05/31 — It is May 31 in Hempstead, N.Y., and it is already high-Eighties hot and August bright with only a few puffs of clouds in the blue sky. A manifestation of global warming visiting the Northeast? Nah, just a perfect late-spring day for the New York Jets to conduct one of their Organized Team Activity practices.

It's a padless workout but the Jets are animated in voice and motion as veterans and rookies participate in their fifth OTA of this current schedule.

And there is some popping, not of pads but of arms clubbing blocking dummies, four in a square, before the player moves in to drop the "runner," another dummy. This is a position drill for linebackers. Two who impress are Bryan Thomas and second-round rookie David Harris.

Perhaps it's significant, perhaps not, that owner Woody Johnson and GM Mike Tannenbaum have posted up here to intently study the drill and its participants.

Top draft pick Darrelle Revis looks smooth and sure as he lines up in the slot and on the outside for some goal-line coverage work. Of course, it helps that the "receivers" going three-quarters speed are fellow DBs in this position drill.

The units merge for other drills and there is an interesting early exchange in some first-team 7-on-7 work.

On one play, Chad Pennington tries to zip a ball to Jerricho Cotchery on a comeback route. But Jonathan Vilma is all over it and swats the pass into the new grass on the upper practice field, drawing a roar from the other defenders.

But Chad answers immediately. He drops back and looks, looks for a receiver. Finally he finds Justin McCareins in the end zone. Pennington's pass arcs perfectly, just over CB David Barrett's fingertips and into McCareins' as No. 81 stretches and grabs the "touchdown" just in front of the end line.

Then some 11-on-11 plays are run. Again, no tackling, but RB Thomas Jones looks impressive as he strides up the middle and defenders fall away from him. His sleeveless No. 20 jersey only enhances the musculature of his arms.

I'll have more after team drills conclude and the good-sized throng of about 20 print and TV reporters gets the players leaving the field for the locker room. But now I have to stop. The keyboard is getting overheated from the sun, and for the first time today the music has begun.