Maybe we're getting old and forgetful, but it seems that more Jets than usual are channeling LB Bart Scott and saying they "can't wait." In this case, they're impatient to get training camp under way with Wednesday's first practice of summer.
"Yeah, I'm ready, man, I'm super ready," defensive lineman Quinnen Williams said in his rapid-fire delivery as he led off the short parade of players who spoke with the media during reporting day at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. "It's a huge blessing to be out here again for my fourth year, a blessing to be among a group of great guys. We want to put it all together and get ready to compete. It's going to be special. I can't wait for training camp."
One reason that MLB C.J. Mosley alluded to was the relative stability of the Jets' playing roster and coaching staff from last year.
"Knowing the defense is going to speed us up a lot," Mosley said of his and his defensive mates' second year in the system of head coach Robert Saleh and coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. "There's not a lot of learning, just building that chemistry with each other. You know how they're going to coach you, you know the little things when you first get on the field. We've been going at this for a year and that builds that comfortability and confidence."
Another reason for "the two C's" is that key players from last year see either promising newcomers or proven returning vets lining up alongside of them.
See the Green & White reporting for 2022 Jets Training Camp.
Or in the case of second-year guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, some of both.
"Laken's my dog," AVT said of the offensive line addition of Pro Bowl G Laken Tomlinson, whom he did some training with out on the West Coast this offseason. "I was able to pick his brain, coming off his Pro Bowl season, and he had good years in San Francisco. Going out and training with him was good work for me and I think it was good work for him as well."
Then Vera-Tucker can't wait to reteam with T Mekhi Becton for the first time since Becton's opening-day injury last season.
"I've seen Mekhi. I know he was working hard this offseason," AVT said. "I can tell you he's ready to prove himself. He seems ready to me. And I think that would just make us look more scary coming out there in week one with a guy like him who's good at pass protection and good at run-blocking as well. ... I feel like on the line we can do a lot of good things."
Williams feels similarly about his D-line and on the addition of Carl Lawson back into the defensive equation after Lawson missed all of last season with his Achilles injury.
"Carl's a freak, man, he's an animal," Quinnen said. "He's got a great mindset. Having him line up next to me or line up in general, having him out on the field is going to be spectacular."
Kind of the way Williams is feeling about his unit and his team. Count Q as one of the many Jets who are getting good vibrations about the start of camp.
"It feels more positive," he said. "I feel like each and every one of us on this team have got expectations. Everybody knows Coach Saleh's expectations, everybody knows each other's expectations. It's a great group of young guys that we have, a great group of talented guys. When you see everybody working their tails off, it puts a lot of positivity in the air."