05/23 — Leon Washington surveyed the main floor jammed with Jets fans, raised his head to the packed balcony area, and smiled.

"This is amazing," the Jets' reigning MVP said at his autograph station of the throng at the Edison Ballroom in New York City on Thursday night.

Washington meant both the amount of energetic Green & White supporters confined to a cozy space — to me the ballroom on 47th Street just up from Times Square is reminiscent of Ebbets Field — but also the scope of the event, the sixth annual New York Jets Taste of the NFL benefit.

"When people come out and do something for a good cause, it's just great," said Washington, who was attending his first "Taste" event. "My helmet is going for $2,500 right now. It's all for a good cause. That's what it's all about.

The cause is the same as always at the "Taste." The Jets, ShopRite, Kraft and the owners and chefs of a number of the metropolitan area's finest restaurants teamed up again to fight hunger by feeding the charitable Jets fans in attendance in perhaps the finest event on the team's off-season calendar.

Mixing with the crowd were a number of Jets celebs. Team president Jay Cross, GM Mike Tannenbaum and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer led the front office/coaching contingent.

And the night wouldn't have been as successful as it was without the players. QB Chad Pennington stayed for the entire session and set a Taste record by raising $8,000 as part of his helmet auction.

Center Nick Mangold wasn't far behind in second place, raising $4,100 alone in a live auction for dinner for two with Nick at Rao's, the legendary eight-table Italian restaurant in East Harlem.

Mangold and Taste emcee/Jets radio voice Bob Wischusen even did a nice standup exchange as the auction price kept rising.

Wischusen: "Nick, you're looking good tonight, relatively speaking."

Mangold: "It's the suit, Bobby."

I checked in with D'Brickashaw Ferguson, who also had a unique auction experience: a private culinary workshop for eight with Brick.

"We're still working on where and when we're going to have it," said Brick, who shouldn't surprise you if some day he becomes "the next Food Network star." "I'll be preparing the food and then I'll be dining with the group."

The rest of the Jets at restaurant stations included Kenyon Coleman, Jerricho Cotchery, James Dearth, Kris Jenkins, Justin Miller, Brett Ratliff, Darrelle Revis, Tony Richardson, Brad Smith, Chansi Stuckey, Wallace Wright and draft choices Dustin Keller, Dwight Lowery and Erik Ainge. And the entire Jets rookie class was in attendance.

Miller put together one heck of an auction package. The lucky fan who won the auction got four training camp passes, dinner at Rao's, autographed cleats, a game of catch with Miller after one camp practice, and a visit from Justin to the fan's child's school.

D. Woody Visits "Jets Nation"

OT Damien Woody will be the guest on this week's airing of "Jets Nation" on SportsNet New York. The crew also plan to break down the competition at cornerback and on kick return in this show, which will first air on SNY on Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

Rookies Set Sail

The Jets' rookie class will conclude probably its busiest week until training camp with a visit Saturday to New York Harbor. There they will meet 200 sailors and Marines, in town for Fleet Week, and the group will walk from the pier to Times Square Church to participate in Project Hope.

At the church, 200 kids will be waiting, some from underprivileged homes, some from families who have a parent deployed. The Jets, soldiers and kids will eat lunch and participate in other activities before the rookies head back to Weeb Ewbank Hall.