NFL

McKnight’s first Jets minicamp gets messy

If the first day of Joe McKnight’s first rookie minicamp is any indication, the Jets are in for a wild ride.

To put it lightly, the fourth-round pick from USC had an eventful morning and afternoon yesterday — not all of it good — in his first on-field appearance with Gang Green.

Not only did the 5-foot-11, 194-pound scatback vomit on the turf in the middle of an early passing drill because he was out of shape, but McKnight went down with cramps in both calves and dropped at least four passes in the two practices combined.

Even McKnight’s locker-room time was lively (and more than a bit puzzling) as he expressed anger at the Jets for giving him jersey No. 25, the NFL number of his apparent nemesis Reggie Bush.

Yes, it looks like it’s never going to be a dull moment when McKnight is involved.

“I was excited — just a little bit too excited,” McKnight said after the morning practice in Florham Park, N.J. “Nerves kicked in. I was riled up too fast. I drained myself before practice even started.”

The Jets are committed to McKnight after trading away veteran third-down back Leon Washington last week, but that didn’t keep coach Rex Ryan from chiding McKnight yesterday.

Ryan made it clear the Jets’ main desire for McKnight right now is to calm down — training camp is still three months away.

“I thought Joe McKnight looked good when he wasn’t throwing up,” Ryan said. “A little anxiety kicked [with the vomiting because he] probably hadn’t worked out as much as you normally should. Those things happen. He did look good running the football, [but] he had some drops.”

Though the vomiting and the drops were noteworthy, McKnight’s revelation of his previously little known dismay with Bush was the more remarkable development yesterday.

McKnight, who turned pro after his junior year, followed Bush at USC and repeated yesterday that he never liked the constant comparisons to the former Heisman Trophy winner.

McKnight took being issued No. 25 in the pros — Bush’ number with the Saints — as an unwanted continuation of those comparisons.

“I thought I was trying to leave something, but evidently I’m still in the shadow again,” McKnight said testily yesterday. “I was kind of mad at first [at the Jets when he saw the No. 25 jersey], but that comes with the territory. After a while, I just let it go and went with the flow.”

The Jets said they gave McKnight No. 25 just because it was available, not because they knew it was Bush’s NFL number and wanted to motivate him.

McKnight said he has no plans to ask for a different number and will just roll with it instead, focusing more on filling Washington’s considerable shoes alongside Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson than on silly, off-field dramas.

That’s smart, because McKnight’s inability to live up to his billing as the top high-school recruit in the country out of Louisiana three years ago led to his fall all the way to the fourth round last week.

For their part, the Jets plan to be patient.

“We’ve got to settle him down a bit,” Ryan said. “He dropped some balls today, but he’s got good hands. When you put the ball in his hands, he’s impressive. He’s got plenty of wiggle and a lot of talent. I wouldn’t compare him to [Washington] 100 percent right now, but he can definitely help us.”

And no doubt keep it provocative along the way.