Jets defensive coordinator Steve Wilks was candid when he responded to an early question about his linebackers Jamien Sherwood and Quincy Williams. He said: "I didn't know much about them personally. Of course, I knew of them as players."

As he got more familiar with them through OTAs, minicamp and now training camp he came to a concrete opinion about Sherwood. "He's definitely the glue," Wilks said.

That stickiness and determination to physically impose one's will on the opposition oozed out of the tube of glue on Wednesday when Sherwood's strong tackle sparked an outburst on the second day of joint practices with the Giants -- this time at their training facility in the shadow of MetLife Stadium, the site of Saturday's annual preseason game between the two New York metropolitan area NFL teams.

"I mean, it's football," Sherwood, 25, said after the session in oppressive heat ended. "In these competitive practices, things like that are going to happen. Not that we intentionally try to bring people down. We're trying to get ourselves in position to get prepared to go out there on Sundays and compete and perform. Sadly he went down. But, you know, it's never out of malice. They're just standing up for their brother and we're going to stand up for ours as well."

As he prepares for his fifth season with the Green & White, and first as the acknowledged starter as the Mike linebacker, Sherwood exudes quiet confidence and belief in his talents. He was a worthy replacement last season for the injured veteran C.J. Mosley, finishing the season with 158 tackles (including a league-leading with 98 solo takedowns) while appearing in all 17 games.

After playing safety in college at Auburn, Sherwood (6-2, 216) was selected in the fifth round (No. 146 overall) by the Jets in the 2021 NFL Draft. He was immediately tasked with shifting to linebacker. His rookie season blew up when he sustained a torn Achilles tendon in late October. As he worked his way back, the next two seasons brought most of his snaps on special teams but only 2% of the defensive snaps in 2022 and 17% in 2023.

It all changed during last season, and then after the season when he received a generous contract extension as one of the first decisions made by new GM Darren Mougey and HC Aaron Glenn.

"That's one of the reasons we got him is not only is he a tone setter, but he has a voice that everybody listens to," Glenn said, referring to his physical play on Wednesday. "You want that out of your middle linebacker who is actually standing in front of the huddle, because there's a respect factor when it comes to that regard. So, listen, these practices, they'll get chippy every now and then, but these are grown men, and they're not kids, and they understand how to get work in. The one thing I told the guys is: 'Listen, we compete, but we protect.' I think the guys did a good job of that."

Holding on to "their own guys," meaning mostly draft picks, has been one of the mantras preached by Mougey and Glenn. And for Sherwood, it's a badge of recognition about how important and valuable he is to the defense and the entire organization.

"You know, obviously, I'm blessed to be in this position," he said. "It's not that it doesn't mean anything, but it's about going out there and play football. It doesn't mean anything if I don't go out there and perform. So again, when I get my chance to show who I am, it's about showing the people that they didn't make a mistake, and it's about giving back to them, because of what they gave to me."

As Wilks goes about fine-tuning a potentially elite defensive unit, he knows that the man in the middle -- Sherwood -- has the moxie to emerge as the heart of the defense.

"This guy, man, he is so focused," Wilks said. "I even tried to joke with him a little bit and he's just like, here [he gestured with his hand way out front]. And when you look at a guy getting paid, you always have that question of whether or not he's going to continue to progress or settle, and I can see that every day. He stays late after the meetings, he's always asking questions, he's communicating with the guys, in the front, on the back end. He's definitely the glue."