I would post this in the Gholston thread, but it will get overlooked. Enjoy. Who better to learn from, eh? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.newyorkjets.com/blog/post...om-pace-harris 08/25 ? Vernon Gholston did not partake in the Jets' sack soiree Saturday night against the Giants, but the rookie pass rusher, making the switch from defensive end to linebacker, said he will treat Calvin Pace's and David Harris? performances as a tutorial. ?I?m definitely looking at them,? Gholston said. ?Not only will I look at the film, but I?ll ask them. They?re here with me, so I can?t talk to them enough about what worked for them and how they went about it. I need to take all the feedback I can.? Gholston, who set the Ohio State record with 14 sacks last year, admits his transition has been difficult and that the progress has been made in small increments. Still, he and the coaches remain confident that a breakthrough is imminent. ?When you?re doing it for the first time," Mangini said, "it's all new, it's just a lot of stuff to process. But you keep chipping away at it, eventually the fog clears and things look better.? Gholston was in on three tackles vs. the Giants. The first came after a 1-yard gain, the second after a 7-yard run and the last on a stop of Ahmad Bradshaw for a loss of 2. ?I think I did OK,? he said of his performance. ?I definitely need to get better. There are a lot of things I need to shore up.? He said that he is working to improve all aspects of his game, but there is an emphasis on his alignments before the snap and his keying in on the tendencies of offensive linemen. ?Watching the guys play like they did tonight is great,? he said, ?but I have to go out there and do it myself."
Bubba Franks said something interesting about Keller's environment. It was about how wisdom is a very powerful thing in football. Keller has the wisdom of Franks, a pro bowler, and Baker as well. Gholston has Pace, who has played in the 3-4 and impressing this preseason, and Harris who is our crown jewel at the LB position. That is a lot of wisdom to be shared for the mighty young rookie. This transition will take a while, but I think he'll be our J. Abe. Abraham was able to play the same way he did going from college to here, Gholston doesn't have that opportunity. But what he does have are teammates who want to help, and he will be watching film - very important. Even the coaches think the experience gained soon will unleash him. I'm waiting for the Mangini praise in a press conference. When the coach "gushes" about a player, we are usually singing that players praises a few days later after a game or a TC report from Boland or Cimini. Lowery is a good example.
He is coming along much better than Chris Long, that's for sure. Chris Long has 1 tackle thus far in the preseason, opposed to Gholston who has 7 tackles.
As long as he keeps working hard he'll make it. Harris and Pace are definitely going to help him develop.
As long as Gholston develops and learns, that's all we can ask of him. Bryan Thomas had better do something to get noticed soon or he's going to be on free agent highway soon enough.
I hope he'll be our J.Abe..talent wise....but let's hope he doesn't inherit Abe's injury prowess and whiny attitude. I think Gholston will eventually be a beast..but he needs time to grow. Not every player adjusts instantaneously....we're lucky with guys like Harris, Revis and even Lowery to an extent (since he officially hasn't been named a starter yet, but it's looking that way) in regards to making a fluid transition to our defensive scheme. Gholston will get there...just might be a while longer. His potential alone should garner enough patience from the CS...hopefully the fans too.
Gholston is one of those guys that I'm sure is going to blossom into a star, we just can't expect too much from him this season, next season will really be his year, but I'm confident he can put up some solid numbers this year, learn the defense, learn to adapt to the OLB position and just take notes. He has made progress through each pre season game, if he keeps doing that through the season.................opponents watch out.
I have actually been watching the Rams, to see Long, and been on their boards, he is non-existant at this point, so I don't feel worried about Gholston yet, who also has a tougher transition in a position switch
That would be an interesting trade. I still think that VG has more raw talent and upside than CL but only time will tell. We should know by year 2 who will turn out to be the better player.
I posted somewhere how funny it was that a 3-4 team took a 4-3 DE and a 4-3 took a 3-4 OLB. They might as well trade, they could have amazing careers if they did. But since both are awesome athletes, they'll learn and be equally talented.
How much "wisdom" is really there? Pace has played 3-4 OLB for one season, Harris (who played 4-3 at Michigan) has started 10(?) games at MLB in the 3-4/
I think both players ended up in the right place. In college Chris Long played DE in a 3-4 system mostly, but he is too small to play 3-4 DE in the NFL and not quick enough to play 3-4 OLB at a high level. Thus making him a good candidate to play next to last year's twiner Rams' 1st round pick Adam Cariker, who could have played 3-4 DE or 4-3 DT. Gholston on the other hand, is someone who would be best used in a scheme where you can move him around. Somewhere that he can rush from the right, from the left, looping him around between the DE and DT, and other creative stuff. Also unlike Long, Gholston has the sideline to sideline speed to chase down a speedy RB.
Totally agree with what everyone is stating...this post hits the nail on the head. This transition is major. Imagine being a down lineman and then having coverage responsibilities. Thats pretty rough. When he lined up in the 3 point stance on one play early in the second..he applied great pressure to Manning...almost shoving the tackle of the Giants into Manning when he threw. It will be long...but when the situation warrants him to just go after the qb on 3rd downs...there is no transition..and he will be a plus on the defense come week 1..even if its just 5 or 6 plays a game in those situations.
The Rams are supposed one of the teams to be mixing some 3-4 into their D I think. Long's probably going through the same thing Gholston is.
I like Gholston's temperment and his understated personality. I appreciate his acknowledgment that he has a lot still to learn and the manner in which he goes about developing himslef as a player. I'm not as concerned about the level that he is currently performing in since we have BT and Pace in front of him at this point. He may see some time as a down lineman if and when the defense switches to a 4-3 alignment. But I have to say that his ceiling is pretty high and I have every confidence that he will only go up from here.
