Rookie defensive lineman Quinnen Williams has been a hit off the field in New York. On Thursday night, the former Alabama All-American could begin to see what kind of impact he can make on the field for the Jets.

The Jets kick off their four-game preseason schedule on Thursday with their annual exhibition game against the New York Giants, their fellow MetLife Stadium tenants. NFL Network will televise the game at 6 p.m. CDT Thursday.

“I’m very excited (about the preseason opener),” Williams told reporters on Saturday. “But I just take it day-by-day. Every day, I try to get better. Every day, I try to get a closer step to the person I want to be in the NFL, the person I just want to achieve in the NFL and the things I want to achieve, so that’s really all I’m focused on. Just dominate every day up to that game.”

Jets coach Adam Gase told reporters last week that Williams had started "showing up" during training-camp practices.

“He was showing up in the backfield where you could see who made the play, which is great to see," Gase said. "He looks like he’s moving well, and he’s understanding what we’re doing, and he’s playing faster. …

“Him practicing like that, it’s great for us to see. You don’t have to wait for preseason games to see that there’s a lot of things he can do and he can do well. Once we get going in the preseason and he starts seeing some different run-game scheme things from other teams that maybe we don’t do or we might do different than somebody else, the more he sees, the better. That’s the experience a rookie needs. He needs as many looks as possible.”

Since signing a four-year, $32.5 contract one day into training camp, Williams has managed to crack up a press conference with an answer that didn't come out quite the way he wanted and endear himself to fans by signing autographs after practice while talking about the Madden videogame, giving away Oreos and discussing the ins and outs of braces.

Quinnen Williams my favorite rookie bro lol pic.twitter.com/6CTj9tNbVf — Football Is Life (@FootbaIl_Tweets) August 4, 2019

“It’s amazing to me, man,” Williams said. “Just to see something like that, all the fans that came out here today, just to see a smile on their face just seeing me. It’s just amazing to me, man, anytime I go out and get recognized or people want to take a picture with me, because, like when I was a kid, I see somebody I looked up to or follow on Instagram or something like that, I DM them and like ‘Bro, you’re the GOAT. Bro, I look up to you all the time.’”

But while Williams has gotten the star treatment from fans, he knows he’s not an NFL star yet. That’s one of the reasons he’s latched onto Steve McLendon, still the Jets’ starting nose tackle with the No. 3 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft listed as his backup for now.

“I’m always in his ear,” Williams said. "I’m always asking him what to do -- like not what to do on the field, but what to do in general. Like just in general stuff. Give you an example, like what to eat before games. I know what to eat and stuff, but he’s been playing in the NFL 11 years. Like you can get you a nutritionist, things like that, but coming from a guy who’s been doing it for a long time, I would trust him more. You know what I’m saying?

"So he's just giving me different things, keeping me pushing every day, just make sure I'm not complacent. Like he said I had a good practice the other day, but every day he makes sure I know, 'Quinnen, you got to fix this. Quinnen, you got to get on this. Quinnen, you got to work on this.' And me, as the person I am, I love it. I love when people coach me up. I love in general my peers coaching me up because I know these guys, I trust these guys and these guys trust me to be the best player on the field and off the field, and when we go to battle, I know they're going to want me to do what I'm supposed to do and not worry about if I know this or if I know that."

Both McLendon and Williams are former Alabama high school standouts -- McLendon at Carroll in Ozark and Williams at Wenonah in Birmingham. But when McLendon entered the NFL from Troy in 2010, his signing bonus was almost $21.7 million smaller than Williams'.

Williams said he’d “learned a lot of lessons” since joining the Jets. For instance, when he jammed his thumb in a recent practice, he turned to McLendon.

“He’s been playing in the NFL for 11 years, so I know for sure he’s jammed his thumb plenty of times,” Williams said. “Just different things like that. It’s amazing to have great veterans around me, great veterans around in general on offense and defense who will help you out as a rookie. But I also know I have to earn their trust, so every day I got to come out here and work hard and show them guys I want to be the best player for myself and for this team.”

McLendon has gone from an undrafted player to a six-year starter in the NFL. But he signed a one-year contract in March to return to the Jets and is likely grooming his replacement in Williams. That hasn't deterred McLendon from helping the rookie.

“I’ve been blessed with a lot, and I’m required to give it away,” McLendon told ESPN. "When I die -- when I leave this game -- I can’t take this gift with me, so why not give it to some guys to pass it along? I’m going to try to pass everything I have -- knowledge-wise, technique-wise, life-wise -- to him. …

"I'm molding him to play a long career. I get it. I'm happy for him. Accept the man for who he is. Don't look at the dollar signs or the name on the jersey. I accept the man for the man he is in his heart."

Williams said the transition to the NFL practice field has seemed smooth for him because Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' method and expectations are similar to what he experienced at Alabama.

“That’s how I’m built,” Williams said. “That comes from Alabama. Alabama built me that way to every day get better. Process everything every day and make sure you know what to do. Make sure you know the objective every day and go out and execute it. So that’s just how I’m built. I played for Alabama, played up under coach (Nick) Saban for three years, and it’s just how I live my life now, my life from now on -- just everything’s got a routine, everything full speed.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.