08/14 — The head coach brought up a roster point, in talking about his depth charts at running back and wide receiver, that we all know but sometimes forget about in the process of trying to determine who will make the Jets' 53-man opening-day roster.

Eric Mangini was asked early in today's news conference about undrafted rookie RBs Alvin Banks and Danny Ware.

"These two guys are trying to find their role and show they can contribute and make the team," Mangini said. "For those guys, Mike Westhoff has to be their best friend. They have to prove they can contribute on special teams. They're not just competing against each other or with Tony [Hollings]. It's across the board, there's a lot of similar situations.

"The fourth or fifth running back may be competing with the fifth or sixth safety or the sixth or seventh wide receiver."

The Jets wideouts are relevant to this conversation because it appears to be a deep group with Laveranues Coles, Jerricho Cotchery and Justin McCareins followed by Brad Smith, Frisman Jackson, Wallace Wright and Chansi Stuckey. And we haven't even seen the PUP-ed Tim Dwight in action yet.

"It's a positive when you have so many guys showing up on a regular basis," Mangini said. "It's a competitive group, a smart group, and they're hard on each other. Laveranues, Jerricho and Justin, those guys demand that everybody's right in terms of their alignments, assignments, that type of support. They're also consistent in that the group focus is very good."

Fans consider the RB depth a concern with Thomas Jones sitting out for a little while and Cedric Houston having left the team before it started. Regarding Banks and Ware, the coach said:

"They're really establishing what they can give to the team. That's really what this time period is for. Somebody's got to distinguish himself. They're all getting plenty of chances to distinguish themselves each day because of the extra reps they're getting."

Some would like to see if Houston might reconsider his NFL departure, but Mangini didn't sound optimistic about his return.

"I think when you make a decision about your life, the direction you want to take with your life, that's something he decided, as opposed to us at the time saying we're changing directions," he said. "We're always open to any possibility, but those are personal decisions, and I respect them."

Today's single practice is just about to begin. We'll talk later.