Mini-Camp Day Two

Day Two of Mini-Camp was fairly uneventful until the end of the day when I learned from a league source that the Mark Sanchez contract was a done deal. Actual terms of the deal - which were first reported by Rich Cimini shortly after we ran the basics on Sirius - are five years with $28 million guaranteed.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned quarterback and his top competitor for the starting job, Kellen Clemens, both had OK days. When I asked Clemens to assess himself today he made a face and said, "Not great, not terrible." OK, it's June. The Jets just need to hope the mediocrity doesn't become a habit.

Rex Ryan's goofy war of words with the Dolphins' Channing Crowder goes on. Ryan seems to be enjoying himself. Again, it's June. Somebody's going to actually win that battle in the fall...

Kareem Brown made a big splash today with several impressive catches. He beat out Jim Leonhard and Ahmad Carroll on two separate plays and even Ryan acknowledged that the recently converted tight end had a "huge day."

Safety Eric Smith is raising some eyebrows. After three interceptions yesterday, Ryan today called him, "pretty darn impressive." He also commented that Smith has "really taken off. He just keeps getting better." Good news since the mantra among defensive coaches everywhere is that "you can never have too many good DBs."

Lots of work on the gadget plays today. Seemed like everybody on the roster took a direct snap practicing the now-popular "Wildcat."

After speaking withe media yesterday, Leon Washington was not around in the locker room today and Thomas Jones has still not made himself available at all. However, at least both are back and practicing. The Jets better hope that both show up in training camp, as Leon Washington has left the door slightly open to the possibility of a possible boycott on his end.

I asked several players, Donald Strickland, Smith, and Clemens, among others, if there was a big difference between the work in OTAs vs. Mini-Camp. The consensus was other than the extra practice each day, no. The offense and defense have both been installed and now it's just fine-tuning, which will continue in training camp.