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Jets | Wadsworth signs

FoxJet

By FoxJet
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Untouchable

Untouchable

Posted
Posted

Could be a quality signing.

I know he's been out of the league for the better part of a decade, but he was one of the most highly touted defensive players to ever come out of college.

I can guarantee it was for the league minimum and it'll be nice to give him a shot at a comeback.

According to Max, he reportedly showed up at a chiseled 6'4 280 at his workout.

If he plays well in camp, give him a roster spot. If he sticks it up, wish him luck in the future and send him packing.

A very low risk, high reward signing.

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NY Jets Guy

NY Jets Guy

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Posted
Could be a quality signing.

I know he's been out of the league for the better part of a decade, but he was one of the most highly touted defensive players to ever come out of college.

I can guarantee it was for the league minimum and it'll be nice to give him a shot at a comeback.

According to Max, he reportedly showed up at a chiseled 6'4 280 at his workout.

If he plays well in camp, give him a roster spot. If he sticks it up, wish him luck in the future and send him packing.

A very low risk, high reward signing.

Agreed. Nice job FO, I really like the potential upside of this signing.

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Maxman

Maxman

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I am told that Andre is in INCREDIBLE shape. And that he is determined to make this work.

Oh and for those of you that missed this -- JetNation.com broke this story on March 3rd. Click here to read the "hot scoop" as it was originally reported.

Jets Confirm Andre Wadsworth Signing

wadsworth.jpgTo follow up on a story that was originally reported by JetNation.com on March 3rd, the Jets have signed free agent DL Andre Wadsworth. Click here to read the orignal story.

Andre is reported to be very excited about this second chance and has every intention of making the most of it. The Tampa Bay Bucs were also interested in signing Andre. He was impressed with the interest and faith that the Jets showed after his workout. We are told that was the reason he choose to make his comeback with the Jets.

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Barton

Barton

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Michael Haynes

Shaun Ellis

Andre Wadsworth

Dewayne Robertson

Thats 4 1st rd picks on our Dline, 2 of which were top 5 overall selections (Drob, Wadsworth).

Ellis and Haynes were each top 15 picks as well.

**PS**

You can also add Bryan Thomas to that mix, although like Wadsworth he's not a 3-4 dlineman, but an outside linebacker.

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BP

BP

Posted
Posted
I am told that Andre is in INCREDIBLE shape. And that he is determined to make this work.

Oh and for those of you that missed this -- JetNation.com broke this story on March 3rd. Click here to read the "hot scoop" as it was originally reported.

Jets Confirm Andre Wadsworth Signing

wadsworth.jpgTo follow up on a story that was originally reported by JetNation.com on March 3rd, the Jets have signed free agent DL Andre Wadsworth. Click here to read the orignal story.

Andre is reported to be very excited about this second chance and has every intention of making the most of it. The Tampa Bay Bucs were also interested in signing Andre. He was impressed with the interest and faith that the Jets showed after his workout. We are told that was the reason he choose to make his comeback with the Jets.

Well done Max!

Thanks! :sign0098:

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LionelRichie

LionelRichie

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tannenbaum was not kidding when he said the jets would look anywhere and everywhere for players. i think they gave the rugby player a tryout as well this past season. it's kind of like the waterboy meets invincible. i could see mangini trying out a 7-foot basketball player for jump balls in the end-zone - i love that these cats will do anything to get a leg up.

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Pragmatic Bus

Pragmatic Bus

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tannenbaum was not kidding when he said the jets would look anywhere and everywhere for players. i think they gave the rugby player a tryout as well this past season. it's kind of like the waterboy meets invincible. i could see mangini trying out a 7-foot basketball player for jump balls in the end-zone - i love that these cats will do anything to get a leg up.

no stone left unturned

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124

124

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I'm sure this is a very small, one year - $300,000 deal that is probably loaded with incentives that could make it a million or two so either way I like this move because if he can show 1st round talent for a few years then this will be looked back upon as a steal. We'll see what happens.

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Green Jets & Ham

Green Jets & Ham

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Andre Wadsworth probably graded out as high as Julius Peppers or Mario Williams when he entered the draft, because his size and skill was incredible, he was one of those rare BIG DE's who can fly off the edge like a smallish edge rusher, that's why he was a TOP 3 Pick {if memory serves?}

This player was not a bust, his career was derailed by injuries .. it was one serious injury after another

I don't know what comes of this move, probably nothing at all, certainly it's a longshot with the amount of time he's been away from the game, but if this player is healthy, in condition and motivated, this move was worth a shot for the short money, which I'm sure is all we paid .. low risk, high reward

Think of it this way, even if he just locks on as a situational pass rusher or an effective rotational guy this will have been a good move for chump change, and if it doesn't workout it will cost us practically nothing to say "nice try"

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madmike1

madmike1

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Posted
Andre Wadsworth probably graded out as high as Julius Peppers or Mario Williams when he entered the draft, because his size and skill was incredible, he was one of those rare BIG DE's who can fly off the edge like a smallish edge rusher, that's why he was a TOP 3 Pick {if memory serves?}

This player was not a bust, his career was derailed by injuries .. it was one serious injury after another

I don't know what comes of this move, probably nothing at all, certainly it's a longshot with the amount of time he's been away from the game, but if this player is healthy, in condition and motivated, this move was worth a shot for the short money, which I'm sure is all we paid .. low risk, high reward

Think of it this way, even if he just locks on as a situational pass rusher or an effective rotational guy this will have been a good move for chump change, and if it doesn't workout it will cost us practically nothing to say "nice try"

PS. As crazy as it sounds, I think Wadsworth is still in his late 20's .. I'm pretty sure he's not even 30 Years old yet?

He's 32.
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Jet Moses

Jet Moses

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Posted
I am told that Andre is in INCREDIBLE shape. And that he is determined to make this work.

Oh and for those of you that missed this -- JetNation.com broke this story on March 3rd. Click here to read the "hot scoop" as it was originally reported.

Jets Confirm Andre Wadsworth Signing

wadsworth.jpgTo follow up on a story that was originally reported by JetNation.com on March 3rd, the Jets have signed free agent DL Andre Wadsworth. Click here to read the orignal story.

Andre is reported to be very excited about this second chance and has every intention of making the most of it. The Tampa Bay Bucs were also interested in signing Andre. He was impressed with the interest and faith that the Jets showed after his workout. We are told that was the reason he choose to make his comeback with the Jets.

I'm gonna sue you.

Just you wait.

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Pragmatic Bus

Pragmatic Bus

Posted
Posted
i know this isnt really a major move but i like it, even though this doesnt really affect the starting lineup but why is kimo still on the team when we spent 20 mil on coleman, have hamilton and possibly wadsworth with the jets still looking to improve at DE in the draft, i just dont get why kimo is a jet

wadsworth is not a 3-4 DE more like a OLB pass rusher

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Matt39

Matt39

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Posted

The Sky's the Limit

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Five years after walking on at Florida State, Andre Wadsworth has become the most coveted defensive player in the NFL draft

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by Ivan Maisel

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Posted: Wed April 15, 1998

nfllogo.gifThe handwriting on the letter that arrived at his mother's home in Miami last Christmas Eve looked familiar, as well it should have. Five years earlier, as a high school senior taking advanced placement English at Florida Christian in Miami, Andre Wadsworth had been required to write a letter to himself, addressing his goals. Now the man he had become was about to get reacquainted with the boy he once was. His letter, which his English teacher had held on to and then mailed as promised, ran three pages, and one of his predictions was that he would be studying for an MBA in finance by now. (In fact, he is three classes short of a master's in sports administration.) The letter included just one sentence about football. The school's final game of the '92 season was a few days away, and Wadsworth, a defensive end who had received only one recruiting letter, believed his athletic career was over. "This is the last time I ever suit up for sports," he wrote.

How could anyone have known that Wadsworth, then 6'2" and 217 pounds, would grow two inches and gain 65 pounds over the next four years. Who could have foreseen that he would begin his college career as that lowest form of varsity life, a walk-on, and leave Florida State as the most coveted defensive lineman in the April 18-19 NFL draft? Barring a trade, the Arizona Cardinals are expected to take the Seminoles' All-America with the No. 3 pick. Wadsworth's talent is so well established now that the roughly 100 NFL coaches and scouts on hand for a March 17 workout at Florida State merely shrugged when he pulled his left quadriceps running the 40. "I think we all know what kind of football player he is," Kansas City Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer said.

WADSWORTH4.jpg

Wadsworth sounds too good to be true, on and off the field. (Ann States/Saba) In an NFL that continually creates new levels of specialization, Wadsworth is coveted for his versatility. As a 6'4" junior he played at 282 pounds and started at noseguard between All-America ends Peter Boulware and Reinard Wilson. As a senior Wadsworth dropped 15 pounds, shifted to left end, and combined speed and power to finish the season with only three fewer sacks than the school-record 19 Boulware had in '96. Phil Savage, the director of college scouting for the Baltimore Ravens, says Wadsworth could thrive in a 3-4 defense or a 4-3, left side or right. "He's quick and fast enough to play on the right as a rush guy, but he's strong enough to play on the left," Savage says. "He's probably, most people would say, the best defensive player in the draft," says Atlanta defensive coordinator Rich Brooks. The Steelers' college personnel director, Tom Modrak, ticked off the reasons why: "He's like a missile when he comes off the ball. He can keep his pads low and still run full speed. He's flexible, and he's around 280 pounds."

We've all heard the stories of unrecruited athletes who were fueled by the snubs of coaches and competitors. This is not one of those stories. Wadsworth had no interest in the only school that recruited him, the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and he isn't angry that other schools didn't pursue him. He jumped at the opportunity to walk on at Florida State, but he never imagined he would become an All-America. As a redshirt freshman, Wadsworth was asked to fill out a sheet of goals for strength coach Dave Van Halanger. Wadsworth wrote that he hoped to bench-press 385 pounds by his final season. (He benches 500.) He wanted to squat 450 pounds. (He squats nearly 700.) "And I wanted to start my senior year at defensive end," Wadsworth says laughing. "That was the only one [that was on the mark]."

While Wadsworth developed into a collegiate superstar, he never developed the superstar's ego. Leave it to the Charles Woodsons of the world to demand first-class airline tickets before agreeing to attend an awards banquet. "As soon as you get to [an NFL] training camp, all that ranked-high stuff goes out the window," Wadsworth says. "You've got to show it. They say I'm the best defensive end in several years. Next year there will be another guy who they say is the best."

Last year that player was Boulware, who gave up his final year of college eligibility, was drafted by Baltimore with the No. 4 pick, shifted to linebacker and became the NFL defensive rookie of the year. He and Wadsworth are as close as brothers. "I can say, for me and Andre, that if you look at us from the beginning of our time at Florida State to now, you can tell we were blessed," Boulware says.

In January, Boulware returned to Tallahassee and reclaimed his room in the house that he and Wadsworth have shared for two years. They work out together at Florida State, and both speak regularly to church groups. At least half of the Seminoles coaches are devout Christians, including Bobby Bowden, defensive ends coach Jim Gladden and Van Halanger. When they talk about how good Wadsworth is, they don't always mean on the football field. In fact, they sound like a bunch of yentas trying to arrange a marriage. In February, Bowden and Van Halanger, without prompting, expressed their belief that Wadsworth is a virgin. "I don't think Andre has been with a woman," Bowden said.

WADSWORTH2.JPG

Wadsworth's strengths are power and speed, as Florida's Danny Wuerffel learned in '96. (John Biever) Wadsworth says he is not a virgin, but in five years at Florida State he says he never had a date. Of his time in high school, he says, "I was into the world of premarital sex. You grow up. You mature. Then you do things because you know it's right. You don't care that people say you're square. If you're going to be a good example, how far are you willing to go? Is kissing a sin? Is fondling a sin? Or do you stay away from [girls] and go out and have a good time?"

Wadsworth and Boulware wear matching cloth bracelets bearing the letters WWJD—What would Jesus do? If the answer to that question isn't enough to stop temptation, they rely on each other. "Don't get caught in a buzz saw," Boulware says. "College is college. There are a lot of fine girls around here."

"In the pros, it's harder [to resist temptation]," Wadsworth speculates. "The girls are finer."

"And you have money," Boulware notes.

Wadsworth could well have pocketed some of the NFL's riches after his junior season. Although a neck injury forced him to miss two games that year, he played so well in two season-ending games against Florida (the regular-season finale and the Orange Bowl) that the NFL advisory committee told him he might be drafted in the second round. The allure of following Boulware to the NFL immediately, however, didn't match the allure of following him at Florida State. Knowing he would be moved to Boulware's slot at left end, Wadsworth wanted the spotlight that shines on a sack-happy defensive end.

After Wadsworth performed mechanically in the first 1997 fall scrimmage, though, Bowden had doubts about the switch. Are we making a mistake with [number] 85? he wrote in his notes. Gladden saw the comment and relayed the message to the player. In the next scrimmage Wadsworth had five sacks.

That was reminiscent of his first play in practice as a redshirt scout-team defensive end in '93, when he knocked starting tackle Marvin Ferrell on his rear. That season Ferrell played on a line that helped quarterback Charlie Ward win the Heisman Trophy and the Seminoles win the national championship. At most practices that starting line faced a defensive front of redshirts that featured Wadsworth and Boulware, as well as Julian Pittman and Greg Spires, both of whom are expected to be drafted. "We were a bad scout team," Boulware says. "In practice the scout team isn't supposed to go too hard, but Andre came in and tried to kill everybody."

"I was a walk-on," Wadsworth says in self-defense. "You don't want to go out there half-speed."

In the spring of '94, with a shortage of bodies inside, the Seminoles moved Wadsworth to noseguard. "Andre didn't know how to get into a three-point stance," says assistant coach Chuck Amato. "He put his knuckles instead of his fingertips on the ground." But he learned soon enough. In his first game, against Virginia in the '94 opener, Wadsworth sacked quarterback Symmion Willis, causing a fumble that set up a Florida State touchdown. By the sixth game that season, against Clemson, Wadsworth made the first of his 42 career starts.

As a sophomore he finished second on the Seminoles in tackles and made second-team All-ACC. His best season came as a senior when he had three sacks in each of Florida State's biggest conference games, against Clemson, Virginia and North Carolina.

Florida tackle Mo Collins limited Wadsworth to just two tackles in the Gators' 32-29 victory that denied Florida State a chance to play for the national championship. But in his final start as a Seminole, in the Sugar Bowl, Wadsworth had two sacks and the first interception of his career in the 31-14 defeat of Ohio State. Wadsworth benefited from some special "coaching" in that game. Boulware and Wilson were watching from the Florida State sideline, and between defensive series, Wadsworth says, "I went over to Pete and Reinard and said, 'What do I need to do now?' Pete says, 'You need to speed-rush. You haven't speed-rushed them yet.' So I speed-rushed and got a sack." With the next phase of his life about to begin, what would Wadsworth write in another letter to himself that he would not read for five years? "I'd put in ridiculous stuff," he says. "'Well, this is my fifth year in the Pro Bowl. Everyone's forgotten all about Bruce Smith and Reggie White.'" Wadsworth laughs. Of course, for a walk-on who became an All-America and an almost certain top-five NFL pick, ridiculous things have happened before.

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Maxman

Maxman

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tannenbaum was not kidding when he said the jets would look anywhere and everywhere for players. i think they gave the rugby player a tryout as well this past season. it's kind of like the waterboy meets invincible. i could see mangini trying out a 7-foot basketball player for jump balls in the end-zone - i love that these cats will do anything to get a leg up.

These guys look everywhere. Let's hope they don't go to any donut shops in Detroit. If they do we will have a moderator opening and a pretty slow offensive lineman that is useless without his tazer.

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