Vernon Gholston

[aec4]

should not be getting criticized at all right now. What are some people thinking. The guy is untapped talent in a jar. BUT HOW ABOUT THIS:

I would play him at the other inside linebacker position with Harris, granted ease him into it with Barton (Who I absolutely abhor, but geez, I'd love to be proven wrong) at first, but I really think he's not ready at least right now just to bullrush the Offensive Linemen. I think he's just so wet behind the ears, it's like he just gets blocked and doesn't know how to get off of it. I really have seen it since mini-camp or the off-season workouts. He doesn't know the technique to get past them, nor has he adapted to the game speed. [but it's interesting because Harris did immediately, and hasn't, nor do I think, will stop doing that] Another reason not to even start judging him is because of our OUTTA NOWHERE depth at the LB Position. I mean, maybe it was just Miami, but jesus h, they were *****ing FLYING OUT THERE!!! YEAH BABY!! A.K.A. THE 3-4 DEFENSE WE"VE BEEN IMAGINING FOR 2 YEARS. God I hope I'm really not naive, but Thomas, Pace, Ellis, Bowens were playing lights out. Also, I think that off season acquisition of a TRUE NOSE Tackle solves the puzzle to our Defense. ALL THE TALENT THAT WE WENT OUT AND GOT GOING TO ALLOW VERNON GHOLSTON TO GROW AT THE CORRECT PACE.

BUT WHERE WOULD YOU PLAY GHOLSTON:

OLB or MLB??

You know what I would do? I'd make this it's own thread.. I think that would be an awesome idea.

(actually, I think moving him to MLB is idiotic, the moving this to it's own thread is me being sarcastic)

[gangreenman]

He was NOT a beast in college.

He was a beast in Indianapolis and his pro day. That's it..... He's a workout warrior.

Umm...if 13 sacks in 11 games is not considered being a beast, I couldn't tell you what is.

[Ghost]

Someone please lock this stupid thread.

[Irish Jet]

You know what I would do? I'd make this it's own thread.. I think that would be an awesome idea.

(actually, I think moving him to MLB is idiotic, the moving this to it's own thread is me being sarcastic)

[aec4]

Umm...if 13 sacks in 11 games is not considered being a beast, I couldn't tell you what is.

He had games in college where he was a man among boys, and other games where he was INVISIBLE. Check the #s if you do not believe me. He got his 13 sacks in like 1/2 the games. However, I am always VERY SKEPTICAL of players who jump so much after the combine. It's my experience that those players who make the HUGE jump usually are busts. DROB is an example. Vernon Davis... another. These guys are serviceable players, but don't justify their draft position.

[Sperm Edwards]

He had games in college where he was a man among boys, and other games where he was INVISIBLE. Check the #s if you do not believe me. He got his 13 sacks in like 1/2 the games. However, I am always VERY SKEPTICAL of players who jump so much after the combine. It's my experience that those players who make the HUGE jump usually are busts. DROB is an example. Vernon Davis... another. These guys are serviceable players, but don't justify their draft position.

True, but then there are plenty of others who jump tremendously and are not. Hell, I remember Joseph Addai was supposed to be a 3rd round pick until he ran that 4.4 at the combine. Jay Cutler? A 3rd rounder because he went to school at Vanderbilt. Then he starts throwing 150 mph fastballs at the combine and he goes 11th in the country. Jerrod Mayo was someone I was once hoping we could pick up in round 3; somehow ends up going 10th in the whole country. We'll see how he turns out.

It's easier to point out the ones who don't pan out as advertised because, simply, there are only so many star-level players in the NFL and every year there are 10 new players that go top-10 in the draft. Historically, at least half of them are going to be somewhere between relative disappointments like DRob & total busts like Charles Rogers.

The painful part isn't just the missed opportunity; it's that they take up the cap room of a super-stud who's headed to the HOF. Watch Marcus McNeill make less on his contract extension after this year than Jake Long got before he showed up to his first minicamp.

[Columbia Jet Fan]

You know what I would do? I'd make this it's own thread.. I think that would be an awesome idea.

(actually, I think moving him to MLB is idiotic, the moving this to it's own thread is me being sarcastic)

Well thats just mean...

My problem w/ Gholston is I don't actually see any of the potential that we heard so much about. I expected at worst he would still impress me w/ his athleticism if not his football prowess....

I've seen nothing from him. Im not just saying he looks confused, when I see him run around the guy looks like he has lead in his shoes. Maybe its just uncertainty, I hope so, but when D'Brick was being labeled a bust as a rookie I at least saw some good things on him...something to get me excited for his future...I see none of that in Gholston.

But yea I will give him time, but I'm not expecting that much anymore...

[Sperm Edwards]

Well thats just mean...

My problem w/ Gholston is I don't actually see any of the potential that we heard so much about. I expected at worst he would still impress me w/ his athleticism if not his football prowess....

I've seen nothing from him. Im not just saying he looks confused, when I see him run around the guy looks like he has lead in his shoes. Maybe its just uncertainty, I hope so, but when D'Brick was being labeled a bust as a rookie I at least saw some good things on him...something to get me excited for his future...I see none of that in Gholston.

But yea I will give him time, but I'm not expecting that much anymore...

If reading the plays is a difficulty of his, putting him at ILB isn't a solution. The solution is throwing him in there exclusively on pass-rushing assignments until he gets a clue.

[Barton]

He had games in college where he was a man among boys, and other games where he was INVISIBLE. Check the #s if you do not believe me. He got his 13 sacks in like 1/2 the games. However, I am always VERY SKEPTICAL of players who jump so much after the combine. It's my experience that those players who make the HUGE jump usually are busts. DROB is an example. Vernon Davis... another. These guys are serviceable players, but don't justify their draft position.

Ah, so you didnt actually watch the games.

I'm shocked.

[gangreenman]

He had games in college where he was a man among boys, and other games where he was INVISIBLE. Check the #s if you do not believe me. He got his 13 sacks in like 1/2 the games. However, I am always VERY SKEPTICAL of players who jump so much after the combine. It's my experience that those players who make the HUGE jump usually are busts. DROB is an example. Vernon Davis... another. These guys are serviceable players, but don't justify their draft position.

Honestly, if he can get us 12-15 sacks a season with the Jets, IDC how many games he does it in. BTW, in those games he was invisible, were games where he was not only being double and triple teamed by OL and TE's, but the offense was also running draws, delays, cutbacks, and 3 step drops all day against him (think Illinois, think Florida)...

[aec4]

True, but then there are plenty of others who jump tremendously and are not. Hell, I remember Joseph Addai was supposed to be a 3rd round pick until he ran that 4.4 at the combine. Jay Cutler? A 3rd rounder because he went to school at Vanderbilt. Then he starts throwing 150 mph fastballs at the combine and he goes 11th in the country. Jerrod Mayo was someone I was once hoping we could pick up in round 3; somehow ends up going 10th in the whole country. We'll see how he turns out.

It's easier to point out the ones who don't pan out as advertised because, simply, there are only so many star-level players in the NFL and every year there are 10 new players that go top-10 in the draft. Historically, at least half of them are going to be somewhere between relative disappointments like DRob & total busts like Charles Rogers.

The painful part isn't just the missed opportunity; it's that they take up the cap room of a super-stud who's headed to the HOF. Watch Marcus McNeill make less on his contract extension after this year than Jake Long got before he showed up to his first minicamp.

You are right, there are exceptions on both sides. However, Cutler was a 1st rounder by the end of the college season.. Now I think Cutler went way too high as well.. Some had the Jets taking him!!

Addai is an exception in the other direction, no question. That's a player who is a good player.

Keep this in mind though, the #6 pick and the #20 pick are entirely different animals! I can see taking a little chance at #20.. At #6 you should be right.

[aec4]

Honestly, if he can get us 12-15 sacks a season with the Jets, IDC how many games he does it in. BTW, in those games he was invisible, were games where he was not only being double and triple teamed by OL and TE's, but the offense was also running draws, delays, cutbacks, and 3 step drops all day against him (think Illinois, think Florida)...

If he gets us 12-15 sacks a year, I'd be dead wrong about him and he would have been worth the pick. College stats don't always translate to NFL stats though.

Also, I would want to see 12-15 quality sacks.. In other words, not in 40-0 blowouts.

[Boozer76]

He had games in college where he was a man among boys, and other games where he was INVISIBLE. Check the #s if you do not believe me. He got his 13 sacks in like 1/2 the games. However, I am always VERY SKEPTICAL of players who jump so much after the combine. It's my experience that those players who make the HUGE jump usually are busts. DROB is an example. Vernon Davis... another. These guys are serviceable players, but don't justify their draft position.

If you want to paint the picture of what Vernon Gholston was in college, look no further than the championship game against LSU. People like you will look at the stats and simply say he disappeared, but those who watched the game and paid attention know far better. To know how good Gholston was in college, simply look at what LSU felt they needed to do to win the game. They basically focused all blocking schemes on Gholston and all bootlegs and running plays away from Gholston. They didn't go anywhere near him unless they had double and triple teams on him. Conversely, they ran right at James Laurinitis, the guy who many felt was the best LB in the nation. They made Laurinitis look like a fool repeatedly leaving him one on one or completely unblocked at times. That game exposed Laurinitis, who was supposed to be a cinch for the first round if he declared for the draft. It showed that Laurinitis did not have the size and smarts to play MLB in the NFL yet. He overpursued everything and got blown up by RB's repeatedly. Meanwhile, Gholston was facing all the double and triple teams all game long. So if you really want to have a clue of how good Gholston was in college, just pay attention to how good coaches gameplanned for him. Les Miles knew that if he focused all the energy on negating Gholston and taking their chances against Laurinitis, they had a good chance of winning. He knew that Gholston could beat him, Laurinitis could not.

[aec4]

If you want to paint the picture of what Vernon Gholston was in college, look no further than the championship game against LSU. People like you will look at the stats and simply say he disappeared, but those who watched the game and paid attention know far better. To know how good Gholston was in college, simply look at what LSU felt they needed to do to win the game. They basically focused all blocking schemes on Gholston and all bootlegs and running plays away from Gholston. They didn't go anywhere near him unless they had double and triple teams on him. Conversely, they ran right at James Laurinitis, the guy who many felt was the best LB in the nation. They made Laurinitis look like a fool repeatedly leaving him one on one or completely unblocked at times. That game exposed Laurinitis, who was supposed to be a cinch for the first round if he declared for the draft. It showed that Laurinitis did not have the size and smarts to play MLB in the NFL yet. He overpursued everything and got blown up by RB's repeatedly. Meanwhile, Gholston was facing all the double and triple teams all game long. So if you really want to have a clue of how good Gholston was in college, just pay attention to how good coaches gameplanned for him. Les Miles knew that if he focused all the energy on negating Gholston and taking their chances against Laurinitis, they had a good chance of winning. He knew that Gholston could beat him, Laurinitis could not.

"People like me" .. you hardly know me.

I thought he played pretty well against LSU. Awesome? NO. Good? Yes.

[00tonytone]

It isnt 1 game, its a couple of plays VG played sunday. His slow start in preseason probably had alot to do with his playing time opening day. VG should really be a senior in college right now and was only switched from guard to DE/OLB at the end of his sophomore year, lets give him time to develope and use him on plays to rush the passer right now. He almost had a sack week 1 , BT beat him to the QB.

and lets all be happy that our 4th rounder is looking like a 1st rounder, that doesnt happen to often, especially to the JETS.

[gangreenman]

If he gets us 12-15 sacks a year, I'd be dead wrong about him and he would have been worth the pick. College stats don't always translate to NFL stats though.

Also, I would want to see 12-15 quality sacks.. In other words, not in 40-0 blowouts.

Again, if he has 5 sacks in a 40-0 blowout, and finishes with an avg of 12+ sacks per season, thats better then someone who avg's 9 sacks, and had 1 in nine seperate games. I truly believe Gholston is capable of putting up an avg of at least 10 or 11 sacks throughout his career.