Jets' Clark Reflects on Joint Practice vs. Giants

On Wednesday, the New York Jets hosted the quasi-rival New York Giants for a joint practice ahead of Saturday’s preseason affair – the final tune-up before the regular season.

Frankly, the Jets dominated for the better part of the festivities. New York struggled to cover receiver Garrett Wilson , its revamped pass rush couldn’t hold a candle to offensive tackle Tyron Smith. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers looked the part of a passer capable of making big-time plays.

Among them was Jets safety Chuck Clark, who is in line to start after missing the season with a torn ACL last year.

Clark spoke to reporters after the venture about the benefits of joint practice and – his highlight of the day – laying the boom on someone in another team’s jersey.

"It kind of wakes you up and makes you feel alive," Clark said. "It gives you a high, honestly. I love stuff like that."

On Thursday, head coach Robert Saleh announced that the Jets would not be playing its starters for the preseason finale. Thus, facing off against the Giants was the final test before a Week 1 showdown with the San Francisco 49ers.

"I definitely feel like it's an opportunity to gauge where you're at, what you can work on and what you can get better at," Clark said. "You're going against your teammates every day so you get used to their techniques and how they do things. Seeing someone different that is at a top level as well, it's definitely a good measuring stick for you."

Wednesday was the final opportunity for starters to make big-time impressions during camp. But the entire summer has been a particularly grueling one for the entire time. Bearing the burden of expectations and edge rusher Haason Reddick’s holdout, New York has tested the limits on how hard a team can work in the dog days of summer. The Jets will be responsible with their players’ health, of course, but multiple points have been made about this camp being tougher than years past .

This time around, they’re training for a 21-game marathon.

Related: Tyron Smith on Jets' Aaron Rodgers: 'We're Trying to Keep Up'

"The main way you maintain that is through practice and just the habits that you create that trickle down through guys through the different years and it stays with that team," Clark said. "It stays with the character of that team, you know?

“So, I think just through practice, what we build and what we put out there every day on the practice field and carry over to games and that's our makeup. That's our identity."