usbobsled Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 From the NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/18/sports/football/third-pick-gives-jets-an-unofficial-coach.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&_r=2&utm_content=buffera6e58&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer Third Pick Gives Jets an Unofficial Coach By BEN SHPIGEL MAY 17, 2014 Photo From left, Calvin Pryor, the Jets’ No. 1 pick in the draft, Dexter McDougle and Jeremy Reeves during rookie camp on Friday. Credit Julie Jacobson/Associated Press Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story Share This Page email facebook twitter save more Continue reading the main story FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The play that ruined Dexter McDougle’s senior season at Maryland did not ruin his life. It dislocated his right shoulder and fractured his scapula and ended his collegiate career and, for a few hours, sent his world tumbling down, as he put it. But he did not pout, and he did not sulk, and he did not withdraw from his teammates, who needed him as much he needed them. The Jets decided to select McDougle, a cornerback, in the third round of the N.F.L. draft for several reasons — his speed, his ball skills, his versatility — but also, in part, because of the events set in motion by that play, a diving tackle last Sept. 14 at Connecticut. They praised his instincts, how at the snap of the ball, McDougle knew to abandon his receiver and zip toward the right flat, where he upended the tight end for a minimal gain. Terry Bradway, the senior director of college scouting, said that McDougle rated the smartest among the cornerbacks who visited the team before the draft. Photo McDougle sustained a season-ending injury in Maryland’s third game of 2013. Credit Patrick Semansky/Associated Press The Jets also admired McDougle’s reaction to the aftermath, how he spent the next three and a half months, his arm in a sling, acting as a player-coach. He attended every practice, where he would demonstrate proper technique to his replacements. He attended every film session, where he would offer tips to his fellow defensive backs. He attended every game, where he would sit in the coaches’ booth, wearing a headset and with binoculars at the ready, to chart plays and relay observations to the sideline. “He was still playing every play in the games,” Maryland Coach Randy Edsall said in a telephone interview. “He just wasn’t out there physically doing it.” To McDougle, doing anything else felt unnatural, and wrong. Since his freshman year at Stafford High School in Falmouth, Va., he had been policing teammates, demanding excellence and accountability, and acting otherwise would have been insincere. If they complained about doing wind sprints, he would admonish them — and then finish first every time, backing up his words. In the weight room, he would chide anyone sitting down. Those who blew a coverage, or showed up tardy, or dared not work as hard, and for as long, risked a rebuke from McDougle. “We’re here to work,” McDougle said Friday, when the Jets opened their rookie minicamp. “I’ve never had any other mind-set.” One day at Maryland, after some teammates failed to make it through a conditioning session, he addressed them. “You want to win the A.C.C.?” he said to them. “How do you expect to be champions if you can’t finish a workout?” He expected so much, of his teammates and of himself, because he knew what it felt like not to play, and he hated it. A hand injury cut short McDougle’s junior season at Stafford, limiting the game film that prospective colleges could view. He played cornerback and safety, running back and receiver, even quarterback in the Wildcat formation, and then, all of a sudden, he could play none. Many programs stopped chasing him, but others maintained their pursuit. South Carolina and Virginia Tech viewed him as a slot receiver, and every now and then, McDougle said he wished he still played on offense, only because he loves running with the ball so much. Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story Advertisement A former teammate of his at Stafford, Christian Woelfel-Monsivais, said McDougle was as elusive on the field as he was in the gym, where on Thursdays, they played what their coach, Chad Lewis, called trash-can football. The objective for each side was to toss the ball in a can without being tagged by an opponent. It got physical, heated, nasty. “He wasn’t the one who checked people,” Woelfel-Monsivais said. “He was the one who got away from everybody, like a little rabbit.” Only one college, though, recruited him as a cornerback, McDougle said: Maryland. As a redshirt freshman, he missed the Terrapins’ bowl game after breaking his clavicle in a motor-scooter accident. By his senior year, he was thriving again, intercepting three passes in his first three games, returning one 49 yards for a touchdown at Connecticut. On the next series, McDougle lay writhing at the Maryland 37. Edsall said to himself, “Things like this shouldn’t happen to a guy like that.” For the rest of the season, McDougle was perhaps the most vocal member of the team. Because, he said, he did not want his teammates to think he felt deflated, or to feel bad for him. In 15 years as a head coach, Edsall had never seen a player of his act so selflessly, and so he wanted to honor him. But how? On the night of the football banquet last December, only Edsall and the program’s director of operations, Fran Foley, knew how that honor would be bestowed. As the awards were presented, McDougle was a little disappointed because there were a few he thought he deserved. And then Edsall, without mentioning the name of the recipient, started speaking about a player who devoted himself to his team and his teammates. Edsall started to cry. So did McDougle. The crowd — players, coaches, family members, about 350 people in all — rose as one. The crowd stood to applaud the winner of the inaugural Dexter McDougle Ultimate Team Player Award. Hard to not like our draft. When have we seen so much character drafted with so much potential for the Jets. I cannot wait for the season to begin... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larz Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 pryor and mcdougal sure look the part Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drums Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Awesome! I just hope he can stay healthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaJetsFan Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Our defense is going to lead the NFL this year - book it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbatesman Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 They don't give the inaugural Dexter McDougle Ultimate Team Player Award to just anybody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jet Enforcer Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Being a dedicated NY Jets fan, I have religiously took part in examining John Idzik and Rex's decisions before, during, and after the #Draft. As we all know most are very pleased with the first 2 picks, Pryor & Amaro, but raised concerns about McDougle.. But NY Jet fans please have faith.. 8-8 was a much better season than most people are going to give us credit for but it was crucial for John to make these intense changes to the roster in order to build this new & improved Jet profile team. We are going to be fast & physical next year and we are going to show what it really means to be a NY JET! I am very optimistic with what the coaches and the scouting department has done and will continue to do with this new look and feel of the #NYJets!... Go New York Jets!!! We just have to give #Geno7 a chance & then the puzzle pieces will start to come together Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Villain The Foe Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 These kids character and approach to the game is quickly making me forget about Phillip Gaines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Villain The Foe Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 They don't give the inaugural Dexter McDougle Ultimate Team Player Award to just anybody. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roscoeword Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 They don't give the inaugural Dexter McDougle Ultimate Team Player Award to just anybody. lol me too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREENBEAN Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Days one, two and three…check His character and work ethic seem to be intact. Now let's just see if he can play in the NFL. It would really be something for Idzik to have recreated our D backfield in two seasons wouldn't it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stugotz81 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 These kids character and approach to the game is quickly making me forget about Phillip Gaines. took the words out of my mouth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Being a dedicated NY Jets fan, I have religiously took part in examining John Idzik and Rex's decisions before, during, and after the #Draft. As we all know most are very pleased with the first 2 picks, Pryor & Amaro, but raised concerns about McDougle.. But NY Jet fans please have faith.. 8-8 was a much better season than most people are going to give us credit for but it was crucial for John to make these intense changes to the roster in order to build this new & improved Jet profile team. We are going to be fast & physical next year and we are going to show what it really means to be a NY JET! I am very optimistic with what the coaches and the scouting department has done and will continue to do with this new look and feel of the #NYJets!... Go New York Jets!!! The interview process with these prospects is a huge part of what they're doing. I'm liking more and more that John Idzik is at the helm and making the decisions. They're looking much deeper at these guys, than what we and the media are privvy to. Listen to Idzik's analysis of Pryor on the The Jets site. He doesn't say a lot when he speaks, but when he does people should listen closely. He decribes WHY Pryor is a big hitter....good stuff. It goes way beyond the tangibles when analyzing these players Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jet Enforcer Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Absolutely!! They actual are looking for what they think is a "JET".. Its great to see our team forming an identity that will start to be recognized throughout NFL very soon. The great need additions was a huge need but besides these new rookies talents, their character is what will bring these Jets together in the locker room.. Its a good season to be a Jet!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZachEY Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 They don't give the inaugural Dexter McDougle Ultimate Team Player Award to just anybody. Wait, who won it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbatesman Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Wait, who won it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Man, Reeves is tiny. I can't believe they gave him Snell's number and couldn't even fire up the label maker for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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