Jets | Wadsworth signs

[will]

Only black and whites

[Maxman]

I'm gonna sue you.

Just you wait.

Regarding the Wadsworth story I was told, "I don't need any of your hot scoops". LOL.

Have to be honest. It feels good. We reported this on 3/3. Randy Lange wrote about it the next day in the paper because of our article. Hell he works for the Jets now and he didn't even have it when we did!

It is a good day for JetNation! More importantly though -- Andre represents something so much bigger for all of us Jets fans. He represents a new regime that thinks outside the box. Some people laughed when this was reported. These guys don't care about that. If he can get to the QB -- that is their only concern!

Good luck Andre.

[Thai Jet]

The Sky's the Limit

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

by Ivan Maisel

Posted: Wed April 15, 1998

The 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.

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.

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

[Thai Jet]

Regarding the Wadsworth story I was told, "I don't need any of your hot scoops". LOL.

Have to be honest. It feels good. We reported this on 3/3. Randy Lange wrote about it the next day in the paper because of our article. Hell he works for the Jets now and he didn't even have it when we did!

It is a good day for JetNation! More importantly though -- Andre represents something so much bigger for all of us Jets fans. He represents a new regime that thinks outside the box. Some people laughed when this was reported. These guys don't care about that. If he can get to the QB -- that is their only concern!

Good luck Andre.

Nice work Max. Nothing but upside with this deal.

[bitonti]

here's the way I see it

of the following 3-4 DE names, only 1 (maybe 2) will be on the 53 man:

B Hamilton

A Wadsworth

M Haynes

the only way i could see 2 is if Haynes and Wadsworth play like men possessed, that would endanger Kimo's spot (paid too much to be cut)

[Barton]

here's the way I see it

of the following 3-4 DE names, only 1 (maybe 2) will be on the 53 man:

B Hamilton

A Wadsworth

M Haynes

the only way i could see 2 is if Haynes and Wadsworth play like men possessed, that would endanger Kimo's spot (paid too much to be cut)

I doubt wadsworth would play 3-4 DE, prob OLB.

[124]

Wadsworth is coming in at 6'4, 275ish to become a 34 pass rushing OLB, not a 34 DE. I still do think that the Jets will not be carrying 5 DE's which means either Kimo, Haynes or Hamilton will be gone by September 9th.

[mbn007]

Are we signing Bowen also? Along with Haynes, Coleman, Andre, Kimo, Ellis and Hamilton, we sure are stacking up on DEs.

Maybe the plan is to line up a Haynes or an Andre at OLB opposite Thomas, slide Hobson inside next to Vilma?

[madmike1]

Wadsworth is coming in at 6'4, 275ish to become a 34 pass rushing OLB, not a 34 DE. I still do think that the Jets will not be carrying 5 DE's which means either Kimo, Haynes or Hamilton will be gone by September 9th.

Maybe they want to have the option of playing 43 at certain times to stop the run...

[bitonti]

Wadsworth is coming in at 6'4, 275ish to become a 34 pass rushing OLB, not a 34 DE.

he's coming in at 285, that's a DT body. He was a DT/DE coming out of school, that's where he plays. 3-4 OLB are 250-260 not usually much more than that. They can be 270 if they are Shawne Merriman and run a 4.6. I think they want to use Wadsworth in that DE rotation. Anyone who tore their achilles during rehab for another injury and has been out of football for 6 years is by definition a long shot to make the team.

[crashingjet]

Congratulations. You just signed a 32 year old DL who has not played football since the turn of the century and has bad knees. There's a reason the #3 overall pick fades away... He's not any good.

I can't believe this thread has over 40 replies of people creaming over this signing. Give me strength.

[SoFlaJets]

Some people come into their own a little later in life-not every kid has to be that great or is going to be at 22-23-some take a few years longer.Early 30's is NOT old especially for a guy who is keeping himself in shape-the Jets brass knows something and has heard a LOT I'm sure and their medical team is top notch-best to Andre

[Stonehands]

Can't believe people are liking the Wadsworth signing more than the Haynes signing. Haynes will be a player for us, Wadsworth will retire during training camp.

[madmike1]

Congratulations. You just signed a 32 year old DL who has not played football since the turn of the century and has bad knees. There's a reason the #3 overall pick fades away... He's not any good.

I can't believe this thread has over 40 replies of people creaming over this signing. Give me strength.

I'm not saying he's gonna be great for the jets but the reason he was out of football was his injuries not that he couldn't play.

[will]

Its nice to have insurance in case the guys the Jets target in the draft (Carriker, Spencer, whomever?) arent there at #25 but I hope these signings (Haynes and Wadsworth) dont dissuade the FO from picking these positions in the draft if the right guys are there.

I want to see the Jets add at least one top prospect at one of the front seven defensive positions in the first round of the draft. I accept Wadsworth as an upgrade over Chatham and Kassell, if it works out, but as the Giants learned last year to their detriment (ie, Arrington), in this age of the strict salary cap its best to have younger more vibrant players who are more likely to stay healthy through the season.

[PeterNorth09]

It's a good signing though Wadsworth is more of a 4-3 DE than 3-4 OLB.

[ECURB]

We are told that was the reason he choose to make his comeback with the Jets.

Regarding the Wadsworth story I was told, "I don't need any of your hot scoops". LOL.

Have to be honest. It feels good. We reported this on 3/3. Randy Lange wrote about it the next day in the paper because of our article. Hell he works for the Jets now and he didn't even have it when we did!

It is a good day for JetNation! More importantly though -- Andre represents something so much bigger for all of us Jets fans. He represents a new regime that thinks outside the box. Some people laughed when this was reported. These guys don't care about that. If he can get to the QB -- that is their only concern!

Good luck Andre.

Does this mean he will stop by sometime and post, or maybe do a chat??

Wadsworth is coming in at 6'4, 275ish to become a 34 pass rushing OLB, not a 34 DE. I still do think that the Jets will not be carrying 5 DE's which means either Kimo, Haynes or Hamilton will be gone by September 9th.

Nobody knows how much he weighs except him and maybe a few people on the JETS staff, we can speculate becuase we all know what a load of crap listed weights are... so we just have to wait and see where they play him.

Some people come into their own a little later in life-not every kid has to be that great or is going to be at 22-23-some take a few years longer.Early 30's is NOT old especially for a guy who is keeping himself in shape-the Jets brass knows something and has heard a LOT I'm sure and their medical team is top notch-best to Andre

This is our same medical staff that kept our team healthy yes, but it is also the team that brought in the self proclaimed one legged wonder (barlow)

We will need to see where they play hime and how big he is but if he is even around 280ish he could wind up being a huge upgrade over Kimo if he can stay healthy... he has the skill now he just needs to stay healthy... heck we got Chad in there for 16 games last year, why not this guy!

[Maxman]

He weighed 280 when he worked out. What he shows up at camp at is anybodys guess. I would think he would show up a little bit lighter so the mid 270s would be my guess.

Just want to say thanks to the JetsBlog for the props!

http://thejetsblog.com/?p=1959

[ECURB]

He weighed 280 when he worked out. What he shows up at camp at is anybodys guess. I would think he would show up a little bit lighter so the mid 270s would be my guess.

Just want to say thanks to the JetsBlog for the props!

http://thejetsblog.com/?p=1959

Who knows what he actually weighed though... I dont trust NFL teams..lol especially considering Mangini is from NE where not one player has the correct weight listed...

[Maxman]

Who knows what he actually weighed though... I dont trust NFL teams..lol especially considering Mangini is from NE where not one player has the correct weight listed...

I was told that he weighed 280 but that wasn't from the Jets. I don't have proof of this but all of the other info was really good, so I consider the weight to be very accurate.

[ECURB]

I was told that he weighed 280 but that wasn't from the Jets. I don't have proof of this but all of the other info was really good, so I consider the weight to be very accurate.

lol sounds good I trust it more actually NOT coming from the JETS... I will still say it is +/- 10lbs until I get him on my shipping scale here at the store!!

[drago]

This is our same medical staff that kept our team healthy yes, but it is also the team that brought in the self proclaimed one legged wonder (barlow)

I think we'd have been better served keeping Suggs, he had to be in better condition than barlow. It was pretty slim pickens last year though, thankfully we don't have to worry about either of those backs this year.

[snow_monkey]

I remember this guy from when he first joined the NFL. He was good. I figured that he'd soon be their best defensive player. But then the injuries came... and well, 6 years out of football is a damn long time. Doubt he'll make it. It would be one of the biggest comeback stories ever in the NFL.

[Pragmatic Bus]

here's the way I see it

of the following 3-4 DE names, only 1 (maybe 2) will be on the 53 man:

B Hamilton

A Wadsworth

M Haynes

the only way i could see 2 is if Haynes and Wadsworth play like men possessed, that would endanger Kimo's spot (paid too much to be cut)

wadsworth is an 3-4 OLB

[The Troll]

Can't believe people are liking the Wadsworth signing more than the Haynes signing. Haynes will be a player for us, Wadsworth will retire during training camp.

Well, Wadsworth hasn't sucked in five years.

Haynes has sucked for the past five years.

[udell]

I can't believe they signed Wadsworth. I can't believe he still wants to play.

Check this out.

http://msg.typepad.com/xtradb/