Free agents DeAngelo Lloyd (DE) and Andrew Davison (CB) are writing longshot underdog stories at Jets camp.
Lloyd is sacking the quarterback and recovering fumbles and Davison is intercepting the quarterback and Herm Edwards, a free agent once himself, has noticed.
That isn’t to say it has been an easy road for either of them.
Lloyd, who is backing up Shaun Ellis, had his chances with the Packers last year sabotaged by an ankle injury and gained experience and confidence playing for NFL Europe Frankfurt. He is 6-6, 280 pounds out of Tennessee. “The game has slowed down a little bit to me,” Lloyd said.
Davison, a four-year starter at Kansas, was concerned enough to walk into the head coach’s office last Tuesday to ask where he stood.
“He was about ready to quit,” Edwards said. “I’ve seen guys like that, believe me. They get that look, they get that 495 look. Goin’ south. And I went, ‘You ain’t quitting. Here’s what you need to do, just keep doing it, here’s what’s gonna happen, just don’t worry about it, just keep playing, and you’ll be fine.”
Davison, who wears a tattoo of his three-year-old daughter Asia Nae on his right forearm, begged to differ. “I’m not a quitter,” he said. “I just wanted to know where I was at.”
A 40-yard interception return five days later against the Ravens changed everything for Davison. “Now he probably thinks he’s King Kong,” Edwards said.
Davison’s chances were bolstered when CB Jamie Henderson (right shoulder) went down for a minimum of 2-3 weeks. Donnie Abraham will replace Henderson as the backup nickel. Rookie safety Jon McGraw will also learn the position.
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Edwards said that DT Larry Webster (quadriceps tendon strain) will be out “a couple of weeks.” John Abraham, Jerald Sowell and David Viger started jogging yesterday. Kevin Mawae practiced with pads. Mawae and DE Ellis found time to scrap during practice.
Marvin Jones will play against the Giants Saturday . . . NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue visited camp.
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The Jets have placed a limited number of single scattered-season tickets on sale through TicketMaster, available to the public starting tomorrow at 11 a.m. at all TicketMaster outlets. The tickets will not be available through telephone orders or over the Internet. And remaining tickets will be available at TicketMaster and the Meadowlands box office starting Tuesday. Fans may call the Jets ticket office at 516- 560-8200 or the Meadowlands box office at 201-935-8500. The telephone information lines for TicketMaster are 212-307-7171, 201-507-8900 or 631-888-9000.