Savage69 Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Just returned from NFL Rookie Premiere - Met Kellen, Leon Washington, others -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I just got back from L.A. where I attended NFL Rookie Premiere, an event sponsored by Reebok, trading card companies (Topps, Upper Deck, etc.) and other sponsors. The event is organized and run by the NFLPA and Players, Inc. (the marketing arm of the Players Association). My brother-in-law works for NFLPA. Many but not all of the top draft choices were in attendance. I met Vernon Davis, Michael Huff, Mario Williams, AJ Hawk, and many others. Most days were spent at the Colesieum where the players were getting pictures for their rookie cards and signing helmets, footballs, etc. for various purposes (marketing by the sponsors, auctions for the V Foundation, displays for ESPN on-air programming, etc.). But at night is when the fun happened. Saturday night was the Players VIP Party at the Viceroy hotel in Santa Monica. About 100 people were in attendence including Kellen Clemens and Leon Washington. I introduced myself to Kellen and his lovely wife. They were just sitting at a small table near the bar eating some food from the buffet. I waited about 20 minutes and went over to say hello. Told him that I was here because my brother-in-law works for the PA and I'm just a big Jets fan and season ticket holder, not one of these corporate sponsor wanks. We spoke for about 25 minutes...HOW COOL IS THAT??? Kellen is a super guy, down to Earth and really excited about being a Jet. We spoke about Long Island a little bit, he's trying to figure out where to live and whether he should buy a place in LI given the relocation to Florham Park in 2 years. I asked him how he was feeling and he said his fibula is fine and he's 100%. He spoke about the minicamp and the upcoming practices with the veterans but basically we just chatted casually, I didn't want to grill the guy at a party that was supposed to be relaxing after a long day for the players signing stuff and answering questions at the stadium. I asked him if anyone else from the Jets was there at the party and he said Leon Washington was the only one, D'Brick and Mangold did not attend. I went over and introduced myself to Leon Washington. This is the most friendly guy I've ever met. I told him the same story I told Kellen about just being a fan and feeling lucky to be at the party. He was totally excited to be talking to someone interested and knowledgeable about the Jets. He's from Jacksonville originally and is looking forward to moving into a place near the practice facility. He said his agent and financial advisors are both from NY so they're helping him with the transition. He said numerous times that he felt blessed to be drafted and was excited about his opportunity. He hasn't met Curtis yet but he's really looking forward to it. Leon said that, like me, he was excited to be here because he wasn't a high pick and there were mostly first rounders at the party. He told me several great stories... 1. At minicamp he meets Dontrell Moore (RB UDFA from New Mexico I think). Leon says he can't believe this guy wasn't drafted since he had over 1000 yards every year in college, again saying he felt blessed to be drafted. So Leon is on the field at minicamp and runs the ball about 5 times in a row. He gets back to the huddle, leaning over and out of breath. He says "I look up at Brick and I'm like 'I need a breather'". So Leon looks over at Dontrell standing on the sideline and he taps out, calling Dontrell in to take the next few plays. Well Mangini comes storming over, "You're taking yourself out, Leon? I don't think so. Dontrell, back to the sideline. Get in the huddle Leon." Well, Leon ends up running the ball the next 15 TIMES in a row. Pretty funny. He said Mangini means business. 2. On the first day of camp Mangini had all the players taught "What it means to be a Jet" during their meetings. Leon said it was basically, "Smart, Hard-working, and Stays out of Trouble". That's what it means to be a Jet. At the end of camp a couple of days later Mangini popped his head into the individual meeting rooms and started quizzing rookies, "What does it mean to be a Jet?" And if they didn't know they were in deep trouble. I thought that was cool. 3. Back to Rookie Premiere. Leon tells me that the Players Association had an introductory meeting when the rookies first arrived in L.A., basically telling them what they had to do over the coming days, autographs, pictures, making sure they were wearing Reebok and not Nike, etc. Leon says, "I look over and see all the other rookies just listening to the guy tell us what's going on. I'm sitting there taking notes so I don't forget. I turn around and 2 rows behind me is Kellen and he's taking notes. We were the only 2 guys writing stuff down. I think we learned that at minicamp". 4. At FSU before they'd play NC State, half of their gameplan meeting was talking about how they were NOT going to run towards Mario Williams. He said that was tough because it was often Manny Lawson on the other side you'd have to face but that Williams is just so dominant and does things people don't see in the stats. I thought that was pretting interesting insight. Bottom line - I had an absolutely great time meeting these guys. We've got winners in both Kellen and Leon, I just hope they find success on the field as well. Other guys who showed up at the Players Party on Saturday night...Deacon Jones, Jeff Garcia, Shawn Merriman. I'll post pictures soon. You won't believe how short Leon is. I'm only 5'10" and I stood tall over him. By contrast, you won't believe how tiny I look next to Mario Williams...the dude is not human. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaborJet Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Did Jeff Garcia bring his playmate girlfriend? Sounds like you had fun.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joewilly Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 thanks for posting . what a great read. best of luck to both leon & kellon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawngnome o-line Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Was Leon built though, or did it seem he was just undersized all around. Because if he is 5'8 and solid as rock, its better than 5'10 and a cracked egg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage69 Posted May 22, 2006 Author Share Posted May 22, 2006 Was Leon built though, or did it seem he was just undersized all around. Because if he is 5'8 and solid as rock, its better than 5'10 and a cracked egg Is this that Old time honored which came first the Cracked Egg or the Rock question?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadetree Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 1. At minicamp he meets Dontrell Moore (RB UDFA from New Mexico I think). Leon says he can't believe this guy wasn't drafted since he had over 1000 yards every year in college, again saying he felt blessed to be drafted. So Leon is on the field at minicamp and runs the ball about 5 times in a row. He gets back to the huddle, leaning over and out of breath. He says "I look up at Brick and I'm like 'I need a breather'". So Leon looks over at Dontrell standing on the sideline and he taps out, calling Dontrell in to take the next few plays. Well Mangini comes storming over, "You're taking yourself out, Leon? I don't think so. Dontrell, back to the sideline. Get in the huddle Leon." Well, Leon ends up running the ball the next 15 TIMES in a row. Pretty funny. He said Mangini means business. . That's a Tuna move. Nice to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runnyc262 Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Very good post and informative. Hopefully we are on the right path to the Super Bowl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSJets Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 That's a Tuna move. Nice to see. Herm would have brought him a blanket and pillow on the sideline and read him a bedtime story Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxman Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 That is a great post...thanks Savage. I assume this is from Addicts? Really good stuff in there. Man if any of that is true...it is so cool to even think about. Players that are being held accountable. They are learning. It is exciting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LionelRichie Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 That is a great post...thanks Savage. I assume this is from Addicts? Really good stuff in there. Man if any of that is true...it is so cool to even think about. Players that are being held accountable. They are learning. It is exciting. i couldn't agree more. i really hope mangini works out as HC because i love the culture he is instilling here. at some point he is going to cut someone for mouthing off or getting in trouble off the field. even though it is a long rebuilding process it is exciting to witness rebuilding a franchise from the gound up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxman Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 i couldn't agree more. i really hope mangini works out as HC because i love the culture he is instilling here. at some point he is going to cut someone for mouthing off or getting in trouble off the field. even though it is a long rebuilding process it is exciting to witness rebuilding a franchise from the gound up. He cut Mawae for mouthing off. Before Mawae actually had a chance to mouth off. Gotta love the balls on Mangini (not in a ball loving kind of way). Let's hope he can get it done on Game Day!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage69 Posted May 23, 2006 Author Share Posted May 23, 2006 That is a great post...thanks Savage. I assume this is from Addicts? Really good stuff in there. Wrong as usual Maxie!! I got it from Jetstream on the JI Board but also posted it on the Addicts Board! I guess you can't mosey down to Flunkietown anymore huh?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapeCoralJetFan Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Great Post!!! If ALL the JETS have this attitude, we may definately surprise a lot of people, including JET FANS. (me included) I was originally thinking that if we won 5 or 6 games this season, we would be on track. However, after reading this post & listening to the mindset of Leon & Kellen, I am starting to feel very optimistic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joewilly Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 while its a great read, lets not get too carried away. this is the 1st i've heard of culture winning football games. I like the coaching change but am not ready to place mangini in the hall yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sperm Edwards Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 while its a great read, lets not get too carried away. this is the 1st i've heard of culture winning football games. I like the coaching change but am not ready to place mangini in the hall yet. Got to agree with joewilly here. So far Mangini seems to be doing & saying everything right. But (directly or second-hand) it is all talk & practice. Herm also said all the right things (I guess when you say everything you're bound to say some things that are right) & was supposedly this great Monday-Saturday coach but was a big zero on Sundays. We'll see the product on the field on Sundays before long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbn007 Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 We'll see the product on the field on Sundays before long. True enough. There is a lot to like about the off-season. But it all comes down to execution on Sundays. How will we respond then? That is the question. Therefore, I think any optomisim needs to be tempered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadetree Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 while its a great read, lets not get too carried away. this is the 1st i've heard of culture winning football games. I like the coaching change but am not ready to place mangini in the hall yet. Good point, joe willy. Mangini, as promising as he is, will need to prove his worth on the sidelines in the fall. While culture doesn't win football games, the right culture will win more games over a longer period of time. That's what we are all banking on this fall.....a culture that will produce prolonged success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joewilly Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 i will remain optimistic, but history has proven that jets + prolonged = agony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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