CORTLAND, N.Y. — Dustin Keller knows he has the skills to be one of the game’s top pass-catching tight ends.

Brett Favre told him so.
So, it bothered the New York Jets’ second-year tight end when he was pulled off the field at times last season because his blocking left a lot to be desired.
“When I’d go out there last year, more times than not, teams would know that if I’m out there, I’m going out for a route,” Keller said Tuesday. “But this year, I’m going in there and they’ll have no clue.”
That’s because Keller is working hard at becoming a complete tight end, something the Jets believe will help an offense expected to rely heavily on the run.
“He’s too athletic not to be a good blocker,” coach Rex Ryan said. “He’s competitive, he’s athletic. Does he have the size of some of these good blockers? No, but you can beat guys with your athleticism and he’s working hard at that right now.”
When the Jets drafted the 6-foot-2, 248-pound Keller out of Purdue in the first round last year, they envisioned him being able to create matchup problems with linebackers because of his superior speed.
That was the case for much of last season, when he caught 48 passes for 535 yards and three touchdowns. Favre even paid him the ultimate compliment when he said, “I wish I had you when I was younger.”
“That was huge for me and for him to say those things and speak that way about my ability, on one hand, it was definitely flattering to hear,” Keller said. “On the other hand, it just means I’ve got to go out there and work that much harder at my craft and figure out how to be the best player I can.”
More often than not, when the Jets were running the ball, it was Chris Baker who handled blocking duties. Baker is gone now, signing with New England, so Keller is the clear-cut starter and must be at least adequate at blocking to stay in the game — especially because the Jets are struggling to find a backup tight end.
“For us to be as good as we can be, he needs to be on the field,” Ryan said. “There’s no sense to take him off the field and put a better blocker on the field. We need him out there and he needs to be an every-down tight end, and he is.”
Keller has been working closely with left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson this summer on blocking techniques, hand placement and footwork.
“Brick has helped me a lot, and we have to be on the same page because half the time I’m blocking, I’m on his side and the other half on (right tackle) Damien Woody’s side,” Keller said. “We have to have the same mindset, know what each other’s thinking and be able to communicate.”
While Keller’s blocking skills still have a ways to go, his teammates have been impressed so far with his progress.
“He’s been working hard at it and the thing I like about it is he’s not going to let people put him in that box of just being a pass-catching tight end,” wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery said. “The better he gets at that — and he has gotten a lot better — the better we’ll be as an offense.”
Keller said he gradually learned the pass concepts as last season went on, but struggled to pick up the techniques and what was needed from him in the run game.
“So in the offseason, I just focused on the run game and what all my rules are and what I’m doing and what the guy next to me is doing,” he said. “Learning all that stuff has just made me able to be a much better blocker.”
Keller has already seen the effects of that, practicing daily against a tough Jets defense.
“When I run a route, they’re not just sitting there and trying to get their hands on me every single time because they don’t know for sure that I’m running a route,” he said. “I can be in there and it gives me a better chance to get up under them and always have them guessing.”
A converted wide receiver, Kellen said he’s finally comfortable as a tight end.
“Sometimes they split me out and move me around the field,” Keller said, “but when I’m in there blocking with the tackles, I feel completely like a tight end now.”
NOTES: The Jets move from SUNY Cortland to Hempstead, N.Y., for a single practice Wednesday at their former training site at Hofstra. They return to Cortland on Sunday. ... Ryan said Woody (head), CB Darrelle Revis (left hamstring), NT Kris Jenkins (left calf) and C Nick Mangold (right knee) are “very doubtful” to play in the preseason opener against St. Louis on Friday. ... Ryan said both Kellen Clemens and Mark Sanchez will take snaps with the first-team offense, but neither will get extended action. Erik Ainge will take the majority of the snaps vs. the Rams. ... WRs David Clowney and Wallace Wright were excused from practice for personal reasons.