Starters get extra time vs. Giants

Was Rex Ryan trying to make a statement by leaving his starters in the entire first half against the Giants in the preseason opener Monday night?

Could it have been because of the teams' back-and-forth chatter, making Ryan figure why not sock it to the co-tenants of the New Meadowlands Stadium in the edifice's first football game?

Most coaches typically play the first string for no more than a quarter in preseason openers, but Ryan said there was a reason for the regulars' extended play.

"We wanted to run two series," Ryan said after the game. "That's basically what we did. The way the game played out, it ended up being almost the whole half. It was the way we controlled the ball in the first half. We just kept them going . . . You have so many days before we play the first game and now we turn around and only have five days before we play the second game."

The starters won't be playing as much against the Panthers in Charlotte, N.C., on Saturday.

"We're going to play the starters one quarter and that's it," Ryan said. "Just a couple of series. We have plenty of work with our second team. They need all of the reps they can get."

Clemens still kicking

Kellen Clemens is trying his best to stay on the radar. With veteran Mark Brunell named Mark Sanchez's primary backup, Clemens' lone shot at making the team is beating out Kevin O'Connell for the No. 3 spot.

Clemens had a solid outing against the Giants, leading the Jets to a 36-yard Nick Folk field goal to extend their lead to 16-10. He connected on 7 of 10 attempts for 84 yards and had a QB rating of 95.4. "I felt real comfortable out there," he said.

Extra points

The Jets returned to Cortland Tuesday and have two practices Wednesday. They'll have one more day of practice at SUNY-Cortland Thursday before breaking camp upstate.