As the #1 pick of the NY Jets, of course there’s going to be lots of attention and lots of stories involving Darrelle Revis. There are the puff pieces.

So when he left Pittsburgh about 60 credits short of a degree in administrative justice, he had to promise Gilbert he would return to finish his education.

60 credits? Maybe I’m a little out of touch with the present system, but I thought it was around 120 credits to graduate? Now, even assuming he withdrew during the second semester to focus on the draft, I would think he would be further along than that.

Lots of puff pieces.

Revis, who left Pitt after his junior year, always has displayed uncommon maturity. He slept on a couch through his high school years because there were only three bedrooms in his mother’s home and he wanted his younger brother and sister to enjoy the comforts of their own room.

At his high school prom, Revis, alerted that a mentally disabled classmate didn’t have a date, escorted the girl into the prom hall so she didn’t have walk in alone in front of the entire class.

“That’s the kind of guy I am, willing to help and being a good guy,” Revis said.

Which, in my mind, prompts the question of why Sean Gilbert didn’t help out with a bigger house? It’s not like the housing market in Aliquippa was or is thriving.

On the field, Revis was receiving plenty of praise.

On the field this weekend, it was hard to tell if Revis stands out because he was the first-round pick or if he was the first-round pick because he stands out. Working at both cornerback positions — coach Eric Mangini said he’ll work some at safety but primarily will be a cornerback for the Jets — he appeared smooth and confident. Even in drills, in which many of his .campmates came across as overwhelmed and out of sorts, Revis appeared to be the tone-setter. That shouldn’t be much of a change for him. As early as his sophomore season at Pitt, .coaches there say, Revis initiated drills and led by example.

Mangini has noticed Revis as well, and not only on defense.

“Some of the edge speed that he showed in the kickoff return drill that we did and even the tackling drills, some of those plays that he’s made, you can see the change of direction and then the burst,” Mangini said. “The other thing that you notice is, he’s got a very physical way about him in terms of how he places his hands on people, which is always positive.”

Mangini also noted Revis’ approach to the mental aspects of the minicamp and praised the cornerback for asking questions.

Revis was asked about working on the special teams, and Special Teams Coach Mike Westhoff.

“He is a great coach. For his age, he has high energy,” said Revis, who will likely be hearing about that one later on.

According to the Jets site, Westhoff is 59. Of course the Jet’s website on their Revis bio suggests he won the 2006 Jim Thorpe Award for best DB. Revis was a semi-finalist. So, accuracy may be an issue.

You too can download Darrelle Revis wallpaper from the Jets. He’s still got his Pitt gear on, and the picture is from one of his returns during that nightmare 2005 game against Ohio University.

Yeah, it’s the dead period. I’m actually writing about NFL mini-camps and Pitt players.

Tyler Palko gets a nice AP piece that USA Today picks up.

Payton said Palko has handled the first few practices of rookie camp well, though his footwork and throwing need work.

“You see some intangibles with him. I think he’s a pretty good leader,” Payton said. “He’s a coach’s kid and a guy with a pretty quick release. He enjoys football. He likes being around it. So those are all things that are positives. He’s a long ways away and he’d be the first one to tell you that, but we’re anxious to work with him and we’ll see what we have.”

At least he appears to have made it through the first mini-camp without being cut. The constant concern for free agent signees. This article has a headline (…QB Palko makes an impression) and subheadline (Palko starts strong) that suggest Palko had a pretty good weekend, but doesn’t actually explain why. This article, however, simply says Palko didn’t do much one way or the other in camp. Apparently, the quiet hope is that Sean Payton can develop Palko the way he did Tony Romo.

H.B. Blades went to Washington Redskins mini-camp along with fellow late-round draft linebacker Dallas Sartz,  with whom he also roomed in Indianapolis for the NFL scouting combine. Defenisve Coordinator, Gregg Williams, likes Blades’ potential.

“H.B. tackles well,” Williams said. “He’s sideline to sideline. He gets his hands on the ball. There’s no reason he can’t do those things at this level as long as he can get the jump mentally. He’s a student of the game. When you have a little bit of a size disadvantage, where are you going to gain the advantage? H.B. will see how London [Fletcher] gained the advantage in a hurry. There are a lot of things that he’ll see that he can mimic and maybe improve at a faster pace.”

Finally. Clint Session gets no attention in Indy, but the Trib has a nice story on the guy drafted ahead of Palko and Blades.

Instead, he went 136th overall, the ninth outside linebacker chosen.

“You guys probably weren’t talking much about me,” he said. “It was always H.B. I’m pretty sure you said, ‘Seventh round or free agent,’ and here I am today.”

Colts president Bill Polian, the man who built the Buffalo Bills’ four Super Bowl teams, told reporters he had a “strong conviction” about Session. Polian also has a defensive coordinator, Ron Meeks, who worked on defensive staffs with Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt at the University of Miami and with the Dallas Cowboys.

The Colts don’t look at size first. They want players who can run and hit. Session does both, which is why he tied for the national lead in forced fumbles (five) last season.

There’s a joke about tackling I could make there, but it’s been beaten into the ground the last few years.