DE Vernon Gholston (Official Thread)

[Buckskin86]

Vernon Gholston may have been invisible in the first two preseason games, but the closely scrutinized linebacker put pressure on Manning early. Gholston, who started in the base defense for the first time for Calvin Pace, brought heat on a play that resulted in an interception by David Harris in the first quarter

NY Jets Notebook: Defense plagued by penalties and inconsistency in first half - NJ.com

LB Vernon Gholston had his best game of the preseason, bringing pressure and showing some flashes of what Rex Ryan hoped to see

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2009/08/ny_jets_the_morning_after.html

The Jets have a huge problem with Vernon Gholston. The people I’ve spoken with know the term “bust” is in order, but because of his contract, he can’t be cut, or even traded. The Jets guaranteed him $17.4 million if he doesn’t play in 45 percent of the plays in any of the first four years. That numbers grows to more than $21 million if he does. He played in 16 percent last year. What would you do? The more he plays, the more he earns. Ouch. I can’t imagine the Jets starting him in place of suspended Calvin Pace. Our Aaron Wilson touched on this yesterday in his report.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Sunday-at-the-Post-9802.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Ryan, Scott speak positively about Gholston
August 30, 2009 By RODERICK BOONE [email protected]

Vernon Gholston's development has been a hot topic ever since the Jets made him the sixth overall pick in 2008, a decision that leaves some scratching their heads to this very day because of his lack of production during his brief pro career.

Gholston already is getting tagged with the bust label, largely because his mediocre statistics aren't what many figured they would see out of a linebacker inked to a five-year, $32.5-million contract that included $21 million in guaranteed money. He mustered five tackles and zero sacks in 15 games last year and wasn't even active for the Jets' 31-27 win over the Bills on Dec. 14.

But with Calvin Pace's impending four-game suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances, Gholston's time has arrived. He's going to start in Pace's place, just as he did in Saturday night's 27-25 win over the Giants, a game in which he made only one tackle.

The muscular 6-3, 264-pound Ohio State product remains a work in progress. He still isn't putting it all together yet.

"He was aggressive, maybe a little inconsistent still," coach Rex Ryan said. "We've got to keep him going. But I think he's getting better and I think we saw that today. This is a good football team that we were up against and I thought he competed well."

For those who are quick to jump on the "Gholston is a bust" bandwagon, Bart Scott has two words for you: Mario Williams.

Scott pointed to the situation that revolved around the player the Texans made the No. 1 overall pick in 2006, eschewing the opportunity to draft the explosive Reggie Bush and sparking some outrage among the fan base in Houston.

Williams had 35 tackles and 41/2 sacks in his rookie season but has become one of the league's top pass rushers with 14 and 12 sacks in his last two seasons. Bush, meanwhile, has been injury-prone.

"There was a big debate about who won that draft," Scott said. "And now people are starting to lean more to [Williams] because players like that can last a lot longer. He can affect the game in so many different ways."
connections

Gholston still has to learn to play the run better - the Giants ran directly at him at times - and he's not consistently coming off his blocks. When he's engaged with a defender, he isn't using his hands enough to free himself. He needs to develop more moves in his repertoire as he gets acclimated to Ryan's scheme.

"I feel pretty comfortable, but me, I'm always trying to get better," Gholston said. "That's the thing. You can say it's my first year within this defense, but until you've been constantly doing it over and over and being in all the situations, your comfort level is still going to waver a little bit."

Gholston's most aggressive play Saturday led to a 15-yard penalty. His fourth-quarter sack and forced fumble on David Carr was negated when he was flagged for a helmet-to-helmet hit. So when he finally made a noteworthy play, it didn't count.

Scott, however, is positive there will be more aggressive plays coming soon from Gholston - minus the penalties.

"I just look forward to being a part of it when the light turns all the way on," Scott said. "He's still a young player. I'm still learning, so I know he's still learning. He's in a system for the first time, so the game is slowing down for him. I think he's going to be a good one."

Ryan, Scott speak positively about Gholston

 

[FrancisSoyer]

Williams had 35 tackles and 41/2 sacks in his rookie season but has become one of the league's top pass rushers with 14 and 12 sacks in his last two seasons. Bush, meanwhile, has been injury-prone.

Man, Williams had 35 tackles and 20.5 sacks his rookie season! He's really eased up lately :tongue2:

 

[Buckskin86]

VERNON'S HIT ON CARR MAKES JETS OPTIMISTIC
By MARK CANNIZZARO
September 1, 2009

SAD SACK: Vernon Gholston leveled David Carr during Saturday's Jets-Giants game, but still has yet to record his first sack because there was a penalty on the play.


Gholston, who hadn't recorded an NFL sack -- regular or preseason -- not only sacked Carr, but he forced a fumble, which was recovered by the Jets.

It was a signature moment for the Jets' 2008 No. 1 draft pick, who has otherwise been underwhelming.

In step with Gholston's disappointing career, though, he was flagged for a 15-yard personal foul penalty for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Carr, so the sack and forced fumble were nullified and Gholston remains sackless.

"It was like (the referee) just had to call a penalty because it was too good of a hit," Gholston said yesterday. "It was a good, clean hit. Instead, it was a 15-yard penalty and a first down for them. It cost us. Not only that, but it cost me a little bit, too (in fine money from the league). But there was no intent at all."

VERNON'S HIT ON CARR MAKES JETS OPTIMISTIC - New York Post

Vern's hit at 1:15 mark...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6f4rLJ-ipw]YouTube - Ghost Drives Carr ![/ame]

 

[3074326]

^ That looked like a legal hit.. just because his helmet is at head level doesn't mean it's helmet-to-helmet or whatever. That would be stupid. He bear hugged him.

Vern has a sack and two tackles so far tonight.

 

[Buckskin86]

Gholston notches his first NFL sack
Posted by Mike Florio on September 4, 2009

After four preseason games in 2008 and 15 regular-season games in 2008 and three preseason games in 2009, it finally happened.

On the 23rd occasion that he donned an NFL uniform and entered a pro football game, Jets linebacker Vernon Gholston, the sixth overall pick in the 2008 draft, tackled the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage on a passing play.

Hooray?

For coach Rex Ryan, the question mark was replaced by an exclamation point.

"It was great," Ryan said in comments circulated by the team. "It was the first of many. We're going to approach it that way. It was good to see him get one after last week when he got one and then hit the quarterback. I thought he was physical against the run as well. I was happy with the way he played."

Gholston has been to date a major disappointment. When Ryan got the job earlier this year, he compared Gholston's struggles to the early stages of the career of Ravens linebacker/defensive end Terrell Suggs.

Last night's sack notwithstanding, Gholston still has a long way to go to become "V. Sizzle."

"I haven't seen one single thing from him. There is no violence in him," NFL Network's Brian Baldinger tells Bob Glauber of Newsday.

"You're playing a position that is basically the most aggressive position in football. You're paid to attack people, and there's no attack in him. It's the most fun of any position in football. All you have to do is unleash yourself. You look at guys like Joey Porter, James Harrison. They have fun. [Gholston] has zero. There's no attack in him."

Gholston notches his first NFL sack | ProFootballTalk.com

Baldinger: Gholston doesn't have what it takes
September 4, 2009 By BOB GLAUBER [email protected]

Vernon Gholston lined up at left end, awaited the snap count and swooped in on the quarterback. He fought off the block of the Eagles' left tackle and sacked the quarterback for a 7-yard loss, his first sack of the preseason.

OK, so it was a backup left tackle he got around and a backup quarterback he sacked last night. But for the Jets' 2008 first-round pick, at least it was something.

"I feel like I'm getting better," Gholston said in a recent interview. "I feel like it's getting there."

The Jets need Gholston to get it there in a hurry. After all, he will be the Jets' starting outside linebacker for the first four games while Calvin Pace serves a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances. How Gholston does could go a long way toward determining how things go when the games start counting Sept. 13 in Houston.

Gholston may be optimistic, but Brian Baldinger has his doubts. In fact, the former NFL offensive lineman thinks Gholston might never achieve the kind of success the Jets envisioned when they took him with the sixth overall pick last year.

"I haven't seen one single thing from him," said Baldinger, a commentator for the NFL Network. "There is no violence in him."

No violence? Please explain.

"You're playing a position that is basically the most aggressive position in football," Baldinger said. "You're paid to attack people, and there's no attack in him. It's the most fun of any position in football. All you have to do is unleash yourself. You look at guys like Joey Porter, James Harrison. They have fun. [Gholston] has zero. There's no attack in him."

Baldinger doesn't think much will change, leaving the Jets to lament the fact that Eric Mangini got his way in the draft room by overruling the scouts and fighting for Gholston on draft day.

"That move should go on the tombstone of Eric Mangini," Baldinger said.

Scorching words, no doubt. But that's the kind of skepticism that Gholston himself has created, and the only way that changes is if he develops the pass-rushing skills of a bona fide outside linebacker.

He had a sack in last week's game against the Giants, but his tackle of backup quarterback David Carr was disallowed because of a helmet-to-helmet hit.

After last night's sack of Kevin Kolb, Gholston jumped up and celebrated with his teammates. But even that moment of success was muted. In the press box, the announcer said the sack was by No. 50, David Harris. Gholston wears No. 50, Harris No. 52.

Clearly, Gholston isn't a household name just yet.

He's certainly no Lawrence Taylor, which is what the Jets saw in him when he was coming out of Ohio State. But Gholston simply hasn't shown the relentless pass rush that you want to see in an outside linebacker. He too often fails to fight off blocks and is overpowered when going against big-time offensive linemen.

As a rookie last year, he was a complete non-factor. No starts. No sacks. A measly 13 tackles. His inability to develop led some in the Jets' organization to privately criticize Mangini for the move, especially because he pulled a power play on draft day.

But Mangini successor Rex Ryan, another defensive-minded coach, thinks there's something there.

In time, Ryan believes he can get something out of Gholston.

http://www.newsday.com/columnists/bob-glauber/just-showing-up-not-enough-for-gholston-1.1421026

 

[Buckskin86]

LB HITS 'GHOL' WITH 1ST SACK
By MARK CANNIZZARO
September 5, 2009

For Vernon Gholston, it didn't matter that Thursday night's game was preseason. He needed to experience the feeling.

Gholston recorded his first NFL sack, taking the Eagles' Kevin Kolb down in the third quarter.

"That was like getting a monkey off his back," Jets linebacker Bart Scott said. "I'm sure he's well aware he hadn't had a sack, and I'm sure he's been reminded by you [reporters]. Now you hope this will free him up and allow him to get a lot more."

Scott said he felt it was really Gholston's second sack, saying the penalty called on Gholston for a helmet-to-helmet hit on the Giants' David Carr should not have been called.

Gholston said the first sack "felt good," adding, "It was nice not to see a flag thrown. It was a big play."

Rex Ryan said he believes Gholston's sack "was the first of many."

"It was good to see him get one after last week when he got one and then hit the quarterback," Ryan said. "I thought he was physical against the run as well. I was happy with the way he played."

LB HITS 'GHOL' WITH 1ST SACK - New York Post

 

[Buckskin86]

September 8, 2009
Gholston Still Not Solid for Jets. Why Not Westerman?
By New York Times

Jon from Bleed Scarlet, a Friend of the Fifth Down, sends along his thoughts on Vernon Gholston vs. Jamaal Westerman. Bleed Scarlet is a blog about Rutgers football and other Scarlet Knights sports. (Tough loss yesterday.)

I can already imagine WFAN?s Joe Benigno launching into another epic verbal tirade on his radio show at some point in the next few weeks.

?Vernon Gholston? Let me tell ya, he?s a bum. A bum! He?s invisible during games. Yesterday, it looked like Tom Brady had enough time to hold a picnic in the backfield with Gisele. Bro, the Pats ran right at him. Gholston?s a disgrace. Ohhhhh (pauses for dramatic effect), the pain! He?s killing me! You want to know how much of a bust he is? I?d rather see the undrafted Canadian rookie free agent out of Rutgers! At least that kid has a heart.?

An exaggeration? Not necessarily, as New York City-area listeners familiar with ur-Jets fan Benigno and his daily radio broadcast can attest. Similarly, it?s easy to imagine those kind of ripostes in the city?s tabloids over the next month. The Jets will be without starting outside linebacker Calvin Pace (serving a four-game suspension), and will start Gholston in his place. At least he?ll be seeing the field this season, after being largely benched as a rookie. This is in spite of the fact that, according to camp observers, Gholston was outplayed over the past month by a rookie, Jamaal Westerman. The incredulity of it all: Gholston was the sixth overall pick out of powerhouse Ohio State.

Gholston, obviously, faces a much higher level of expectations owing to his lofty draft status. However, most of the buzz coming out of camp over the past few weeks was that Westerman looked more impressive. You wonder if any of Rex Ryan?s public praise of Westerman has been a motivational ploy, intended to light a fire under his prize charge with the threat of reducing playing time. Ryan faces a difficult balancing act in trying to push all of the right buttons.

Gholston Still Not Solid for Jets. Why Not Westerman? - The Fifth Down Blog - NYTimes.com

 

[Buckskin86]

Vernon Gholston to get start for Jets at Houston in Calvin Pace's absence
By Rich Cimini
Daily News Sports Writer
Friday, September 11th 2009

Ready or not, Vernon Gholston's time is now.

With OLB Calvin Pace serving a four-game suspension, the much-maligned Gholston will make his first NFL start Sunday in the season opener against the Texans. The former first-round pick didn't have a strong preseason, but the coaching staff is committed to him in a starting role.

"He figures to be a significant part of the plan," defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said yesterday.

Gholston won't be in every defensive package. In fact, he could be removed in certain passing situations. The Jets are high on rookie LB Jamaal Westerman, an undrafted player from Rutgers, and he could work his way into pass-rushing packages.

Chances are, the Texans will attack Gholston, who struggles to shed blocks and tends to get caught out of position. Gholston said he'd be surprised if the Texans make him a target.

"No, I don't think so," he said. "Teams try to find a weakness in the defense. They don't look so much at individual players. Whatever they decide to do, I'll be ready for it."

Read more: Vernon Gholston to get start for Jets at Houston in Calvin Pace's absence

 

[Buckskin86]

LB Vernon Gholston, starting in place of the suspended Calvin Pace, played well, finishing with three tackles (one for a loss) and putting pressure on the QB.

Notebook: NY Jets wide receivers silence critics -- at least for now -- with strong opening performance - NJ.com

 

[Buckskin86]

REX APPEAL: Rex Ryan has a bit of advice for Vernon Gholston: Get nasty. He wants the much-maligned former first-round pick to throw his chiseled body around, looking for contact.

"There are times where I would've liked to see him jump on a pile, not necessarily a pile, but before a guy goes down, (go) at him," Ryan said, evaluating Gholston's performance Sunday against the Texans, in which he made four tackles starting in place of the suspended Calvin Pace. "Get a piece of him. ... If there's a little piece of fabric that you can hit before that guy is down, go take a shot at him."

Read more: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's call on Brett Favre, Jets mess not far off

 

[3074326]

How did Vern look on the field today? I didn't get to watch, but I noticed that Nick Mangold had more tackles.....

EDIT: Sounds like he didn't see the field much due to the Jets using more DBs than usual.

 

[redstatebuckeye]

I watched a lot of the game and he played but he did not do anything that stood out to me.

 

[Buckskin86]

Gholston's duties in transition?
Posted by Tom Curran on September 26, 2009

When he came to the Jets, Rex Ryan promised he'd start wringing production out of outside linebacker Vernon Gholston.

How? Well, the plan may be to use him a little less at outside linebacker.

As Matt Sohn of Pro Football Weekly points out, Gholston was backing up Shaun Ellis at defensive end last week against the Patriots. In doing so, Gholston spent more time with his hand in the dirt (or on the plastic, as the case was) than he normally has since entering the league. Because the Jets often tinker with their fronts (it's natural), it's hard to know whether this change was permanent or game-specific.

Either way, it didn't help much statistically -- Gholston wasn't credited with a tackle -- but it is a sign that Ryan is going to try to get inventive with Gholston going forward. And it really may just be a matter of playing to Gholston's strength. He was a defensive end in the 4-3 at Ohio State. Playing outside linebacker in the NFL with all the reads and responsibilities that comes with it can be a real adjustment.

In any case, the Jets have nothing to lose. The sixth overall pick in the 2008 draft has been trending toward terrible since entering the league, amassing just five solo tackles in 15 games last season for New York

Back in January, Ryan said he hoped to turn Gholston's career around in the same way he turned around the career of the Ravens Terrell Suggs back in 2003. Of course, as our old pal Aaron Wilson pointed out months ago, Suggs had 12 sacks as a rookie, so whatever parallel Ryan sees between the early careers of Suggs and Gholston is lost on us laypersons.

Gholston's duties in transition? | ProFootballTalk.com

Jets eyeing more DL duties for ?OLB? Gholston
Posted Sept. 26, 2009
By Matt Sohn

In Rex Ryan?s ?organized chaos? defense, it can be difficult to label an individual player with one specific position. So, the fact that Vernon Gholston, who?s listed as an outside linebacker, took the majority of his reps as a backup defensive end to Shaun Ellis in Week Two needs to be kept in perspective. But it is somewhat telling that he spent far more time with his hand on the ground as a lineman than standing up on the second level. Some of the rationale for the switch can be attributed to the fact that the Jets played mostly nickel defense vs. the Patriots, but they predominantly keep just three down linemen in the sub-package and subsequently don?t need to stack an additional defender on the line. Basically, Gholston?s not fooling anybody at linebacker, so the Jets are starting to turn him loose to do what he does best: rush the quarterback.

ProFootballWeekly.com - Jets eyeing more DL duties for ‘OLB’ Gholston

 

[holybuckeye33]

Wow, imagine that? Allowing your 6th overall pick to actually do what made him the 6th overall pick as opposed to forcing him into what you want him to be and then complaining when you don't get the results you think you should. Sometimes I think the people in the NFL think they know too much football for their own good.