Scott Frost hears the phrase "make-or-break camp," and he smiles. Sure, he knows it's going to be hard to retain his backup job in the Jets' crowded secondary, but make-or- break?

Sorry, that's a little too melodramtic for him, especially after what happened on the morning of July 18.

He could've been killed.

The ex-Husker quarterback, driving to his mother's house early that morning for a round of golf, fell asleep at the wheel of his pickup truck — or so he believes — and crashed into a slow-moving forklift on U.S. 275 in Tabor, Iowa. Witnesses said Frost was traveling at 45 mph, the forklift at 5 mph. The forklift was transporting a ton of bricks.

Get the picture?

Frost's truck was totaled, but he escaped with minor injuries — a sore ankle, a bruised nose from the air bag, a nasty scrape on his left shoulder from the seat belt (it still hasn't healed) and a broken rib. He didn't pass the Jets' training-camp physical, landing on the non-football injury list, but how can he complain after surviving a potential tragedy?

"Every time I get frustrated for not being out there, I think about how much worse it could've been," said the fourth-year safety, who hopes to return to practice today when the Jets resume two-a-days at Hofstra. "I was real lucky.

"There's a reason for everything. God has a plan for us. Maybe His plan was saving me from a worse injury in camp, I don't know. But I know one thing: I'll always have my seat belt on. That saved me."

The accident occurred in a tiny town in the southwest corner of Iowa, just before 8 a.m., according to the police report. Frost was making a 90-minute drive from Lincoln, Neb., where he starred at quarterback for the Cornhuskers, to his mother's home in Shenandoah, Iowa.

Frost isn't sure how it happened — his memory is foggy — but he suspects he dozed off. Police said there was no sign of alcohol or excessive speed.

"I barreled right into him," Frost said. "The people who saw it say I didn't even hit the brakes. I just bashed right into the back of him and drove him into a ditch. Luckily, he was OK."

After impact, Frost was in a daze, perhaps in shock, but thankful to be alive. He was pulled from the wreck and his thoughts turned to football. Would he be OK for camp?

The answer would be no. Frost, entering his fourth season as a pro, missed the first week, hurting his chances of making the team. The Jets have five veteran safeties — the others are Victor Green, Damien Robinson, Chris Hayes and Nick Ferguson — and one may have to go.

For Frost, the timing of the accident couldn't have been worse, although coach Herman Edwards said Frost remains a factor.

"He's a smart guy and he knows what to do," Edwards said. "For a rookie, it would be a lot tougher to catch up. He just needs to get out there and show what he can do."

The Jets knew Frost would be a project when they chose him in the third round of the '98 draft — after all, he was an option quarterback in college — but the experiment isn't going as well as hoped. He made progress last season, starting one game and playing in the dime package, but was it enough?

Frost believes he can be like cornerback Marcus Coleman, a slow-developing player who blossoms in his fourth season.

"I haven't reached my potential yet," Frost said confidently. "But sooner or later, things will click for me."

He's just happy to have another chance.