Eric Mangini was working out on the treadmill when he saw footage of Ohio State sack specialist Vernon Gholston.
"I remember thinking this could be the sixth pick in the draft," the Jets' coach said.
It was appropriate that Mangini was on the treadmill, because he and the Jets hope that Gholston, the sixth overall pick, can invigorate a pass rush that seemed to be running in place much of last season.
The Jets finished 25th in the NFL with 29 sacks in 2007, and have brought in both Gholston and Arizona free agent linebacker Calvin Pace to improve those numbers.
"I liked the way he was able to set the edge," Mangini said of watching Gholston, who played end in college and will be a linebacker in the Jets' 3-4 defense. "I liked the way he affected the quarterback."
And not just with Gholston's 14 sacks in 2007 as a junior. He skipped his senior season to turn pro.
Mangini also noted the times that Gholston was "driving the tackle back into (the quarterback) or getting a hand on him and altering the throw."
Some experts have questioned Gholston's effort in college, saying he would disappear during plays, or even entire games. Some have labeled him a potential bust.
"I don't worry about it too much," the 6-3 1/2, 264-pounder said of the criticism. "I don't get into that. I do what I can do and control what I can control. The biggest thing I'll do is to work hard, keep grinding away and hopefully I'll show them up."
That was about as much bravado as the calm, collected Gholston demonstrated on his first day of rookie minicamp. He even said that his goal was "just to make the team at this point. I'm a rookie and some will say I was the first (Jets') pick, but you still have to put your work in."
His biggest challenge will be making the transition from the Buckeyes' 4-3, in which Gholston usually was a down lineman and not a standup linebacker. He's not worried.
"I stood on my feet sometimes and that's what I'm doing here," said Gholston, who sidestepped questions about contract negotiations. "It's helped me adjust to" playing linebacker.
"It's going to be a learning curve, but that's what I liked about the things that he did at Ohio State," said Mangini, noting that Gholston sometimes dropped into coverage at Ohio State.
"It's not a complete projection," the coach added, "because we've seen those things on tape."
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It took me a few days but I can finally comment on it. Pace really hurt me on this one. He pretty much put a dagger through my heart. I can't stand cheaters and thats basically what he did. From everything thing you hear about these diaretics it's used as a masking agent for performancing enhancing drugs. It's banned by the NFL for a reason. It has really hit me
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The suspension of Pace has now given two players a big chance to rectify themselves. Vernon Gholston and Bryan Thomas will be holding down the outside backer positions. With David Harris and
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Okay... Let me break it down for y'all. Patriots-We lose one of these and MAYBE win one. Patriots-We lose one of these and MAYBE win one. Dolphins-We can not win every game. I call this a swing. (W/L) Dolphins-This is the monday night game. last monday game vs. the
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Seeing as its the slowest part of the NFL year figured I would see what everyone thought about our upcoming QB battle. I have been listening to NFL Radio on Siruis along with ESPN, and the NFL Network and all of them have Sanchez starting the season. Many of them explain they feel Sanchez g
New York Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum likely isn't sleeping all that well these days. The long-term employee of the team, who has worked his way up the ladder into a position of ultimate authority — and thus accountability — now has nowhere to go.
This season I expect the Jets to have a similar year to what the Ravens had last year. The Jets have a rookie quarterback in Sanchez who is similar to Flacco. They have a run game that is better than the Ravens Mcgahee and Rice. They also have a defense similar to the Ravens def
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Alright Jets faithful the post has been up for a long time now and there are 12 players including myself who say they want in. Since there were going to be 2 leagues this year I decided that the first five (plus me) who confirmed would be in the first league. So far I have the second confirmation from 5 players and so the first league is no
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The move across the Hudson River to New Jersey gave the Jets a good stadium to play their home games at. No longer did they play in a horseshoe where the wind would wreck havoc on the style of play like at Shea Stadium. However, they moved into Giants Stadium, and th
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Hello folks. Good to see you again. As many of you know, the Jets are facing a hard schedule with tons of questions marks at Quarterback and Wide Receiver, two positions that are vital to the offense. You always want to have an above average quarterback rather than an above average wide receiver. With that, let's look to see if the wide rec
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I figured we could have a place to shoot the bull about whatevers on our mind at the moment if its Jets related or not, kind of a gathering spot thread like the season long thread was before. It seems like the place could use a little "community feel" again like our own little bar and grill during slack times. This c
I can't wait for the sequel to the "original" Black Hammer / White Lightning starring Willie Mays Hayes and Jesse "The Body" Ventura. The sequel is set for release on Sept. 13th in Houston. Hayes and Ventura did not sign on for the sequel but were replaced by Kerry Rhodes and Jim Leonard. Fans have bee
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(POLL)
Easy question, i want to know how Jets Nation feels about our GM. I am not gonna post my opinion for a little while to hold any bias in the voting bOOth...alright lets see it.
The tumultuous offseason for the Denver Broncos continued this week as another offensive star demanded to be traded. According to multiple reports, Brandon Marshall, the team's talented 6-4 wide receiver, wants out of the Mile High City.
