Defense Turns the Tables Published: Mon, July 30, 5:05pm EST By Eric Allen Allen is the senior managing editor of newyorkjets.com. He is in his sixth season with the Jets. File Under: Jason, Trusnik, david, Barrett, Harris, kellen, clemens change font email article 07/30 ? Perhaps the Jets' defenders had heard enough about Chad Pennington's aerial assault on Sunday because the tables were turned Monday. Bob Sutton's unit carried the play in the Green & White's only workout of the day. Along the line, rookie Jason Trusnik displayed his pass rushing skills in combat with D'Brickashaw Ferguson. Trusnik, a 6'4", 250-pound undrafted free agent, first used his power to push Ferguson into the backfield and eventually to the ground. Then on the next play, the Ohio Northern product knocked Brick's hands down while gaining the edge and got a clear path to the backfield. Trusnik, a two-time Division III All-American at Ohio Northern who racked up 43 career sacks, has quietly had a nice camp. During team drills, Pennington attempted to drop a short ball to Jerricho Cotchery. But cornerback David Barrett popped into the screen out of nowhere and returned a pick down the sideline. Then Pennington tried to throw quickly to Laveranues Coles on a short route but Barrett sat on it and knocked the ball away. Rookie linebacker David Harris also recorded a takeaway as practice reached an end. In a two-minute drill, Kellen Clemens threw a Hail Mary after he rolled to his right to avoid defenders. Lineman Wade Smith originally snapped the ball way over the signal caller's head but Clemens corralled it, ran for a couple of seconds, and unleashed a heave. After a tip in the end zone, Harris had his big paws wrapped around the pigskin. The offense did make a few high-quality plays. Clemens threw a rocket to Brad Smith in team drills as the Jets' versatile weapon crossed the middle of the field. The gain covered about 20 yards, but Smith never had to break stride on the textbook pitch and catch. Leon Washington, last season's leading rusher, gave fans a reminder of his long gainer in Miami when he took a short dump pass from Pennington and just exploded. Washington always has the ability to make something out of nothing and that's a luxury. Rookie wideout Jesse Pellot-Rosa, who averaged 13.3 points per game at Virginia Commonwealth last season, returned to action. And it's always good to see Ben Graham nailing punts 60+plus yards as he did today. The Thunder from Down Under continues to be a weapon. On the crowd front, the Jets got a replacement generator up and running for both Jets Fest and their sound system. But for the most part, Brian Mulligan had a very light day. Two-a-days resume Tuesday at 8:45 a.m. Rate this Post 14 ratings submitted
I'm not sure if we should be happy that Trusnik is impressing as a possible situational pass rusher or D'Brick is struggling against a DIII player.
He definitley could be, but D'Brick being thrown to a ground by a 250 lbs. DIII end is something that worries me about our #4 overall draft pick.
And how do you know this? Have you ever seen this guy play in college? What makes you think he'll do anything in the NFL against experienced players please explain?
That's what I was thinking too. Getting tossed around by a undrafted rookie out of a DIII school should not happen to a starting LT. Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come.
Jason Trusnik Highlight Video :up: 45+ Sacks 90+ TFL's 275+ Tackles ... and he missed nearly a full season with an injured foot or he'd probably be the NCAA's All-Time Sacks leader This kid was like the Deacon Jones of D3 football :grin:
IMO - dbrick will "never" live up to a true #4 pick. i do not think he has the personality or the aggressiveness to absolutely shut down a DE..... however - we have to look at the value of a #4 along the oline as opposed to the value of a #4 at other positions. its safe to say that the more common positions usually selected around #4 are o line, QB, DE. less common picks are RB, LB, CB etc etc. all of us think a #4 OL pick should be equal to an ogden, munoz, jones etc. brick will likely be a 1a type of talent but that should be fine for the jets. the question is if brick does not turn into an ogden or jones, what are masses going to say about that #4 pick - especially when the jets were also staring at cutler, leinart and other good talent below them. i think it bears watching especially of clemens doesn't pan out. hindsight is of course 20-10 jil
I do think about this occasionally. I think we wouldn't be dedicated Jets fans if we didn't. And Cutler was actually my choice. Leinart dropped precipitously and maybe for good reason. But all of us can always look back on many things that we've done or, more precisely, opportunities that we'd like to have back. When I think of some of the real estate deals I've passed up, for example, it makes me sick. But then again, my wife always reminds me of the ones I've done, too, that have panned out greatly. And we have to look at it the same with draft selections. Brick at #4 will always be questioned, but I think it's more important to look at what we've got. I think our O-line is starting to look like something and that wouldn't be the case if we hadn't picked up D'Brick, so for now, I'm still okay with this pick. But you're right... it's always in the back of your mind... what if???
I lobbied day and nite on this board and others for Jay Cutler, and if I had a dime for everytime I heard "Jay Cutler is a reach at #4 Overall" {in response} I'd be a wealthy man But that's water under the bridge now, I like Brick and I think he'll be a solid LT for a long time barring injuries, with a chance to be an All-Pro caliber LT if he continues to bulk up and work hard .. but I felt that way {about Brick} before the 2006 draft and I still would have taken Jay Cutler Oh well, like I said, water under the bridge
Other than the home game against Buffalo when he was overpowered by what's his name at the end of the game 3 times (note, end of the game, like last three minutes or so), I think Brick had a pretty damn good first season, starting every game, playing pretty well. Some of his criticism I think is a bit unfair. That said, Having Matt Leinart, Mangold and Marcus McNeil in the first two rounds of 2006, which we could have had, instead of what we go with Brick, Mangold and Clemens looks in retrospect pretty damn good. We may have blown it there....
That draft would have been a hell of a lot nicer JetFighter if the JETS took A.J. Hawk, Mangold, and Marcus McNeil. Schlegel was a waste of a third round pick once the JETS took David Harris in the 2nd round of the 07 draft. D'Brick may have loads of potential but Marcus McNeil was picked right after the JETS took Clemens with the 49th pick and he was a PRO-BOWLER playing through the season with two broken hands at 6'7 335. Like they say in the NFL, you can't teach size, either you have it or you don't and D'Brick doesn't it have where it matter's most, as an LT.
Either you have it or you don't speaks mostly to "talent", GOD Given ability, and D-Brick has that in spades .. he also has the frame {6' 6"} to carry 320 Pounds, so he can have the size as well if he puts in the work and eats right JMO Rich, and I was a Cutler Guy
Let’s just give up on Brick and call him a bust – after all, we’ve already seen him play his rookie year on a mediocre (on a good day) line and have two or three bad games. And now this – getting run over by a D-3 jobber; I vote we maintain that Brick was up on Herm’s draft board and no one ever wiped it off…so because of this, his presence is the result of (and fault of) Herm.
There is a big difference between being able to carry 320 pounds and actually doing it. His rookie year he went from being weighed in at 312 at the start of training camp to going all the way down to the low 290's once he was half way through the season, and the JETS are hoping that doesn't happen since he came into camp this year weighing 305. Now's he getting dominated by a D3 football player that may or may not make the team. Top 5 pick or not, he better improve his play drastically from his rookie year.
I wasn't impressed by this highlight video at all. The guys trying to block him were mostly big time chumps based on what I saw. Only 2 or 3 guys even got into him for him to have to fight off the block. Other than that he was pretty much just getting a free run at the QB or RB. He does have a good initial burst and nose for the ball, but from this it was very hard to say whether or not he can fight off a block. edit: It's silly to go crazy over Brick getting beat one time in TC. Everyone gets beat once and a while.
Don't forget, alot of teams, not just the Jets, passed on McNeil- he was seen as a great liability for injury reasons. It's easier to say AFTER the fact that we should have drafted him, but on paper and and in the highlight reels, Brick was the better of the two.
KOZ, what highlight films were you watching. D'Brick never went up against elite pass-rushers in college on a weekly basis. He got by with his long Slim Jim arms and Mel Kiper raving about him like a lunatic. I was rooting for the JETS to get Marcus McNeil long before they drafted D'Brick. Check my posts if you have to. And oh yeah, McNeil was a top 50 pick that sure was a liability of a risk, last time I checked you take risks on day two of the draft not day one.
Not really, I wanted McNeil before the draft a lot more then I wanted D'Brick. I don't think McNeil let up a sack his whole college career. He was a dominating blocker with a dominating frame. Ferguson was more of a project player that has a higher upside.
