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Once again, the Jets enter this off-season attempting to improve their pass rush, and with that in mind, they signed a couple of outside linebackers this week – Michigan State’s Brandon Long and Fresno State’s Garrett McIntyre.
Long is another one of those scrap heap players Mike Tannenbaum looks to strike gold with, like Wayne Hunter and Josh Mauga.
Long went undrafted in the 2009 draft. He was a tweener – a 6-3, 254 defensive end – a little small to play defensive end in the NFL, and it was unclear whether he could play linebacker in the NFL, as is often the case with these undersized college ends (with an example being Vernon Gholston).
The San Francisco 49ers signed him, projecting him as a 3-4 outside linebacker. But unfortunately for Long, he had some injury issues in San Francisco that derailed him two years in a row.
So he went back to school, got his degree, and hoped for another chance, and the Jets came calling.
Long showed some good flashes as a pass rusher his senior season in East Lansing, finishing with 5.5 sacks.
“He really put some hits on the QB his senior season,” said one Michigan State source. “He developed as a pretty good pass rusher his senior year. He had a career year his senior season.”
Long, a Canton, OH-native, is considered very tough and people rave about his work ethic.
As for McIntyre, the Fresno State-product is certainly a guy who has paid his dues.
The Lake Tahoe-native got out of college in 2005, and spent a couple two years in the Arena Football League, and then two seasons with the Hamilton Tiger Cats of the CFL, where he had nine sacks in two years.
McIntyre is one of those guys that goes 200 MPH on every play.
“He has a motor that just doesn’t stop,” Fresno State coach Pat Hill said.
As a senior in 2005, he recorded 29 tackles, seven sacks, a forced fumble and a blocked kick, earning recognition as the WAC Defensive Player of the Year.
And this from a player who was a walk on in college – he’s the quintessential overachiever who plays with a chip on his shoulder, always trying to prove everyone wrong.
Before heading off the to the Arena League and then Canada, McIntyre had look sees with the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans in the summer of 2006.
What do the Jets have here?
It’s hard to tell, but it’s clearly two more attempts to improve their pass rush, which needs to get better in 2011.
And expect other candidates to be added throughout the off-season.