OK - according to the coach (from the article) he always did what he was told and people saying he was taking plays off didn't know what he was supposed to be doing on the play. So either the coach is lying, or you don't know what he was supposed to be doing when you thought he was taking plays off.
When a play is happening at your feet and you don't move, I would say thats taking a play off. Good coaches always stand by their players, is that not a case of this maybe?
Randy Moss broke what was thought to be an unbeakable record. Plus, how many plays do you think Moss took of on the Pats compared to the Raiders? I don't think he took off any considering they didn't lose a game in the regular season.
Anybody who thinks theres any possibility that one of the nation's most well known college coaches is going to come out and state that his defensive star who just went sixth overall in the NFL draft was a lazy player under his watch is out of their mind. Even if it is the case that Gholston is at times lazy, Tressel would be out of his mind to come out and say it. That being said, A, you wont find a defensive lineman anywhere who jumps off the screen every play of every game, watch any lineman every down and your going to see plenty of plays where they don't do anything spectacular. And B, from what Ive heard his position at OSU entailed more than just rushing the quarterback every passing down. My guess personally is that this whole thing is overblown, there is some bust potential there like with any pick but it has more to do with his skills and ability than with whether or not he occasionally didn't go all out in college. Frankly if I was playing for Ohio State, and were up several touchdowns on some crappy big ten program, Id be taking plays off too. Who cares. If he can't stay motivated at the NFL level, its a problem, if he can then I don't care what he did in college. Unlike college, it goes without saying that if he 'takes plays off' for the Jets, hell end up taking more plays off than perhaps hed like, because the coaches arent going to put him on the field.
I also think that if it were true, Tressel wouldn't have said anything and let sleeping dogs lie, rather than stick up for his former player. Tressel sees an injustice being brought upon one of his stars, so he had to right the wrong.
I've tried to find a clip illustrating it, but its pretty hard to find one. What I mean is when a play is coming his way, and he just stands there either playing foxtrot with the guard or tackle and not making an attempt to get involved with the play. What apparent is that obviously people are very defensive about VG, and rightly so, Hes a Jet now. People will see what they want to see. I'm glad that VG is a Jet, he was BPA. He wasn't my #1 pick, but hes here now, and I wish him all the luck, but I cannot disregard what I've seen. He will be boom or bust and I hope its the latter.
It's hard to say without seeing the play(s) in question, but sometimes when containing, you have to simply ride the block outside to force the play inside to the LB's and NT's. It sounds like this could be the case for the scenario you're describing. I don't know. Making a tackle/sack isn't the only way to make a play, you have to first maintain responsibility. As a football player, it is against your instinct to not want to be involved with a play coming towards you. Following your instinct to try and shed the blocker and make the tackle could take you out of position from maintaining your responsibility though. You WANT the guy with football smarts not to follow his instinct and maintain responsibility - not the guy who freelances to try and be a hero.
It is the same shit every year on these monstrous pass rushers. They take plays off yada yada yada. Every year like clockwork it is said. Look at this guys background, there is nothing lazy or under achieving about it. As far as boom or bust, of course Gholston is boom or bust, with the money at stake on these guys, every single top 10 pick is as well. Edit: I would have the same, wait and see attitude about every single one of the top 6 guys. None of them made my toes tingle. I think they all have to potential to bust out just the same as Gholston, some even more so depending on the system and coaching staff they are coming into.
It would be easy for me to say look at the bowl game, but there were a few players that night who 'took plays off'. And with the draft coming up who could blame them. I here what your saying WSW, but this really wasn't the case. I came to this conclusion on my own, way before Mayock and Co started to harp on about it. But other people have noted the same thing, so I'm not alone.
did gh take 'entire plays off' or just the last half of the play when the action had gone in a different dirction?
No....In the bowl game, he was just manhandled by the best & biggest OL in college football. That wasn't his fault.
IF DIS IZ TRU DEN WHERE DA FACK WUZ DA SACKZ!?!?!?!? Plus he just stood there all day. And you've already done this shtick in this thread...just thought I'd join.
i dont think you get manhandled and be the sole result of about 9 broken LSU offensive plays at the same time. Who was the best OT on LSU that did this, who is apparently the best in the game? Wasn't the entire O-line, since he didn't deal with the guards and center, just the tackles. Last time I remembered, Gholston did pretty good against the best Lineman in the NCAA, Gholston will see him twice a year, he will be wearing teal and white.
Why don't we just wait to see what he does as a Jet. He certainly won't be asked to contain here. It is unlikely he will even be in the lineup on running plays, at least to begin with. As far as college coaches sticking up for the players you are just plain crazy if you don't think that happens every year. Just look at the crusade Weiss went on for Quinn even as the draft went on last year and he kept falling minute by minute.
