Oh of course... He wanted guys that fit HIS scheme... Rex is making his scheme fit his guys... Of course he brought a couple guys in from Baltimore... but this isn't going to be Baltimore's defense, we have different guys, with different abilities and levels of talent. We don't have a Ray Lewis, or an Ed Reed, but we have two very solid middle linebackers... we have Jenkins, we have Revis, we have Rhodes. Rex is going to have some fun designing schemes that take advantage of different players. Revis is a shut-down corner, Rhodes is a hard hitting play-making safety... you'll see some safety blitzes I promise... Harris and Scott can BOTH pass cover and blitz effectively... neither are total monsters, but making the offense play guessing games between the responsibilities of two of them is going to cause some confusion I'm sure... We have two OLB's with great size and speed.. Gholston and Calvin pace (say what you will about Gholston's linebacking instincts as a rookie but the dude is plenty athletic) Will pace drop back in coverage? will both of them rush... what are the MLB's doing? I'm not saying we'll definitely be able to be a top 5 defense this year... I can't predict the future... but things are looking good for our defense. Ryan has a lot of tools at his disposal, and he's going to have a lot of fun coming up with interesting schemes that are confusing for the offense, and a hell of a lot of fun to watch...
We finally have that killer instinct.....Mangini didnt inspire his players, you can see it in the play calling during crucial points in the games and in his demeanor, you cant win games like that.....(the important ones anyway)
I love how he responded to the question about setting his sights lower as a first year head coach. ...looked at her like she had three heads and just asked, "why?"
Why was Suggs considered a bust? I keep hearing this, but I don't understand it at all. He never had awful numbers, and didn't he win the rookie defensive MVP? I don't watch much Ravens football, so I really would like to know where all of this came from. I just looked at his career stats, and they don't look like someone who would be considered a bust.
it was in Suggs' rookie TC that he was just like Gholston, but Ryan worked with him and got him ready for the season, and had him only do one thing - rush the QB. Gholston was asked to learn 400 things at once and then when he was on the field he looked how he looked. But the comparison still sucks because Suggs always wants to rip your head off and Gholston pulls up in Special Teams practice.
Thank you for the response. Yet, I don't have a good feeling about Gholston turning things around, never have. I know Rex will have the capability of getting something out of him, but I think he is going to be to much of a lost cause.
I don't like the comparison of Gholston to Suggs. Suggs was thought to be a bust during his rookie training camp. This was his first experience with an NFL team in a real practice. However, once he settled down, he played to his potential and ended up winning the defensive ROTY award. In Gholston's case, he looked lost in training camp and even more lost as the season went on. He looked like the worst football player I've ever seen in the NFL. He has the size and the speed, but his fundamentals are so poor. I'm not saying that all hope is lost and that he can't improve, but he has a long way to go. I'm sure Ryan helped Suggs reach his potential, but let's be realistic, he isn't some magical coach that can turn every bust into a pro-bowler.
I saw a week's worth of Gholston at TC and he actually wasn't half bad. He averaged about a "sack" per session usually against the first team OL. He did indeed struggle in coverage and in special teams...but purely rushing the passer he wasnt as bad as many contend. After watching acouple early season re-airs on nfl network, I counted 2 near sacks in which the pressure he provided was quite impressive. However, he lost confidence and Mangini stopped playing him. People forget that he STILL has freakish physical ability to go along w/ being the Ohio state single season sack leader.He has tools to work w/ and it appears Mangini tried too hard to turn him into something he's not. That doesn't appear to be Rex's deal..lets see what he can get out of VG...I have alot more confidence than others do.
Totally agree. Rex will either make him or break him. The thing that impresses me most about Ryan is that he (and his father before him... who taught him so) believe that you work on a player's strengths, not on his weaknesses. Game-plan on your total team strengths and on what your players can do (vs. defending or planning around what they can't do) and you'll have success. Gholston is going to emerge in this system and under this coach like nothing you've ever seen before, mark my words.
This is exactly how I feel. There's too much talent to think he's not going to have a chance to turn it around.
