Posts tagged VernonGholston at FanHouse

The last time we heard Brett Favre's name it was from a dejected Tony Kornheiser, who only mentioned the "most compelling story of the NFL season" a mere 22 times during Monday Night Football.

The cognitive dissonance must've been too much for the once-respected writer turned in-booth buffoon because not only did Kornheiser quit muttering Favre's name during the second half, he quit talking altogether. I can only assume that the ratings went through the roof even though the game was pretty much decided by that point.

No need to worry, Mr. Tony; Favre is fine. In fact, according to the Newark Star-Ledger, the Jets quarterback "was back behind center and walking with his signature gunslinger swagger at practice today, leaving no doubt he'll start on Sunday against the Cardinals."

Woo-hoo, season saved! Favre apparently suffered a twisted ankle during the Chargers game, but he's none the worse for wear as New York prepares for a pretty good Arizona team.

It's finally here, people: the NFL season is upon us. In the seven months since the Giants beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl, front-office types have wheeled and dealed, players have trained, and coaches have game-planned, all for this moment.

Today everybody's upbeat -- ecstatic, even -- especially the fans, many of whom use football as an escape from real-world drudgeries that can sometimes make the offseason seem unbearably long. And by "everybody", I mean "everybody but Greg Cosell." Cosell is the guy behind the guy behind the guy at NFL Films, and he's basically Ron Jaworski's off-camera alter ego.

His most recent column is about as uplifting as a funeral procession, but without all the ceremony. The title pretty much sets the tone, and if you're a Raiders or Jets fans, it just gets more depressing/infuriating from there: "McFadden, Gholston have look of NFL busts."

Now this could very well be the case, but jeebus, man, we haven't even seen either of them play a snap in a regular-season game. It's one thing to call out Alex Smith and Matt Leinart for their shortcomings -- there's plenty of film of those two in various states of underachievement -- but Darren McFadden and Vernon Gholston? Okay, let's hear it.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: Chad Pennington enters 2008 trying to prove yet again that he -- wait, what? Who? Really? Didn't he retire? Oh. I see. It doesn't seem like Brett Favre wants to play in New York this year, he's basically said so much in the most diplomatic way possible, which means this is the year where Favre stops having fun. This is the year he stops looking like a kid again, to support the cliche. And it can be argued that that magic has perpetuated itself, and has been the reason Favre is still considered -- rightfully or not -- one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Without it, I can imagine 2008 being a disaster for Favre -- bad play and missed games. And then the New York media jumps in and the misery just compounds. That's how I see 2008 rolling. Oh, plus, they don't have a decent backup quarterback. Heat Index: 6

You could see the frustration build up within the Saints organization with each passing day of Sedrick Ellis' holdout. After a couple of days Mickey Loomis declared it could be a lengthy holdout. Then Sean Payton remarked that Ellis needed to get into camp because he was only hurting himself. Even today, with the two sides finally agreeing on a contract, Loomis remarked that, "It's about time," and that it "took a little longer than it should have."

But, regardless, the deal is done. Ellis will get $19.5 million guaranteed for five years. The rest of the money totals $49 million, but reportedly includes some hard-to-reach incentives that bring its value closer to $32 million. By comparison, sixth-overall pick Vernon Gholston, who went one pick ahead of Ellis, got a total of $50 million over five years, with $21 million guaranteed.

The Saints traded up from 10th overall to the Patriots' spot at seven to select Ellis, who will start at nose tackle. He's expected to be the anchor of a revamped defense and will be responsible for clearing traffic for Jonathan Vilma.

Missing seven days of training camp is not advantageous for Ellis, who is joining a team already well-accustomed to the 100-degree heat and humidity that blankets Jackson, Mississippi. If Ellis isn't adequately prepared he risks injury, much like fellow rookie Tracy Porter (who hurt a hamstring after missing two days of camp). Add on top of that the presence of last year's starter Hollis Thomas, who is slimmer and healthier, and Ellis has his work cut out for him.

I was joking when I suggested earlier today that now that first-round pick Vernon Gholston is under contract, the Jets could go about signing the last piece of the Super Bowl puzzle, quarterback Brett Favre. I suspect some fans feel differently -- especially this dude -- but ESPN.com's Chris Mortensen, who's never wrong, reports that the Jets have received permission to talk to Favre about the prospects of playing in balmy East Rutherford this fall.

This must be good news for Aaron Rodgers, who learned earlier today that Favre plans to show up at the Packers training camp, which starts tomorrow; not-so-good news for Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens, currently the two guys battling for the Jets starting job.

For shiggles, let's assume Favre ends up in New York. Does he suddenly make Jets contenders in the AFC East? I'm skeptical; not so much because Favre is over the hill, but because he'll have to learn a new offense in less than a month, and will be coming to a team that won four times last season. Yes, the Jets were a 10-win outfit in head coach Eric Mangini's first season, but are the offseason additions enough to give the Patriots something to worry about?

I'm unconvinced, but I'm all for giving it a try; I mean, I can get behind anything that increases the chances that New England doesn't make the playoffs.

One of the Jets' biggest problems last season was the defense's inability to rush the passer. Stopping the run was a bigger issue, and the offense's struggles to score points didn't help things, either, but, hey, Eric Mangini can't be expected to fix everything in one offseason. Or can he?*

Anyway, the Jets have signed first-round pick, outside linebacker Vernon Gholston, which hopefully means the pass-rushing concerns are now a thing of the past. Gholston inked a five-year deal that includes $21 million in guaranteed loot.

The linebacker's deal could max out at $50 million if he reaches all of his performance clauses. If the No. 6 pick does not, the deal would still be worth $32.5 million.

Now Gholston will continue his transition from college defensive end to NFL linebacker. He's been compared to Shawne Merriman but without the failed drug tests, and if he approaches Merriman's production, the Jets will presumably be very, very happy.

Now, for the final piece to the Super Bowl puzzle: finding a way to get Brett Favre to New York.

* rhetorical question

New York Jets 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 1 (6): Vernon Gholston, DE/LB, Ohio State
Round 1 (30): Dustin Keller, TE, Purdue
Round 4 (113): Dwight Lowery, CB, San Jose State
Round 5 (162): Erik Ainge, QB, Tennessee
Round 6 (171): Marcus Henry, WR, Kansas
Round 7 (211): Nate Garner, OT, Arkansas

The Good: There might not be a player with Gholston's upside in the entire draft. A physical freak who made a mess of offensive lines in big games, Gholston could have a Shawne Merriman-type impact on the Jets pass rush. The questions about his consistency and effort need to be answered but there wasn't another player the Jets could've taken with this pick. Henry will be a good red zone target and Garner is a road grader in the run game. Keller will definitely help the offense. Even though he doesn't block, he catches the ball well and creates matchup issues. Brian Schottenheimer will use him in a variety of ways but ...

The Bad: did they really need to trade up to pick him? I don't think he was worth the fourth-round pick they gave up nor the fact that the contract issue with Chris Baker will now be a full-fledged distraction. Lowery isn't fast enough to man up with receivers which will be a problem if the Jets commit to being an attacking defense. Maybe he moves to safety? Either way the four you spent on Keller could have been used to get a better corner, which was a bigger need.

Things didn't break the optimal way for the Jets in the first round. Depending on who you believed, Darren McFadden or Matt Ryan was the guy the team really wanted. For my money, I think the Ryan interest was always a smokescreen to create trade interest but, either way, both were gone before the pick came along. When Glenn Dorsey went fifth to Kansas City, it eliminated the last player who teams were likely to break the bank in an attempt to trade up. So, after all the rumors and all the machinations, the Jets end up with Vernon Gholston. Just like a certain someone predicted three weeks ago.

A golf clap for me and a nice booby prize for the Jets. His pass-rushing skills will fit in well with Calvin Pace and Bryan Thomas to improve a real team weakness. The biggest lingering question is if his play in big games against Michigan and Wisconsin and his big showing at the scouting combine speak to a player who is only occasionally motivated. The Jets went through that with John Abraham, a supremely talented player who didn't bring the motor on every down.

That remains to be seen, though. Those red flags weren't enough to earn the revulsion of the crowd, at the very least. Gholston gets a nice first opponent in Jake Long, a guy who probably still sees Gholston sacking Chad Henne in his nightmares. Next up for the Jets is finding a little more explosiveness on offense and some cornerback help for Darrelle Revis.

Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston is the No. 1 player on my draft board, the player I think will be the best professional of anyone drafted this weekend. He lasted until the sixth pick, when the Jets chose him; he'll likely play outside linebacker in coach Eric Mangini's 3-4 defense.

Gholston's stock skyrocketed after he had a phenomenal combine, and that led to some doubters labeling him the next Mike Mamula. That bothers me for two reasons.

First, it's unfair to Mike Mamula. And second, it ignores how well Gholston played on the field at Ohio State. I said Gholston would be a Top 10 pick during the 2007 season, before I knew how fast he could run the 40-yard dash (4.58 seconds) or how many times he could bench press 225 pounds (37).

Gholston is a great athlete in track shoes and a T-shirt, but this team just got a great football player in cleats and shoulder pads, too.

Previously on FanHouse:
Darren McFadden Thinks He'll Be a Jet
The Jets Aren't Just a Team, They're a Family; A Family Guy Kinda Family
Chad Pennington to the Ravens? Draft Week Rumor Mill Churns Out a Doozy
Matt Ryan Not Visiting With Jets This Week
How Does Kerry Rhodes Extension Affect Jets Draft Strategy?
Are The Jets Hoping Matt Ryan Drops to Them on Draft Day?
FanHouse Mock Draft: New York Jets Select DE/LB Vernon Gholston No. 6

I think the Rams are bummed. I don't care what anyone says about Glenn Dorsey or Chris Long or Vernon Gholston. Jake Long was the guy the Rams wanted, and with him heading to South Beach they'll have to look in another direction.

Not that they don't have options -- there's the aforementioned three top prospects and trade possibilities to be had. So what'll they do?

First, they're not doing anything until Saturday, even though they're now free to negotiate with players, as the Dolphins did. They'll feel out all the possibilities and hand in their card when their time's up. But I'm thinking they ultimately want to trade down now.

They should still have their eye on a tackle, as this draft goes basically five deep and their other needs are deeper. Whether it's with New Orleans jumping up to take Dorsey, Baltimore trying to jump over Atlanta for Matt Ryan, or others -- trading down while remaining in the top half of the round will net the Rams a tackle and additional picks to fill their many needs.

If they have to stay where they're at, it'll certainly be for one of those above three. I think Long would make the best selection, but defensive coordinator Jim Haslett has that itch for workout warriors like Al Davis, and though he's purported to love Dorsey, I think Haslett opts for the freakish Gholston. Thankfully, time for speculation is almost over.