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Rontez Miles' Patience Pays Off

Safety in His 3rd Year with Jets Is Signed to Active Roster for Sunday's Game vs. Jacksonville

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Rontez Miles has paid his dues a few times over, building up one of those pro résumés filled with waiver transactions (four times), practice squad signings (four times), PUP list (once) and injured reserve (once) that never seem to end with an extended stay on the active roster.

But one thing Miles has developed in his three seasons with the team is patience, and he's brought that to the table this week as head coach Todd Bowles broached the possibility that Rontez could be activated for the Jaguars game on Sunday.

"I'm as patient as I'll ever be," he said after Friday's practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. "It's hard to wait sometimes but it's just about knowing anything can happen."

With Calvin Pryor (ankle) missing a second straight game, Bowles said, "We have everybody taking reps" at the safety spot next to Marcus Gilchrist. Miles was one of those players.

This is a step forward in Bowles' estimation of Miles' readiness. Back in September, when "Tez" was a final cut and then signed again to the practice squad, the coach said, "Rontez had a great camp and I told him that myself. I thought he was the most improved guy, but that doesn't mean he was ready. There are still some things he has to learn."

On Friday, Bowles had this update: "I like Rontez. I think he has been coming along fine. I think he does a good job. If he comes up, I'm pretty sure he'll do a good job."

And today the Jets signed Miles to the active roster, waiving fifth-round rookie G Jarvis Harrison to make room on the 53-man roster.

Miles agreed that he's making progress.

"I don't think it was the playbook, so to speak. It was more about my aggression and small details that sometimes in college you can get away with but the game changes at the pro level," Miles said. "I come to work every day, I focus on my eyes in man coverage and I focus on trying to be calm every single play. If I can be calm and go through my reads, me being aggressive and attacking is going to come when I see it."

And needless to say, if he's active and plays in the game, he'll be on a few special teams, and that plays right into his aggressiveness wheelhouse.

"I like special teams," he said with a big smile. "That's the position where you can be physical and aggressive. That'd be fun."

Miles actually has experience on Jets specials, and not just in the preseason. His only game as a pro was the home win over the Saints in 2013, when he was in for 15 ST plays. Then it was back to the practice squad.

Anything can still happen for Miles. He still could be deactivated for the game. He might not play. Or he might.

One thing is certain. Rontez is ready for whatever comes.

The Jets and Jaguars Square Off at 1PM from MetLife Stadium

Case of Mistaken Identity

A penalty flag was thrown on the second-half kickoff return by the Raiders against the Jets last Sunday. Referee Ed Hochuli announced: "Holding by the receiving team, No. 57, during the return, half the distance to the goal, Oakland keeps the ball, first down."

CBS announcer Kevin Harlan immediately responded: "On Trevor Reilly. Let's go downstairs to Alex Flanagan."

Reilly surely wears No. 57, but he was not guilty of holding for the Raiders on their return. The real culprit was Oakland's No. 57, Ray-Ray Armstrong. And the player he held was the Jets' Tommy Bohanon — who coincidentally had just shifted to Reilly's position on the Jets' kickoff coverage team.

Individual penalty statistics are not official but there are several sources for those numbers. It's worth noting that because they're not official, errors get made, not often but often enough, and don't always get corrected. Sometimes the ref announces the wrong uniform number, sometimes the home team stat crew records the wrong number in the play-by-play. And sometimes the TV crew gives out bad information before a hasty throw down to the sideline.

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