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After strides were seemingly made in the execution of the offense on Wednesday, today’s minicamp session showed a unit that struggled to move the ball under quarterback Mark Sanchez. Nearly picked off once by David Harris on one of his 10 throws in 11 on 11 drills, the timing of the fourth year quarterback and his receivers looked out of sync and the offense repeatedly seemed to shoot itself in the foot all morning long. Backup Tim Tebow was a slight step ahead throughout the session, finding Joe McKnight over the middle for a 12 yard gain and utilizing tight end Josh Baker several times. Undrafted rookie free agent DaMarcus Ganaway ran a good route over the middle to make a nice catch on a tight spiral from Tebow.
The one bright spot on the offense was the play of the tight ends, with Dustin Keller running some solid routes and showing very good hands throughout all drills. Hayden Smith earned cheers from the fans on hand for staying in bounds on an end zone route to the pylon. After a rough start, Smith is beginning to look more and more like he can make the transition from rugby to the NFL.
With a couple of drops, Jeff Cumberland struggled more than most of the rest of the group but his route running continues to be impressive. Keep in mind that he continues to recover from the Achilles that shelved him early last year. Cumberland is back down to 265 pounds after putting on five pounds following his surgery last fall. He tells Jets Confidential that after the conclusion of minicamp he will stay local and train at the team’s facility.
Baker closed off a strong minicamp with a handful of catches on underneath routes. He has progressed as a pass catching option and seems to have the inside track to make the two-deep after Keller.
For a second straight day, second round pick Stephen Hill was on the field running and doing conditioning although he didn’t participate in any team drills. Hill continues to recover from a hamstring injury he suffered last Tuesday during OTAs. Scotty McKnight and Patrick Turner, also shelved with injuries, caught balls from the Jugs machine during team drills.
Speaking of hamstring injuries, running back Bilal Powell was again shelved from the minicamp session with the injury, though he told Jets Confidential that “I could play if there was a game.” He will continue to receive treatment.
Good news from seventh round pick Jordan White, who signed with the team earlier today. White suffered a foot injury “during the first period of the first day of OTAs” while working with the special teams and has been unable to perform since. Wearing a boot on his left foot, White told Jets Confidential that his recovery is ahead of speed “and that I will be ready for training camp in July.”
Cornerback Kyle Wilson was heavily involved in punt returns today and seems to have improved his hands and positioning, something that was a struggle last year for No. 20. He also looked improved in his pass coverage after a rough outing on Wednesday.
Not surprisingly, Darrelle Revis is head and shoulders above the rest of the defense, perhaps putting in a statement before contract talks and a possible holdout. Against speedster Jeremy Kerley, Revis was glued to the receiver’s hip with tight coverage, getting a nice pass defended on a Sanchez pass down field.
Fullback John Conner looks leaner even though he tells Jets Confidential that he’s added bulk this offseason. His body fat is down and his lean muscle mass is up, which is all contributing to his perceived quickness. “I did work on my speed this offseason, straight forward, side to side, my footwork, you name it,” Conner said.
There does appear to be competition for kicker duties between incumbent Nick Folk and Josh Brown, both of whom looked solid on the day. Brown appears to have the slightly better leg and accuracy though Folk is still coming off a hamstring injury he suffered last month to his left leg. This might be the most intriguing battle to watch heading into training camp.
Kristian R. Dyer is the Jets beat reporter for the newspaper Metro New York. Follow Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer