DE Vernon Gholston (Official Thread)

[Colvinnl]

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.

I think what made him the 6th round pick was that teams thought he could be an OLB in a 3-4...

 

[mross34]

thejetsblog.com ? Bent Gets Analytical – Vernon Gholston on Sunday

Play by play analysis of Gholston's action from Sunday. He's been under a lot of scrutiny and fans seem to be kind of mixed as to how his progression has come along.

 

[3074326]

Sounds like he's improved a lot since last year to me.

 

[Buckskin86]

So that meant there was an extra game ball to give out and Ryan decided to give it to LB Vernon Gholston. Ryan then proceeded to pump Gholston up, saying he thought he did an outstanding job and prevented a touchdown on "sheer hustle."

"Vernon's starting to get it. I think if Vernon was a first-round pick this year, I think all of us would have been really happy with it, fans included," Ryan said. "We are seeing the Vernon Gholston that I think organization thought they were getting when they did draft him. So we're proud of the way he's playing."

Now, Rex has been truthful and given things to us direct. He doesn't lay it on thick. But I'm not sure what was going on there. I certainly didn't see Gholston do anything. He finished with three tackles and continues to get stuck on his blocker. Doesn't that upon further review, there was something the coaches saw on film.

But Gholston didn't do a thing all game that stuck out in my mind. In fact, the only time I remember even seeing him in a key play, he missed the tackle. He was one of the three players, along with Leonhard and the other player's name escapes me at the moment, trying to tackle Titans RB LenDale White when he plowed in for that 5-yard TD run in the second quarter.

Hey, this time next week, LB Calvin Pace will be back with the team after completing his four-game suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. So beginning with the Week 5 "Monday Night Football" tilt against the Dolphins in Miami, we'll see exactly what the staff thinks of Gholston by how many plays he's actually on the field for.

Wednesday's McNuggets from The Hangar

 

[Buckskin86]

Jets coaches see Gholston making subtle progress
October 2, 2009
By RODERICK BOONE
[email protected]

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Vernon Gholston's play is meticulously analyzed and scrutinized as people try to gauge the development of the Jets' 2008 first-round pick.

Some continue to tag the linebacker with the bust label because he hasn't shown a whole lot through the first three games. He has six tackles and zero sacks and still has problems shedding blockers.

But the coaches are seeing progress from the 6-3, 264-pounder with the superhero physique, and gave him a belated game ball for his play Sunday against the Titans. Gholston might have saved a touchdown when he tackled speedy Chris Johnson after a 30-yard run.

Gholston just plays without a lot of flash, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said.

"Vernon's strength is exactly that, his strength, and that's something we've taken advantage of," Pettine said Thursday. "A lot of times that involves him knocking guys back and taking two blockers, and those are thankless jobs. Those are things that go unnoticed. That's why we're high on him because he's great while he's doing his job. That's the whole motto of our defense: Do your job and good things will happen."

Jets coaches see Gholston making subtle progress

LB Vernon Gholston has seven tackles this season, including a touchdown saving take down on Titans speedster Chris Johnson last week.

“He has graded out well,” said defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, adding that Gholston many times takes up two blockers. “Vernon isn’t a guy that you’re going to see a lot of flash from, but he’s strong.”

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2009/10/ny_jets_backfield_banged_up_he.html

 

[Buckskin86]

LOOKING BACK

The Jets? decision to activate LB Vernon Gholston over linebacker and special teams standout Marques Murrell is one of several questionable roster decisions the team made against the Dolphins that resulted in two Ted Ginn kickoff returns for touchdowns on Sunday.

Murrell, who can be used in many of the same rush packages on defense that the Jets employ with Gholston, is tied for third on the team in special teams tackles with eight. He?s a sure tackler with good speed for a linebacker.

Gholston, the sixth pick overall in 2008, recorded his first special teams tackle last week. Special teams coach Mike Westhoff said he uses Gholston in a different role than Murrell, but the roster decision on whom to activate often comes down to Gholston and Murrell.

Gholston, who has 12 tackles this season, is improving but is mostly a nonfactor. Try as coach Rex Ryan might to hype Gholston, he has yet to make an impact play this season.

Meanwhile, the Jets' special teams unit is suffering because each week the Jets insist on having Gholston active, one of their better special teams players sits.

Last week, in addition to Murrell, Ahmad Carroll (four tackles) and the speedy Marquice Cole (three), a pair of special team aces, were also inactive, although the Jets knew they were facing the dangerous Ginn. They were also without another special-teamer Brad Smith, but he was injured (quadriceps). Newcomer Danny Woodhead replaced him and lost containment on both Ginn touchdowns.

Looking back, looking ahead as NY Jets head into bye week | New York Jets - - NJ.com

Pelzman: Gholston not very special
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
The Record

Their current bye week has done something to the Jets and coach Rex Ryan that even four losses in their last five games couldn?t.

It has shut them up. Well, at least temporarily, because they won?t be holding any more media briefings until Monday, when the Jets return to practice for the second half of the season.

The talk really isn?t a problem, although certainly it would go over much better with the critics if the Jets were backing it up the way they were during their 3-0 start to the season.

But it isn?t talk that resulted in missed tackles by the Jets against Ted Ginn Jr. on Sunday, and it isn?t talk that resulted in two meltdown games by quarterback Mark Sanchez last month, against New Orleans and Buffalo.

Ryan and linebacker Bart Scott, the two most loquacious people in green and white, promised Monday that they have no intention of lowering the volume. That?s OK, but perhaps Ryan needs to be a bit more judicious with some of the words he uses Sunday, specifically when choosing the team?s inactives.

Linebacker Marques Murrell, one of the Jets? best special-teams players, was a healthy scratch Sunday, while Vernon Gholston was again active. Gholston has 12 tackles on defense this year, and one tackle on special teams, while Murrell has eight special-teams tackles. Gholston has only four tackles since Calvin Pace returned from suspension.

When asked why Gholston was up instead of Murrell, special-teams coordinator Mike Westhoff said, "That?s a good question. You?d have to ask the defense that, to tell you the truth."

It?s understandable that the Jets would want to get a return on their $21 million investment of guaranteed money in Gholston, the sixth overall draft pick in 2008, but they also must think about the bottom line of winning down the stretch, now that they are in a playoff battle. And if Murrell or someone else gives them a better chance to win that day than Gholston, then that decision must be made ? no matter how it looks publicly or how it hurts in the wallet.

NorthJersey.com: Gholston not very special

 

[ethel merman]

The Jets and their reporters deserve their mediocrity.

 

[Buckskin86]

ource: Ex-coach Eric Mangini pushed New York Jets to draft disappointing linebacker Vernon Gholston
BY Rich Cimini
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Wednesday, November 11th 2009

Vernon Gholston (50) hasn't made an impact for the New York Jets in two season, and to make matters worse, he seemed to be a favorite of ex-coach Eric Mangini.
Kostroun/AP

Rex Ryan predicted big things for Vernon Gholston, vowing to turn the disappointing former No. 1 pick into a productive player. That hasn't happened, and it's fair to wonder if it will ever happen.

Gholston is 24 games into his NFL career, and he has yet to record a sack. How is that possible? His playing time has almost disappeared (only about a dozen defensive snaps in the past two games), and the coaching staff needs to take a hard look this week at whether he should be active Sunday against the Jaguars.

Because Gholston's role on defense is so small, it might not make sense to dress him because it creates a dropoff on special teams. He's not as good as Marques Murrell and Ahmad Carroll, core special teamers who got squeezed in the numbers game and were inactive in the last game. That decision came back to bite the Jets (see Ted Ginn Jr.). Even special teams coach Mike Westhoff seemed puzzled by it. You can bet there will be an extra emphasis on special teams for Sunday.

So it has come to this for Gholston, the sixth pick of the 2008 draft: He's extra baggage. But he continues to play because sitting him would be a self-indictment for a team paying him $21million in guarantees. It's a cover-your-backside move, not uncommon in the NFL.

Here's the troubling part: Gholston's lack of progress isn't surprising to some in the organization. Now we're hearing he wasn't a popular choice to begin with. Opinions in the draft room were mixed on Gholston, but the Jets picked him because then-coach Eric Mangini lobbied hard, according to multiple sources.

"That one's on Eric," one source said.

Read more: Source: Ex-coach Eric Mangini pushed New York Jets to draft disappointing linebacker Vernon Gholston

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

Oh that's why they suck. Everybody knows you can't be a great team without a Pro Bowl linebacker that isn't really a linebacker.

 

[Buckskin86]

GHOLSTON HURT: If the Jets are thinking of benching LB Vernon Gholston, they now have an injury-related reason. Gholston didn't practice yesterday after tweaking a hamstring Monday in what Rex Ryan described as a walk-through, perhaps a subtle dig at the former No.1 pick. (It was more taxing than a simple walk-through, players said.) "It's doing worse than I thought it would, so we'll see if he can play or not," Ryan said.

Don't bet on it. Gholston's shrinking role on defense, coupled with his ordinary play on special teams, has made him vulnerable to deactivation.

Read more: New York Jets secondary meets, plans ways to improve in second half

 

[Buckskin86]

(photo credit: MCT)

LB Vernon Gholston appears to be on the mend after missing two weeks with a hamstring injury.

He's listed as probable and will suit up for Sunday's game against Carolina, though Ryan said he isn't sure how much playing time Gholston will see.

The second-year linebacker clearly hasn't lived up to the lofty expectations set on draft day last year. (Granted, those expectations were a result of the Man-genius at work. But even so...)

Gholston, who was picked sixth overall in 2008, has been a disappointment (i.e., 0 sacks in 24 career games). And at this point, the only thing that will put a smile on Ryan's face is steady improvement from the 24-year-old.

"As long as you keep improving, then he's going to be fine. It's when you level off or start taking a nose-dive, that's when you have some issues. ...Obviously, he's a guy I want to see play. ...I haven't seen the great strides, but I saw where he's getting better. It's a process. It's not like he's the only guy this has ever happened to. ...This is not an easy league to play in; the size, the speed of it. Eventually, I think he'll be the player that everyone wants him to be. Sometimes you have to have patience."

Special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff said he's seen improvements "in some areas" so far.

"I?m convinced he?s a short area guy," he said of Gholston. "I like him. Personally, I put him in places like on our punt team. He?s very good in our protection when I get him inside. He?s very good at it. His technique is good. In the open field, I think some of his talents are minimized."

Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said he's seen some positives in Gholston's game as well, though, he pointed out the recent injury has derailed him a bit.

"I?ve seen improvement from day one up to the point when he got hurt," he said. "It was unfortunate that he did have that setback and now we have guys that have stepped up. We?re talking about a possible transition and sharing some positions with Vernon and kind of cross-train him to be outside and play some defensive end as well. Unfortunately, the injury came right at the time where we were getting ready to do that."

Just Say "Uncle"...

 

[Buckskin86]

Not much left to say about NY Jets LB Vernon Gholston's unproductive season
By Dave Hutchinson/The Star Ledger
December 25, 2009

Coach Rex Ryan doesn?t even bother to try to talk him up anymore and the media doesn?t even bother to ask. It?s getting harder and harder not to stamp linebacker Vernon Gholston a bust and move on.

Gholston, selected sixth overall in 2008, has already pocketed over $10 million (he?s guaranteed close to another $11 million depending on likely-to-be earned incentives in his five-year, $32.5 million contract) and the Jets have yet to get a single sack in return.

The former Ohio State star has no tackles in the past four games and only four since starting three of the first four games of the season in place of the suspended Calvin Pace.

Gholston, who is introspective and quiet, either doesn?t care or doesn?t understand the magnitude of his non-production.

??It?s not for me to say whether I should be playing more or whatever the case may be,?? said Gholston, who has played sparingly down the stretch as the Jets try to make a playoff run. ??I just show up to work every day and whatever they ask me to do, I do, and try to get better. I?m not trying to be a distraction.

??We?re in the playoff race. I just rely on the coaches to put us in the best position to win. That?s what I?m putting it (his inactivity) toward.??

Asked if he?s upset or angry about his reduced role, Gholston said, ??That?s not my mind-set. For me, I?m up on all the special teams and that?s what my role is. All you can do is play what is given to you.??

Problem is, Gholston isn?t even producing on special teams. He has just four special teams tackles this season, the same number as kicker Jay Feely.

Not much left to say about NY Jets LB Vernon Gholston's unproductive season | New York Jets - - NJ.com

 

[NFBuck]

Oofah...what a disappointment.

 

[billmac91]

I still think Vernon has a productive career in the NFL in front of him. Call it the homer in me. I thought he'd be able to be a 3-4 LB but he just doesn't have the ability to play in space. Think about how much more fluid Thad Gibson is in space compared to Vernon.

Some 4-3 team is going to pick Vern up on the cheap, and I think he can excel. I think he's an excellent flyer coming out of his contract with the Jets.

Now the real homer in me...I'm still hoping for the #1 pick. Take Suh, go 4-3 defense. Slide Wimbley down to DE next to Rogers, sign Vernon and put him next to Suh.

 

[Buckeneye]

Agreed. I want to see him as a 4-3 rush end before I label him a complete bust.