The Jets' intensity level at training camp thus far has been through the roof, and that's always a good sight when there is so much change going on with a franchise. Head coach Adam Gase is setting the tone early on with his offensive group, and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is doing the same with his unit.
When those competitive juices do get flowing at practice, the Jets have seen a scuffle or two occur on the gridiron.
And that's perfectly fine for Williams in particular. Speaking after practice on Tuesday, Williams explained to the media that he loves his highly-competitive group, and the fights and arguments at practice will happen when everyone is competing for a job on the 53-man roster.
It's when you don't see that competitiveness that begins to concern coaches -- not the fights.
"When we have to worry about the intensity of the players, we have the wrong players," Williams said. "When we have to worry about the competition and the lack of competition in practice or games, we have the wrong people. Coaches and players. There has been a smile on my face since I've walked in here. These young men want to compete, whether it's an argument, whether they're playing chess or checkers, anything, they want to compete. They want to know that I'm there to pull them back if they go too far."
In his first season with the Jets, Williams comes in with many solid playmakers on his defense. C.J. Mosley was the top name former GM Mike Maccagnan brought in to add a threatening presence at linebacker. And, of course, there's Jamal Adams, who is already one of Williams' favorites.
But Williams is very intrigued to see what he can get out of first-rounder Quinnen Williams in his rookie season. Working with him thus far, Gregg Williams has been very impressed by what the Alabama product has shown him.
He believes the young defensive tackle has so much more to be tapped into.
"What I would say about him is we've just scratched the surface with him," Gregg Williams said of Quinnen Williams. "Nick Saban, great friend, just scratched the surface with him. Understand how young he is and he's gonna continue to move up and up. And until you get a chance to be with him every day, you don't realize how smart he is."
Quinnen Williams is expected to make an immediate impact on this Jets defense, and as a whole, Gregg Williams was brought in to bring a new, aggressive approach to this squad. And from the tone at training camp with his players flying around to the ball, trash talking, and staying confident on every snap, Williams' impact is already being felt.