10/08 — All eyes today were on the new pair of hands.

"You got a great big guy there," head coach Rex Ryan said of No. 17, Braylon Edwards, joining the Jets' WR group at today's practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. "I said, 'Did we sign a defensive end or is that a wideout?' He's at least 6'3", 220 or 215. He looks big. He's in shape, but that's just a big man. So it was kind of fun seeing him out there. Guys were getting after him and challenging him, things like that.

"He had a good practice."

"He caught about 50 balls and dropped one," Ryan tabulated. "I don't think we need to be overly concerned if he drops a ball. He's way ahead of where I even thought he'd be."

Just as important to some are which cornerbacks will be available for the Jets against the Dolphins. Ryan was optimistic about Lito Sheppard (quad), less so about Donald Strickland (ankle), but still wasn't promising anything after the practice.

Sheppard, Rex said, "was limited today. He was practicing, though, so I'm real positive. I'm not positive he'll play for sure, but I'm positive he practiced today. That was good to see him out there. He was moving around. We're taking him in and out of drills so he's not getting every rep, but he's out there and he's moving pretty well."

The coach wasn't so sure about Strickland, who got off to a strong start in the nickel.

"I keep wanting him to come along and think he's going to come along, but it seems to be a slow process," Ryan said. "We're not saying he's out definitely right now. I'd like to see him practice."

As for two other starters, WR Jerricho Cotchery (hamstring) was limited today but Ryan said, "We expect Jerricho obviously to play." And RT Damien Woody (foot) did not practice but the coach said, "Damien I feel a little better about" than he did in the previous few days since Woody left the Saints game early in the fourth quarter.

See the full injury reports for both teams here.

The Kerry and Braylon Show

Kerry Rhodes and Edwards, former 2007 Essence magazine cover models, have renewed their friendship now that Braylon's a Jet. The two are doing a uStream tonight from Kerry's home. Fans can enter the channel to make comments, ask questions and interact with the duo through uStream's live chatroom here.

uStream is a platform for live video streaming. Anybody with a Webcam can go to the site and create a channel. Celebrities and athletes have started using Ustream to connect and interact in real time with their fans.

Mark's Fame-ous Footwear

Mark Sanchez is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Or more accurately, his shoes are.

The shoes Sanchez wore for the Jets' Game 3 win over Tennessee are now on exhibit in the Pro Football Today Gallery. The reason the Hall requested the shoes (the first time since Peyton Manning in 1998 that a rookie artifact was added to the Hall's collection) was because in that game Sanchez became the first rookie QB since the Bengals' Greg Cook in 1969 to start and win his team's first three games of a season.

The story and a shot of the historic shoes are on the Hall of Fame's site here.

Ground and Pound with ... B.Smith?

Here's a little chart I like to check on from time to time, and that is how Brad Smith is faring against the rest of the NFL's infrequent carriers in rushing average. Last year Smith's 9.4-yard average on 12 runs was second in the league for all players with at least 10 attempts behind Denver WR Eddie Royal (9.9).

This season we're starting smaller, looking at all players with at least two carries after the first four weeks. Smith checks in at No. 3, behind leader Saints WR Robert Meachem (who had a 13-yard end-around vs. the Jets last Sunday) and one rung ahead of a player the Green & White will see Monday night in Ted Ginn.

Here are the NFL's leading rushers (all WRs) by per-carry average with a minimum of two carries:

Edwards concurred.

"I'm in shape and have been starting up until this point in Cleveland," he said. "I'm hard-working. As I said, it went well with the terminology. That is the big thing coming over to a new system: Can you get it? Can you learn it? It went real well today. I feel pretty confident."