Sirius NFL Radio Training Camp Tour

Sirius XM Radio just posted the schedule for their 5th annual Training Camp tour. SIRIUS NFL Radio hosts will broadcast live on location from all 32 NFL training camp sites around the country. The tour kicks off tomorrow at the Buffalo Bills Camp in Pittsford, NY. Tune into Sirius XM NFL channel 124 on Tuesday August 4th from 12-3pm when Solomon Wilcots and Jim Miller present "The Red Zone" live from the New York Jets Training Camp in Cortland, NY. If Cortland isn't in your summer vacation plans, tune it to get full access to what's happening at camp with candid reports on rookies/free agents, an expert breakdown on the team, and one-on-one interviews with players and coaches.

Who-ey Whittaker?

Rex Ryan left Jet fans perplexed and guessing last week after an interview in which he was asked about the battle for the #2 wide receiver position. His statement "I think there will be a surprise coming out as receiver as well, and I’m not going to say it but this one kid, all he does is make plays.” got my mind working. Who could he be talking about? Someone on the roster, but not one of the 4 front-runners. Always leave it to Rex to make things interesting.

My first guess for this mystery receiver is Huey Whittaker - I remember seeing him this year at mini-camp and being really impressed by his size. At 6'2 and 220lbs he is one of the bigger WR's on the roster right now. His speed running routes caught my attention; I made a mental note to keep an eye on his performance once training camp began.

Whittaker played wide receiver at the University of South Florida from 2001-03. He started in 21 games and hauled in 117 receptions for 1,447 yards and seven touchdowns. He was originally signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent, was cut and joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad. After a summer playing for the Berlin Thunder (NFL Europe), Whittaker began his AFL career. Most recently Whittaker had his most successful season recording 126 receptions for 1541 yards and 40 touchdowns, claiming a spot on the top 5 WR's in the AFL, and being named to the First-Team All Arena in 2008.

Ironically Whittaker spent the first 6 years of his life with his legs casted. Whittaker suffered from severe genu-varum ( bow leggedness) and had his legs broken and casted every 2 weeks. In a recent interview Huey states:

“Before I even played, I said wanted to be a professional football player. I could have been a few inches shorter, too, so I’m glad they broke them and got them straightened out, It’s ironic that I actually got the chance to play and it’s kind of worked out.”

Huey Whittaker #18 may be one to watch in the upcoming weeks at camp, we may be pleasantly surprised by his receiving abilities and speed, especially after coming off such a successful season. Many of the other contenders for WR on the Jets roster have limited experience since being drafted. Some may argue that AFL experience is invaluable. Whittaker may have an edge after being a part of the fast paced, high-flying wide-open style of the AFL. It will be interesting to see how that experience translates next week at camp.

My life as a Jets fan

The New York Jets have been the one and only football team that I have ever known. It's kind of nice to know that never in my life have I ever been a fan of another team. My father has been a Jets fan since he was first introduced to football after emigrating from Portugal to the US. The men he worked with were all Jet fans...he was hooked. Together they started going to games, from Shea stadium to East Rutherford.....establishing a tradition that still exists today. My older brother Joe was born a Jets fan, there aren't many fans who are as dedicated as he is - I owe every ounce of heart and dedication I have for Jets to him. He made sure that female or not I was going to love the game and the team as much as he and Dad did.

My first memory of watching the Jets was around the age of 7 - Ken O'Brien, Freeman McNeil, Al Toon, Johnny Hector were who I was watching and rooting for with the boys.

I sat year after year enduring the 3-13, 1-15 Kotite seasons, yelling, screaming & sulking with Joe & Dad. I put up being made fun of in grammar school for wearing my Jets Starter jacket. When all the kids were cheering for the Giants, I always stayed true to the Jets....knowing that one day it would all be worth it.

I became a part of the tradition of going to every home game that had been around for so long. I always say that I have 20 "Dads" in Section 139 - they saw me grow up all these years!

I guess you can say the rest is history..... years of tailgating, trips to training camp, to Miami away games, some winning....lots of losing....TONS of taunting.... if it's at all possible my love for the game and the Jets continues to grow....

140 letters just isn't enough....

It's here - I've done it! I've been contemplating the thought of blogging for quite some time now.....so here we go!

I think I've truly embraced my self-proclaimed nickname of "LilMissNYJet" - through my blog I'll be able to give you my thoughts regarding our beloved New York Jets in 140 or MORE!

Often times I find that as I read articles about the Jets the information/ perspective really isn't unique! Some topics and articles just have a monotonous tone to them. I'm known for thinking outside of the box, being unique... and always wanting to stand apart from the rest. If everyone's doing it - I'm probably not ( hence the grand delay in starting this blog ).

I'm hoping this blog will give me the opportunity to share my sometimes "unique perspective" on the world of the Jets..... straight from the mind of LilMissNYJet!