JetNation Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 By Glenn Naughton Is there a dark horse emerging in the battle for the starting right guard position during Jets mini-camp? One name that has popped up several times during OTA’s and again during this week’s three-day mini-camp is one that is known to few Jets fans in offensive lineman Brent Qvale (pronounced Kwah-lee). According to Eric Allen of nyjets.com, Qvale saw significant playing time at right guard during day one of mini-camp after getting a long look at the same spot during the voluntary portion of the team’s off-season program earlier this month. Brent Qvale a 1st-year player from Nebraska, has gotten in a lot of work with 1st unit at RG today. — Eric Allen (@eallenjets) June 9, 2015 Qvale, a 6′ 6”/315 lb lineman who played both guard and tackle at the University of Nebraska spent last season on the Jets practice squad after getting picked following a tryout with the team. His Nebraska bio reads as follows: Brent Qvale was a fixture on the Nebraska offensive line for four seasons, and worked with the top unit at tackle during his final two years in the program. Qvale was one of three tackles in the regular rotation for the majority of the season, before stepping into the starting left tackle role for the final five games after widespread injuries hit the line. The 6-7, 315-pound Qvale suffered an injury of his own against Penn State, but was able to return to start against Iowa on Senior Day. His play helped Nebraska field one of the Big Ten’s top rushing offenses again in 2013. Qvale earned his degree in May of 2013, and played the entire season as a graduate student. He was one of 30 Huskers to earn Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2013, picking up academic all-conference honors for the third straight season. According to PFF.com, Qvale played 91 snaps last pre-season. In that very limited time, he was graded as an average pass-blocker and a below average run-blocker. Neither statistic is very telling as he was going up against other back ups with limited reps, but in the case of a practice squad player there’s rarely going to be extensive information available. However, we do know that Todd Bowles and the rest of the Jets coaching staff has been plugging him in at right guard, the only unsettled position on the offensive line where there’s no shortage of potential starters. Last year’s starter, Willie Colon, is hoping to win his job back while youngsters Oday Aboushi, Dakota Dozier and Jarvis Harrison are among the other candidates working to earn the starting nod. Hearing that Qvale is getting a significant number of reps given his status as an undrafted free agent versus more experienced players could amount to very little on June 9th, but it with a new regime in place it’s worth noting that in a positional battle that could include a half-dozen hopefuls, a notable number of reps are going to Qvale. With plenty of time between now and training camp there are sure to be several players getting a shot to run with the starters, but recently it’s been Qvale which is a good sign for the Jets and their fans as it appears the new staff intends to hold true competitions across the board in 2015. A philosophical departure from the past several seasons in which many youngsters were seemingly overlooked by GM John Idzik and head coach Rex Ryan. View the full article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFJF Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Working with the starters again today Darryl SlaterVerified account @DarrylSlater 2m2 minutes ago #Jets continue to give Brent Qvale reps as first-team right guard in team period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TuscanyTile2 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Would be a very nice surprise if he turned into a good guard. We're going to need to rebuild the OL soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFJF Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Would be a very nice surprise if he turned into a good guard. We're going to need to rebuild the OL soon. Curious as to how they're using Harrison on the O-line given his play at LT in college. But having a guy like Qvale step up and earn a spot or at least provide some depth would be great. Very early of course, but keep expecting to hear that Dozier or Harrison are getting a day with the starters but only hearing Qvale and Winters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustInFudge Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Is it wrong that I dont want him to succeed because the pronunciation of his name is ridiculous? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Is it wrong that I dont want him to succeed because the pronunciation of his name is ridiculous? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Jets fan Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Curious as to how they're using Harrison on the O-line given his play at LT in college. But having a guy like Qvale step up and earn a spot or at least provide some depth would be great. Very early of course, but keep expecting to hear that Dozier or Harrison are getting a day with the starters but only hearing Qvale and Winters. I thought Harrison has been playing LG in OTA's and yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFJF Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I thought Harrison has been playing LG in OTA's and yesterday. Could be...just hadn't heard his name mentioned at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustInFudge Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Great point. I always hated Favre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirlancemehlot Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Agreed soon. Like two years ago-ish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoop24 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Coming from Nebraska he has a chance . Slauson was a late bloomer too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoop24 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Coming from Nebraska he has a chance . Slauson was a late bloomer too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage69 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Is it wrong that I dont want him to succeed because the pronunciation of his name is ridiculous? Just call him BQ for short it's close to BBQ which should make your buddy Klecko happy.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinstar Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 isn't he a little tall for an OG ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNJet Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 This is a shocker yet good news. Need quality depth players ready to step up incase of injury etc. I just can't see him being ahead of Aboushi, Harrison or Dozier though. Winters and Colon? Yeah maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larz Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 just camp rotation if colon is healthy, he is the guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flgreen Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 isn't he a little tall for an OG ? Yeah. And at 315 he's light for his length. Built like a LT. Been reading that a lot of players are getting reps with the 1's . That's a good thing this time of year. See what everyone's got. Come camp the CS is going to have to decide quickly. New O. Two new G's. Going to have to get some continuity quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolot Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 I don't know why, but every time I read this guys last name quick I keep thinking of the Marko Cavka thread and giggling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFJF Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 just camp rotation if colon is healthy, he is the guy I thought the same thing when I saw his name at first, but several reports saying he was getting a good number of reps with the 1's during OTA's and then again during the first two days of minicamp. It could mean nothing, but I expected it to be a lot of Dozier but haven't seen his name mentioned at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FSU_Jet Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Would be a very nice surprise if he turned into a good guard. We're going to need to rebuild the OL soon. Uh not really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
addage Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 No pads, no big deal. But, he clearly pays attention in the meetings and has earned some attention from the coaches. Also, remember that height/weight/40 times get repeated over the years. He may have added muscle mass over that last 13 months. Might be much more formidable in pads. We'll see. But good news either way. Competition is good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saul Goodman Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Front runner for 2015 King Ugly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stonehands Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Rex would have never tried an UDFA in front of a veteran or a draft pick. Especially one with no game experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section314 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Coming from Nebraska he has a chance . Slauson was a late bloomer too So was a kid named Zach Potter. Was a UDFA , I believe in 2010. Was a DE, and made it to our final cut. Was picked up by the Jags, converted into a TE, and played 2-3 years for them. May still be on team. Could do lots worse than taking a guy from Nebraska. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flgreen Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Which Jets offensive linemen surprised during OTAs and minicamp? Print Email Darryl Slater | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com By Darryl Slater | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com on June 12, 2015 at 9:00 AM, updated June 12, 2015 at 9:45 AM Now that the Jets have wrapped up their spring workouts (organized team activities and minicamp), and they're off for about six weeks until training camp, we can begin digesting what the team learned during the spring. It's difficult (and somewhat foolish) to draw any sweeping conclusions off these no-pads spring workouts, but they are an opportunity for under-the-radar guys to impress. And veteran right guard Willie Colon noticed a couple fellow offensive linemen who looked impressive this spring: reserves Dakota Dozier and Brent Qvale. We'll get to Colon's specific thoughts on each player's skills in a bit. But the broader issue he raised while talking about Dozier and Qvale is just as interesting as his specific comments, if not more so. Dozier was the Jets' fourth-round draft pick last year. He didn't play at all. Neither did Qvale, an undrafted free agent rookie who spent all year on the practice squad. They both basically redshirted, to use a collegiate term. They got a season to watch and learn. "For me, it's good that they both started off kind of quiet [with not playing last year] and now you see them starting to blossom," Colon said recently at the NFL's broadcast boot camp. "That's how you make a lineman. You give him a chance to earn his stripes. You give him a chance to mature. You don't crush his confidence. You let him find his way, and these guys are finding their way." This is an ideal path for an offensive lineman to develop, particularly a lineman drafted in the middle rounds. The Jets didn't have that luxury with rookie Brian Winters in 2013, after taking him in the third round. He was thrust into the starting left guard role after Vladimir Ducasse failed. And Winters sputtered throughout the season. In retrospect, playing right away wasn't a good thing for Winters — just as it isn't for most young NFL offensive linemen. The Jets drafted guard Jarvis Harrison in the fifth round this year, but they have enough guys in front of him that he won't have to play at all in 2015, unless a few guards get injured. The way Colon sees it, this could benefit Harrison, just as it benefited Dozier and Qvale. "I was groomed," said Colon, a fourth-round pick by the Steelers in 2006 who didn't start until the final two games of his rookie year. "I didn't come out of the gate blazing. My first preseason start, I had six [mental errors]. It took [steelers then-director of football operations] Kevin Colbert to slap me on the back, and he goes, 'Don't do that again.' It took the next game for me to get better, into the next game, until it's like, 'Here goes Willie Colon at tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he's a ballplayer.' "I think when you break a young guy's confidence, you don't allow him to grow. Are there are some guys that have it [right away]? Sure. But you've got to invest in guys who have a high learning curve, who battle hard, who generally just come to work like professionals." Colon hesitated to say that playing Winters right away damaged his progress. "I think the thing with Brian, his upside is so high," Colon said. "He looked so great [in practice] and he was put out there amongst the wolves, and whether he was ready or not, you could never tell that until you put him out there." This brings us back to Dozier and Qvale. Dozier, a college tackle who converted to guard last year, got some backup center reps this spring. Dozier could also be in the mix for the right guard competition, along with Colon, Winters and Oday Aboushi. Qvale, previously a tackle, got some starting right guard reps this spring, though it happened on an OTA day when Colon was absent because of the boot camp. Don't read too much into this. The coaches like to get young guys some extra snaps in the spring. The training camp reps are what matter most. But Colon loved what he saw from Dozier and Qvale this spring. "Honestly, I had this discussion with one of our coaches: I think that the most underrated two guys we have in our room are Brent Qvale and Dakota," Colon said. "Dakota coming into the spring, he was asked to step into the [backup] center role. He's answered the bell — from learning a new system, to learning a new position, to being able to be a swing guy [who can play guard and center]. "I think Qvale, he's as tough as it comes. I told him, 'Listen, don't stop kicking butt, no matter who you're going against.' He plays well. He's the most underrated guy we've got right now. If I could tip my hat off, I'd tip it off to those two guys. "You never want to make the same mistake twice. If they make a mistake, you don't see it the next time they're on the field. So that lets you know their learning curve is high. It lets you know they're responsive to how they're being coached. Overall, they play hard. They're not out there getting thrown to the floor. Those guys get out there and play." Dozier is now showing the ability to play guard and center, after being a college tackle. Qvale is apparently making the transition from college tackle to NFL guard in Year 2. For middle-round linemen — and, of course, undrafted guys like Qvale — such versatility is something "you want to see out of young guys," Colon said. "The more you can do," Colon continued, "the more you have a chance to stay in the league." Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DarrylSlater. 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