-
Rod Marinelli's Rescue and Recovery Projects.
Bears’ Rod Marinelli on recovery mission with Vernon Gholston, Amobi Okoye
BY MARK POTASH mpotash@suntimes.com August 4, 2011 11:18PM
Vernon Gholston (left) was hardly a difference-maker in his four seasons with the Jets, but he might be a better fit in the Bears’ system. | Al Bello~Getty Images
Updated: August 5, 2011 4:48AM
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. — When Rex Ryan became the New York Jets’ head coach in 2009, he promised to take his best shot at making something out of disappointing former first-round draft pick Vernon Gholston. ‘‘If he doesn’t do it for this team, he’s never going to do it,’’ Ryan said at his introductory news conference.
Those are ominous words for Bears coach Lovie Smith and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, especially since the blustery Ryan had Gholston pegged when he entered the 2008 draft after a sudden 14½-sack season at Ohio State and an off-the-charts performance at the NFL combine.
‘‘I didn’t like the kid coming out of college. He’s a good athlete and a smart guy. But I thought he was a phony,’’ Ryan, who was with the Baltimore Ravens at the time, wrote in his book, Play It Like You Mean It, which was published in May. Ryan later regretted using the word ‘‘phony.’’
‘‘What I meant by ‘phony’ was that his [combine] numbers were phony,’’ Ryan told reporters. ‘‘His numbers were better than anybody in the history of football, and I was like, ‘That’s not how he plays. Nobody plays like that.’ But Vernon got better, and he is a tremendous person.’’
Ryan’s words notwithstanding, Marinelli is ‘‘anxious’’ to take his shot at Gholston, the sixth pick of the 2008 draft, who was cut by the Jets after four seasons and no sacks. The Bears are hoping Gholston will flourish in a system where he might be a better fit. He was a 4-3 defensive end at Ohio State. He played linebacker in a 3-4 under Eric Mangini as a rookie with the Jets in 2008, then in Ryan’s defense in 2009. He was moved to defensive end in 2010.
‘‘Vernon’s got great speed. He’s really put together,’’ Marinelli said Thursday at Bears training camp at Olivet Nazarene University. ‘‘Sometimes, for a guy that’s played down a little bit more and then he’s moved back, sometimes your instincts may possibly get taken away a little bit. ‘‘But we’re going to get him down on the ground, put his hand down there, and just rep him — over and over and over. Because I know he’s got speed, and we’ve just got to work with him.’’
With all due respect to Ryan, the Bears think Marinelli has a chance to make a difference with players such as Gholston and Amobi Okoye, another top-10 drafted lineman (10th overall by the Houston Texans in 2007) the Bears signed.
Marinelli’s history of developing outstanding lineman gives the Bears an even better chance of hitting the long shot, though Marinelli doesn’t look at it as much of a gamble.
‘‘I just think the fit sometimes can be right. I don’t know if it’s a roll of the dice,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m anxious. It’s not dice for me. I’m very anxious. Very ambitious to work with these men — and believe in them and go, just like we do that whole group. I’m just looking forward to the challenge.’’
The 6-2, 292-pound Okoye was a four-year starter with the Texans who had 45 tackles, three sacks, seven tackles-for-loss and 11 quarterback hits last season. A defensive tackle, he was going to be moved to end after the Texans went to a 3-4 defense under newly hired coordinator Wade Phillips. But Okoye was traded after the Texans took defensive end J.J. Watt of Wisconsin with the 11th overall pick in April.
The low-key Marinelli isn’t prone to gushing about his players and isn’t about to place expectations on a player who never has played for him. ‘‘He fits — no doubt about that,’’ Marinelli said of Okoye. ‘‘He’s played in [something] close to our system. He’s got good rush ability.
‘‘Before I give him expectations, I just want to see him practice, see what he does well, understands the concepts of our defense — how hard we’re going to play, how fast and physical we’re going to play, and the tempo. And then we’ll go from there.’’
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. 
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
-
-
Article updated: 8/5/2011 1:00 AM
Bears’ Marinelli looks to blend new Bears with old
http://dailyherald.com/article/20110...rts/708059924/
By Bob LeGere
Last edited by soulman; 08-05-2011 at 10:20 PM.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
-
A couple of things stand out to me. One is that Marinelli is gonna try Paea at both UT and the NT positions so I wonder what impact that will have on "Toe"? The other is that Okoye is definitely seen as an UT in this defense. When you look at his roster data with Houston you find that the has him playing at 315lbs as a NT whereas Marinelli has him weighing 292lbs which is probably a much better weight for him.
It seems to me that we've acquired two former #1 picks who were both playing out of position in systems that didn't fit their skills well. Both Gholston and Okoye have great pass rush potential so it'll be interesting to see what Rod can do with them in this system. If Melton really comes on strong at UT and Okoye can back him there maybe for the time being we can use Paea at NT on passing downs. Just like Tice wants his five best playing I think we should do the same on the defense on passing downs. Get four guys in there who can really bring it and turn them loose.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
-
I'm hoping for the best and yes players can be in the wrong system. But I can't help but think that there had to be something missing in the hustle /determination/toughness depts with these guys. So- results : I'll believe it when i see it.
What should you call any : Fumble , Hold , Interception , Three and out , or Sack ?
A " F.H.I.T.S " ? or a J'Marcus ?
-
Originally Posted by
Blue Horse-shoe 
I'm hoping for the best and yes players can be in the wrong system. But I can't help but think that there had to be something missing in the hustle /determination/toughness depts with these guys. So- results : I'll believe it when i see it.
When your lifelong goal is to play in the NFL and when you crash the show and things don't go well, most likely, it's not a lackadaisical effort on the part of the athlete. It's any one of a number of things that can cause it players to struggle.
-
Originally Posted by
Dagan81 When your lifelong goal is to play in the NFL and when you crash the show and things don't go well, most likely, it's not a lackadaisical effort on the part of the athlete. It's any one of a number of things that can cause it players to struggle.
That could be true, i'm not dismissing it at all. It could also be true that when the bank account reads 7 figures ( f,igu,res ) motivation and pain tolerance goes way down .... especially when you know that the size/ speed /talent to play at this level IS there. These guys are not undersized Josh Beekman's trying to make it ( i can understand why he didn't last long, but it wasn't for lack of effort cuz Josh gave everything he could ).
Maybe these guys need to watch some UFC, and the movie RUDY ( ok here i might be goofing around a bit )...But then again, maybe it could help them re-discover "that something" that got them here in the first place. And that something usually boils down to 1 thing : their heart - is it truly "into it" ( the passion) as much as it was when they were " trying to get here " ( the work ). No heart = no foundation = no results.
What should you call any : Fumble , Hold , Interception , Three and out , or Sack ?
A " F.H.I.T.S " ? or a J'Marcus ?
-
High Fives / Like - 1 BEAR DOWN!, 0 Dislikes
-
Originally Posted by
Blue Horse-shoe That could be true, i'm not dismissing it at all. It could also be true that when the bank account reads 7 figures ( f,igu,res ) motivation and pain tolerance goes way down .... especially when you know that the size/ speed /talent to play at this level IS there. These guys are not undersized Josh Beekman's trying to make it ( i can understand why he didn't last long, but it wasn't for lack of effort cuz Josh gave everything he could ).
Maybe these guys need to watch some UFC, and the movie RUDY ( ok here i might be goofing around a bit )...But then again, maybe it could help them re-discover "that something" that got them here in the first place. And that something usually boils down to 1 thing : their heart - is it truly "into it" ( the passion) as much as it was when they were " trying to get here " ( the work ). No heart = no foundation = no results.
Blue Shoe, I am drawing this from experience. I wrote about this experience before, but I'll tell about it again. In August of 2000, I attended band camp at the University of Tennessee. I was already a member of "The Pride of the Southland Marching Band" by dent of the fact that I was a music major, but that didn't mean that I was going to get to march on the field. My feet are flat; I have extra bones down just below my ankles, and to top that off, I'm pigeon toed. I couldn't keep my balance marching 120 beats per minute like what the Pride usually marched, plus the marching manuevers were much more difficult than what I was used to in high school. I worked my ass off to make the roster for Pregame, which is nationally renowned (You might have heard of the UT band opening the "T" while the football team runs out onto the field during pregame festivities), but I was not allowed to ever take the field at all. To top that off, I was relegated to the 32nd, and lowest, alternate position in the band because they could not cut me. By the third day of classes at UT, I dropped out of the school and transferred to a local community college.
So yeah, things like that happen for all sorts of reasons. It's a lot like Rudy in my situation because I had some physiological things go against me. But before we judge others efforts, let's look at their background first. I will be interested in seeing whether Cameron Heyward makes it as a 3-4 defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers since they run much the same defensive scheme as the New York Jets, which is where Vernon Gholston, who like Heyward is a former Ohio State Buckeye and started his pro career as a 3-4 defensive player. Ohio State hasn't been noted for producing many top notch linemen on either side of the ball over the past several years, which is why they probably have won a BCS National Championship since 2002. Apparently, for all the winning that Ohio State has done over the past few years, they just haven't developed dominant linemen on either side of the ball.
-
Originally Posted by
Dagan81 Blue Shoe, I am drawing this from experience. I wrote about this experience before, but I'll tell about it again. In August of 2000, I attended band camp at the University of Tennessee. I was already a member of "The Pride of the Southland Marching Band" by dent of the fact that I was a music major, but that didn't mean that I was going to get to march on the field. My feet are flat; I have extra bones down just below my ankles, and to top that off, I'm pigeon toed. I couldn't keep my balance marching 120 beats per minute like what the Pride usually marched, plus the marching manuevers were much more difficult than what I was used to in high school. I worked my ass off to make the roster for Pregame, which is nationally renowned (You might have heard of the UT band opening the "T" while the football team runs out onto the field during pregame festivities), but I was not allowed to ever take the field at all. To top that off, I was relegated to the 32nd, and lowest, alternate position in the band because they could not cut me. By the third day of classes at UT, I dropped out of the school and transferred to a local community college.
So yeah, things like that happen for all sorts of reasons. It's a lot like Rudy in my situation because I had some physiological things go against me. But before we judge others efforts, let's look at their background first. I will be interested in seeing whether Cameron Heyward makes it as a 3-4 defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers since they run much the same defensive scheme as the New York Jets, which is where Vernon Gholston, who like Heyward is a former Ohio State Buckeye and started his pro career as a 3-4 defensive player. Ohio State hasn't been noted for producing many top notch linemen on either side of the ball over the past several years, which is why they probably have won a BCS National Championship since 2002. Apparently, for all the winning that Ohio State has done over the past few years, they just haven't developed dominant linemen on either side of the ball.
Limitations are one thing ( no shame in that ). When the talent IS there and the results don't follow somethings missing. Ur right it could be many different factors and i'm not saying it's not. Yet i also see nothing wrong with hypothesizing ( and that's all it is ).
I've seen too many stories where former players ( who's careers didn't go as expected ) got interviewed and admitted that there was something wrong with their approach that , looking back, they know they could have corrected and had much better careers. And when i see that stuff i always think the same thing : damn if only.
What should you call any : Fumble , Hold , Interception , Three and out , or Sack ?
A " F.H.I.T.S " ? or a J'Marcus ?
-
I'm all for Rod attempting reclamation projects but on the back burner. I want to see Melton and Paea in the rotation as well as Toe first and foremost. If the other guys really come on in training camp I'm all for it but I don't know about taking first team reps away from the others (rotation platooning notwithstanding). The #1 project I believe is to get Paea going asap and see where he fits.
Arguing on the internet is like winning the special olympics, even if you win your still messed up.
Restore the roar!
-
I agree, to a point. However, if for some crazy reason Harrison were to turn out to be better than Toe, by all means, let him play more. Same with Okoye over Paea. I mean, in the 07 season, we didn't start Toe til the last 3 games, and he played lights out, then he didn't get another chance til last year (WTF?). 90% chance Toe's gonna be the best NT, but the open competition is the healthiest thing we can have for our d-line; I'm sure Marinelli has more to do with that than Lovie, as well.....
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote
