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Jets’ Catapano to get Chance at Starting Linebacker Spot


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20 minutes ago, CrazyCarl40 said:

If you think so. I just know that the sky is the limit for Mauldin while Catapano has shown flashes, but is not the prospect Mauldin is. NFL scouts agree. But you know them. 

Yeah, it's not even close as to who is more likely to be something. This Catapano at LB stuff is offseason fodder

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He looked borderline decent last year.  The problem is that he is made out of glass.  This guy gets hurt about as often as Sudfeld.

 

On 4/4/2016 at 3:03 PM, SenorGato said:

His pro day would have made him a LB prospect anyway. I thought he already was a LB, guess not. 

He was.  The Chiefs bounced him back and forth.  

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Mike Catapano’s long football journey led him to Jets

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Barbara and Mike Catapano Sr. show their pride

Barbara and Mike Catapano Sr. show their pride for son Mike, now a New York Jet, at their Bayville home. Photo Credit: Johnny Milano

 

The voice on the other end of the telephone kept talking, but Mike Catapano couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“You’re going to have to come in. And bring your playbook . . .”

 


     

It was “a numbers thing,” Catapano was told, as he stood inside his Kansas City apartment. Then came the final blow.

“We’re going to have to waive you.”

Just like that, his time with the Chiefs was over.

“My heart dropped,” the Bayville native said, recalling the September phone call from the organization that had drafted him. “I was kind of blindsided.”

But the 25-year-old refused to believe his NFL career was over. His parents, Barbara and Mike, Sr. — who, coincidentally, were in town when that dreaded call was made — had always taught him differently.

His father, once a heavily-recruited pitcher at Holy Trinity whose major-league dreams were derailed by a high school shoulder injury, had never allowed his son to believe the NFL was out of reach. And whenever doubt crept in and Catapano questioned his talent and his worth, he remembered his father’s words. “The thing he said that always stuck with me was: ‘Why can’t that be you, Mike?,’ ” said the Chaminade and Princeton alumnus.

Their tight-knit family has always believed everything happens for a reason. So now, when they think back to that phone call, the last thing they feel is regret. Instead, they count it as a blessing that paved the way for something special: a new beginning with the Jets.

“It went from being quite blindsided to almost elation in one weekend,” Barbara Catapano said by phone earlier this week in the days leading up to Sunday’s Jets-Gants game at Metlife Stadium.

But her son’s journey has been anything but easy.

Bullies tried to break his spirit. Injuries threatened to derail his college career. But none of it stopped him.

“I believe hard work trumps everything,” the Jets defensive end told Newsday, as he sat inside the Jets’ fieldhouse Thursday afternoon. “I’ve seen a lot of talented guys not get half as far as I did.”

The former small-school football player has beaten the odds. But Catapano is not at all content or comfortable.

He’s hoping his first sack of 2015 comes against Eli Manning, but not because of a Jets-Giants rivalry. It’s far more personal than that. He needs it for his family and his friends. And, most of all, himself.

“Just to ring the bell again like the old days, and feel like I’m back on top, would be really, really good for me,” he said.

DAMAGE CONTROL

Catapano’s chiseled physique and intense gaze belie the softie who resides deep inside.

But his good-naturedness once made him a target.

The bullying he endured as a boy was a “mixture of everything” — harsh words hurled in his directions, plus “there were a couple episodes . . . um, physically,” Catapano said softly, staring off into the distance. “It was enough to do some damage on me.”

It’s hard to envision this 6-4, 280-pounder with the broad shoulders and square jaw was once a shy, skinny, “super nerdy” kid who only adored school and video games. But back then, he was a sweet, naive child desperate for an identity. And the game gave him one.

“I put him in football when he was younger because he was just too nice,” his mother said. “Football really turned him into a man.”

In pads, he discovered his voice. In time, he found his assertiveness, too.

“I realized I could do stuff,” Catapano said. “I’m not just whatever these guys are saying I am. I can be somebody.”

But his path to the NFL was riddled with roadblocks.

A former fullback and linebacker at Chaminade, he played in only nine high school games because of three separate shoulder surgeries, his father said. “I felt so bad because I was hoping what happened to me didn’t happen to him,” his father said.

Catapano went to Princeton, where he became the Ivy League’s best defensive player as a senior, with 12 sacks and 15 1⁄2 tackles. In 2013, he became the first Tiger drafted in more than a decade when the Chiefs selected him in the seventh round.

He played in 15 games as a rookie, getting a sack, but spent the 2014 season on injured reserve due to a gastrointestinal-based virus and a concussion. And then, came the news he never expected.

“I wasn’t really mentally prepared for it, honestly, with how good I played in the preseason and all the feedback that I was getting,” said Catapano, who was signed to the Jets’ practice squad on Sept. 8, three days after he was released. “It’s humbling.”

Undeterred, he worked his “way up the totem pole again” on scout-team defense.

“I know what kind of player I am,” said Catapano, who is represented by Long Island-based agents Alan Herman and Jared Fox. “And not for one second did I think I wouldn’t be where I am.”

On Nov. 21, just before the Jets boarded a plane bound for Houston, Catapano was activated to the 53-man roster.

“Being the underdog and coming back,” his father said, “that’s what he thrives on.”

SPEED DEMON

Catapano’s intensity is an acquired taste for some.

“I knew that some people would maybe not agree with how hard I’m going,” said Catapano, who played 57 percent of the defensive snaps in last week’s win over the Dolphins.

So which offensive lineman did he have an issue with?

“Probably, 77. Carpenter,” he said with a smile, referring to the Jets’ starting left guard. “We joke about it now. Sometimes we still butt heads. But when I first got here, we were rattling each other a little bit.”

Catapano’s high energy has also caught the attention of a coaching staff that has been searching for more speed on the edge. “If you watch Mike in practice, he’s been really flashing,” said defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers.

The same laser-sharp focus that aided him in the classroom has helped him easily digest the Jets playbook.

“I don’t know about ‘photographic.’ But that was one thing I always excelled with in school, being able to memorize things quickly,” Catapano said. “Usually, as soon as I walk through a play once, I’ve got it . . . But there’s a lot of guys on this team that do that very well too. You don’t have to go to Princeton to be good at that.”

HOME SWEET HOME

Life has come full circle for the childhood Jets fan, who played his college home games roughly 40 miles from the team’s Florham Park, New Jersey facility.

Catapano revered Hall of Fame running back Curtis Martin and still considers Martin’s No. 28 Jets jersey — which still hangs in his closet — a prized possession.

He was enamored with Martin’s running style, but Catapano was most impressed by his character. “He was such a standup gentleman of a guy. That’s what really stuck with me,” he said.

On Sunday, he’ll have his chance to make an impact for the Jets.

“I just cant wait for the atmosphere,” he said. “That feeling of the stadium being electric.”

He still remembers the Jets-Giants preseason game he and his father attended at the old Giants Stadium. And after all these years, the snapshot of Catapano and his younger sister, April, posing with former Jets receiver Wayne Cherbet, remains a family treasure.

“It’s a mother’s dream for him to be close,” Barbara Catapano said. “ . . . I don’t think too many players have ever been able to say that they played for their hometown [team]. To be back in New Jersey, where he launched his career, is just surreal and special.”

Catapano’s childhood bedroom is just as he left it: decorated with a few pictures from his Princeton days, some motivational sayings, images of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the quote: “A smart meathead is a dangerous thing.”

“My mom keeps it like a sanctuary,” he joked.

The local boy admits he still has “a ways to go.” But in the Jets, he sees “a growing organization,” one whose head coach, Todd Bowles, evaluates players strictly on their daily performance.

And that’s all he ever wanted.

“I can only sleep when I know that I gave today everything that I had,” Catapano said. “Whether it be on the football field, whether it was at college, whether it was interning. I’m just 110 miles an hour all the time.

“And I sleep really well at night.”

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2 hours ago, SenorGato said:

Yeah, it's not even close as to who is more likely to be something. This Catapano at LB stuff is offseason fodder

No its not.  Coaches love this guy.  Think he will be a great NFL player...Not a good one a great one.   I heard this last year while he was on practice squad and posted about it here.  You guys can think what u want but I'm telling you this guy is no ordinary 7th round draft pick. All you have to do is watch him play in the Miami and Giants games.  He out played Mauldin by alot.   If he's healthy he does damage as an outside rusher. Especially dropping  from 290 to 270?  Watch out for this kid 

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3 hours ago, SenorGato said:

Yeah, it's not even close as to who is more likely to be something. This Catapano at LB stuff is offseason fodder

No one's disagreeing that Mauldin came into the NFL with more game ready chops, or that a 3rd round LB from the ACC is more likely to be on the field... 

Connor Cook is more ready to play in the NFL right now than Paxton Lynch. Some might even say he's more reliable to have success.. but find me one paid analyst or scout that says - Connor Cook has a higher ceiling... 

I don't know where the confusion is. Either you don't understand the word, or you're just fishing for disagreement.

But whatevs... I guess?

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No one is disagreeing that Catapano has a chance to be a decent role player, situational rusher, maybe even contribute on specials. He looked solid there before his serious injury, which could impact his road back to being a role player. That said, it's obvious to everyone else that Mauldin has the talent and ability to be a real force as he just scratched the surface last season. The Jets are expecting big things from him. His ceiling is obviously much higher. He has the skill set to be great. That's why he was drafted in the 3rd round and not the 7th and being cut from another team.

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3 hours ago, CrazyCarl40 said:

No one is disagreeing that Catapano has a chance to be a decent role player, situational rusher, maybe even contribute on specials. He looked solid there before his serious injury, which could impact his road back to being a role player. That said, it's obvious to everyone else that Mauldin has the talent and ability to be a real force as he just scratched the surface last season. The Jets are expecting big things from him. His ceiling is obviously much higher. He has the skill set to be great. That's why he was drafted in the 3rd round and not the 7th and being cut from another team.

Catapano was drafted in the 7th Rd because he was from a small school and had little hype going into his monster year he had going into senior season. He has 1st round measurables, had he gotten a combine invite he would have went higher.  Also they didn't need an edge rusher in KC with 30 million $ a year they spend in Houston and Hali and drafting Dee Ford in Rd 1.  Prob wish they had him now though.

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11 minutes ago, Nostradamus said:

Catapano was drafted in the 7th Rd because he was from a small school and had little hype going into his monster year he had going into senior season. He has 1st round measurables, had he gotten a combine invite he would have went higher.  Also they didn't need an edge rusher in KC with 30 million $ a year they spend in Houston and Hali and drafting Dee Ford in Rd 1.  Prob wish they had him now though.

Carson Wentz is going to be a first round pick and he's from an even smaller school. If Catapano was as good as you say, he would have been drafted sooner and not cut after one season and then out of the league for a year.

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On April 6, 2016 at 0:30 PM, CrazyCarl40 said:

Carson Wentz is going to be a first round pick and he's from an even smaller school. If Catapano was as good as you say, he would have been drafted sooner and not cut after one season and then out of the league for a year.

well we can agree to disagree....because i disagree on many levels. 

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19 hours ago, CrazyCarl40 said:

Well you're welcome to articulate those disagreements. Unless you can't. 

   On April 6, 2016 at 0:30 PM,  CrazyCarl40 said: 

"Carson Wentz is going to be a first round pick and he's from an even smaller school. If Catapano was as good as you say, he would have been drafted sooner and not cut after one season and then out of the league for a year."

I can....it was more like i didn't feel the need to.

But since you called me out on it, ill give you 6 reasons you may be wrong on Catapano not being a surprise player in 2016...

#1 Carson Wentz is a QB (so hardly a good comparison on that alone), and besides Wentz had lite it up his Junior year and was fully on the draft radar coming into his senior season.  Catapano was a late bloomer exploding his senior year and was NOT on the draft radar prior to that (therefore he got snubbed out of a combine invite due to limited spots for small school guys already not predetermined to have a slot going in).   Had Catapano have been invited to Combine he would've had 1ST ROUND combined measurables (JJ Watt type numbers) to go along with an incredible performance his draft stock would've been higher.  

#3 Catapano killed it East West Shrine week against NFL competition, his coach (former NFL coach Gerry Glanville) called him "the best defensive end he had on his roster".  No negative reports and no reason to indicate he didn't have the talent to succeed on NFL level.  Was a projected 4th rd pick but KC got him cheap with the first pick of rd 7.

#4  KC drafted him as a pass rushing OLB but for some reason decided to use him as an inside rusher and asked him to gain 20 lbs and play in a new position (which is ridiculous)....where he did very well anyway when given the opportunity to play.  As he continued to do this past year (his 3rd year in KC) in preseason seeing more snaps than any other KC player and being ranked as the #5 DE in the 2015 NFL preseason by PFF.  

#5 Catapano was NOT cut after one season as you stated...he saw limited playing time his rookie season but did very well when he did play, missed his 2nd season with a gastrointestinal virus which landed him on IR for his 2nd season.  in his 3rd year in the league was released by KC in final round of cuts in a surprise move due to his preseason success.  Andy Reid said despite his talent and good play in the preseason they needed him as an interior lineman and they felt he was not a good fit for them as an interior lineman and released him.   It was later stated that the KC staff felt Catapano was more of a play maker than a guy to clog holes for the playmakers that they needed with Houston, Hali and 1st rd pick Dee Ford waiting in the wings in that position.

#6  The Jets were the first team Catapano visited after being cut by KC and really impressed Jets coaches with his tryout which included him running a ridiculous 4.79 weighing 290 lbs (and that means RAW, with no preparation for a 40 test!).   He was encouraged by the Jets staff to stay and cancel his other scheduled visits that week with Chicago and Green Bay to sign with the Jets.  Reports I heard out of practice (several weeks before being called up) were that Catapano was steadily killing it in drills and live play.  When finally being called up to main roster he started immediately in passing downs as a rusher and did an awesome job in the 2 games he played before getting injured.  Had successful surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.  Catapano is slotted to start opposite Mauldin at OLB in 2016 weighing over 20 lbs less back at his natural position where all indications were he could be a break out player.  If he stays healthy this is a player to watch for and these reasons I mentioned.   You can feel free to disagree and tell me your counter....but this is why i think he could be a pleasant surprise in 2016 and at a position of great need.  

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