I hope he can contribute. Guy is a beast (physically). If he can get to the QB a few times this season he'll lay some pretty big hits. Lets hope...
Gholston was never meant to be a linebacker, especially in a 3-4 defense. An outside linebacker in a 3-4 has to be a thinker and read and adjust to alot of different formations and that is not one of Gholstons strong points. Gholstons strong point is that he he a physical specimen, hes at 265 now, let him bulk up to 280 and play end, Real simple tell him "get the quarterback". He can be very effective if used that way.
Agreed....I believe in Gholston. Let him play to his strengths and he will be a force. I would hate to see him get released and another team pick him up and all of a sudden he's dpoy because they play him to his strengths
It's not about bulking up or playing him at another position. Just face it... Gholston doesn't have "it". He lacks the instincts, disposition and aggression to be a serviceable NFL defender.
Not quite. It really depends on which flavor of 3-4 you are running. In a traditional sense, (Fairbanks-Bullough system) what you say is right. That's specifically what Belichick wants out of his LBs. For now, I haven't got the faintest clue as to which flavor Rex is running. My impression from the last year's game against Colts was that, Rex wasn't particularly inclined to assign two gaps to his DLs. My guess is that, front 7 players - be it LBs or DLs - are all assigned to one gap, and attack that gap. In such a system, Gholston doesn't need to be a thinker that he has to in Patriots 3-4.
You're an absolute moron. You're not talking about a static force. gholston isn't standing there waiting to be pushed back. both guys are pushing and generating x amount of force. If one guy is clearly stronger and has more explosive strength but smaller , his weight isn't a huge issue. The more strength, the more force. As long as he generates more force than the other guy it doesn't matter. The guy is stronger than most o lineman and way faster. you either failed physics or know nothing about kineosology or biomechanics
Yup. Just like that bum Hugh Douglas. Glad we dumped his useless ass when we had a chance. He was never going to be a good defender.
Hugh Douglas had 10 sacks in his rookie season. The Jets traded him because Parcells didn't like how he fit in a 3-4, when his sack numbers dropped in 1997. Not a valid comparison.
Fair enough. The thing is, no one here knows how Gholston is going to play at end in Ryan's defense. What little we've seen of him up front, he's looked okay. For someone to say he doesn't have "it" is ridiculous. Until last October it was commonly accepted "knowledge" that a man named Alex Rodriguez would never be able to perform in the month of October and win a World Series title. The fact is, if a guy has physical talent and a coach finds a way to bring out that talent, he'll be successful. Gholston isn't a 3-4 LB. Fine. He was drafted wrong. That doesn't mean he won't be a very good 3-4 DE though.
Look at it like this. Vlad is considered a project, yet Vern has only been playing football for the same amount of time. In that time, he's been asked to learn 3 or 4 different positions. You get him isolated on a guard, he's going to win that battle many times. He can outright Bull Rush a guard into the backfield, and discard him with a left hand to the rib cage. With Jenkins in the middle and Taylor or Pace threatening a tackle, Gholston will have a legit shot at 6.5 sacks.
I'm not worried about sack numbers. That's not the role of an end in the 3-4. What is the role of the end, and what I think Gholston will prove to be very good at, is occupying opposing bockers, and collapsing the pocket. That gives room to the linebackers behind him to come around and blast Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. All Gholston has to do is the only thing he's good at: running straight ahead, and not thinking.
Comparing Hugh Douglas to Gholston?? That kills any argument you attempted to make right there. Like another poster wrote, Hugh Douglas had 10 sacks his rookie year. Gholston barely made a tackle his rookie season. There's no comparison between the two. Don't let the facts get in the way. To say he doesn't have "it" is ridiculous? Far from it actually. He was the #6 pick in the draft and he is by far the biggest draft bust from that entire class. Furthermore as it stands today, he is one of the biggest busts in the history of the Jets franchise. Then you say he's looked "okay" when he was up front, completely laughable. The guy is scared to put his head in there and throw his body at someone. He has been nothing short of awful in his tenure with the Jets. You are trying to pull out little glimmers of hope by when he made one tackle here and he had a few rushes on the QB. None of that can overshadow his inability to be an every down player and an impact player on this defense. Let alone even a serviceable starter or sub on this D. You obviously are way too enamored with Gholston's physical appearance which means absolute D*CK on a football field if you can't make football plays. He is a complete stiff and has no football instincts whatsoever. The best part is your last statement...."Gholston could be a very good 3-4 end in this league." Not only will he not be a very good 3-4 D end in this league, he will not even be a starter in this league. I'd be happy to wager any amount with you on this at the end of the 2010 season when you're making more excuses for Gholston's inability to perform at the high level that you potentially see for him. You don't improve that much regardless of scheme at this level.
While I think that Gholston will be a little better at 3-4 end than he was at OLB, our coaching staff see's him as a backup to Ellis. He won't be starting any games unless there's an injury or two... Chances are he'll either be out of the league or a career backup by the end of the season.
If they plan on him backing up Ellis, then why are they shopping Ellis? The fact that they're shopping Ellis, they haven't drafted any DEs, they let Howard Green go, and they told Douglas to seek an opportunity elsewhere all suggest that the jets are pretty comfortable with their DLs and, implicitly with Gholston at DL.
That's actually a good point. Rex must see something in him. I want Gholston to succeed as much as the next guy.. but I just can't let myself think that somehow he's going to be a starting caliber D-end.
