08/02 — The Jets endured extended bookend practices today, with the long morning workout being followed by an equally lengthy night session. The team didn't leave the upper grass field next to Weeb Ewbank Hall until quarter after 10.

The occasion was a closed-to-the-public game-conditions practice. The Jets were divided into Green and White teams that went after each other in a series of fourth-quarter situations, complete with officials and gameclock. Twelve units of portable field lights, commonly used to illuminate high school games, ringed the field.

There were several memorable plays in the first exchange, which lasted for a 15-minute final quarter. Leon Washington started the cavalcade off for the White offense with a darting, speeding run of over 60 yards before being caught and guided out of bounds by S Eric Smith at the Green 12. But the White defense stiffened with tackles behind the line by DE Eric Hicks and S Rashad Washington — with the hit of the night to level Washington for a yard loss — to force White to settle for a field goal.

Chad Pennington led the Green offense to a touchdown, with the big play a 44-yard hookup with Laveranues Coles, leaping in between CB David Barrett and S Jamie Thompson, to the White 1, from where Thomas Jones took it across.

But the White defense pulled the game out when S Erik Coleman recovered a shotgun snap that sailed past Pennington in the end zone for a 20-17 lead. Pennington could not rally the offense for a tying two-minute-drive field goal.

From there came a series of four-minute finishes. Brad Smith capped the first drive with a nifty 21-yard touchdown catch from Kellen Clemens past CB Rayshaun Kizer. That converted a third-and-long after TE Joe Kowalewski and LB Cody Spencer got into a brief but spirited fight and Kowalewski was called for the personal foul.

Then the kickers, changing uniform tops depending on which team they were kicking for, finished strong. Nugent went 3-for-4 on game-winning/tying kicks, with his only miss from 54 yards. And Ben Graham launched his second outstanding punt into the nearly windless Long Island night when he drilled a 72-yarder before the practice's last drive.

At least the reward for the Green & White after their long day was a day off — head coach Eric Mangini canceled Friday's scheduled 2 p.m. practice for the first off day of camp. The Jets will return to Hempstead for a 2 p.m. Saturday practice open to the public.