ESPN.com - NFL/TRAININGCAMP00 - Gang green infects Jets offense

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 Saturday, July 22
Jets hope receivers can catch on
 
 By John Clayton
ESPN.com

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Wayne Chrebet borrowed a Superman T-shirt so that he would have something to wear during the sixth day of Jets training camp.

"He's pretty close to Superman, I'll tell you," quarterback Vinny Testaverde said.

Wayne Chrebet
Wayne Chrebet must make fans forget about Keyshawn Johnson.

Until Testaverde's gang of "green" receivers catch up to the veteran receiver's route-running proficiency, Chrebet better be able to deke taller defenders every down. Rusty but moderately mobile coming off Achilles' tendon surgery, Testaverde often dropped back only to watch Dedric Ward, Laveranues Coles, Yatil Green and others struggling to free themselves from the clutches of veteran Jets cornerbacks.

Chrebet, meanwhile, consistently angled his squat frame at defenders, made a quick turn on his ankles and gained instant 5-yard separation from the cornerback. Unfortunately, there isn't enough Chrebet to go around on every play, and as Chrebet knows, he must perform well enough to make Jets fans forget about Keyshawn Johnson, who was traded to Tampa Bay before the draft.

"Obviously, it's going to be tough for one guy to replace him, so we are going to do it by committee," Chrebet said about replacing Johnson. "Dedric Ward is going to surprise a lot of people. And I still think we have a lot of weapons on offense."

Except for Chrebet, the committee will be under review throughout training camp to determine if coach Al Groh needs new members. The problem is that the Jets have elected to be cap-strapped enough that available replacements such as Carl Pickens, Sean Dawkins, Andre Hastings will be long gone by the time the Jets will know if they have the right mix of receivers.

Groh is quite comfortable to roll the dice with this young group of receivers, which also includes fifth-round choice Windrell Hayes, who missed Wednesday's practice to be in southern California to be with a sick mother. As a starting group, they are short in NFL standards. Chrebet is 5-foot-10, Ward 5-9. After Chrebet, Ward (65 receptions) and Green (18, roughly eight more catches than he's had knee surgeries) are the only receivers at the top of the rotation with NFL catches.

Wed, July 19
If there is any doubt that the Jets are a defensive dominated team, watch their goal-line offense. During Wednesday's practice, linebacker Dwayne Gordon lined up at fullback. On various days, linebackers Bryan Cox and James Farrior do the same.

The innovative idea is something from the mind of coach Al Groh and his staff. Richie Anderson is their main fullback, but he's more of a good runner who blocks well when he's coming at a defender from an angle. In goal-line situations, big fullbacks who crunch the middle like a runaway truck are more effective.

"On a 53-man roster, it's hard to carry that kind of specialized player, a hammer fullback who is only used a short amount of plays," Groh said. "That is a tough strain on your roster to have that type of player for that particular role. They are players who are 6-2, 6-3, 245 pounds, 250 pounds who run well and hit hard. That sounds like a fullback."

From the looks of things, Groh is right. When Gordon placed the white offensive jersey over his defensive uniform and let him be the lead blocker, the Jets scored a couple of running touchdowns. When he rested and the offense went without a lead blocker, the offense was stopped.

So what do we call this hybrid -- full-backers?

"All the draftniks write about such and such receiver and his 40-yard dash time, but in this league, it's about getting open," Groh said. "To get open is to get off those jams by cornerbacks. So lateral quickness and balance is as important as speed."

Groh believes that Coles, a former running back, and Hayes have those skills, but it will take time for it to show on the field. In the meantime, Testaverde will have to hold back any frustration in his comeback from Achilles' tendon surgery.

Testaverde admits to being rusty in the early days, but Groh labled Testaverde's practice on Wednesday his best of camp. Testaverde feels he is getting the glide back into his backpedal from center, which is important in setting up the timing of his passes with receivers. Some of his long passes down the sideline missed the mark, but he looked particularly sharp in one-on-one drills in which a receiver worked off a cornerback's jam and receives the throw once the receiver gains separation.

"I don't worry about throwing," Testaverde said. "If anything, my arm feels a little stronger because I've had more of a rest from throwing."

Said center Kevin Mawae, "You wouldn't know that he had surgery. He's out there running around and doing everything else did. He ran all the conditioning tests with us."

On a few occasions when receivers weren't open, Testaverde sprinted forward and scrambled for yardage. No, Testaverde isn't a mobile quarterback. Never was. But his willingness to try a run shows he has confidence that his leg is sound. What affects the confidence of a proud quarterback are receivers who aren't open, and that problem won't be healed overnight.

"My philosophy whether it's offense or defense is that you do what you can do," Groh said. "You do what your players' skill dictates. If you are a stand-in-the-box-hit-a-home-run team then you try to hit home runs. If you are hit-and-run, then you play hit-and-run."

So the Jets will run their draws with Curtis Martin and watch Chrebet work his magic on cornerbacks to get open. And if the gang of green receivers don't learn evasiveness, Vinny up the middle might be a play Jets fans see a few more times than expected.

John Clayton is the senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
 



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