http://newyorkjets.com/news/articles/show_article?short_name=news&article_id=808 It is entirely unfair to criticize offensive linemen for not putting on exciting spectacles of highlight reel-worthy plays. That is why the selection of D?Brickashaw Ferguson, a 6?6?, 312-pound left tackle from the University of Virginia, in last spring?s draft caused for patient approval from Jets fans. The work of the O-line is the epitome of blue collar and more times than not, wrongly overlooked. In Tuesday morning?s seventh official Jets training camp practice, the fourth overall selection finally grabbed a piece of the spotlight. On successive one-on-one pass protection drills, Ferguson lined up against third-year DE-LB Trevor Johnson. Each play went by relatively quickly, ultimately resulting in Ferguson hustling back to the line before Johnson could peel himself off of the hot field turf. If the smothering clinic wasn?t impressive enough, fifth-year defensive end Bryan Thomas toed the line against the Freeport native and the result was the exact same ? another green pancake for ?Brick. The quarterback rotation Tuesday morning saw the younger duo ? Brooks Bollinger and Kellen Clemens ? fall in with the first and second strings respectively. Chad Pennington saw limited action with the third team, yet he did see a couple of snaps with the first string towards the conclusion of practice, tossing a short yardage touchdown to Justin McCareins. Patrick Ramsey, who was plugged into first team duties yesterday, saw very limited action this morning. Coach Mangini touched upon the scorching heat issue, as the morning?s high reached 97 degrees. The heat isn?t supposed to let up Wednesday as forecasters are calling for triple digit temperatures. ?Obviously it is a very hot day,? said Mangini after his team?s first workout. ?The schedule that we have set up is effective and it is something that we have found over time in looking at the different times that you can practice, having a two-a-day in the morning and in the evening when the bulk of the heat is gone.? As per normal schedule, Mangini has the team practice at 5:30 p.m. on two-a-days. A setting sun along with a couple welcome breezes makes the environment less oppressive. ?We get those guys out of the hottest times of the day,? he said. ?We had some extra breaks today. We hit the players again with the importance of hydrating. We are focused on making sure that we are monitoring that closely. The weigh-in and weight-outs, before and post practice, has also been an effective tool for us to monitor fluid weight loss.? Notes Veteran Chad Pennington, competing for the starting quarterback job, has put together a solid stretch and the head coach has taken note. ?I have been really happy with Chad?s progress,? said Mangini. ?He has strung together some good practices. That is what we are looking for from the quarterback position and right on down the line, and Chad has done that.??Prior to the full team stretch, only the rookies ran the warm up lap across the width of the field, to much of the veterans? delight, as their mocking hollers were heard loud and clear? Anthony Schlegel, a third round selection from Ohio State, pierced his way through blockers on a screen pass from Clemens to Leon Washington during team drills. The play, if ran at full speed, would have resulted in a loss of yardage and most likely, a violent Schlegel hit? Pennington has often been seen aiding rookie Brad Smith, who is making a transition from college passer to pro wide receiver. Today, the two hooked up for a 30-yard touchdown strike? Erik Coleman, who had been sidelined with an illness, was outside working with Markus Paul ? Tight end Doug Jolley has coined a personal favorite move in the one-on-one tackling drill. For the second straight day, Jolley decided to lower his shoulder and smash his way through the defender (today being Victor Hobson, yesterday being Eric Smith)? At the conclusion of practice, Coach Mangini ran a live goal line drill, bringing out the spirit in his players. In the morning?s final moments, Cedric Houston appeared to punch in a score with a bruising run from the one-yard line. A referee signaled touchdown, but the defense protested in a wild scene which saw a red replay flag fly into the air. The defense answered on the next play as Houston was stood up by a wall of defenders. Mangini, who has preached the importance of competition, said, ?I think everybody is having a lot of fun here. I think we?ve had a pretty good time and they are excited. It is good to see the emotion at practice and whenever you get something that is a competitive as that is - the fire that they have comes out. It was good to see. They were very competitive
