kelly Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 – There was a time, a few years ago, that New York Jets guard Brent Qvale, then a senior in high school, was playing basketball with his big brother, who just back from college. Brian, a center for the Montana basketball team, wanted to work on a few of his post-moves and enlisted little brother to help. A few minutes later the now-Jets offensive lineman, who got significant first-team reps last week during minicamp, walked away after being cracked in the head by big brother's elbow. "He caught it, swung his elbow and cracked me in the head and dunked it. You call that a post move?," Brent said. "That's just elbowing me and dunking it. Real nice move.” Brent's response ? Shoving big big brother and resuming the game.See, there is no backing down. Not in this family.The Qvale's had some legendary backyard sports shootouts. Brian is a professional basketball player in Europe and their father played in the NFL. With athletic genes like that, it is no wonder that Brent is challenging for a starting job on the offensive line of the Jets, ahead of several well-established players.Bloody lips, black and blues and sprains were not just the norm for the Qvales kids. They were the signs of a good day for the two boys. They grew up in Williston, North Dakota, a place known in recent years for the boom-then-bust and now maybe boom-again oil industry. The town, at one point, produced over one-million barrels of oil a day but perhaps it might end up being most famous for producing two brothers who have gone on to athletic prowess.Brian, Brent's older brother by four years, has forged a strong professional career in Europe with stops in Turkey and Germany. Their father Sanford was no slouch either, playing college football for North Dakota State and briefly in the NFL. Little Brent – not that little at 6-foot-7-inches and 315 pounds - could be the most successful of the bunch. For as long as he can remember he was in the backyard playing sports with his brother and his father.It didn't really matter what the sport was,as long as they were active and competing.Basketball, football, baseball, hockey in the driveway – you name it and the boys played it.There were epic confrontations, ones that would push both brothers to exhaustion. It is where Brent's competitive streak was born. Things haven't changed much since those days. Watch him in practice and it is clear that Brent loves the game of football. He plays to the whistle and he plays physically. Not unlike in the backyard games with his bigger brother. He wouldn't back down then. He won't back down now. “My brother and I had some brawls growing up. I got my best competition from him,” Brent told Metro last week during minicamp. “Definitely some elbows in the face but it was good, friendly competition. I tried to keep with him, he tried to make me better. All we did was play sports together. It was some great competition between the two of us. You definitely need that here. That got instilled in me my whole life. From my dad, my brother from college now to here.” He's been getting first-team repetitions during offseason workouts at guard and tackle. Now at mincamp last week, Qvale was slotted in at right guard where he got significant reps, roughly one-third of the first-team reps at guard. The depth chart isn't out yet but it is clear that he is getting more than just a passing look from the new coaching staff. He's performing well and being given a shot.He came to the Jets last year as an undrafted rookie free agent after a solid career at Nebraska where he made 53 appearances with 18 starts. He didn't play at all last year as he was on the practice squad, but he continued to improve and impress. His body was reshaped, and he got stronger, leaner. Qvale has long arms, ideal for a guard, to withstand the bull-rush and brute strength of interior defensive lineman. His technique is solid and his footwork is improving.Then of course there is his competitive streak which is nothing new to him and was born in his backyard.“It's nice, through your hard work, getting a little reward and a shot through your hard work. It was a battle my whole first year to get on the practice squad,” Brent said. “Now getting better from year one to year two. This is why you work hard, to have these opportunities.” This is why you play with your big brother all those years. Even if it means getting cracked in the skull occasionally. > http://www.metro.us/kristian-dyer/jets-guard-brent-qvale-competitive-as-they-come-thanks-to-athletic-family/zsJofo---2fnUZElsjXFA6/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdxgreen Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Alright nothing like a little acceptable family violence to make into a better football player! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustiniak Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 sounds exactly like the kind of young, hungry tough OG the jets need. nice idzik! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 “Definitely some elbows in the face but it was good, friendly competition." > http://www.metro.us/kristian-dyer/jets-guard-brent-qvale-competitive-as-they-come-thanks-to-athletic-family/zsJofo---2fnUZElsjXFA6/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peekskill68 Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 If he elbows Winters in the face count me in as a believer.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirlancemehlot Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 that article was nice and fluffy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jet9 Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Someone needs a refresher on the Bakken oil fields. People are killing it up there. Ford can't keep F-150s in stock up there because young guys making bank are buying the sh*t out of them. Oil prices be damned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNJet Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 If he elbows Winters in the face count me in as a believer.... Right after he kicks Colon in the nards. Then I'll be a big fan... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgb Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 whodafugg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 @RichCimini Looks like Brent Qvale is having a nice summer. His versatility to play multiple OL pos. is big, Will he be a starter ? @RichCimini : You're right, Sean, Qvale improved his stock in the offseason. He was thrown into the right-guard competition, but he also got some reps at right tackle behind Breno Giacomini. The right-guard spot is wide open, with Qvale, incumbent Willie Colon, Brian Winters and maybe Oday Aboushi battling for the job. I'd say Qvale is the underdog based simply on the fact he has no NFL experience. You may recall he spent last season, his rookie year, on the practice squad. He also doesn't have much experience at guard. He played a little guard early in his career at Nebraska, but he was moved to tackle as a junior. That the Jets have new coaches will work in his favor. They have no allegiance to any of the holdovers, so they'll play the best guy. That hasn't always been the case in the past. Dare I mention the Matt Slauson-Vladimir Ducasse in 2012? The Jets let politics get in the way, and they made a mess of the left-guard spot. > http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/52108/could-colin-kaepernick-be-in-the-new-york-jets-future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 @RichCimini despite the qb woes, I think the oline might be a bigger issue. Do the jets have the worst one in the afce ? @RichCimini: No, they do not. The Buffalo Bills have the worst offensive line in the division. We were reminded of that this past week, when Rex Ryan said he's planning to sign former Jet Wayne Hunter. If Ryan thinks the human turnstile can help, it's quite a commentary about the state of the unit. As for the Jets, their line won't be dominant, but it can be a decent, middle-of-the-road group. Nick Mangold and D'Brickashaw Ferguson still can get the job done, but they need help. James Carpenter is an upgrade at left guard. Breno Giacomini must be more consistent at right tackle. At right guard ... well, it's wide open. They need someone who can keep their penalty total under 10. The arrow isn't pointed up for the line as a whole, but they should be able to squeeze another year out of it before major renovations are needed. > http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/52108/could-colin-kaepernick-be-in-the-new-york-jets-future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitonti Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 @RichCimini despite the qb woes, I think the oline might be a bigger issue. Do the jets have the worst one in the afce ? any1 who thinks Jets OL is worse than Jets QB is out there... looney tunes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsfan80 Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 any1 who thinks Jets OL is worse than Jets QB is out there... looney tunes Yep. We're actually about to see a really solid year out of the O-line with our zone blocking scheme. QB....not so much. No scheme can hide that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 Examining the State of the Green & White Offensive Line Heading into the 2015 Season video.. > http://www.newyorkjets.com/photos/photo-gallery/Positional-Storylines-OL/cd3cf32f-d4a1-4e6f-b4c7-312e4d56bdb2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted June 23, 2015 Author Share Posted June 23, 2015 more re our OL dept. : ~ ~ Now that the Jets have wrapped up organized team activities and minicamp, they get a break until training camp begins in late July. So this seems like a good time to take stock of their roster.Just like we did last year before training camp, we will count down the Jets' most important players for 2015. But this time around, we have expanded our list from the top six to the top 10. We'll list one player each weekday for the next two weeks."Most important" is obviously a subjective thing. Among the considerations we took into account when compiling these rankings: the player's individual skills, the value of his position on the offense or defense (all positions aren't created equal), and how doomed the Jets would be if he sustained an injury that sidelined him for a long period of time.As we mentioned last year, "best" and "most important" are two entirely different things. A team's most important player isn't always its best player. Do you agree with our rankings? Disagree? Wonder if we can even count backwards from 10? Leave your thoughts, throughout this two-week countdown, in the comments section down below. Next up is the Jets' No. 5 most important player for 2015. Let's keep it rolling with the Jets' No. 4 most important player for 2015. Name: Nick Mangold Position: Center Key stat: Mangold has missed just three games in his nine-year NFL career — one last season and two in 2011. Strengths : Well, durability, obviously. You want to have consistency at center, and Mangold has given the Jets that ever since they drafted him in the first round in 2006. He's also made six Pro Bowls,including each of the past two seasons,and was a first-team All-Pro in 2009 and 2010.Mangold had a so-so year in 2013. Pro Football Focus rated him 19th among centers, including 29th as a run blocker, though he was fourth as a pass blocker, as he did not allow a sack all year. Last year, Mangold was PFF's top-rated center, and also No. 1 in pass blocking and run blocking. He allowed one sack and just four hurries (10 fewer hurries than he surrendered in 2013). That's really impressive stuff for a player who turned 31 years old in January. Weaknesses : Yes, Mangold continues to play well into the latter stages of his career, but when does age become a concern for him? It hasn't yet, and he showed no signs of declining last year, but at what point does Mangold begin to slip? It will happen eventually, as it does to all players at some juncture past age 30. But given the type of season Mangold had in 2014, and the way he's been able to remain healthy, it's hard to nit-pick too many weaknesses in his game right now. Why he's so important : The Jets likely will be in deep trouble if Mangold has to sit for a lengthy period of time. Dalton Freeman, the current backup center, played in four games last season for a total of 111 snaps - 104 of which came in two games,after he replaced an injured Mangold. Freeman, an undrafted rookie in 2013, didn't play a single snap as a rookie. The Jets worked second-year guard Dakota Dozier (a converted tackle who didn't play at all last year) as the backup center at times during spring workouts. But he's no sure thing as a center, obviously. Bottom line: The Jets need Mangold to remain healthy and effective. > http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/06/nick_mangold_jets_most_important_player_no_4.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgb Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 any1 who thinks Jets OL is worse than Jets QB is out there... looney tunes I manlusted mightily over Schreff although who could've expected him to go before Williams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurnleyJet Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 any1 who thinks Jets OL is worse than Jets QB is out there... looney tunes Totally agree, I don't see the Jets line stinks mantra of some people, our line is fine. It's not top 5 but it's Ok. We have more depth then I can remember, albeit mostly untested. Qvale could surprise, and Dozier and Winters on the bubble for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted June 24, 2015 Author Share Posted June 24, 2015 more re our OL - ~ ~ Dozier Cross-Trains at Center Young Lineman Worked at LG & C in the Spring video.. > http://www.newyorkjets.com/videos/videos/Dozier-Cross-Trains-at-Center/89b48a8e-0abc-4be1-b94a-d4898ad60e91 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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