Last night’s fourth and final pre-season game against the Vikings at Giants Stadium represented a number of things for the Jets as they attempted to fine tune for their Sept. 12 regular-season opener.
The No. 1 objective was keeping themselves sharp and ready for the real season.
Bill Parcells wanted to keep Vinny Testaverde on his game with some action, wanted to see the running game pick up where it left off last week against the Giants, wanted to see the short-yardage running game prosper for a change and he wanted to see his defense stand up to the prolific Minnesota offense.
The No. 2 objective was staying injury-free. The final pre-season game always presents a fear of key players getting injured right before the season.
The No. 3 objective for Parcells was to comfortably and confidently finalize the 53-man roster in his mind with the final cutdown date looming Sunday.
Entering last night’s game there were a number of players, including some incumbents, who were fighting for their professional lives.
No player perhaps represents that more than Dwight Stone, a veteran receiver the Jets signed as a free agent during training camp.
Stone, who’s quickly made friends in the Jets’ locker room because of his ultra-polite, easy-going personality and willingness to do anything for the sake of the team, was vying to make it primarily as a special-teams player but also as the fifth receiver when needed.
He’s a unique case for a player on the bubble in that he’s not a youngster trying to make his way into the league; instead, he’s a 35-yard-old veteran who’s already played 12 NFL seasons.
I asked Stone the other day what it was like catching passes from Terry Bradshaw, Wayne Chrebet joked the other day.I asked him what kind of route he was running on the Immaculate Reception. He told me he was the intended receiver, but that Franco Harris got all the ink.
After affectionately joking about Stone, Chrebet marveled at the veteran’s speed and heart.
He’s like the wind, Chrebet said.
Against the Giants, Stone was in on nearly every tackle on kickoff coverage. He’ll play any special teams the coaches want, returning kicks or covering kicks and punts. It doesn’t matter.
“He just loves the game and is willing to do whatever it takes,” Chrebet said. “It’s admirable to play all these years and still play the way he does. I look at him and say, ‘That’s the way to play the game.'”
When reminded about Chrebet’s quip about Bradshaw, Stone smiled and said, “I told Wayne I thought we were pretty good friends, but I may have cut him off.
A moment later, as his locker neighbor, kicker John Hall, walked by, Hall said, “He’s been playing for 40 years. The guy’s like 50.”
To that, Stone said, “See, that’s another guy off my list of friends.”
Asked by how many years he missed playing with Bradshaw, Stone said, “Put it this way, I played with Mike Webster, John Stallworth and Donnie Shell, so I didn’t miss him by too much.”
As for the Immaculate Reception, Stone said, “I told Wayne that play was going for me, but that Franco Harris wanted to be in the spotlight.”
Stone had an eye-opening old-age experience upon arriving to the Jets’ practice field for the first time. When he played for the Steelers (Jets’ director of player personnel, Dick Haley, had a major hand in drafting him in Pittsburgh 13 years ago), Haley’s son, Todd, was a ball boy for the Steelers.
Todd Haley is now the Jets’ receivers coach.
So, when Stone saw him on the practice field he immediately recognized the younger Haley, was taken aback and said, “Oh, my, you’re my coach now?”
Asked before last night’s game whether he felt confident he’d make the team, Stone said, “You never want to say you’re comfortable. But I feel I’ve shown Coach Parcells that I’m very serious about wanting to be here.
“I love to work. I’m open-minded about doing anything to help the team. Hopefully, I can show some of the young guys what it takes to be in the league.”
Said Parcells of Stone, “He’s a hard worker. For 35 years old he runs like he’s 25. He’s tough. He knows what he is. He’s willing to do anything for the team. Any coach would like that.”
If Stone doesn’t make the team he said he’s immediately going into training for the FBI, something he’s already looked into. Until it’s over in the NFL for him, though, he’ll keep running those kickoff teams.
“It is the love of the game,” Stone said. “If ever I feel like I don’t enjoy it, then I’m going to walk away. I don’t want to hurt the game. I want to be a plus to the game.”