Saturday's Green & White practice (7:15 p.m.) will have a number of different touches as the 2018 Jets move forward with training camp. For one, the practice will take place for the first time at Rutgers Stadium. For another, a number of Jets alumni in town for Legends Weekend will make the trek down to Piscataway to cast old-timers' eyes on this year's crop of Jets.
The stats from the practice will be forgotten by Monday, but this is still one of the early camp highlights before the games begin, with some veterans standing out and some unknowns starting to make names for themselves, and top picks like S Marcus Maye showing what they've got early on. Here are highlights from the past 10 Green & White practices to give us a touch of Saturday night football fever:
Saturday, Aug. 2, 2008, Hofstra University — In Eric Mangini's last G&W as Jets HC, Chad Pennington — who would be a Dolphin less than a week later upon the arrival of Brett Favre — threw a 27-yard touchdown strike to WR Jerricho Cotchery for the Green team, which prevailed 10-7 in a rainy practice at Shuart Stadium. TE Dustin Keller caught a 55-yard scoring strike from QB Kellen Clemens. And Ben Graham unleashed an 86-yard punt.
Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009, SUNY Cortland — Training camp and the "Green & White Scrimmage" moved to central New York under new HC Rex Ryan. First-round rookie Mark Sanchez and Clemens were accurate and protected the ball but didn't rack up yards or TDs. The only score came on first-year WR Paul Raymond's 15-yard end-around, shortly after QB Erik Ainge hit leaping rookie WR Marcus Henry for 38 yards. Ryan liked the D's tackling, led by young veteran David Harris.
Saturday, Aug. 7, 2010, SUNY Cortland — The practice technically took over its fourth venue in four years when it moved from Cortland's grass field onto the turf inside the school's stadium. (The 2007 practice was at Fordham University.) Some 9,500 fans saw another mostly defensive battle that began with Sanchez's first-play 70-yard go route to newly arrived and soon-to-be-Hall of Fame RB LaDainian Tomlinson. LB Jamaal Westerman had a hot night with a sack and several other big tackles.
Monday, Aug. 15, 2011, Reliant Stadium — Due to the late resolution to the NFL's labor situation, Ryan announced, "Our Green & White Scrimmage will be when we play the Texans. We're down practices." The Jets lost the preseason opener at Houston, 20-16. Sanchez played a quarter and completed six of seven, then Greg McElroy worked the last three quarters and went 23-of-39 for 208 yards and a TD pass to Patrick Turner. LB Garrett McIntyre had two sacks and LB Josh Mauga added a sack and an interception.
Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012, SUNY Cortland —The defense stood out early at Cortland Stadium as LBs Bart Scott and Calvin Pace and DE Muhammad Wilkerson stuffed the run and LB Aaron Maybin supplied pass rush pressure. The Jets offense, without starting OL Nick Mangold, Brandon Moore and Wayne Hunter, had two first downs and didn't get to midfield on its first six drives. The last play of the night was free agent QB Matt Simms' TD pass to first-year WR Raymond Webber.
Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013, SUNY Cortland — Geno Smith and Sanchez, battling for the starting quarterback job, came out this G&W battle fairly even. No. 3 McElroy then lit it up in his two series, going 5-for-5 for 129 yards and TD strikes to first-year WRs Ryan Spadola and Vidal Hazelton. CB Antonio Cromartie intercepted Sanchez on a long ball near the goal line.
Saturday, Aug. 2, 2014, SUNY Cortland — In Ryan's and the Jets' last Cortland Green & White, QBs Smith, Michael Vick and Simms generated no touchdown drives in 12 series against the first, second and third defenses, which racked up seven sacks by seven different defenders. WR Greg Salas led the offense with five catches for 54 yards and three first-down receptions.
Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015, MetLife Stadium— Todd Bowles' first Green & White practice as HC took place at the Jets' home stadium in front of 10,000 fans. For the offense, RB Bilal Powell ripped off a 39-yard TD run. For the defense, the "Calvin brothers" ganged up against QB Geno Smith, Pace with the strip sack, Pryor with the recovery. And K Nick Folk hit from 56 yards, which would have set the franchise record for longest home field goal had it come in a game.
Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016, Atlantic Health Training Center — Bowles downplayed the scrimmage element in this practice, which was held at the team facility in the early evening, right after a band of rain passed through and with the heat index over 90. Ryan Fitzpatrick hit Quincy Enunwa for the first offense's first score and rookie WR Jalin Marshall added four catches. Defensively, LBs Bruce Carter and Freddie Bishop posted back-to-back stops in goal line and Marcus Gilchrist and Darryl Morris had INTs.
Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017, MetLife Stadium — QB Josh McCown made a strong case for the starting job with some big passes, including a 55-yarder to WR Chris Harper and a 5-yard touchdown pass to TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Rookie TE Jordan Leggett showed he might be a future contributor with a scoring catch from Christian Hackenberg. But perhaps the biggest development of the night: Maye showing he was ready for primetime with some nifty PDs in position drills, then a sprawling INT of McCown and return for a TD.
