By Nina Mandell
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Jets coach Rex Ryan has made his fair share of headlines since he landed in New York last year. But the coach with the giant-sized personality promised he won't be the main attraction for HBO's upcoming documentary on the Jets.
The sixth season of "Hard Knocks," which follows the Jets players, coaches and staff through five weeks of training camp. Ryan told reporters that there will be other crazy characters to watch despite his headline-grabbing antics in the offseason.
"From the coaches, I would say Mike Westhoff (special teams) will be the character people are talking about," Ryan reportedly told reporters during a conference call. "(Mark) Sanchez, (Kris) Jenkins, (Bart) Scott will be huge because Bart will be Bart and that’s the way we love him."
Fans will get a sneak peak of "Hard Knocks" on Thursday night at 11 p.m. on HBO, but the show won't officially kick off until Aug. 11.
"Hard Knocks" uses hundreds of hours of footage from 11 cameras stationed around the Jets' locker room and training camp area to follow around the result of what has been an intriguing offseason for the Jets. The program has followed the training camps of the Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals since 2001.
New York unintentionally helped HBO out by adding camera-ready players Santonio Holmes, Jason Taylor and LaDainian Tomlinson over the winter. Holmes was a Super Bowl MVP in Pittsburgh and has had run ins with the law in the past. Taylor has put together a Hall-of-Fame worthy career and was a contestant last year on "Dancing With the Stars." Tomlinson is starting fresh with the Jets after nine seasons in San Diego.
The team is also in the midst of contract negotiations with a couple of key players, including star cornerback Darrelle Revis. Revis has three years left on his rookie contract, but he wants his deal reworked after having a breakout season in 2009.
Ryan, who appeared on the first season of "Hard Knocks" as an assistant with the Ravens in 2001, told reporters he was confident that the team would be portrayed positively and truthfully. And he had just one request: no bathroom shots.
"I hope my shower will be off-limits," Ryan told reporters. "I think everyone is banking on that."
