It didn't take long for the veteran ballhawk Minkah Fitzpatrick to get his fingers on the pigskin Wednesday as he defended a pass intended for Garrett Wilson on the first day of Jets training camp.

"I was really close to getting one," Fitzpatrick said after the Day 1 session at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. "I thought Garrett was actually going to play the ball, but he saw it late, so I was going to go play through his hands, and the ball came behind him. I tried to get a hand and make a pretty one-handed catch, but it fell through."

Fitzpatrick, a three-time All-Pro safety, was acquired via trade from Miami in the offseason for myriad reasons -- two of which are his leadership skills and his ability across 8 NFL seasons to pilfer passes thrown by opposing quarterbacks. In 5 seasons with the Steelers and another 3 with the Dolphins, Fitzpatrick has 21 career interceptions.

For Fitzpatrick, that skill comes down to a single word: Instinct.

"It starts up front, it starts with disguises, giving quarterbacks different looks," Fitzpatrick, 29, said. "But at the end of the day, I think what it boils down to is instincts, having a really good feel for the game, knowing where the quarterback is trying to get the ball, being able to feel receivers and see the quarterback and at the same time, understand where they're trying to attack you.

"So I would say instincts. If I had to pick one attribute to top them all, I think it would be instincts."

Fitzpatrick is among a group of new veteran faces on the Green & White who have arrived in Florham Park and brought along their experience and unique approaches to the professional game.

"I would just say you know with guys like Double D [LB Demario Davis] and Minkah in the building, and then [QB] Geno Smith on the offensive side, and [WR] Tim Patrick, like these certain guys ... they're bringing this just winning mindset, winning energy that that us as the younger guys and you know looking up to guys like that," Wilson, a young veteran in his own right, said on Wednesday. "We're trying to just latch onto it and get a better idea of what it takes to win at this level because they've done it before. I would say that's the main thing."

During the offseason, GM Darren Mougey and HC Aaron Glenn went about retooling the Jets' roster, adding veterans like Fitzpatrick, Davis and others to a growing list of talented young players. After players put in their time at the podium on Wednesday, Mougey made a surprise appearance and spoke about the topic.

"We've got a good blend of young guys, and what we believe is the right mix of veterans and the right veterans to help to kind of mold some of these young guys and change the culture," Mougey said. "And I'm excited to see how the roster kind of takes shape in training camp. This is an integral part of building that roster."

For all his versatility in the defensive backfield, Fitzpatrick knows deep down that even the most accomplished ballhawk in football is part of a living, breathing defensive organism.

"It starts up front," Fitzpatrick said.

And up front is where the Jets made some of their biggest moves -- drafting edge David Bailey No. 2 overall in April; signing in free agency edges Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare; trading for DT T'Vondre Sweat and signing free agent DT David Onyemata. They join DTs Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs and edge Will McDonald IV as the guys Fitzpatrick expects to get after the QB.

"I'm a DB, and I'm not ashamed to say that," Fitzpatrick added. "You know, it starts with the guys up front putting pressure on the quarterback, making them make bad throws, bad decisions, having them patting the ball back there. Then it starts with the secondary giving the quarterback different looks. So there's a whole bunch of different nuances that go into it, and I think when we have a team like we have or a defense like we have, that I believe is very complete. I think we'll see a big, a big, a big jump in turnovers for sure."