Training camp tour -- New York Jets

My training camp tour, which consists of five training camps and one pre-season game in three weeks, has officially begun.

This past Friday, I headed up to Hofstra to take in the Jets first day of training camp and the debut of first-round pick Jonathan Vilma.

On Friday, the Jets had a two a day, and came out in pads and were hitting from the start, which is something the players definitely liked.

The Jets ran hard-hitting special teams drills, some seven on sevens, 11 on 11s and even one and ones, to entertain the Jets faithful that came out.

After Ricky Williams departure from the division, the Jets have to be happy where they stand in the division, despite the fact that they wont admit it.

I had a chance to ask both head coach Herman Edwards and star running-back Curtis Martin their reactions to the sudden retirement.

Edwards said, "Truthfully I don't like seeing good players retire. It' s bad for the game, its bad for the fans. And if your a good player, you want to play the best and beat the best. So people think I'm probably doing cartwheels, No I'm not doing cartwheels, I don't have to tackle the guy."

I asked the same question to Curtis Martin, who now enters his 10th year in the league and is coming off a 1300 yard season.

Curtis is the epitome of a guy who just loves to play the game of football, which is the complete opposite of Ricky Williams, and that is perhaps why, Martin may be heading to Canton one day.

When I asked Curtis his take on William's retirement he responded, "You never know what is going on in a guy's mind and I'm sure it was the right decision for him. I just wish him the best, its a bad thing for the NFL to lose a guy like Ricky because he is one of the best running backs in the game, bar-none."

The Jets enter this season trying to revamp a defense that was tenth in the AFC last year and gave up 332 yards per game.

They also had a disappointing 11 picks last year, and entering the season their secondary, despite the addition of Reggie Tongue seems like the team's major weakness.

The Jets brought in Donnie Henderson to be the teams defensive coordinator and he will do a lot of work with the secondary.

Henderson, having been the Ravens defensive backs coach, will bring a lot of the Ravens' strategies over to the Jets, and he said he currently has no concerns at this time about the secondary.

Henderson brings a real fiery personality to the Jets, I even found him more intimidating to interview then the likes of Pennington, Martin, Edwards and Vilma.

Despite the secondary being the teams weakness on paper, I was very impressed with the way free safety Jon McGraw looked in practice and I'm a fan of the Reggie Tongue signing.

Their corners might be their real weak point with Donnie Abraham getting up there in age and unproven David Barrett coming over from Arizona.

The front seven for the Jets looks very solid this year.

Edwards said he plans on rotating 11-12 guys and that won't be a problem with the depth the team has.

They will rotate between the 4-3 and the 3-4 scheme, so they can get pass rushing threat John Abraham some running starts at the quarterback, from the linebacking position.

The Jets also are expecting big things from second year man Dewayne Robertson this year at tackle, and if Abraham can stay healthy, him and Ellis could each put up double digit sacks and make for a formidable pass rush.

At linebacker the Jets also look very strong, bringing in Eric Barton from Oakland, who had a great first day of practice.

Jonathan Vilma will be a great addition to this team at middle linebacker, and already warned people who questioned his size and said he should move to safety by saying, "Watch me play linebacker."

Vilma was very poised in also telling me that he could not reveal his expectations for this season, but said that they are very high.

On the offensive side, perennial pro bowl center Kevin Mawae anchors a Jets offensive line that includes the likes of Jason Fabini, Brent Smith, Brandon Moore and Kareem McKenzie.

Their job will be to protect the franchise quarterback Chad Pennington, who is looking forward to his first opening game start in his five year career.

Pennington is a little upset with management about not giving him a new contract yet, but has full confidence in his agent Tom Condon, who just got Colts quarterback Peyton Manning a huge contract.

This will also be Pennington's first season without Vinny Testaverde as a mentor and friend on the sidelines.

When I asked him what Testaverde's absence means to him, he responded by saying, "Its very different, but at the same time its a big challenge for me, I don't have that veteran to fall back on anymore. Its more of a challenge for me, but I will lean on coach Edwards and coach Hackett for support when I need it and I wish him the best of luck in Dallas."

The skilled positions are set for the Jets.

Martin anchors the running game, but the Jets plan on getting Lamont Jordan more involved this season, and they have big expectations for him.

At wide receiver Santana Moss is coming off a breakout year, with 74 receptions for 1105 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Watching Moss practice was a sight to see, the guy is so quick and makes it look so effortless.

I expect even bigger things out of him this season, especially since defenses will also have to focus on Justin McCareins and Wayne Chrebet.

The Jets acquired McCareins from the Titans for a second round pick and expect big things out of the receiver, who caught seven touchdowns last season.

He has great speed to go along with his good size, which makes him a dual threat.

Wayne Chrebet is basically an addition to the team, after missing most of last season with a concussion.

Chrebet plays the game as hard as anyone and is a great third down receiver and a guy who is never afraid to go over the middle.

The Jets also have depth at the tight end position, signing Michael Ricks to team up with Anthony Becht and Chris Baker.

All three are weapons in the passing game.

On paper the offense looks good.

Martin even took it a step further making a bold prediction when he said, "No doubt we can have one of the most explosive offenses in the league. I believe we will. I'll go out on a limb saying we will."

The Jets will benefit this season playing a weaker Miami team twice, as well as a fourth place schedule.

If they stay healthy and Donnie Henderson improves their defense, there is no doubt this team can be a playoff team for the third time in Edward's four-year tenure.

However, if they struggle to another 6-10 season, it could also mean the end of that tenure.

Upcoming: This week I head to Ravens' camp on Friday and Redskins' camp on Saturday. On August 10th, I'll be at Lehigh for Eagles' camp, while on the 13th, I'll be at Giants Stadium for the Chiefs vs. Giants preseason game.

Then the tour comes to an end on the 15th and 16th at Albany, with four Giants' practices in two days.

Questions or comments: email grmschwa@indiana.edu