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Charlotte – Vernon Gholston played perhaps his best game as a Jet, in the team’s preseason game against Carolina. Here is a 600 word, in-depth breakdown of VG’s effort in Charlotte, the good, the bad and the ugly . . .
Vernon Gholston played okay and you have to respect his hustle.
He led the team with five tackles and he deserves kudos for that.
But keep in mind, he was facing backup offensive tackles the entire game, first Geoff Schwartz and then Rob Pettiti.
The Panthers starting right tackle, Jeff Otah, didn’t play.
Gholston has repeatedly proven he can be a decent player against backup tackles, whether it’s in practice, or in preseason games.
It’s starting quality tackles that usually give him trouble.
Gholston’s most impressive play came in the second quarter when shed the block of tight end Jeff King and stopped the runner for a loss of one.
Another particularly impressive play by Gholston was a quarterback pressure late in the game when the defensive end forced Jimmy Clausen out of the pocket, towards the right sideline and forced him to throw the football out of bounds.
Gholston and Kenwin Cummings stopped tailback Mike Goodson for a loss in the middle of the fourth quarter.
In the middle of the third quarter, Gholston showed good hustle tracking down Goodson on a short pass and run after a nine yard gain.
But this last play also points out Gholston’s issue getting off blocks, and the kind of plays he often makes.
He put no pressure on the quarterback on this play. He couldn’t get off the block. Once the runner caught the pass, and was running down field, Gholston tracked him down.
He’s does a lot of his work hustling to the ball once it’s past the line of scrimmage, and the offensive tackle lets go. He will run down field and make tackles.
This is admirable and shows great hustle.
Backup defensive linemen like Matt Kroul and Ty Steinkuhler made numerous plays where they shed linemen and this led to tackles or sacks. We don’t see Gholston doing this enough, and this remains a weakness.
He’s constantly in these “Dancing with the stars” moments with offensive tackles. He’s still not where he needs to be as far as shedding tackles.
And while Rex refuses to offer an “blunt, force trauma” as he puts it, when talking about Gholston, his defensive line coach, Mark Carrier, did on the cable show.
Carrier said Gholston’s reactions are a step slow.
One scout said recently, “he has slow eyes.” That is another way of saying he’s slow to react.
And here is another problem for Gholston. We saw it last year and twice against the Panthers.
There is no doubt with his sub-4.6 speed, he can get down field in a hurry on kick or punt coverage. However, he can’t break down in space, so unless he runs right into the runner before he makes a move, he’s toast. His hips are stiff and it makes it hard for him to change directions in the open field.
Captain Munnerlyn (yes, that is his name), had punt returns of 10 and 24 yards. And on both of these plays, Gholston was the first guy down field, but on both occasions, after one move by the returner, he went flying by Munnerlyn and didn’t make a play. It’s not Vernon fault he has stiff hips. It’s just a reality. What good is getting down field first if you can’t make the tackle?
Look it- I’m not trying to be a hater here. Vernon’s a great guy. I’m just dealing with reality.
Gholston played with a lot of heart in Charlotte. He really did.
But he still has a lot of work to do, and to me, Rex’s constant effusive praise is over the top.
And any writer who falls for the bait needs to do a little more homework.