Stephen Hill is just one guy to keep an eye during Training Camp.

Now that we are done with OTA’s and minicamp, in a few weeks it will be time for training camp. While OTA’s and minicamp are relatively short, training camp is the start of the grind for the players. Although not right away, this is where the real hitting and tackling comes into play. Expect a few fights, a few arguments, and anything else you can think of. But also expect more football activity going on. As I am sure you can agree, the more football, the better. This year’s training camp is huge for the Jets. Many positions are still up for grabs. If a player really stands out during camp, he could find himself as a starter. But there is also the negative. If a player does not impress the coaches, he may find himself looking for a new job sooner than he would have expected. Lets take a look at some things to look forward to when the Jets are at SUNY Cortland.

Geno Smith vs Mark Sanchez- A fair warning, get used to hearing about the Jets QB competition all throughout training camp. Although it gets to be too much at times, this may be the most important battle that the Jets have. We may all secretly try to hide it, but we care about the QB’s competition percentage during each practice. I have held the same stance in which quarterback I would like to start week 1. That quarterback is the one who impresses the coaches the most. The one that the Jets truly feel is giving them the best chance to win. If that person is Sanchez, fine with me. If that person is Smith, that is also fine with me. This should be a great battle to keep an eye on all summer.

Dawan Landry and ?- After the Jets decided to not bring back both Yeremiah Bell and LaRon Landry, the Jets suddenly had a glaring need at the safety spot. The Jets wasted no time in signing the other Landry, Dawan. Landry will undoubtedly be one starting safety, but who will be the other? The battle is between two second year players in Josh Bush and Antonio Allen. In my opinion, I think Bush wins the job. While Allen is a talented player, Bush has good coverage skills,which I believe will win him the job. With Landry being a physical player, and not much of a cover safety, it is vital the Jets have one safety that can be a protection blanket for the corners. A wild card name to keep an eye on is undrafted free agent Rontez Miles. Just from watching him at camp the other day, his height and impressive frame make him an interesting player. Do not be shocked if Miles name is thrown into this battle.

The 2nd cornerback- It is going to be weird to not see Darrelle Revis as a Jet week 1. With 24 gone, it is now up to Antonio Cromartie to step up and be the number 1 corner. When Revis went down last year, Cro really stepped his game up and proved that he is a true #1 corner in this league. Expect the same from him this year. The question is who will be starting on the opposite side of the field? Dee Milliner or Kyle Wilson? I think Milliner wins this job. Although he is battling through some injuries right now, expect Dee to be ready for training camp. Milliner was the best cornerback in all of college football last season, and expect him to be a solid cornerback for the Jets this season as well. Milliner is a physical player with shutdown ability. Do not forget about former first rounder Kyle Wilson though. Expect Wilson to be playing the Nickel role, and in the slot. According to Rex Ryan, Wilson is having the best off-season of his NFL career. With Cromartie, Milliner, and Wilson as starters the Jets should have a solid trio of cornerbacks this season. Some wild card names to watch are Aaron Berry and Darrin Walls. Both have looked impressive so far in camp.

These are just 3 of the battles that will be going on when the Jets head up to Cortland for training camp. The motto that John Idzik is preaching is “competition”, so look for every single player fighting for his job day in and day out.

Geno Smith and Mark Sanchez may be the most watched competition that is going on this off-season.

I decided to take a trip up to Florham Park yesterday to go check out Jets mini camp. With the team looking much different then it has in recent years, I was real interested to see how the team would mesh together. Although they were only in shorts,jerseys and helmets, it was still really nice to just see some football being played again. As John Idzik has stated, the motto for the off-season is “competition”. Just because they were not fully equipped does not mean that yesterday was not an important day. Each day counts for every single guy on this roster. Here are a few of my own personal observations from Jets practice yesterday.

Kellen Winslow looks like he has something left in the tank- Although he has only been in the green and white for two days, just by watching you can certainly tell that Winslow can still play. Early in the practice, Winslow and the rest of the tight ends were doing a route running drill. I made sure to watch Winslow closely to see how he looked. What I saw was a guy who had quick feet and made crisp, sharp cuts. He did not drop a pass either, but hands have never been an issue for Kellen. After practice, I told Kellen to make sure to get in the endzone often this year. His response to me was ” don’t you worry about that I will”. With the Jets TE situation still up in the air, Winslow has a great chance to not only make the team, but make a serious contribution early on.

Stephen Hill is still raw- Stephen Hill has all the tools to become a solid wide receiver in this league. He has the height, he has above average speed, and is a pretty good route runner. For a 2nd year WR, that is hard to complain about. But Hill is a frustrating player. It is not secret that Hill really needs to work on simply catching the football. On one play during 7 vs 7s, Hill dropped an easy touchdown pass from Geno Smith. These are the things that just cannot happen. Hill is a very hard-worker, and you can tell he really wants to continue to get better. Hill has a long ways to go, but sooner or later I think he will be a really nice weapon for the Jets.

The Defense is much faster- Once again, I know it is still early and the guys do not even have pads yet, but the Jets defensive line looks very very quick. All throughout practice, rookie Sheldon Richardson and Quinton Coples were being used all over the defensive line. The four guys who seemed to get off the line very quick were Mo Wilkerson, Richardson, Coples, and Kenrick Ellis. With veteran Antonio Garay and fan favorite Damon “snacks” Harrison providing depth, the defensive line should be the least of the Jets worries this year.

These are just a few observations that stood out to me during practice today. As for the QB’s, neither Smith nor Sanchez shined today and both had a share of good and bad throws. One thing that is quite obvious is that the defense is simply much faster than they were last season. A name to keep an eye on is Ricky Sapp. Ricky has great speed on the outside and has had 3 of what would have been sacks if hitting was allowed in the last two days. I will be heading up to more practices later this summer so be sure to keep an eye out for them!

href=”http://thejetpress.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/30/files/2013/06/6777902.jpg”> Nov 22, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets center Nick Mangold (74) gets set to snap the ball to quarterback Mark Sanchez (6) during the first half of their game against the New England Patriots on Thanksgiving at Met Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports[/caption]

QB- Geno Smith- My head is telling me Sanchez, while my gut is telling me Smith. It is no secret that the Jets are having a full-blown QB competition, and over the next few months it is going to be talked about just about every time the Jets step on the field. This competition could go either way. In my opinion, whoever they choose as the QB, I will understand why they chose who they did. Sanchez had a disappointing season last year, but many weapons were missing on the offensive side of the ball. I would also understand if Geno is the QB. The Jets as an organization may want to move on from Sanchez and start fresh with the rookie Geno. At the end of the day, I believe Smith gets the nod week one vs the Bucs.

RB- Chris Ivory- As I wrote about in a previous article, I believe Ivory has the potential to be a 1000 yard rusher this year for the Jets. Ivory finally has an opportunity to prove that he can be a solid running back in this league, and I think he will take advantage of that. Ivory should get majority of the carries, but expect Mike Goodson, Bilal Powell and Joe McKnight to get some touches as well.

FB- Tommy Bohanon- Lex Hilliard and rookie 7th round pick T-Bo will be battling this summer to be the Jets starting fullback. Hilliard is experienced, but I expect Bohanon to win the job due to his versatility and ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.

WR1- Santonio Holmes- Coming off a serious Lisfranc injury, Tone will be very limited this summer, but is still on track to start week 1. When healthy, Holmes is a huge part of the Jets offense. With the Jets WR corps being so thin, Holmes health is crucial to this teams success.

WR2- Stephen Hill- Stephen Hill had an inconsistent rookie season for the Jets last season. He suffered from nagging injuries and a case of the drops all season, But coming into his second season, Hill will once again be relied on heavily. Hill has all the potential in the world, the Jets are hoping he is a consistent solid receiver this season.

WR3- Jeremy Kerley- Jeremy Kerley was arguably the Jets best offensive player last season. Even though the offense was a disaster, Kerley had a good year and should only continue to get better. Last year, with Hill and Holmes hurt, Kerley was the Jets number one target that defenses had to focus on. This season with Holmes and Hill back, Kerley sort of fly under the radar. Kerley is huge for the Jets offense so expect him to get a lot of touches week In and week out.

TE- Jeff Cumberland- The Jets TE position is relatively weak especially with Dustin Keller now a Miami Dolphin. Cumberland was a respectable tight end last season, but still needs to prove that he can be a starting tight end. It has been reported that Hayden Smith has looked great, but he is still a mystery. The Jets have invited former 6th overall pick Kellen Winslow to minicamp next week for a tryout. If healthy, Winslow can really improve this position for Gang Green

LT- D’Brickashaw Ferguson- No need to worry about big Brick, after having a sub-par 2011 for his standards, Ferguson bounced back and had a solid 2012 season. Expect the same from him in 2013.

LG- Brian Winters- I think rookie Brian Winters will win the LG job. Winters plays with a mean streak that is much-needed on the O-line. The 3rd round pick has a chance to really make a name for himself and replace Matt Slauson next to Ferguson on the left side of the line.

C- Nick Mangold- As solid as it gets. Mangold will continue to be a rock on the line for years to come.

RG- Willie Colon- When healthy, Colon is one of the best guards in football. But the problem is, Colon has never been able to stay healthy. Colon should win the job at RG, but if he is unable to stay healthy look for former Lion Stephen Peterman to take over.

RT- Austin Howard- Last season was Howard’s first year as a starter in the NFL, and he did a good job at RT for the Jets. While he had some flaws, Howard was certainly not a weakness. Howard should continue to improve this season.