OTA Twitter Updates (06/09)

Wrap up from NJ.com:

1. The quarterbacks struggled. And it wasn't just first-stringer Geno Smith. Yes, he threw three interceptions. But No. 2 guy Ryan Fitzpatrick threw one and rookie project Bryce Petty threw one of his own. Let's take these picks one at a time. Smith's first was nabbed by Darrin Walls — a horrible, high, wobbly pass intended for Eric Decker that went off Decker's hands and landed in Walls' mitts. Just a terrible throw by Smith. Smith's second pick came in a red-zone team period. He lobbed the ball to the front corner of the end zone, for Jeremy Kerley. But Dexter McDougle, a second-year pro coming off a season-ending knee injury last year in training camp, went up and made what appeared to be a one-handed pick. Then Smith threw another red-zone pick, to undrafted rookie safety Durell Eskridge, on yet another bad throw. Fitzpatrick's pick was a brutally under-thrown ball into the end zone, during a red-zone period, that Jaiquawn Jarrett brought down. Fitzpatrick forced the ball into double coverage. Petty was picked off in a 7-on-7 period when Rontez Miles jumped a route. Fitzpatrick almost threw another pick in a team period, but the ball went off cornerback Marcus Williams' hands. Again, it's one day in early June, and Jets coach Todd Bowles praised Smith's overall progress in his post-practice press conference. But this was an ugly day for the quarterbacks.

2. Bowles was not pleased with the turnovers, but ... Yes, it was a no-pads minicamp practice. Bowles gets that. But he had this to say about the picks: "Turnovers always matter. You don't want turnovers, from an offensive standpoint. [The quarterback] is going against some good players. Sometimes, it's the play a [defender] makes. Sometimes, it's a tipped ball. Sometimes, it's a time late throw after the play, and he's just trying to throw the ball up because the play is over. It's practice. There's a lot of things that lead to that. The thing you don't want to do is when you're in red-zone drills, you don't want to turn it over and give up the three points, by any means necessary. ... Everybody is trying to make the best throw. Sometimes, the best throw is just to make the right throw and take what they give you. You don't need to throw the ball 20 yards down the field to get a 300-yard game. You can throw it 5 yards down the field. I've expressed that to those guys [the quarterbacks]. They understand that they can't turn it over. It's practice, and you go forward. There's going to be good days and bad days." A proper sense of perspective here, even though Bowles obviously knows the red zone has been a major weak point for the Jets' offense in recent years.

3. How did Muhammad Wilkerson look? Pretty sharp. Here's what Bowles thought about the standout defensive end, as he made his debut at offseason workouts. Wilkerson got a bunch of action with the first-team defense, as expected. Bowles said Wilkerson's toe (apparently still a problem) didn't appear to limit him Tuesday.

4. Sheldon Richardson is still good. No news flash there. But the star defensive tackle, who sporadically attended OTAs, got a two-hand touch sack on Smith at the beginning of practice, in a team period. Richardson burst into the backfield on the play. His quickness remains impressive. Of course, quarterbacks aren't allowed to be tackled during these practices, so touching Smith was the best Richardson could do.

5. Jace Amaro was out. The second-year tight end, a second-round pick last year, spent the practice in the rehab area along with undrafted rookie tight end Wes Saxton. Amaro sustained a back injury last week during an OTA practice. "Just sore," Bowles said. "We're just taking precautions." Bowles isn't concerned about this being a long-term injury.

6. No Stevan Ridley in minicamp. The running back, signed by the Jets in free agency, sprinted on the far field with cornerback Dee Milliner (Achilles) and safety Marcus Gilchrist (shoulder) during a team period. Ridley is recovering from a torn ACL, sustained last season. Bowles said he won't get any team periods action in this minicamp. It'll be interesting to see how much Ridley can do during the early part of training camp.

7. Chris Ivory dropped a couple passes. The power running back has never been known for his sure hands. Both of the drops came on short passes from Smith. Ivory was wide open on both. Again, this isn't a strong area of his game, but he's clearly an asset to the Jets' offense as a power back.

8. Devin Smith was absent. But the rookie receiver, a second-round pick, had a good reason — and it won't result in him being fined. His girlfriend is about to give birth. It's not clear if he will attend minicamp on Wednesday and/or Thursday. It all depends on when the baby is born, Bowles said.

9. The right guard rotation. Willie Colon, who has been dealing with knee soreness, didn't get any reps in team periods. Brian Winters and Brent Qvale saw first-team action at the right guard spot. The competition there — with Colon, Winters, Oday Aboushi, and maybe even Qvale and Dakota Dozier — will heat up in training camp, once the pads go on. Qvale, a backup tackle, got some first-team reps at right guard during OTAs, so this was nothing new.

10. A fantastic nickname. After McDougle's pick, cornerback Antonio Cromartie turned to reporters and said, "Hey, guys, Cinnamon Badger made a play today." This is the nickname Cromartie has given McDougle. It's a play on Tyrann Mathieu's Honey Badger nickname. It's also apparently a nod to McDougle's dyed hair color.

11. Some tryout players. Four of them, in fact: receivers Mark Harrison and Christian Green, cornerback Jonte Green, and offensive tackle Charles Brown. They're here for the three-day minicamp, as they try to impress the Jets enough to be signed for training camp.

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/06/xx_observations_from_day_1_of_jets_mandatory_minic.html