There is a misconception about Gholston.. that he is a physical freak... he's not! Yeah sure he can lift heavy weights and he can run fast in a straight line but those are not the ONLY physical attributes of a football player. He has the worst hips in the world (no mobility at all) and he looks so stiff while playing one could think he play's with a pole up his ass! He has no lateral mobility (only knows how to move in a straight line) and has no balance or body control. Sure, in college he was faster and stronger than everyone so he could just run straight with power (look at the tape). In the NFL you have to be a more complete player not only from a tecnichal stan-point but also in a physical.. running in a straight line won't do much for you at OLB. It might as a blitzing S ala Ihedigbo. At the end of the day sure MMA training might not help him from a technical stand-point but it will from a physical one... big time!
BINGO!!! You hit the nail on the head on every point. He is not an amazing athlete that people make him out to be. He is very stiff and unflexible. Nobody is saying this training would have made him into a star. But plenty of NFL players stand by it and say it helped them with their flexibility, agility, footwork in addition to strength an endurance. The fact that Rex had him in mind when he spoke to Glazer and then Gholston didn't go through with it is very disappointing. He realized his speed and strength alone won't do it for him at this level and he appears to have just given up instead of exhausting all his options to get better.
Yup... in my opinion even if Gholston went through some MMA training he still wouldn't cut it because of mental issues... but it sure wouldn't hurt him... who knows, if he starts moving like a football player he might re-gain some hope and try harder...
Good post Mambo I completely agree. It really annoys me when people call Gholston "athletic". I consider a person with the natural things like coordination, depth perception, reflexes, body control, pursuit angles, and all of the other little things similar to that "athletic". Gholston possesses great timed speeds and puts up tons of reps, but he is not an athlete. I have a friend who can run a 10.5 second 100m but can't catch a ball....I consider him fast, not athletic.
Exactly.. and then when you hear players like Patrick Willis and Jared Allen rave about this training that makes them more flexible, opens their hips, improves their footwork, etc.. and Gholston not giving it a go when his coach clearly wanted him to.. it's just very discouraging. You can't "teach" size, speed, or strength, and Gholston has all those. If he just worked on these other things, who knows, maybe he might even record a sack one day.
Yeah but unfortunately I don't think you can teach the things like coordination, body control, and just those natural instincts that I mentioned earlier.
Teach them no... but you can train them so they aren't weaknesses anymore. In martial arts you train reflexess and control of your body a lot. I can see why the Jets drafted him... they thought all the things Gholston lacked were things NFL coaches could've worked on... and they were almost right. What they didn't consider was that this kid is totally un-coachable! Not because he's a bad guy (model citizen from what I know), but because he doesn't give a damn about it! THAT's the only thing you can't coach IMO... motivation... and it's what fucked the Jets. They made the assumption he loved the game because of the success he had in college and didn't understand that what pushed him was instead comraderie and wanting the money and life of an NFL player...
100% true. He has all the natural tools like size, strength, and speed.. flexibility, coordination, footwork, these things can be teached. I wrestled in college and did a little MMA training mostly as a workout, not to pursue a fighting career or anything, (Obviously I'm not on the level of Glazer training with Randy Couture or anything like that) and I can absolutely see how this helps players. And when you see all these NFL stars swear by it, well you have to take notice. When an NFL coach takes a look at a specimen like Gholston, and sees his raw ability pushing a guy like Jake Long around, well you can't blame them for thinking they can work with him and turn him into a star. The problem is, the guy has to WANT to be a star. I think Gholston just went through college being stronger and faster than guys and never had to really work on his pass rush moves. When he went to the NFL, he figured he could do the same. When it didnt work out, instead of trying new things and busting his ass to get better, he basically said "screw it" and wasnt interested in trying new things like MMA to get better.
A lot of people just love to find reasons to hate on Gholston. Isn't there enough already? I agree with CatoTheElder though, he needs to be studying the game of football, not learning MMA moves. Maybe that's what he's doing. Sure MMA training might loosen his hips, but honestly do you think his stiff hips is the main reason he hasn't had success on the field? Also, true Jared Allen said he loved the training. Jared Allen is also arguably the most technically perfect pass rusher in the NFL. He doesn't have to learn and refine his technique like Gholston does, he can spend his free time doing MMA training. I guess my whole point is, this isn't a story about Gholston sitting at home eating cheetos all day. It's just a story about some form of training he hasn't done. We don't know how hard Gholston is working in the off season or what he spends his time working on. I think Rex knows best when it comes to these things, and if Gholston was being a bitch and not trying then I think he wouldn't keep him on the team. He got rid of Kerry pretty fast, Gholston would have gone right after that if he was just going through the motions.
Not true about motivation - that's one of the greatest assets of a great coach, knowing how to motivate players. Ask Phil Jackson.
Is it possible that the Ghost is better with his hands on the ground? Would we have seen more production out of him through this point had we been a 4-3 team?
I always wonder what would have happened if Chris Long went to us and Gholston went to the Rams. I don't know how good they would have been but they deifnitely would have been better suited.
Gholston has a chronic case of DWI. Doesn't Want It. He should have been first in line after hearing how it helped Allen, Willis and others. I trained in BJJ and Muay Thai for a while. Got me in the best shape of my life(especially Muay Thai knees) If he isn't trying his hardest, he is a thief. If Jason Taylor becomes a Jet, its because Gholston is useless.
Yup" you can use them to clean out all the crap that gets caught under your plate in your Microwave. Or to clean Tile Grout in the shower. How about plugging up Holes in a garden hose too. The Fun List with Mr. "BUST" goes on and on...............
lol ok after watching that video I get it. he's a slow learner. someone needs to figure out how he learns and teach him through another method. Also learn what motivates him.
From watching his college video it seems he was really good as a roving linebacker just going after guys freelance style.
It's probably because he knew he would get his ass beat in by simply sparring with someone. I fucking hate Vernon "I'ma Bitch" Gholston
