven’t already checked it out.

And you can read Monson’s entire story at ProFootballFocus here. In one of his concluding remarks Monson compares Smith to Martin Johnson, another top rugby lock forward who participated in the 49ers’ 2001 training camp:

“Hayden Smith is a new breed of rugby player, and though he plays the same position as Johnson did, he represents a much more intimidating level of athlete — one that can meet the NFL standards by raw numbers alone.”

As for whether Smith can navigate all the other shoals of making it to an NFL roster, or even a practice squad, we’ll be covering that on newyorkjets.com when we talk with him, Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum and assistant GM Scott Cohen, head coach Rex Ryan and others about this and many other topics as the offseason continues to head inexorably toward the 2012 season.

Five Fun Facts for This Year’s Yearbook

One of the things we do this time of year, besides presenting stories and blogs on current Jets and our annual predraft package, is to begin to fill in the pages of the Jets’ yearbook. One of the tasks in that regard is to come up with a fun factoid for each player who will have a page in the player section of the book — and this year that may mean around 90 factoids for the 90 players who may be coming to camp (assuming the NFL passes the expanded roster limit at its next meeting).

Not all of the facts and notes will find a place in the book, but here are five that are of interest at this early stage of the process. And I’ll pitch five more and five more after that down the road as we head toward Cortland and 2012 training camp.

■ Mo Lewis lives in two of the factoids I’ve roughed out. David Harris had four interceptions last year, the most by a Jets linebacker since Lewis pilfered the same number of picks in 1994. And then there’s Calvin Pace — including the playoffs, CP has totaled 28 sacks in his four Jets seasons, which are the most by a Jets LB in a four-year span since Mo racked up 30.5 sacks from 1997-2000.

■ A neat number on Shonn Greene concerns his knack for not getting tackled in the Jets’ backfield. According to Stats Inc., Greene was “stuffed” (tackled for loss) just 16 times in his 253 carries, a 6.3 percent rate that was second-best among the 53 RBs with at least 100 carries last year and best among the 31 backs with at least 150 carries. That tendency came in handy en route to Shonn’s first 1,000-yard season as a pro, 1,054 to be exact.

■ We duly noted rookie free agent TE Josh Baker’s big contribution to the offense, his 5-yard walk-in touchdown reception against the Giants. But did you know that Baker was born on Christmas Day in 1986 and that his first pro TD came on Dec. 24? An early holiday gift for the young man from Chesapeake, Va. (hometown), Delaware (his first college stop) and Northwest Missouri State (his last college).

■ One stat I didn’t do justice to regarding T.J. Conley’s first season as a pro punter was that he had 32 inside-the-20 punts last season. That’s a pretty good number — in fact, it was tied for third-most in the NFL. And if you add Conley’ 32 I-20′s to Steve Weatherford’s 42 from 2010 that tied the NFL record, the Jets’ 74 inside-the-20s over the past two seasons easily leads the league.

■ And while we did document Joe McKnight’s kickoff-return heroics well, here are a few items that I may not have noted prominently if at all: McKnight’s 31.6-yard average (on 34 runbacks) broke the Jets’ season franchise record of 30.7 (on 22 returns) set by then-rookie Bobby Humphery in 1984. And that averaged was the best in the NFL in the last 25 years. And while it’s possible that kickoffs from the 35 had something to do with McKnight’s success, it bears considering that No. 2 in the league was Green Bay’s Randall Cobb at 27.7, almost four yards less per return than Mighty Joe.

Confirming Jets-Giants Particulars

We tweeted it last week and it’s been up on our schedule page, but in case anyone missed it, the Jets-Giants  preseason date and time were firmed up a day after the NFL released the preseason schedule. Jets-Giants SummerFest No. 44 (as in the 44th consecutive summer the teams are meeting) will be held at MetLife Stadium(where else?) on Saturday, Aug. 18, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. ET.

Some teams are changing their styles dramatically. The Jets and many other teams are taking a more subtle approach. But as RB Shonn Greene demonstrated as he modeled the Jets’ new green home jersey and uniform, fans will notice the difference when the “next generation” Green & White take the field in 2012.

Nike describes the Jets’ new style on its Website this way:

Although the Jets design aesthetic will stay true to years past, the team has chosen to take Nike innovation in the Nike Elite 51 football uniform.

In general it describes the Nike Elite 51 uniform as

A uniform system rooted in body-led design, built for a body-contoured fit resulting in zero distractions in order to help amplify speed.

And Nike describes some key features of the Elite 51 uni:

■ LIGHTER — The Nike jersey and pant, wet or dry are lighter than previous versions

■ FLYWIRE TECHNOLOGY — Eliminates layers, reduces weight, and provides lockdown fit

■ ZONED MESH VENTILATION – Provides cooling zones for optimal thermoregulation

■ ZONED STRENGTH — High tenacity, stretch material, for lightweight lockdown strength.

■ CUT FOR MOBILITY – Four-way stretch, hydrophobic materials enable range of motion wet or dry.

■ STRETCH TWILL NUMBERS – Four-way stretch even on numbering system

■ CUSTOMIZABLE BASELAYER PADDING – Nike Pro Combat Hyperstrong baselayer with integrated lightweight, Deflex padding offering customizable flexible protection.

■ DEFLEX PADDING — Lightweight, flexible impact protection integrated into top “hit zone” areas

■ ALUMINUM D-RING BELT — Aircraft-grade aluminum D-ring belt reduces weight.

And the re-design applies not just to jerseys and pants, but also to the Jets’ new Nike Vapor Jet 2.0 gloves and to their new Nike Vapor Talon Elite cleats.

But what does all this mean? What do the uniforms look like?

We’re in the process of gathering images and preparing to post them today on newyorjkets.com as soon as we can from our photographer, Joe Rey, who was in B’klyn at this event. And my partner, Eric Allen, was also at the uniform unveiling and will be back soon as well to provide you with a report from the scene and some remarks from Shonn Greene and Nike execs. We expect that later this afternoon.

One of the big issues was the sudden word of a rumored Jets return to “Hard Knocks” this summer, two years after the team’s first appearance on the annual NFL Films/HBO miniseries. Would they? Could they? Mr. J played it down the middle.

He didn’t deny. “I’ve heard that,” he said of those reports. “We have yet to receive a formal invitation. When we do, we’ll take a look at it.”

But he didn’t confirm: “All those concerns, the positives, the negatives, we’d have to look at, just sit around and say yea or nay. This is not a perfect science. We would use our best judgment at that point.”

One reason the Jets would be of interest to “Hard Knocks” would be the trade for their new backup QB. Johnson also spoke for the first time of the arrival of Tim Tebow last week.

“We never knew Tim would be available,” he said. “In looking at Tim, he brings a versatility and a capability at backup quarterback that we think is unique and will be very productive for us.”

As for how Tebow’s role develops, Woody said, “that’s kind of up to the coaches and Tim. How he does with it, the kind of reps he’s going to get as the second-string quarterback, I’m sure he’ll try to improve any way he can. His passing, that only helps the team, makes him more of a threat.”

Johnson said he’s not worried about the relationship between Mark Sanchez and Tebow, saying he thinks the Jets’ starter is “going to handle it great.” And he dismissed a popular storyline that a “circus atmosphere” on the team this season is inevitable.

“It’ll be a football atmosphere for sure,” he said. “I really don’t think that’s going to be the case. Our goal is to win games and get to the Super Bowl, that’s our goal. We strongly feel this move and other moves we’re going to be making, that we’ve already made and will be making, are going to put us on the track to do that. We also go to Cortland this year, which is a huge part of who Rex is and the way he builds teams.”

That’s Cortland, as in SUNY Cortland, site of the Jets’ first two training camps under head coach Rex Ryan before last year’s labor situation kept the team at home in North Jersey last year. Whether the NFL Films cameras will be patrolling the campus along with the Green & White, we can’t say yet. But the owner’s holding court in New York City today was a timely reminder that three months after the NFL Draft, and after “The NFL Shop at Draft” closes its doors, four months from today, the heat once again will be on Johnson’s Green & White.

Eric Allen talked with TE Dustin Keller at today’s event. He’ll file a report as well as a video on his chat with DK on Tuesday.

Initially I was against tinkering with the OT rule. You know the arguments for and against. I always felt there was nothing wrong with the NFL’s true “sudden death” approach, and as such I respectfully disagreed with the league observers and commentators who suggested it would somehow be an “embarrassment” for a Super Bowl to be decided by a field goal on the opening drive of overtime.

Why? It’s how OT games have been decided since 1974. If one team didn’t get an “opportunity” to score in OT, so what? If a team doesn’t want to lose that way, don’t let the game go to overtime. And if it does get to OT, don’t let the other guys score first. Simple. This isn’t baseball. It’s football.

But of course the trend has been to modify overtimes, to decide tied games by the abominable college rule that also is used in many states for their high school games. I’ve always been a proponent of Bill Parcells’ philosophy. Why would you change the fundamental nature of the game by removing punt returns and field position? Let’s play football, not have a field goal contest or a shootout.

Yet the NFL didn’t adopt those rules. I wasn’t a big fan of the new rule it did adopt two years ago at this time, either. But after trying it on for size (even though it was only in effect once, and Tim Tebow of all people made it moot by lifting Denver over Pittsburgh the old-fashioned way, by TD on the first play of OT two months ago), it seems to me that if the league was going to revamp its overtime rules, it went with the best rule.

By 30-2, the owners this week voted to extend the rule to all games. Perhaps the margin of that vote was influenced by coaches who want to deal with the same rules for all games, not a different set for the postseason. But it appears that the new rule is being embraced by the league.

A historical note: Green & White fans of a certain age will miss the old OT rule, which was very good to their team over the years. The Jets have played 39 overtime games since ’74. Twelve of them have been decided on an opening-drive field goal. The Jets won nine of those games while losing three. In fact, the last game they lost without touching the ball on offense was in 1992, when they fell to the Colts at Indianapolis, 6-3. Since then they had won seven straight on the opening drive of OT. Not one of those wins was “embarrassing.” They were all won by the rules in effect at the time.

No longer. But at least we’re not playing more than one extra inning in breaking our ties now.

Below is a transcript of Competition Committee chairman Rich McKay’s short Q&A with reporters on Wednesday discussing all the rules and bylaw proposals. And feel free to leave a comment about the OT rule or any of the other rules changes that are discussed below or should be discussed at next year’s annual meeting.

McKay: There were seven total rule proposals voted on today. Five of those passed; two of those did not.

The two that did not pass: One was submitted by Buffalo, which was a change in instant replay to move the decision-maker from the referee to the replay assistant upstairs, which did not pass. The second was to change the horse collar rule that we have and take out the exception that we have for the quarterback in the pocket. It did not pass.

The other ones all passed, including Pittsburgh’s proposal to take our modified sudden death overtime procedures and move them into the regular season. It did pass. All of the rest of them that I have covered with you before, those all passed.

On the bylaw side, we passed Bylaw Proposal No. 1, which is a very simple cleanup trying to make Thanksgiving day and Christmas day or Christmas night games the same as our other night games.

We tabled a number of the ones that dealt with the player and roster movements, including some IR proposals. We felt there was some really good input and we felt like we would table them. We will vote on them in May. That would include the trade deadline; the overall roster limit of 90; the one activation you could make off of IR; and the one concussion-diagnosis exception to our active/inactive list that was proposed. We just have some work to do on those.

On why Playing Rule Proposal No. 2, which would have removed the horse collar penalty exception for quarterbacks in the pocket, did not pass despite promoting player safety…

We never are going to back up from player safety. We are always going to push the agenda as much as we can. We appreciate when teams push it also. In this instance, the rule was developed for an open-field tackle where we felt like a defender had a chance with an alternative to do something else, and we felt like the injury risk was going to occur because the defender was able to actually use the runner’s momentum against himself and swing and fall on the back of his legs. We never thought that necessarily applied in the pocket. We watched the tape and didn’t feel that was a change that was also fair to the defender. The defender in the pocket is fighting off an offensive player, grabbing and just trying to do everything he can. We just didn’t see the injury risk and that is why we didn’t support it. It is not a place we like to be because we are always going to promote player safety. We just didn’t think this had an impact on player safety.

On if there were discussions on Thursday night games and limiting travel…

There was. Howard Katz gave a report and gave us some guidelines that he is going to try to use as they schedule those and when the commissioner creates the schedule. Those were shown to the teams and talked about. The teams were pretty comfortable with those guidelines.

On if resistance to the bylaw proposals that focused on the roster caused them to be tabled…

No, there were some really good ideas and suggestions. There is not necessarily resistance. We have just got to work on the language a little bit. They do not need to be passed today. We will pass them in May, we will deal with them and we will show them to the union and do all the normal steps. We knew coming in that we traditionally do that a lot with bylaws, and we felt like in this instance that was the way we would go and we would table them.

On further discussing Bylaw Proposal No. 6, which would allow for a designated player to return from injured reserve after a defined time period…

The IR rule, perhaps there are a couple of amendments we may propose to that, yes.

On if average time of game could decrease as a result of the approval of Playing Rule Proposal No. 7, which calls for all turnovers to be confirmed by the instant replay official…

It potentially could. When you see it, it feels like it would slow the game down because you are taking what would be a challenge and taking it upstairs for confirmation. We didn’t see that in the scoring plays, and we think in the turnovers it will have the same effect. It is pretty much even, although in this instance the difference is we have a lot of plays that are turnovers, we go to a commercial break and the coach challenges coming out of the commercial break, which now really slows down the game. You will have none of that in this instance because the confirmation will occur before that. We like the way the procedure worked on scoring plays, and we felt like this was a change we could make without adding game time.

Specifically, the Jets have been awarded two picks at the end of Round 6 and two picks at the end of Round 7. Therefore all four picks will be used on Saturday, April 28.

The four additional picks gives the Jets 10 in this draft. They have their own picks in the first three rounds (16th, 47th and 77th overall). They have no choice in Round 4, having sent it to Denver as part of last week’s trade for QB Tim Tebow. They then have their own pick in the fifth round, three choices in Round 6 and three in Round 7.

If the Jets were to hold onto those 10 picks, that would be the most picks the Green & White spent in a single draft since 2004 and ’06, also with 10 each. The last Jets draft with more picks was in 1998, when they had 12 selections.

The exact positions of the compensatories will not be known until the NFL releases all the “comps” along with the positions of all selections for all teams in the draft, which is expected today at the NFL owners’ annual meeting in Palm Beach, Fla., currently under way.

The NFL awarded 32 compensatory picks but only to 15 teams. The Jets, Packers and Browns received the maximum of four. The Jets’ four picks were based on losing CB Drew Coleman, WR Braylon Edwards, DE Shaun Ellis, WR Brad Smith and P Steve Weatherford.

Under the rules for compensatory draft selections, a team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in the previous year is eligible to receive compensatory picks. The number of picks a team receives equals the net loss of compensatory free agents, up to a maximum of four.

The five compensatories the Jets have received previously:

2004, Round 4 (132nd overall) — T Adrian Jones, Kansas

2004, Round 7 (234th overall) — DE Trevor Johnson, Nebraska

2004, Round 7 (235th overall) — RB Derrick Ward, Ottawa (Kansas)

2004, Round 7 (236th overall) — S Rashad Washington, Kansas State

2007, Round 3 (97th overall) — S Eric Smith, Michigan State

“We see Mark as our quarterback of the present and future and we’ve got him for five years,” Ryan told newyorkjets.com before leaving for the NFL owners’ annual meeting over the weekend. “We’re excited to see him in the future and how much better he’s going to get.”

“And now Tim Tebow’s on our team,” the coach said. “All we want to do is build a better team. We feel Tim is going to be a major contributor for us.”

Fans can get a flavor of Tebow as a Jet on newyorkjets.com today. Tebow’s first media availability since Wednesday night — when he talked with the team’s reporters on a late-night conference call following the trade with the Broncos — occurs today at noon ET at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. We’ll stream that availability live on our site, then it will be archived for replay later. We’ll also have a story and photos.

And needless to say it will be a while — the Jets’ veterans minicamp in June and their training camp in Cortland, N.Y., in late July-August — before we see how the offense of new coordinator Tony Sparano is taking shape.

But Ryan is enthusiastic about what this will mean for the Jets offense and the team as a whole when the games count in September.

“I know how hard it is to defend the type of things he does,” said Ryan, whose Jets “D” defended Tebow extremely well, all except for that 95-yard game-winning touchdown drive in their November game in the Mile High City. “As a defensive coach, from a preparation standpoint, it’s difficult to stop.

“We had Brad Smith my first two years. We averaged about 8 yards a play in that Wildcat package. You look at it, Tim is bigger and stronger than Brad and throws the ball better. Tony Sparano’s the guy who brought the Wildcat to the NFL. He’s going to do a lot of good things for us.”

By my unofficial count, the Jets and then-OC Brian Schottenheimer turned to the Wildcat/Mizzou/Seminole formation featuring Smith from Game 13 of Sanchez’s rookie season of 2009 through the end of 2010. The effect: 53 plays for 405 yards, 7.6 yards per play, 19 first downs, three touchdowns and a 9-for-13 third-down conversion rate (69.2 percent).

The Green & White used the WC package very little in Sanchez’s first 12 games in ’09 and they didn’t go to it at all in any six of their playoff games in ’09-10. Then came 12 snaps all of last season, with rookie Jeremy Kerley, featured tailback Shonn Greene and Hall of Famer-to-be LaDainian Tomlinson taking the snaps. That totaled 75 yards (6.3 per play), three first downs and one TD.

Now with Tebow working behind Sanchez, Rex says the ‘Cat will be back. “We may run it two snaps or 25 snaps. You have to be prepared as a coach. It takes a lot of preparation time,” Ryan said, adding, “The things we’re going to do with it, people can’t even imagine. We have creative people here — obviously, Tony is very creative. It’s going to be a lot of fun and it’s going to be difficult for defenses. Rest assured, we’re getting ready.”

“Hello. I hope you’re all doing good,” Tebow, the new Jets backup QB and Wildcatter, told the team’s reporters on a hastily organized conference call. “First and foremost, I just want to thank the Denver Broncos for my time there. It was very memorable and special.

“Now I’m looking forward to my time as a Jet. I’m very thankful for the opportunity to play for such a great organization. It’s my dream and passion to help them out and just be a part of it. I’m just happy they believed in me and stuck with me through this crazy process.”

Next, a word from our sponsor.

Yes, that’s genuine Tim Tebow. For anyone who’s never listened to him for 15 straight minutes, it’s revealing. He was set aside by the Broncos as they pursued and tackled Peyton Manning to be their new franchise quarterback, he has lost his starter’s job to be Mark Sanchez’s backup, and he didn’t even get to entertain an offer from his hometown Jaguars. Yet a short while ago, seldom was heard a discouraging word.

Take Rex Ryan, for instance.

“I wanted to play for Coach Ryan ever since I saw ‘Hard Knocks,’ ” Tebow chuckled about Rex’s and the Jets’ five-week star turn on HBO’s training camp series two summers ago. “He just seemed like a coach who loves football and is passionate about the game of football. He’s definitely a players’ coach. I just love that about him.”

But didn’t the salty language fall a little hard on the uber-religious QB’s ears?

“I have so much respect for Coach Ryan,” he said, chuckling even louder. “He’s a coach you want to play for, a coach you want to go out there and do good for. … There’s not many NFL locker rooms you’re going to go where you have the cleanest language, so I’m not too worried about that.”

How about the Broncos? Any parting shots over their bow?

“I understand what they were going through,” he said. “You don’t get many opportunities to have a chance to sign Peyton Manning. What a great quarterback he is.”

OK, then how about working up a good hate for Sanchez, whom he is now slated to play second fiddle to, at least on the QB depth chart.

“Mark called me and left a voicemail,” Tebow said. “I was searching through all my voicemails and I heard his and I called him back. We talked, got a chance to catch up a little bit. It was a great conversation. We’ve been blessed to get to know each other the last three years.

“I think we’re both extremely competitive. I think we’ll be able to push each other to get a lot better. I think we’ll have a great working relationship, and we’ve had a great relationship off the field. He’s such a classy guy. I’ll be very honored to call him my teammate.”

Tebow further declined to see his new Green & White role as a demotion from being a weekly national trending topic as he was leading Denver to a 7-4 record and its first playoff game in six years, which of course he won with an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime over the Steelers.

“I feel like this is a great opportunity for me to develop,” he said. “I think the scheme we’ll be playing in is a great scheme to play under and improve every day. My goal is just to be the best player, the best quarterback, the best teammate I can be and improve every single day and earn everything I get by working hard and find a way to help the team in whatever role that is.”

And just to cover all his bases, he threw bouquets to Jets Nation, which seem initially divided on the wisdom of this trade: “Just playing for an organization that has such passionate fans, such a great fan base, so many people that care about them and support them, that definitely means a lot to me.”

Get used to it, folks. Tebow is as smooth and sincere off the field as he is dynamic and diabolical to defenses on it. (We hear he’ll get to demonstrate his glibness again for a national late-night TV audience or two in the coming days.)

Then just in case you missed it, he repeated one other sentiment several different ways that we’ll leave you with tonight:

“I’m just thankful to be a Jet.”

Now stay tuned for Last Call with Carson Daly. It’s just about that time.

His Jets stop was the final one in a strong career as an NFL assistant coach who had a knack for coaching in Super Bowls and an impressive nickname for his work with several offenses: Dr. O.

His first two championship games came as Parcells’ offensive coordinator for the Giants. Parcells, who had been Erhardt’s linebackers coach when Ron was the Patriots’ head coach for three seasons. Both Parcells and Erhardt were on Ray Perkins’ staff in ’82.

When Perkins departed for Alabama, Parcells became the Giants’ HC and Erhardt his OC. The two were on the staffs that guided the Giants to Super Bowl victories after the 1986 and ’90 seasons.

Erhardt left for Pittsburgh in ’92 and ran Bill Cowher’s offense for four seasons. The Steelers were a top-10 offense in three of those four years, led the NFL in rushing in 1994, and played in Super Bowl XXX.

In 1996 Rich Kotite brought Erhardt to the Jets and the offense was one of the few bright spots in the 1-15 season, tying for 12th in total yards and coming in 10th in passing yards despite having to transition at QB from an injured Neil O’Donnell to Frank Reich to Glenn Foley by season’s end.

Parcells returned to the metropolitan area to guide the Jets in ’97 and retained Erhardt for one more year. Then Ron left Bergen County for Florida, where he polished his golf game during the day before he and his wife, Anita, enjoyed the Boca night life and had the kids, sons Rob and Jim and daughters Jan and Jill, down as often as they could on the weekends.

In ’81, New England owner Billy Sullivan dismissed Erhardt two days after the Pats finished 2-14, reportedly saying, “Ron’s just too nice a guy.” I can attest to Ron’s niceness and decency and I also can say that he felt the Patriots gave him a short hook at the end of an injury-plagued season after his Pats went 19-13 in his first two seasons.

But Ron was a football lifer and he moved on to his next gig and the one after that. The former head coach at two North Dakota parochial high schools and North Dakota State never got another head-coaching nod, but he didn’t need one to leave a strong pro legacy.

At the risk of repeating myself from my profile on new Jets offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo from two weeks ago, he said he never met Erhardt but was benefitting from Dr. O’s work from many two decades before.

“People say this is Parcells’ system, but really, it’s Ron’s,” DeGuglielmo told me then. “Every offensive system has a way of calling things, identifying players and routes, things like that. This system has a very distinct way of calling plays and formations. It’s a traditional, professional, two-back, play-action type of offense, but it easily adapts to more open offenses. If you can use the term old-school, this system has old-school qualities with the flexibility to be new-school. The way we call it, you can go from traditional to spread out with ease.”

It would be a fitting tribute if the Jets of Rex Ryan, coordinator Tony Sparano and DeGuglielmo among others can take the system that Ron Erhardt helped shape and knock some aces into the cup in his honor this season.

Yet LaRon Landry looked as comfy in his molded plastic office chair in a meeting room at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center on Monday as if he were stretched out in his Barcalounger back in Virginia.

“This feels like home,” Landry, the former Redskins safety, told me within hours of signing a deal to join the Jets and patrol the deep middle of their offense this coming season. “This was the right thing to do.”

Landry knew a little bit of what to expect, and for that he and the Jets can thank his brother, Dawan.

“Dawan’s older by two years … I’m the better one,” he said with a proud sibling’s smile. “Rex Ryan and Dennis Thurman were coaching my brother in Baltimore. He said they were players’ coaches, they’re about winning.

“But ultimately it was my decision to make. I had to come out here and see for myself. It’s a nice facility. The Jets have a great owner and a great coach. It’s home here. I’m glad to be playing in a defense where my ability will be used to help my teammates. I’m all about winning, too.”

Landry exudes football, muscularity and competitiveness. He’s a friendly guy with a strong handshake and an edge to him that hints at his hard-hitting reputation that he brought with him from LSU as the Redskins’ sixth pick of the 2007 draft.

I asked him what number he’d be wearing as a Jet.

“I’ve always been 30,” he said. ” ‘Dirty 30.’ That’s what I’ve been since my freshman year in college.”

Dirty in a good way, though, I suggested.

“Yeah, dirty in a good way,” he agreed.

The Jets and their fans are eager to have a new safety to help clean things up when the Green & White go up against the top tight ends, in particular the Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski/Aaron Hernandez tag team. Landry is well aware of that aspect of his new home office.

“I like a challenge. I like being physical,” he said. “With that said, you know about the tight end situation the Patriots can bring with their mismatch. I’m up for it. It’s all football. The lines on the field don’t change. The grass — well, the grass and FieldTurf don’t change.”

Another part of football is that sometimes elusive perfect health. Football watchers clucked over Landry’s last two seasons with Washington. After three years of missing only one start and ascending to the top of some independent ratings groups among NFL safeties, he played in barely half of the ‘Skins games in ’10-11 due, it was said, to a problem Achilles tendon.

Landry corrected that misunderstanding for any concerned fans and reporters.

“The Achilles was a significant injury the year before last,” he said. “Last year it was a bone injury in my heel instead of the Achilles. They thought it was the same injury as the year before but it was a misdiagnosis type of deal.

“I feel great. I’m fine. If it was an issue, if it was something that couldn’t be corrected, I wouldn’t be here.”

That being said, GM Mike Tannenbaum talked with reporters this afternoon on a conference call and said there’s still medical and training work for Landry and the Jets’ teams to do this offseason.

“We’ll be intelligent in our approach. We don’t want to put any limits on LaRon,” Mike T said. “We’ll be smart about it and work with him to make sure he’s ready to go on opening day.”

Landry is an interesting dude. Redskins fans were well aware of his pet, a white-faced Capuchin monkey he named Gucci. And he’s into Twitter, recently passing 40,000 followers on his page under the nom de tweet of @MrLandry30. On his page you can read some of his football aphorisms and follow exchanges with his fans, some of them friendly and some more of the sparring variety. It’s all about the edge.

“It’s about me playing with passion. Passion comes with attitude,” he said. “Being a Jet, they will get everything out of me. I’m a passionate player.”

On the Airwaves

Sorry for the late notice but three Jets will be doing interviews on New York radio stations this afternoon. Tannenbaum will be on ESPN 1050 at 3:30 p.m. ET, Landry will come in right behind Mr. T at 3:45 on ESPN 1050, and Mark Sanchez is scheduled for 5:40 p.m. on WFAN 660.

The phrase often used at this time of the year is “Don’t let that man out of the building.” Chaz Schilens turned that around by saying he didn’t want to be let out of this particular building today until he had signed a contract.

“Man, this is kind of surreal,” Schilens, the unrestricted free agent wideout, said as he sat with me right outside Woody Johnson’s suite at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center after signing on the dotted line to join the Jets for 2012. “I had just really a positive day. It was just too good a place to leave.”

But leave he had to. Schilens, previously a West Coast kind of guy, flew in Thursday after visits with the 49ers and Cardinals. Then the Jets wowed him, he climbed aboard, and then headed for a real jet at Newark Liberty Airport to catch a flight home to Arizona.

The sudden wining and dining of the fifth-year wideout caused him to have to cancel a family vacation. Destination: Maui, Hawaii.

“It was hard getting over here, but once I got here it was easy,” he said of all of the scheduling and canceling of long flights. “But it was worth it.”

The announcement of Schilens’ signing followed closely on the heels of the official word that QB Drew Stanton had also agreed in principle to a contract, which he later signed here in Florham Park, as the Jets signed their first two outside UFAs of the free agency signing period.

Stanton was just as amped to be joining the Green & Whtie as Schilens.

“I’m extremely excited to get the opportunity to come to an organization like this,” he said in the same seat just ahead of his new WR teammate. “Everything in general is first-class. Since I arrived yesterday, everybody I’ve met, everything I’ve seen has made me feel comfortable. I’m really looking forward to working with Mark, Matt Cavanaugh and Tony Sparano.”

That would be Mark Sanchez, the Jets’ QBs coach and their new O-coordinator. Stanton, from the Detroit area, and Schilens, the Arizona/California dude, will be playing pitch and catch at the May OTAs and June minicamp and August training camp in Cortland. And once the regular season begins, it would appear that Schilens will become a key member of the wideout rotation while Stanton, the Lions’ second- and third-stringer for five seasons, will help reform the depth chart behind Sanchez.

“I think the biggest thing I can bring to the table is just having the experience I’ve had in this league for five years,” Stanton said, “understanding what’s going on, how to prepare as a backup and help the starter in every way, shape and form.”

But it’s worth mentioning that Stanton is a .500 NFL quarterback with two wins in his four starts for Detroit. And before that he started three years at Michigan State and had one fabled start in particular.

“I think I still hold the record for the largest comeback in college football history, in  ’06,” he recalled when I asked him to brag on himself. “Northwestern was ahead, 38-3, and we came back to win, 41-38. It comes up every now and then on the Big Ten Network and if anybody ever gets close to that large a comeback and you see the replays again.”

Stanton went 27-for-37 for 294 yards on that day, doing his best work with less than eight minutes left in the third quarter. He threw a touchdown pass (to former Jets FB Jehuu Caulcrick) to get it started, left for a drive from being shaken up on a late hit, then returned to run for one TD, throw for another, then directing a short drive to the game-winning, record-setting field goal.

Schilens played more for the Raiders than Stanton did for the Lions, producing 72 catches for 902 yards and seven TDs over four seasons and 44 games.

“I’ve got a little bit of size and speed,” Schilens said modestly of his 6’4″, 225-pound frame and his quicks, which were measured at 4.38 in the 40 before the ’08 draft. “I play the game as physically as I can. I’m a trustworthy guy for my quarterback. I’ll be in the right position, and when I’ve had a chance with the ball coming my way, I’ve caught it.”

One of his claims to fame is a little more local than Stanton’s big comeback. The longest reception of Schilens’ career was a 60-yard grab from JaMarcus Russell in a 29-10 loss to the Ravens in Baltimore on Oct. 26, 2008. The tackler on that play was none other than safety Jim Leonhard. And the D-coordinator on the Ravens sideline upset with the completion was, of course, Rex Ryan.

“I talked to Rex today. I think he remembered me from Baltimore,” Schilens said. “He didn’t mention that play, but he did say that when the Raiders played the Jets a couple of years ago [in '09], I had a foot fracture and didn’t get to play in that game, and he said he was thinking about me playing that day.

“I just always liked playing the Jets,” he continued. “It always felt like a big-time game. I like the type of players they have on their team. And I like Rex’s mentality.”

Now Schilens and Stanton will get Rex 24/7, but only after they spend the next month or so contemplating the wearing of the green that’s ahead.

“It’s something I’m looking forward to,” Stanton said of his imminent life change. “It’s going to be a fine ride. I’m looking forward to being around.”

Comeback Kids

It’s only a coincidence but interesting nonetheless. The Jets now have had two of the greatest comeback QBs in the history of the game on their rosters over the years. The other was Frank Reich, who was the QB for Maryland, which set the Division I-AA record with a 31-point comeback for a 42-40 win over Miami in 1984, ultimately to be surpassed by Stanton and Michigan State. And then Reich was on the Jets’ roster in 1996, four years after leading Buffalo’s 32-point comeback for its 41-38 overtime victory over Houston in the 1992 playoffs for what is still the largest comeback win in NFL history.

Chaz’s Connection to Jets History

If Schilens works out, it will be a remarkable example of how a “Dawg” can keep woofing almost six years later. On the eve of Eric Mangini’s debut as HC on Sept. 2, 2006, the Jets made a trade with the Raiders to bring back DE Bobby Hamilton. All the Jets gave up for “Dawg” was the 2008 seventh-round pick they got from the Vikings two days earlier in the trade of Brooks Bollinger.

Hamilton played one game for Cleveland in ’07, then retired. Meanwhile, the Raiders held onto that selection for the next 1½ years, then spent it on Schilens.

“That month or so, whatever it was right after the season, I honestly just got away,” Sanchez told newyorkjets.com in an exclusive two-part interview that will air on the site this week. “You want to put each season in its place. And you understand after a tough season like last year there’s going to be criticism — take it on the chin and move on. And that’s kind of what I was doing.

“I was getting away from it for a while, letting my body rest, letting my mind rest, more importantly, and I think that was the most important thing. Talking to everybody around the league, they said, ‘Hey, man, just get away for a while. Let yourself relax and come back ready to go.’ And I’ll be ready.’”

Sanchez and the Jets appeared ready for a third consecutive trip to the playoffs last December and then the season abruptly ended after three consecutive losses. The 25-year-old QB tossed five touchdowns in losses to the Eagles, the Giants and the Dolphins, but he was picked off seven times, lost two fumbles and was sacked 11 times down the stretch.

“Now it feels like from the outsiders’ perspective that the sky is falling — ‘OK, it was two special years and that’s it and these guys are done,’ ” he said. “That was different That’s different than I’ve ever experienced in my life. It was just a good reminder of the balance in this league, how tough things are and how much fun it is to actually play and get those opportunities, how much how we want to win those games and how close we are.”

It seems like yesterday that the Jets move up in the 2009 NFL Draft to take Sanchez with the No. 5 overall selection. But he already has 31 career wins on his résumé and he’s looking forward to getting a few more with the Green & White.

“It’s been a fast start, getting thrown into the mix early like that. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I wouldn’t go back and change anything,” he said. “I love what I’m doing, I love the guys around me and I’m just happy to be here.”

TODAY

Interview with Mark Sanchez, Part I — Talking Extension, Year 3 and Tone

FRIDAY

Interview with Mark Sanchez, Part II — Reflecting on His Pennington Sitdown

How many times have we heard a pro athlete mouth those words? How many times have we doubted that athlete’s sincerity?

There’s no doubting Thomas. Bryan Thomas, that is. BT signed his new contract today at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center, a day after the OLB and the Jets agreed in principle that he would return for his 11th season. Then he strolled through the second floor — which contains GM Mike Tannenbaum’s office but also the business offices that some players don’t even know exist. And he proceeded to kibitz with the folks up here on his way to an on-camera interview with Eric Allen and Jets TV and an off-camera chat with newyorkjets.com.

One way we could tell Thomas was happy to be back in the fold was that he was visible. That was not his state for the final 13 weeks of the past season as he was grinding away off the radar, rehabbing his torn Achilles tendon — the first injury of any severity of his football career.

“Every day I would come in and I didn’t want to to be a distraction to the players,” he said. “I’d wait till they’d go to their meetings, then come in and focus on getting better. Once in a while, I’d come into the locker room and a lot of the players would say, ‘Hey, BT, we haven’t seen you for a while.’

“It was tough. I love my job. I have a passion for it. And when you’re watching it on TV and not out there contributing, you really, really have a passion for it. I missed the guys in the locker room, the camaraderie.”

Now he’s back, officially able to continue his rehab. He says the Achilles feels good after all the work he and John Mellody and his training staff have put into it. He’s into his third week of running. And he’s never been as fond of blocking dummies as he is now as he starts to cut and move around those obstacles again with an eye toward being ready to rock again when all the Jets vets report for the start of the offseason conditioning program the second half of April, the OTAs in May and the veterans minicamp in June.

Technically, he was an unrestricted free agent for a few minutes after 4 p.m. Tuesday, before the announcement came out of the football office that he and the Jets had agreed on a new deal. We asked him today if he had thought for those few minutes about actually jumping into the free agency waters and talking with some other teams.

The often fun-loving BT gave us as stern a visage as he could muster.

“It wasn’t even an option,” he said. “This organization has been really good to me. I wanted to show them that no other team matters but the Green & White. When they told me they wanted me to be back, I told them I wanted to be back and pretty much nothing else mattered.”

Now he resumes the wearing of that gray mantle, the one that declares him “the longest-tenured Jet” with Season No. 11 approaching, and he’s happy to do it, albeit while flashing a sheepish smile.

“Vinny Testaverde, Curtis Martin, Jason Ferguson — these guys were the vets when I came into the league. They helped school me to the game,” he said. “That’s what I want to do with our young guys, show them the ins and outs of the game.”

There’s something to be said for making a big splash in free agency. But it’s also important to identify some of the key players that you want to stay around, who can still help you win games and reach playoffs. Thomas has never been the pass-rushing demon that everyone wanted with the 22nd pick of the 2002 draft. But he’s become a versatile, solid veteran who as Mike T said yesterday can help a team in a number of roles. And that team for one more year is the Jets.

“I’ve already had my offseason,” BT said. “I’m focused and I’m healthy. It’s really great to be back.”

“It’s a process that begins all the way back in August,” Jets director of player personnel Brendan Prophett told newyorkjets.com. “We delegate within the department which teams guys will cover. They’ll be responsible for writing up that’s team’s players throughout the season.”

Prophett, in his 13th season with the Jets, and the entire scouting staff assembled together in the winter to assess what the Jets were and where they were going.

“We really start gearing our focus towards free agency prep in the game plan meeting that we usually have as a personnel department as a whole in December, where it’s pro personnel, college scouting and Mike T,” he said. “We kind of take a self-analysis and look at ourselves, where we would potentially have needs, what’s available from the pro side — unrestricted and restricted free agency. And the college guys have been out on the road all fall, so they’ll have their reports on guys at each position and then we kind of put it into categories.”

At that time, the Jets analyzed their positional groups and assigned them one of three categories.

“These are our must areas that we have to fill, our needs where we would like to fill, and a nice to have, so you kind of mark it in those different categories,” he said. “And then once the season ends, our whole focus in pro personnel goes right to free agency.”

The Jets wrote up reports on every player who potentially could move to the open market. Once the season ended, the coaches were brought up to speed and incorporated into the process.

“We’ll spend January writing up all the free agents — and you’re talking 500-plus free agents this year, restricted and unrestricted,” Proph said. “And we’ll kind of drill down to identifying those positions that are musts and needs.

“Based upon our grades, there is a collection of players at those positions that we’ll want the coaches’ input. It’s really important that we have good dialogue with the coaches — what are we looking for, the positions’ requirements that the coaches have, and what their visions are for the players at those positions. We’ll come to them with a list of guys and here are the guys that we think fit those requirements and we want their feedback to see if they share that same vision.”

Money is an important factor as well, considering the NFL has a salary cap. The Green & White have reportedly created more cap space this spring with the extensions of QB Mark Sanchez and NT Sione Pouha. Most media outlets estimate New York’s AFC representative is about $14 million under the league’s cap of $120.6 million. GM Mike Tannenbaum has a talented football administration department in place in director Ari Nissim and manger Jacqueline Davidson, and they play key roles in the spring.

“We grade the players as football players and Ari and Jackie do a great job of kind of gauging based upon our grade where that will fit financially. Obviously we want to acquire as many good players as we can, but financially sometimes we can’t feasibly make it work,” Prophett said. “They’ll give us parameters, ‘Hey, we think we can work within this pay structure. Who are kind of the players who fit that mold?’ We have conversations with them like we do the coaching staff, ‘What group of players fits this market or this kind of financial parameter?’ We’re in constant contact with them.”

At 4 p.m. ET today, the Jets will have only two safeties on their roster as both Jim Leonhard and Brodney Pool are unrestricted free agents. Three teams used their franchise tags on safeties (OAK on Tyvon Branch, SF on Dashon Goldson and TEN on Michael Griffin) so LaRon Landry is now widely considered the top safety on the market.

“I think it’s a good group. There is a lot of depth there,” Prophett said. “Obviously we’ll look to see if we want starters, backups. What’s available in terms of those guys? You’ll look at your own guys and there’ll be some dialogue there as to whether we want to keep them or not and we’ll be in contact with them.

“But when you look to the market, I think there’s quality depth. When you look at the guys that have been tagged — the Goldsons, the Branches — those are excellent players, but we still think there are numbers there that we can get a good player.”

There are openings at OLB and No. 2 receiver as well. Both Bryan Thomas, the longest-tenured Jet who got a light workout in here today before the deadline, and WR Plaxico Burress, who tied for the team lead with eight TDs in 2011, are unrestricted free agents.

“They’re not under contract, so they’re talking to other teams. Obviously we’ve had some dialogue with them throughout the offseason leading up to free agency, so we both share a feel for where the other is at, but they’re looking and so are we,” Prophett said. “We’ll come up with what we feel is the best answer for the Jets moving forward.”

A product of The College of New Jersey, Prophett played wideout at TCNJ and was a three-time all-conference selection. He got some pro experience in Europe, and Arena ball also appeared on his résumé before he began to flourish in his current role.

“Brendan has been invaluable,” said assistant GM Scott Cohen. “He has been as thorough, as detailed and as good an evaluator as I’ve been around. We work hand in hand with everything we do and I couldn’t think of a better person to share those duties with.”

Prophett is excited to get going once again in a more traditional format. A long work stoppage a year ago forced teams to scramble last summer in a unique condensed free agency period.

“It’s good that you can get the players in, talk to them and you can get a feel for what he wants, what you guys are looking for — get a feel for one another, basically,” Prophett said. “It’s a recruiting process. You really didn’t have that last year. There really wasn’t time for it. I’m an old-school guy, I like the traditional, so I’ll welcome kind of the back-to-norm approach we’ll have this year.”

Back when we last chatted during the season, we asked Sione Pouha about his evolution from being “just another guy” into becoming a force in the middle of the Jets’ defensive line and a Green & White fan favorite.

“When you get drafted in the third round,” Sione said, “you almost feel like there’s a yellow brick road in front of you in some sense. Different lessons come at different times, and for me there was the lesson of try to be patient. My second year I got injured. Then my third year I started to really discover how to find a little niche, a little crack in the door. When the Jets said, ‘Hey, we want to extend your deal for another four years,’ that was an indication that I was moving in the right direction.”

These comments are appropriate today because Sione and the Jets have done it again, coming to agreement in principle on a three-year extension of his deal, which would have expired if he had become an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday afternoon. At that time he could have found out at the very least what his worth was on the NFL’s open market, but he chose not to wait and the Jets announced this morning that he has signed on for one more hitch to provide the stability and the push from the nose tackle/defensive tackle position on the D-line.

It well could be the last deal he signs as an NFL player. Pouha will begin his eight season with the Jets this year. And because he came into the league a little older due to the Mormon mission he went on from 1998-2000, he goes into the ’12 season as a 33-year-old at a position that has been known to apply a bit of wear and tear on the people who play it.

Yet “Big Bo” shows no signs of slowing down. Last season was arguably his most visible. His 50 tackles were his second-highest total as a Jet and his unofficial total of 12.5 tackles for loss/no gain was a career high. He added the fifth sack of his career vs. Kansas City in Game 13, and also in that game procured his first pro points on a safety tackle of RB Jackie Battle. He recovered two more fumbles, giving him five recoveries the past two seasons, and swatted down three more passes, equaling his career high for PDs.

And durable? He’s played in every one of the Jets’ 86 regular-season and playoff games since 2007 and has made 50 starts in the 54 games of the Rex Ryan regime since ’09.

Not to mention that Sione turned into a talking head as well this past season, serving as the locker room host for “Jets Huddle,” which aired on WCBS on Saturday nights. The TV gig is just some gravy on the meat and potatoes of Pouha’s career, but it shows his rising profile and his multimedia assault was no doubt a factor in his reupping with the Jets before jumping into the free agency waters.

Pouha is expected to chat with reporters later today and we’ll bring you those comments as soon as we can. But some of the things he passed on back in December still apply today.

“I appreciate Mike Tannenbaum and Woody Johnson in seeing the improvement in me over the years,” he said about that first re-signing before the ’08 season. “We’ve had different coaching changes and I give Herm Edwards and Eric Mangini a lot of credit. And under Rex’s system, I guess that’s been the flourishing moment. I think this is the time and the place for me to just perform and go play football.

“I think every segment of my career has been a different learning period, and I’m still learning — and still loving it.”