CORTLAND, N.Y. -- Takeaways from Friday's practice at New York Jets training camp:
Home-run derby: After a rough couple of days, the offense came alive, exploding for a couple of long completions. It started with Geno Smith and Stephen Hill, as they connected on a 60-yard touchdown reception. Hill blew past Dee Milliner, the self-proclaimed best cornerback in football. Smith hit him in stride, drawing an ovation from the crowd. A few plays later, Michael Vick matched Smith, hooking up with Jacoby Ford for a 65-yard score. Ford beat Darrin Walls. For all their problems last season on offense, the Jets demonstrated the ability to throw the home run ball. They just have to do it more consistently.
Rolling Hill: Hill, backing up the effusive praise coming from the coaches, enjoyed his best practice of the summer. He beat Milliner again in the red-zone drill, outmuscling the cornerback for a contested ball. Hill made the play despite a pass-interference call on Milliner. We'll see how long Hill can maintain this.
Latest on the QBs: Well, at least Vick got a first-team rep, but not many -- only two. This came one day after he worked exclusively with the second team. Smith received 14 reps, completing four of nine passes for two touchdowns and one interception. The interception, by Dawan Landry, came on a long ball to David Nelson, who fell on the play. Vick was 2-for-6, including one touchdown pass.
After practice, Rex Ryan acknowledged the obvious, saying Smith will start the intrasquad scrimmage Saturday night in Cortland. That's hardly a headline, considering Smith has taken about 80 percent of the first-team reps in practice.
Conditioning test: The practice plan included longer-than-usual periods. The purpose was to test the players' conditioning, seeing if they can remain mentally sharp on long drives. Some of the sequences lasted more than 10 plays. Ryan explained his philosophy, saying, "My dad always says, 'A dead man can charge twice.'" The defensive backs looked dead on a couple of those long passes.
Medical report: A couple of new injuries to report: Rookie wide receiver Shaq Evans (shoulder) wore a red, no-contact jersey throughout practice. Defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis tweaked a knee and didn't finish. Ryan doesn't think it's serious. Cornerback Jeremy Reeves (hamstring) didn't finsh. ... Wide receiver Eric Decker (hamstring) was very limited in practice, but it's minor, according to Ryan. ... Rookie safety Calvin Pryor (concussion), still not cleared for physical contact, remained in the red jersey. ... Rookie wide receiver Quincy Enunwa (hip) and running back Alex Green (chest) returned to practice. ... Running back Bilal Powell (hamstring), rookie cornerback Dexter McDougle (groin) and rookie defensive Zach Thompson (shoulder) didn't practice.
Odds and ends: Right guard Willie Colon made a loud block on Demario Davis in a 9-on-7 drill. ... Wide receiver Greg Salas had a rare drop. ... Running back Daryl Richardson is having a solid camp, but he coughed up a fumble on a handoff exchange. ... Outside linebacker Quinton Coples made a mistake, failing to set the edge on an outside run. That allowed Chris Ivory to speed around the corner. ... Rookie tight end Jace Amaro made a nice block on a running play and got a shout-out from his coach.