05/02 — The rookies' passing game was on display at this afternoon's practice, the fourth out of five at this weekend's minicamp.

And by rookies, plural, we mean all three QBs — top draft pick Mark Sanchez, undrafted free agent Chris Pizzotti and tryout Casey Dick — and a number of precocious Jets receivers.

Sanchez started out hot on the grass field (the third different surface for the rooks after the fieldhouse turf Friday and the outside turf this morning), hitting his first six passes in 7-on-7 drills

The prettiest came when Sanchez was working through his reads against blanket coverage by the DBs. Perhaps down to his third read, Sanchez stepped up (against the imagined closing rush) and fired a pass for first-year WR Huey Whittaker on the slant. He didn't look open, but he was and the pass was perfect.

Then it was Chris Pizzotti's turn. As Rex Ryan told the Ivy Leaguer in the morning session when he seemed to be laboring over a presnap read, "Don't overthink it, Harvard." Pizzotti didn't overthink two intermediate routes, nifty completions to Paul Raymond and then Marcus Henry.

Finally it was Dick's turn. See Dick Throw. The former Arkansas QB found WR Britt Davis open deep down the middle and hit him in stride for the "touchdown."

Sanchez even got away with a bad throw. He tried to hit Whittaker on the go-route down the middle, but the ball was underthrown and CB Manny Collins had the uncontested pick. But the former Rutgers and Jets camp player, now a tryout, couldn't hold on and the pass became a mere incompletion.

This minicamp concludes with one practice Sunday, then the players return home before coming back to the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center later this month to begin working with their veteran teammates. There is no media availability at Sunday's practice so there will be no practice blog.

The vets return Monday to the strength and conditioning program and our next availability with them is Thursday.