CORTLAND — The worst look for the Jets through two days of training camp came yesterday, when nose tackle Kris Jenkins was on the trainer’s table with an ice pack wrapped around his left leg for the last hour of practice.
When Jenkins got up from the table after practice he walked very gingerly to the locker room, trying to shake off the pulled calf muscle he sustained early in the session.
“I was feeling good and I think I’ve got to realize that I turn 30 in a couple of days and I can’t do everything like I did when I was 21,” Jenkins said. “I was in my stance and when I pushed off and when I stepped to shake, I just felt ‘pop, pop’ and it started tightening up. That’s why I look like an old man right now, but it’s nothing serious.”
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DE Shaun Ellis, who’s prone to a fight or two in camp every year, nearly got into it with RG Damien Woody during one drill, but the players backed off.
“That one nobody would have broken up,” coach Rex Ryan said jokingly.
Ryan, still joking about the diet he’s on in camp, entered the press conference room in a faux jog, as if he was just coming in from a run.
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Ryan sat in on an offensive meeting Friday night and implored the offense to set a more aggressive tone in practice.
“First offensive meeting I’ve ever been to in my life,” Ryan, the defensive guru, joked.
His message was heeded, with the offense looking sharp in the early part of practice. Kellen Clemens was having a terrific practice with a touchdown pass to WR Jerricho Cotchery and another big pass to TE Dustin Keller.
The defense got its revenge, with S Jim Leonhard picking off Clemens twice late in practice. On one of the interceptions, Leonhard laterally tossed the ball to CB Lito Sheppard — a move that might have drawn him a penalty lap from Eric Mangini a year ago.
Ryan fully endorsed it, saying, “We want to score on defense.”
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Ryan said S Eric Smith “continues to impress me. He just makes plays. Same thing with (S James) Ihedigbo [who had a couple thumping hits].”