08/22 — Tuesday's two-minute drills lived on today at Eric Mangini's late-morning news conference. You may recall from the practice blog that there was some controversy about whether Ray Ventrone knocked Kellen Clemens' Hail Mary pass to the turf cleanly or actually made an interception and then fumbled it back to the offense for a "fantastic finish" touchdown by the offense.

"It was close," the Jets head coach said of the call. "The official in the end zone ruled it an incompletion. What was great about that was what a perfect point to teach off of. ... Ray had the right idea. It might've been too late for what he was trying to do. Those one-second decisions, quick decisions can be the difference. All of a sudden, Adrien Clarke [who picked up the ball] was rumbling, stumbling."

Mangini's teaching even extended back from that drive to the Shaun Ellis "interception-return touchdown" that ended the first offense's two-minute drive deep in its own territory. The coach's point: Leon Washington "just ran out of yards" in pursuing Ellis and possibly forcing a fumble to prevent the defense's clinching score.

"Knock it down," Mangini stated the rule of thumb in these situations. "Usually only bad things can happen when you try to catch it. It may bounce off your chest or knocked out of your hands. Knock it to the ground. It's over."

The coach was asked about David Barrett, who has fought back from last year's injury woes to have a solid camp, and recalled when he was scouting the Jets corner was coming out of Arkansas before the 2000 draft.

"You see the same characteristics you saw when he was at that point," Mangini said. "Very consistent approach, very diligent in the way he does things, and that toughness is there. You appreciate that toughness, especially at the corner spot where there's so much running and you're so isolated. I would say it's an important aspect of what we seek in players, why one of our core characteristics for players is toughness."

Mangini also shed his typical black top for a New York Titans polo shirt to help kick off promotion of "Titans Throwback Day" when the Jets will wear blue and gold and take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 14. That led to a reporter's question: Which team will the Eagles prepare for?

"Hopefully the Titans," Mangini said without missing a beat. "I'll be glad to send them some tape of Don Maynard running, and Curley Johnson, who played a few positions and was pretty versatile."

And as the sounds of "Jump On It" come drifting through my second-floor window, the final practice of Mangini Camp II is under way. I'll be back with a report in a few hours.