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Why the Jets Should Change Jermaine Johnson's Position

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LIJetsFan

LIJetsFan

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(note by OP: somewhat of an interesting take except for his 5th round grade the last sentence which taint the entire article) 

Why the Jets Should Change Jermaine Johnson's Position

This former scout thinks Jermaine Johnson needs to change positions in order to be an impactful defender going forward.

DANIEL KELLY 16 HOURS AGO 

Several rookies shined for the Jets, but first-round pick Jermaine Johnson wasn't one of them.

Johnson, who was the third of three first-round picks for New York in the 2022 NFL Draft (No. 26 overall) got selected after the team took cornerback Ahmad Gardner (No. 4) and wide receiver Garrett Wilson (No. 10).

Gardner was recently named as the Defensive Rookie of the Year and Wilson was named as the Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America.

What happened to Johnson?

To make a long story short, he never materialized.

Johnson battled injuries for a spell, and played in 14 games while logging a 27.42% defensive snap count.

His special teams snap count was almost as high at 23.70%.

Anytime you see a first-round defender playing almost as much on special teams as his regular defensive position, this is a very bad sign.

The low defensive snap count additionally reveals his coaches didn't see enough out of Johnson in practice or the games, to push those in front of him on the depth chart for the rookie to have more playing time.

Johnson finished the season with 29 tackles (18 solo, 11 assists) and 2.5 sacks.

What do these stats tell us?

Johnson's stats further reflect why he had such low snap count, and his stats say he's not doing enough of what the Jets drafted him to do, which is get to the quarterback.

This is no surprise to me, as I had a 2022 documented pre-draft fifth-round grade on Johnson. His college game film revealed to me that he lacked the power, bend and pass rush moves it would take to become a dominant edge rusher in the National Football League.

Johnson looked like a very vanilla pass rusher at Florida State.

However, the two things he had going for him on game film were his hustle and effort, and that's in fact how he made it from Last Chance U to where he is today.

It is also that hustle and effort that caused him to make that spectacular sack of Buffalo's quarterback Josh Allen, that everyone still loves to reminisce about.

Allen was rolling out to Johnson's side and after Johnson managed to get off his block, he raced out and tripped up the Bills' dynamic passer for a sack.

It was a huge play and it was the thing highlights are made of.

While it was only one play, it showed something very telling. That one play illustrated what Johnson's capabilities are when he doesn't have an offensive lineman right in his face to deal with.

Should the Jets explore moving Johnson to outside linebacker?

From a scouting standpoint, in terms of raw characteristics, the move makes sense and it plays more to Johnson's strengths.

It may also become a move New York will have to make out of necessity.

There is little chance the Jets will be able to afford to bring back their second-leading tackler these past two seasons: free agent, Quincy WIlliams.

With the distinct possibility of losing him, sliding a raw dynamic athlete who excels at making plays in space sounds more appealing by the second.

What's the alternative?

Another season of low snap count and sack production for Johnson, as he continues to flounder on the edge?

As an evaluator, I believe moving Johnson to outside linebacker would be extremely beneficial to both him and to the team.

If not, there is a very strong chance Johnson becomes a bust. 

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LIJetsFan
LIJetsFan

(note by OP: somewhat of an interesting take except for his 5th round grade the last sentence which taint the entire article)  Why the Jets Should Change Jermaine Johnson's Position This for

Larz
Larz

He was very good against the run and had a great win % vs sewell. Kid can play. I’m not worried 

bla bla bla
bla bla bla

JJ just turned 24 years old 3 weeks ago

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32EBoozer

32EBoozer

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Posted

This stooge can’t even wait one offseason to tag JJ as a bust. Couldn’t give him one offseason in the weight room to gain strength & speed which will help him move the OLmen he faces. Author also fails to address Saleh’s rotational pass rush mantra to keep players fresh. JJ was a rotational player in ‘22. Heck, even Q only played 

Lawson, who will be gone or renegotiated this season, played 58%, Clemons 27%. It’s a rotation. I like JJ as a person and as a player. I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt off his rookie season.
 

image.thumb.png.2595310fbd181dc84bcb101130e7bea0.png

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Jet Nut

Jet Nut

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2 hours ago, 32EBoozer said:

This stooge can’t even wait one offseason to tag JJ as a bust. Couldn’t give him one offseason in the weight room to gain strength & speed which will help him move the OLmen he faces. Author also fails to address Saleh’s rotational pass rush mantra to keep players fresh. JJ was a rotational player in ‘22. Heck, even Q only played 

Lawson, who will be gone or renegotiated this season, played 58%, Clemons 27%. It’s a rotation. I like JJ as a person and as a player. I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt off his rookie season.
 

image.thumb.png.2595310fbd181dc84bcb101130e7bea0.png

He trashed him when he was picked.

This is the so called ex Jet scout who hates most of our picks, there’s no in between

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JetsAddict

JetsAddict

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8 minutes ago, Larz said:

He was very good against the run and had a great win % vs sewell. Kid can play. I’m not worried 

Yea but JJ is already 25 years old. I agree with Kelly that he’s probably not going to be the dominant pass rusher the Jets expected when he was drafted. 

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Integrity28

Integrity28

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11 minutes ago, Larz said:

He was very good against the run and had a great win % vs sewell. Kid can play. I’m not worried 

Same.

Plus, we don’t exactly have a strong track record for drafting a player at X and changing their position to Y.

More than half the guys we draft cannot even be developed at the position they came into the league at.

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JetsAddict

JetsAddict

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1 minute ago, bla bla bla said:

I wouldn't consider this a down year for JJ. It was a year that allowed us to bring a rookie along like we should  slowly. We let Lawson and JFM get the lion share of reps. JJ, Clemons, Huff and JFM is a solid rotation moving forward.

If Johnson was 22 his year would be fine. At 25 I was expecting more. Never into drafting older rookies (big Mike McCagnan move)

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Sammybighead

Sammybighead

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25 minutes ago, JetsAddict said:

Yea but JJ is already 25 years old. I agree with Kelly that he’s probably not going to be the dominant pass rusher the Jets expected when he was drafted. 

I looked at jj pre-draft and saw calvin pace. Taking him at 4 or 10 with the guys that were on the board would have been a mistake. But at 26? I think at that spot he'll be an excellent value. He's already great against the run, check the metrics. People put zero value against setting the edge when it's critically important. That's why Hutchinson is so good, it's not the sacks, it's the sacks combined with the fact you can't run around him. You have to give him a chance to develop past his rookie year to see if the sacks will come. It's ridiculously unfair to say a guy has no shot after 1 year and should change position. I still think he's an 8-10 sack guy with superb quality against the run. That would make him a great pick at the tail end of round 1.

Can we stop posting articles by Daniel Kelly? Dude has a vendetta. And i don't care he posted articles about the Jets should take sauce and gw. I thought sauce pre-draft had a chance to be the best overall player in the draft and I'm just an idiot fan with no scouting experience. GW was consensus best wr in the draft. He doesn't deserve credit for calling out obvious stuff. 

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Smashmouth

Smashmouth

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1 hour ago, LIJetsFan said:

(note by OP: somewhat in interesting take except for his 5th round grade the last sentence which taint the entire article) 

Why the Jets Should Change Jermaine Johnson's Position

This former scout thinks Jermaine Johnson needs to change positions in order to be an impactful defender going forward.

DANIEL KELLY 16 HOURS AGO 

Several rookies shined for the Jets, but first-round pick Jermaine Johnson wasn't one of them.

Johnson, who was the third of three first-round picks for New York in the 2022 NFL Draft (No. 26 overall) got selected after the team took cornerback Ahmad Gardner (No. 4) and wide receiver Garrett Wilson (No. 10).

Gardner was recently named as the Defensive Rookie of the Year and Wilson was named as the Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America.

What happened to Johnson?

To make a long story short, he never materialized.

Johnson battled injuries for a spell, and played in 14 games while logging a 27.42% defensive snap count.

His special teams snap count was almost as high at 23.70%.

Anytime you see a first-round defender playing almost as much on special teams as his regular defensive position, this is a very bad sign.

The low defensive snap count additionally reveals his coaches didn't see enough out of Johnson in practice or the games, to push those in front of him on the depth chart for the rookie to have more playing time.

Johnson finished the season with 29 tackles (18 solo, 11 assists) and 2.5 sacks.

What do these stats tell us?

Johnson's stats further reflect why he had such low snap count, and his stats say he's not doing enough of what the Jets drafted him to do, which is get to the quarterback.

This is no surprise to me, as I had a 2022 documented pre-draft fifth-round grade on Johnson. His college game film revealed to me that he lacked the power, bend and pass rush moves it would take to become a dominant edge rusher in the National Football League.

Johnson looked like a very vanilla pass rusher at Florida State.

However, the two things he had going for him on game film were his hustle and effort, and that's in fact how he made it from Last Chance U to where he is today.

It is also that hustle and effort that caused him to make that spectacular sack of Buffalo's quarterback Josh Allen, that everyone still loves to reminisce about.

Allen was rolling out to Johnson's side and after Johnson managed to get off his block, he raced out and tripped up the Bills' dynamic passer for a sack.

It was a huge play and it was the thing highlights are made of.

While it was only one play, it showed something very telling. That one play illustrated what Johnson's capabilities are when he doesn't have an offensive lineman right in his face to deal with.

Should the Jets explore moving Johnson to outside linebacker?

From a scouting standpoint, in terms of raw characteristics, the move makes sense and it plays more to Johnson's strengths.

It may also become a move New York will have to make out of necessity.

There is little chance the Jets will be able to afford to bring back their second-leading tackler these past two seasons: free agent, Quincy WIlliams.

With the distinct possibility of losing him, sliding a raw dynamic athlete who excels at making plays in space sounds more appealing by the second.

What's the alternative?

Another season of low snap count and sack production for Johnson, as he continues to flounder on the edge?

As an evaluator, I believe moving Johnson to outside linebacker would be extremely beneficial to both him and to the team.

If not, there is a very strong chance Johnson becomes a bust. 

I said this last year when we drafted him 

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the Claw

the Claw

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He was never supposed to be a highly bendy pass-rush specialist. Not once throughout the draft season last year did I think JJ was going to light the league on fire with his rush. He’s not that player, and he shouldn’t be criticized for this guy’s inability to see that. 

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Dcat

Dcat

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People on this forum need to stop posting stuff by Daniel Kelly.  Here is just one reason why:

Daniel Kelly: Aaron Hernandez - One Of The Greatest Preachers Of Our Time - John 3:16

 

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  Admin 
Daniel Kelly: Aaron Hernandez - One Of The Greatest Preachers Of Our Time - John 3:16

- I’m going to come out and say it, Aaron Hernandez is one of the greatest preachers of our time.

 

Just the mention of his name brings something out of people. It invokes judgement. It invokes all sorts of emotions. There’s no grey area with Aaron and I think that’s what his life demands, it demands us to get off the fence. It demands us to get off the fence about homosexuality. It demands us to get off the fence about sin. It demands us to get off the fence about suicide. It demands us to get off the fence about grace. It demands us to get off the fence about forgiveness. It demands us to get off the fence about Jesus Christ.

You are about to read something that will penetrate your soul every bit as much as did Aaron Hernandez’s infectious smile, which is now frozen in time. His meteoric rise was just as fast as his meteoric fall. From the first time I saw Aaron play ball at the University of Florida, he immediately jumped off the screen at me, just as did his teammate, Tim Tebow. Ironically, Tim wore “John 3:16” eye black in college and it was Aaron who, years later, would use that same scripture as his parting shot to the world.

I’m going to come out and say it, Aaron Hernandez is one of the greatest preachers of our time.
I’m going to just let that line sit there all by itself. I’m going to let that line really sink in. I’m going to let that line bring out of you what it brings out of you. I’m going to let that line perhaps really piss you off. I’ve been taught by my wife Samantha that when things come out of me, they were in me way before I met her four years ago. Sure, maybe she did or said something that brought out my anger and my rage, but really that was already inside of me. So, what is it really about Aaron Hernandez that does what it does within you? Forget Aaron for a moment. Aaron is just a fill in the blank that’s drawing things out of you. Aaron is just an excuse. He’s an easy target. What’s really inside of you that’s causing you to feel the way you feel at the mention of his name?

Who is this nut who is writing this article? What makes me qualified to say what I am saying? For starters, Aaron and I have someone in common, the greatest and most successful coach in the history of the National Football League, New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick. My interview for a job in pro scouting with the New York Jets came down to me sitting across from Bill Belichick, looking him in the eyes and me convincing him to hire me and of course, Aaron, was drafted by him to play tight end for the Patriots after I worked with Coach Belichick.

From past articles I’ve written, I can imagine most of you are looking for the comments section of the article by now so you can rip me a new one. You are probably all chomping at the bit to spit venom at me on your keyboard. I bet you are dying to take an ax and chop at my resume. I bet you are going to say something vile about the book I wrote, which just happens to be the most controversial book in all professional sports. I bet you can’t wait to verbally rip me to shreds.

Keep reading.

I found out this past week when my wife, Samantha, tried to order me a #81 Aaron Hernandez jersey from the New England Patriots website and that the sale of his jersey is banned in America. They refunded the $140 she spent trying to get me the jersey I wanted to wear. That’s okay, just like Belichick, I too can find a way around the NFL and ordered four different ones from another country for about half of what one would have cost from the Patriots store online. I can’t wait to wear my #81 HERNANDEZ jerseys around town. I can’t wait to represent his name. I can’t wait to tell people my side of the story. I can’t wait to tell people I think he is one of the greatest evangelists of our time and how he has preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ more powerfully than all the windbags who hide behind their theology degrees on any given Sunday.

If you think you have heard or read everything you ever could read about Aaron Hernandez please don’t stop reading because you are about to hear the side of the story that nobody else dares to run, a side of the story that I had to go outside the United States of America to find someone bold enough to run with this.

Aaron Hernandez is only the third person I’ve had the privilege of writing their eulogy. The other two were my daughter, who died of cancer at the age of two and the other was my Grandma, who I was closest to. I pray that someday Aaron’s daughter Avielle gets the chance to read this in her quest to know, really know who her daddy was.

To me, Aaron Hernandez was one of the most polarizing people I have seen in my lifetime. I had to opportunity to evaluate Aaron when he was a Senior at Florida and let me tell you, he had Hall of Fame type talent. He was a fleet and graceful wide receiver in a tight ends body. He was in the mold of a Tony Gonzalez or a Visante Shiancoe. Needless to say, Linebackers were a mismatch in coverage. He went up the seams effortlessly and his receptions were sometimes acrobatic, even breath taking. He only lasted until the 4th round coming out of the University of Florida because of off the field concerns. To me, he should have gone in the top five in the 1st round. When he got to New England and was paired up with the Gronk and it wasn’t even fair to opposing teams. However, there is so much more to Aaron Hernandez than what he did on the field. Football is what Aaron was gifted and blessed to do, but it was not who Aaron was.

By all accounts, Aaron seemed to be very conflicted between what he was raised to become and what he was trying to find. Did he make mistake of killing that man? Sure, that’s well documented. But, trust you and me, I’m not going to be the one to cast the first stone. My skeletons don’t even fit in my closet. If you want to read up on everything that happened off the field, there are pages of it online to riffle and sort through and all that leads to is judgement. I’m here to talk about something much more important. Something, that can actually make us all think and maybe re-think how we think. After all, this is not just another article about sports that’s as lasting as footprints in the sand.

Aaron was poetically, a receiver. He received being sexually abused for years as a child by an older child. He received watching his mom being violently abused from what the accounts read. He received a scholarship to the University of Florida and he received a five-year, $40 million-dollar contract from the New England Patriots. He also received a life sentence after being convicted of murder. However, his final catch was by far, his finest.

It looks to me as a scout and as an evaluator, all things considered, it looks like Aaron Hernandez received grace. It looks like Aaron Hernandez received love. It looks like Aaron Hernandez received forgiveness and yes, it looks like Aaron Hernandez received redemption. He found things that the world could not and did not offer him and he found something man’s system of Old Testament Christianity could not offer him in America’s failed justice system that demands “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” It’s a justice system that reforms nobody and a justice system that does nothing to change the past. When I think of Aaron Hernandez, I liken him to a modern-day thief on the cross hanging next to Jesus. In Luke 23:39-43 NIV “One of the criminals who hung their hurled insults at him, “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?” We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

In the end, in that prison cell he hung himself in, Aaron Hernandez found something worth betting his life on that football, millions of dollars and fame could not offer him. He found something he had been looking his entire life for. He found love. He found acceptance for who he really was. Let’s remember, he wasn’t on death row. He could have easily lived another fifty, sixty, seventy years behind bars. The argument is made, “Wouldn’t it been better if he would have chosen to live and he could have evangelized and told inmates about this Jesus?” As any receiver knows you don’t stop running after you catch the ball, no, you run for the end zone and that my friends, is what Aaron Hernandez did. He ran towards the eternal end zone. He ran with everything he had into his Lord and Savior’s arms and threw himself into the mercy of God. I admire the hell out of anyone who bets their life on what they believe. That’s what Aaron did. He bet his life on what he believed in. He saved the best for last and that’s what I will remember Aaron Hernandez for, I’ll remember him best for his parting message to me and to the rest of this world.

It was graphic and it was raw. Aaron Hernandez was hanging naked and lifeless in his prison cell. When prison guards found him, Aaron had written “JOHN 3:16” in red pen on his forehead. He had marked “JOHN 3:16” with a blotch of his own blood in his Bible that lie beside him. He had written “JOHN 3:16” in blood on the wall of his cell.

John 3:16 reads in the NIV Bible, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and Only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Notice it says, “whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound too discriminating. In fact, it doesn’t sound discriminating at all. It doesn’t say anything about homosexuals or murderers or bi-sexuals being counted out. It says, “that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Whoever. You, me, the guy at the grocery store. Whoever. Furthermore, it says, “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and Only Son.” It doesn’t say, “For God so loved only straights or for God so loved only those who didn’t commit crimes.”

Just like his star-crossed teammate, Tim Tebow, two different lives, but the same message. Just about everyone likes to remember Aaron Hernandez as a murderer, but I’d like to challenge you to think of John 3:16 when you hear, see or think of his name. That’s the way I am going to remember him and by remembering him this way it reminds me there is hope for me too.

Aaron Hernandez, John 3:16.
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#27TheDominator

#27TheDominator

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45 minutes ago, BurntDice said:

Personally I liked karlaftis more coming out, but JJ still seems like he can be a solid well rounded edge. I don’t see a dominant pass rusher though 

I can agree with this.  If they were just looking for a pass rusher.  They were looking for a 3 down DE.  Maybe somebody that could let them cut Lawson and save some money.  They already had Bryce Huff for DPR.  I think Johnson looks a little stiff to drop back into coverage regularly.

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freestater

freestater

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Posted
11 minutes ago, Dcat said:

People on this forum need to stop posting stuff by Daniel Kelly.  Here is just one reason why:

Daniel Kelly: Aaron Hernandez - One Of The Greatest Preachers Of Our Time - John 3:16

 

 SHARE:

 
 
 
 
 
  Admin 
Daniel Kelly: Aaron Hernandez - One Of The Greatest Preachers Of Our Time - John 3:16

- I’m going to come out and say it, Aaron Hernandez is one of the greatest preachers of our time.

 

Just the mention of his name brings something out of people. It invokes judgement. It invokes all sorts of emotions. There’s no grey area with Aaron and I think that’s what his life demands, it demands us to get off the fence. It demands us to get off the fence about homosexuality. It demands us to get off the fence about sin. It demands us to get off the fence about suicide. It demands us to get off the fence about grace. It demands us to get off the fence about forgiveness. It demands us to get off the fence about Jesus Christ.

You are about to read something that will penetrate your soul every bit as much as did Aaron Hernandez’s infectious smile, which is now frozen in time. His meteoric rise was just as fast as his meteoric fall. From the first time I saw Aaron play ball at the University of Florida, he immediately jumped off the screen at me, just as did his teammate, Tim Tebow. Ironically, Tim wore “John 3:16” eye black in college and it was Aaron who, years later, would use that same scripture as his parting shot to the world.

I’m going to come out and say it, Aaron Hernandez is one of the greatest preachers of our time.
I’m going to just let that line sit there all by itself. I’m going to let that line really sink in. I’m going to let that line bring out of you what it brings out of you. I’m going to let that line perhaps really piss you off. I’ve been taught by my wife Samantha that when things come out of me, they were in me way before I met her four years ago. Sure, maybe she did or said something that brought out my anger and my rage, but really that was already inside of me. So, what is it really about Aaron Hernandez that does what it does within you? Forget Aaron for a moment. Aaron is just a fill in the blank that’s drawing things out of you. Aaron is just an excuse. He’s an easy target. What’s really inside of you that’s causing you to feel the way you feel at the mention of his name?

Who is this nut who is writing this article? What makes me qualified to say what I am saying? For starters, Aaron and I have someone in common, the greatest and most successful coach in the history of the National Football League, New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick. My interview for a job in pro scouting with the New York Jets came down to me sitting across from Bill Belichick, looking him in the eyes and me convincing him to hire me and of course, Aaron, was drafted by him to play tight end for the Patriots after I worked with Coach Belichick.

From past articles I’ve written, I can imagine most of you are looking for the comments section of the article by now so you can rip me a new one. You are probably all chomping at the bit to spit venom at me on your keyboard. I bet you are dying to take an ax and chop at my resume. I bet you are going to say something vile about the book I wrote, which just happens to be the most controversial book in all professional sports. I bet you can’t wait to verbally rip me to shreds.

Keep reading.

I found out this past week when my wife, Samantha, tried to order me a #81 Aaron Hernandez jersey from the New England Patriots website and that the sale of his jersey is banned in America. They refunded the $140 she spent trying to get me the jersey I wanted to wear. That’s okay, just like Belichick, I too can find a way around the NFL and ordered four different ones from another country for about half of what one would have cost from the Patriots store online. I can’t wait to wear my #81 HERNANDEZ jerseys around town. I can’t wait to represent his name. I can’t wait to tell people my side of the story. I can’t wait to tell people I think he is one of the greatest evangelists of our time and how he has preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ more powerfully than all the windbags who hide behind their theology degrees on any given Sunday.

If you think you have heard or read everything you ever could read about Aaron Hernandez please don’t stop reading because you are about to hear the side of the story that nobody else dares to run, a side of the story that I had to go outside the United States of America to find someone bold enough to run with this.

Aaron Hernandez is only the third person I’ve had the privilege of writing their eulogy. The other two were my daughter, who died of cancer at the age of two and the other was my Grandma, who I was closest to. I pray that someday Aaron’s daughter Avielle gets the chance to read this in her quest to know, really know who her daddy was.

To me, Aaron Hernandez was one of the most polarizing people I have seen in my lifetime. I had to opportunity to evaluate Aaron when he was a Senior at Florida and let me tell you, he had Hall of Fame type talent. He was a fleet and graceful wide receiver in a tight ends body. He was in the mold of a Tony Gonzalez or a Visante Shiancoe. Needless to say, Linebackers were a mismatch in coverage. He went up the seams effortlessly and his receptions were sometimes acrobatic, even breath taking. He only lasted until the 4th round coming out of the University of Florida because of off the field concerns. To me, he should have gone in the top five in the 1st round. When he got to New England and was paired up with the Gronk and it wasn’t even fair to opposing teams. However, there is so much more to Aaron Hernandez than what he did on the field. Football is what Aaron was gifted and blessed to do, but it was not who Aaron was.

By all accounts, Aaron seemed to be very conflicted between what he was raised to become and what he was trying to find. Did he make mistake of killing that man? Sure, that’s well documented. But, trust you and me, I’m not going to be the one to cast the first stone. My skeletons don’t even fit in my closet. If you want to read up on everything that happened off the field, there are pages of it online to riffle and sort through and all that leads to is judgement. I’m here to talk about something much more important. Something, that can actually make us all think and maybe re-think how we think. After all, this is not just another article about sports that’s as lasting as footprints in the sand.

Aaron was poetically, a receiver. He received being sexually abused for years as a child by an older child. He received watching his mom being violently abused from what the accounts read. He received a scholarship to the University of Florida and he received a five-year, $40 million-dollar contract from the New England Patriots. He also received a life sentence after being convicted of murder. However, his final catch was by far, his finest.

It looks to me as a scout and as an evaluator, all things considered, it looks like Aaron Hernandez received grace. It looks like Aaron Hernandez received love. It looks like Aaron Hernandez received forgiveness and yes, it looks like Aaron Hernandez received redemption. He found things that the world could not and did not offer him and he found something man’s system of Old Testament Christianity could not offer him in America’s failed justice system that demands “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” It’s a justice system that reforms nobody and a justice system that does nothing to change the past. When I think of Aaron Hernandez, I liken him to a modern-day thief on the cross hanging next to Jesus. In Luke 23:39-43 NIV “One of the criminals who hung their hurled insults at him, “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?” We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

In the end, in that prison cell he hung himself in, Aaron Hernandez found something worth betting his life on that football, millions of dollars and fame could not offer him. He found something he had been looking his entire life for. He found love. He found acceptance for who he really was. Let’s remember, he wasn’t on death row. He could have easily lived another fifty, sixty, seventy years behind bars. The argument is made, “Wouldn’t it been better if he would have chosen to live and he could have evangelized and told inmates about this Jesus?” As any receiver knows you don’t stop running after you catch the ball, no, you run for the end zone and that my friends, is what Aaron Hernandez did. He ran towards the eternal end zone. He ran with everything he had into his Lord and Savior’s arms and threw himself into the mercy of God. I admire the hell out of anyone who bets their life on what they believe. That’s what Aaron did. He bet his life on what he believed in. He saved the best for last and that’s what I will remember Aaron Hernandez for, I’ll remember him best for his parting message to me and to the rest of this world.

It was graphic and it was raw. Aaron Hernandez was hanging naked and lifeless in his prison cell. When prison guards found him, Aaron had written “JOHN 3:16” in red pen on his forehead. He had marked “JOHN 3:16” with a blotch of his own blood in his Bible that lie beside him. He had written “JOHN 3:16” in blood on the wall of his cell.

John 3:16 reads in the NIV Bible, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and Only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Notice it says, “whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound too discriminating. In fact, it doesn’t sound discriminating at all. It doesn’t say anything about homosexuals or murderers or bi-sexuals being counted out. It says, “that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Whoever. You, me, the guy at the grocery store. Whoever. Furthermore, it says, “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and Only Son.” It doesn’t say, “For God so loved only straights or for God so loved only those who didn’t commit crimes.”

Just like his star-crossed teammate, Tim Tebow, two different lives, but the same message. Just about everyone likes to remember Aaron Hernandez as a murderer, but I’d like to challenge you to think of John 3:16 when you hear, see or think of his name. That’s the way I am going to remember him and by remembering him this way it reminds me there is hope for me too.

Aaron Hernandez, John 3:16.

Holy **** that has to be the most disturbing lack of ability to perceive reality that I've ever seen.

And I'm a Jets fan. 

  • Haha 2
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