KSJets Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 Very interesting read for those down on Gholston: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3672569 The Second-Year Surge Is there any reason it takes a year to figure out how to get sacks? by Chris Sprow What is it about the second year? No, we're not discussing walking and preternatural potty-training skills. It's the NFL, and it involves the art of pass-rushing. In the NFL, it's a widely known reality that some positions are simply far too nuanced and require too much technique specialization for rookies to make a significant impact. Consider our NFL Preview cover. Mario Williams was on the front, breaking through (real!) glass. Williams, of course, was perhaps the most controversial first pick in the last ten years when the Texans nabbed him ahead of Reggie Bush in 2005, and his rookie season did little to diminish the chatter. He had just 4.5 sacks. In his second year, however, Williams piled up 14 sacks and largely muted anybody who would question his draft standing. This year, he's on a sack-a-game pace. Despite a lot of extra love from tight ends and running backs, he's second in the NFL. In the current issue of ESPN The Magazine, we took a look at the rise of Pittsburgh's LaMarr Woodley, another guy experiencing the second year surge. "It's hard to believe this is the same guy who played sporadically as a rookie," wrote Charles Curtis. "In the off-season, ex-Steelers linebacker Kevin Greene schooled Woodley on the subtleties of the bull rush, such as getting his chin underneath a taller blocker's head to gain leverage." Woodley was largely a ghost last season, playing off and on and ending up with just four sacks after a stellar senior season at Michigan. This year he's near the top of the league in sacks. The question is: Is there any merit to this second-year theory? We asked a scientist. "Many collegiate pass rushers rely on a single pass rush move, ie, the speed rush, a rip move, a bull rush, etc. The best pass rushers in the NFL will have as many as four or five different rush moves, so there is a tactical learning curve to get to the top of the league," says resident NFL Scientist KC Joyner. "I'd also say that college defenses often don't have the scheme depth that pro teams do, so there is also a playbook mountain for most 1st year players to climb." A look at this year's sack leaders, or other great pass rushers, says something similar. DeMarcus Ware played a ton as a rookie, but the eight sacks he had that year are his career low. He's on pace for 18 this year. He's second in the league. James Harrison has 8.5 sacks this year, good for third in the league, but he had none as a rookie. It's taken him years to mold his game into that of a pass-rushing specialist. John Abraham is 5th in the league in sacks for Atlanta, with seven. As a rookie, he had just 4.5 sacks, but developed into one of the league's best pass rushers in just a year, piling up 13 in his second season. He's been one of the league's best since. Jared Allen climbed from single to double-digits as an NFL sophomore. Justin Tuck went from one sack as a rookie to 10 in his next fully healthy year. Even the great leader of the pack of wild dogs, Lawrence Taylor, had zero sacks as a rookie in 1981 before jumping to 7.5 in 1982. (Okay, that's a trick solution. They didn't record sacks officially until 1982.) Still, if you counter that the issue is one of playing time alone, Joyner disagrees. "I think pass rushers are like running backs in that if they have the raw ability, teams will get them in the lineup as soon as possible," says Joyner. "One reason they often don't make the jump in year one is that they have been used to facing lesser physical talents in college. In that environment they don't have to go full speed on every play to get top-level production, but you can't get by like that in the NFL." There are aberrations, of course. Consider that Dwight Freeney exploded onto the scene with 13 sacks in just eight rookie starts in 2002. By his third year, he'd hit 16 sacks to lead the league. And yet while Freeney was piling up sacks early in his career, offensive coordinators began to take advantage of his furious rush up the field by running draws and traps behind him. He was slow to develop into an effective run-stopping defensive end and the Colts running defense became a famous Achilles Heel for an otherwise great team. Then, in 2006, he fell to a career-low of 5.5 sacks. The result: After a mediocre regular season stopping the run, the Colts were exceptional in the playoffs, and won the Super Bowl over the Bears. That Bears Super Bowl team featured rookie Mark Anderson, who led all rookies with 12 sacks. Of course, many noted he had the same early problems as Freeney, constantly getting too far in the backfield in pursuit of the passer, leaving the team vulnerable against the run. He fell off to five sacks in 2007, and despite seeing action in each game this year, has no sacks. Lovie Smith prefers Alex Brown, who gets his share of sacks, but is one of the best run-stopping defensive ends in football. So who leads the league in sacks this year? Well, they're all trailing the ageless Joey Porter, who leads the league with 10.5 and seems to be experiencing that famed 10th year bounce. We think. Porter's previous career high in sacks? It's 10.5, of course. He's achieved it twice. The first time was in his second season. As a rookie, he had just two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Jet Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 Mario Williams is a bad comparison as are most of the 4-3 Ends. Williams was VERY good in his rookie season from what I saw from him regardless of sack #'s. Sacks mean a lot, but they're not everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green DNA Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 Mario Williams is a bad comparison as are most of the 4-3 Ends. Williams was VERY good in his rookie season from what I saw from him regardless of sack #'s. Sacks mean a lot, but they're not everything. Many people were calling Williams a bust in his rookie year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afosomf Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 thought this was a marriage thread as i did not see a surge!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbatesman Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Pace and Thomas having a great year is both a blessing and a curse to Gholston. It's a blessing because he doesn't need to produce right now; we have 2 capable pass-rushers, so he's under practically no pressure this season. He can just learn the playbook and get coached up. It's a curse because learning the playbook and getting coached up only takes you so far. The fact that Pace and Thomas have been so good means that snaps at OLB are at a premium. Gholston hasn't seen the field a lot, meaning he can't improve as a player, meaning he doesn't see the field. It's a cycle. I'd be very interested in seeing how many snaps he's played this season. Regardless of the number of snaps, he's been used situationally, meaning he can't get into any sort of flow, or build any sort of consistency or confidence (both of which he lacks right now). On the other hand, he's a total bust and we should completely write him off as a wasted pick. So there's that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serphnx Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Mario Williams is a bad comparison as are most of the 4-3 Ends. Williams was VERY good in his rookie season from what I saw from him regardless of sack #'s. Sacks mean a lot, but they're not everything. While this is true, you still have to preach patience with Gholston. You can't write him off as a bust in his rookie year, that's just stupid. In that regard, it's a good comparison, as Mario definitely DID step up his game in his second year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Jet Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Mario Williams is a bad comparison as are most of the 4-3 Ends. Williams was VERY good in his rookie season from what I saw from him regardless of sack #'s. Sacks mean a lot, but they're not everything. I remember what D Green DNA remembers, people calling Mario a bust and how stupid they were in NOT taking Reggie Bush. Can't say I've heard that much lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Jet Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 While this is true, you still have to preach patience with Gholston. You can't write him off as a bust in his rookie year, that's just stupid. In that regard, it's a good comparison, as Mario definitely DID step up his game in his second year. People just make me laugh. Yeah, hell it's been 7 games let's write him off as a bust. . Patience people, patience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Jet Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Many people were calling Williams a bust in his rookie year Many people are stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serphnx Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Many people are stupid. That doesn't change the fact that many did say that. I was on his nuts that year too because I actually watched him play, but I remember posting and people not really accepting that. I dunno if you were on the site at that point, the support woulda been nice lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Jet Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 That doesn't change the fact that many did say that. I was on his nuts that year too because I actually watched him play, but I remember posting and people not really accepting that. I dunno if you were on the site at that point, the support woulda been nice lol. The fact that they called ANY player a bust in their rookie year makes them stupid. I always liked Williams, from his early games it was obvious he was something special. He showed glimpses in just about every game in his rookie season and now IMO he's the best DE in the league. He's so good against the run too which is what puts him over the likes of Freeney and J-Abe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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