Anthony J Causi
Jets defensive tackle Lanier Coleman at training camp.
Lanier Coleman walked off the Jets practice field last week carrying four sets of shoulder pads. The defensive lineman was living the life of a rookie and carrying veterans' pads was just one of his tasks.
But Coleman is an unusual rookie. The 26-year-old has been away from the NFL for four years. The stars of his position group, whose pads he was now carrying — guys like Muhammad Wilkerson and Quinton Coples — are three to four years younger than he is. A year ago, Coleman was coaching. Now, he's back in pads.
"It's a lot of fun," Colmean said. "[Carrying pads] doesn't bother me.
It's not that bad. I feel like I'm paying my dues by doing that. It's not like I have to buy the guys 27 pizzas."
For Coleman, training camp life is the next step in a journey that began last fall when a co-worker convinced him to chase his NFL dream.
Coleman was working as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Cal when a fellow coach, Chris DiSanto, noticed something about Coleman.
"It's hard to be a coach and be around it if you think you should be out there," said DiSanto, who now works for the Browns. "I always got the feeling that he really wanted to be out there and he believed he should be out there. I just tried to be a positive voice about going after that."
So DiSanto told Coleman he should give it a try. He pointed to Coleman's size — 6-foot-4, 322 pounds — and his athleticism and said, "Why not you?"
Coleman was invited to Vikings minicamp in 2009 after he finished his college career at Louisiana-Lafayette. He did not make the team and spent a year in the Arena Football League before deciding to give up the sport to begin life as a strength coach.
This spring, Coleman reached out to Jets defensive line coach Karl Dunbar, who had been with the Vikings for his tryout in 2009.
"It was kind of nerve-wracking," Coleman said. "I hadn't talked to him for a while. I told him I've got a burning fire for this. I coach all these guys, who are pretty much the same age as me, on the weekends, doing what I want to do. I think I can do it again."
He had no football tape to show the Jets, so he emailed Dunbar videos of him doing freakish things in the weight room: 53-inch box jumps, 600-pound deadlifts, 405-pound power cleans.
WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE
Dunbar got Coleman an invite to rookie minicamp in May. He impressed the Jets enough that they signed him, giving him a chance to compete in training camp.
"I just was so happy for him that he set his mind way back in [last] September on this and he began to really believe in himself," DiSanto said. "All the hard work, the running, the lifting, the taking care of himself, the phone call to coach Dunbar, it was all worth it."
Now, Coleman is fighting to earn a roster spot.
"I think it was kind of sluggish at first, but I think he's picking up things," Dunbar said. "But when you hit people, you hit people. I think if you look at his body, he has a body built to hit people. It's been a pleasant surprise to see some of the things he can do and progress from that first minicamp to now."
Coleman played just six snaps against the Lions in last week's preseason opener. He probably will get a limited amount of time tonight against the Jaguars. His best hope probably is a spot on the practice squad, but Coleman is hoping his dream will continue.
"I know that it's going to be a very stressful and hectic stretch over the last couple of weeks, but I have the ultimate faith that I'm going to get better," he said. "I know there are some things I need to polish off in my game. I really have faith that I have something the coaches want in this ball club. I have a lot to offer. I have a lot to improve on. I've had some setbacks, but I'm working to improve."
brian.costello@nypost.com
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