Tight end Franks makes adjustments as a Jet

HEMPSTEAD - When practice was over at the Jets' facility on the Hofstra University campus, Bubba Franks and Kellen Clemens walked over to the far side of the football field.

After missing on a pass earlier, the two started informally running a few patterns to get the rhythm down. When they finished, Franks jogged to the ball machine to catch a few more passes, and on the way passed by defensive coordinator Bob Sutton.

"I studied that defense last week," Franks called out, and the two talked strategy for a few minutes as most other players headed for the locker.

Franks has been a tight end in the NFL for eight seasons but, in his first year with the Jets, he has a lot of learning to do. The former Packer is in the process of learning to read the 3-4 defense he will often encounter in the AFC, and gaining inspiration from everything from the playbook to the Lakers game he watched Wednesday night.

"You see a basketball player make a move and you say, 'Maybe I can use this move on that play,' and then you're studying again," the 6-foot-6, 265-pound Franks said.

The idea, he said, is to do so much reading and thinking that when he is on the field watching the plays unfold, instinct takes over.

"That's one big thing that separates just guys from great guys," Franks said. "If you can recognize it as well as the quarterback does then you're way ahead of the game."

Franks played for the University of Miami - his two children still live in Florida - and was the 14th overall pick in the 2000 draft. He has 32 career receiving touchdowns and has 2,300 yards on 256 catches.

The Jets signed the 30-year-old Franks to a one-year contract. Since two of his last three years at Green Bay were marred by injuries, the three-time Pro Bowl selection has to pull all the pieces together and make a play for a starting spot.

"Bubba's doing a nice job," Jets coach Eric Mangini said. "He was in one system for his whole career and now he's learning another system, and I think he's doing a good job with the information. He's doing a good job with the different spots we've asked him to play. He's got a lot of reps, which is positive ... I think he'll be in a much better position when we go to training camp to be in the best spot possible to continue to compete."

Franks is one of several veterans acquired during the offseason, and last year's roster players are giving them the benefit of the doubt, at least publicly.

"Just seeing them out here on the field, their work ethic, the way they go about practice, meetings," running back Thomas Jones said. "If they haven't played in the Super Bowl, they played in the playoffs, so they know what it takes to win."

That's certainly the kind of stardust the Jets would like to see settle over the entire team.

(lohud.com)