Erik Coleman took some time out from his busy media schedule — talking football for SNY, Sirius XM NFL Radio and the Pac-12 Network — to sign souvenir footballs at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center that will ultimately go to season ticket holders.
Then the former Jets safety (2004-07) put his pen away and returned to his specialty, giving a take on the Jets' secondary as the team prepares to report to this year's training camp a week from tomorrow.
"I think the Jets in the secondary have so much depth," EC told me. "They've created an atmosphere where they've built a lot of competition, and that really brings the best out of everyone. I'm excited to see how they play."
Here are Coleman's quick takes from around the Green & White defensive backfield:
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Darrelle Revis —** "I loved what he did last year. Everyone's going to get beat. That just comes with playing the position. It's just the life we live playing the secondary. But I think he did a great job in coverage, in coming up and tackling, in taking the ball away, and just being a leader."
The Corner Opposite Revis — "I'm excited to see how the other corners evolve, Dee Milliner, Marcus Williams, Buster Skrine. It's going to be exciting to see how Buster performs out there because it's a different ballgame."
Skrine's Skills —"I think Buster's a guy who's up for the challenge. I love the way he approaches the game. He's very aggressive, he's physical and just a very good football player."
Marcus Gilchrist — "He's the leader back there, the communicator, the quarterback. He really did a good job in coverage, in center field. He took some great angles in making open-field tackles. People don't realize how tough it is to make an open-field tackle from the free safety position."
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Calvin Pryor —** "Calvin's a guy I'm looking forward to making that next big step. I think he has the potential to be one of the great strong safeties in the league, and it's going to be up to him whether he embraces that and continues to work and challenges himself to become the best safety out there."
What He Wants to See from Milliner — "If he can stay healthy and forget about the injuries and just play with almost an arrogance ... Playing that position, you have to be arrogant because you're the only guy that's going to help you. If he can get that back, I think he'll really help this team."
