Kerley, Jets enjoying their lovefest
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Jeremy Kerley's name keeps popping up at Jets camp, usually quickly accompanied by a shaking of the head or some other sign of astonishment.
The fascination with the rookie wide receiver increases by the day, leading to a growing crescendo of compliments regarding his impressive skill set and versatility. Perhaps no one summed it up better than the guy who'll be throwing the ball to him, a guy who broke it down in a simplistic way with the help of a little slang.
"He's a baller," quarterback Mark Sanchez said, "just a baller."
Coach Rex Ryan gushed about the Jets' fifth-round pick, saying: "Kerley's got a chance, I think, to be something special."
Kerley hopes that will be the case. "Man, it's been fun," said the 5-9, 188-pound TCU product. "I love the game of football. I'm a professional who gets to come out here and do what I love every day. So I take every day with a grain of salt. The next one is not promised to me. So I have fun out there."
He's getting plenty of opportunities to have that fun, and at several different spots. On top of learning all the wide receiver positions, Kerley has been returning punts and kickoffs. That's a strong part of the 2010 Mountain West Conference special teams player of the year's game, something that probably has longtime Jets special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff salivating.
LaDainian Tomlinson already has the 22-year-old's perfect position pegged.
"I don't really see anybody being able to cover him in the slot one-on-one," said Tomlinson, a TCU grad himself who was able to get a look at Kerley during the football team's spring practices.
Said new offensive consultant Tom Moore: "He's very good. He's a good athlete, he can catch the ball, he's quick. He's a good [special teams] guy, so he has a lot of dimensions going for him. He's got great quickness and can catch the football."
There's something else he can do with it -- throw. Kerley was a quarterback during his senior year at high school in Hutto, Texas, making him ripe for some possible Wildcat formation action.
"So having the ball in my hands is nothing that I'm uncomfortable with," said Kerley, who paced TCU's offense by being involved in 12 total touchdowns last season, including a 26-yard scoring pass. "It's something that I take pride in. It's something that separated me from a lot of cats in college. Hopefully when we jump off in the Wildcat, I can take some part in that. I'm a rat out here on this field. I'm everywhere. It's not too much on my shoulders.
"A lot of people say, 'Don't you think you have too much on your shoulders for a rookie?' Nah, this is all fun. This is what I love to do, and I take coaching every day. So I don't think the coaches are asking too much of me. Just them having that confidence in me is a good feeling."
So, too, is knowing he has a pair of veteran receivers from whom he can soak up knowledge, two guys who have snagged Super Bowl-winning touchdown passes. For Kerley, having Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress around is like having two extra coaches with championship pedigrees.
"Man, every time we step out on that field, it's not a play that goes by and I look back at Plax and I'm like, 'Did I do that right?' I look back at Santonio and I'm like, 'Did I get the right depth on that?'
"I mean, those guys are playing the game with you right now. They are on the field with you right now. They are going through the same things that you are going through right now. So that's a great advantage over a lot of things."
Kerley is morphing into a fan favorite, and the buzz he's created in a short amount of time is unmistakable. And he's grateful for the kind words from Sanchez.
"It makes me feel good, but you can't dwell on that," Kerley said. "So when I hear it, I'm glad that my quarterback has confidence in me. But then again, that's the stuff I've been doing for four, five, six years -- playing football. So if that's what it takes for my quarterback to see that I'm doing good, calling me a baller and all that, then I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing. If it works for him, then it works for me."
