FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- A look at what's happening around the New York Jets:

1. It's all about Fitz: Future Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson made a one-day visit to the Jets last week as part of his training-camp tour for the NFL Network, and his biggest takeaway was this: The Jets are ripe to overtake the New England Patriots in the AFC East.

"If there's ever a year to knock off the Patriots, it has to be this year for the Jets or for somebody else to win this division," Tomlinson told me. "It has to be the Jets. When you think about it, they have enough experience on both sides of the ball. If Ryan [Fitzpatrick] can play at the level he played last year -- and maybe just a little bit more -- they should do it. They should do it. He's had his best years under [offensive coordinator] Chan Gailey. That's why I'm so optimistic."

Tomlinson might be a little biased because he played for the Jets (2010-11) and we know he's not exactly a huge fan of the Patriots, but I think he makes a valid point in regard to the sense of urgency. The Jets are a seasoned team with a starting quarterback on a one-year contract, so their window could be closing. Tom Brady is on the shelf for the first four games, having finally surrendered to the Deflategate lawyers.

You'd like to say the Jets will capitalize on their big chance, but their early schedule is daunting. Five of their first six opponents made the playoffs last season and the sixth team -- the Buffalo Bills -- has won five straight over the Jets.

2. Intense rivalry: This Brandon Marshall-Darrelle Revis thing goes back a ways. In 2011, Revis was covering Marshall (when he was with the Miami Dolphins) when Revis made one of the biggest plays of his career -- a 100-yard interception return on Monday Night Football. There was contact at the goal line, with Revis grabbing Marshall's jersey, but there was no penalty flag. Even Jon Gruden, on the ESPN telecast, said there should've been pass interference.

The rivalry continued last summer in training camp. They engaged in spirited one-on-one battles, but nothing approached what happened on Friday.

"Last year we got really close to that line of super-duper competitiveness," Marshall said. "Today we crossed that line, but that's part of camp."

It was an alpha-male practice, with two highly-competitive stars trying to outdo the other. The positive: They raised the intensity level of the entire team. The negative: They lost their cool, and players who lose it in practice are more likely to lose it in a game, hurting the team. The unknown: I wonder how Revis really feels about Marshall going to the media with a play-by-play of the spat. Revis declined to talk about it until Saturday, trying to dismiss it as "just football."

3. History repeating? Marshall, known as a hot head early in his career, has put himself under the microscope with two emotional outbursts in a four-day span -- his angry punt and the Revis altercation. It's too early to draw conclusions, but it's worth a notation.

4. Best brawl ever: In December 2002, the Jets had an all-out brawl in practice that involved at least 10 players. I was on the sideline and witnessed the entire scrum. School children happened to be visiting practice that day, as did a police officer. He was there to investigate an incident in which a player (Jumbo Elliott) was accused of assaulting a limo driver who was dressed like Santa Claus.

I'm not making this up.

5. The Quiet man: There hasn't been much buzz about Ryan Clady in camp, and that's a good thing from the team's perspective. After sitting out the 2015 season after knee surgery, the former Denver Broncos star is healthy and staying active.

"I've been getting a lot of reps, a little more than I originally thought," he said with a laugh. "But I'm good with it. [The knee] is feeling good. No setbacks or anything."

6. All-Florham Park: There have been a few early standouts in camp who I'd like to see in a game before buying in. Tight end Jace Amaro has made some nice catches, displaying body control and arm extension, but he needs to show up in a game. The same holds true for right tackle Brent Qvale (subbing for the injured Breno Giacomini) and these rookies: linebacker Jordan Jenkins, wide receiver Jalin Marshall, cornerback Juston Burris and kicker Ross Martin.

7. Hall call for Klecko? The Pro Football Hall of Fame will name one senior nominee later this month, and former Jets great Joe Klecko certainly deserves strong consideration. Hall of Famer John Hannah, a former Patriot who battled Klecko in the trenches, told Talk of Fame Radio that Klecko would be his choice if he had the power to induct one player.

"Everybody asks me who’s the best I ever played against,” Hannah said. “Well, if you’re talking about maybe the best pass-rushers I ever played against, the best pass-rushers were Alan Page and Randy White, bar none. If you ask me who were the best run guys, I would tell you ‘Refrigerator’ Perry and [Ernie] Holmes from Pittsburgh because they’re so just daggone big, it’s like trying to move a house.

“But if you’re talking about an all-around player – pass, run, the whole thing – the kind that was never going to quit, there are two guys who come to mind. One’s in the Hall of Fame, and that’s Howie Long. And the second one is Joe Klecko. He’s an all-day sucker. He came at you all the time.”

8. Coulda been a Jet: Most people know the story about how the Jets almost drafted Brett Favre in 1991. He's not the only member of this year's Hall of Fame class that almost landed with the Jets. In 1997, they owned the No. 1 pick, but Bill Parcells wanted to rebuild the roster by accumulating picks, so he traded the pick to the St. Louis Rams, who selected Orlando Pace. Parcells traded down again, parlaying the No. 1 overall choice into five picks.

Only two of the five became quality NFL players -- James Farrior (first round) and Jason Ferguson (seventh). Pace became an all-time great. Sometimes quantity-over-quality isn't the best way.

9. Memories of Brett: David Harris was a young pup in 2008, when Favre was traded to the Jets. Despite a disappointing finish, Harris has fond memories of the old gunslinger.

"Everything you think a quarterback should be, he embodied," Harris said. "It was a pleasure just to play with him for that one season. He loved football and he was fun to be around. I mean, he played until he was 41. Who does that?"

10. Greene giant: Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Greene probably doesn't resonate in the New York market, but I have a personal memory that I'd like to share. Several hours after covering the 1995 AFC Championship Game, I was waiting for a taxi at the security gate at Three Rivers Stadium when I saw Greene return with a couple of friends. He went down the tunnel and walked the field in the dark. The next day, as the Steelers began their Super Bowl preparations, I asked him about his late-night stroll in the stadium. He said he wanted to savor the moment in what turned out to be his final game in Pittsburgh. Pretty cool.