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Bloodlines are important on the NFL level. Not just because of inherited athletic ability, but because of the great brainpower that could be available for the player . . .
I asked Todd Bowles today what impact Hall-of-Fame lineman Art Shell has had on Jets fifth-round pick Brandon Shell over the years.
“I’m sure he saw film and he knows (the) history of Art (Shell), but I think the kid is pretty good in his own right,” said Bowles. “(His uncle has) a history that he heard quite a bit about, but he wants to make his own name.”
Either Todd totally misunderstood my question or purposely blew me off.
Whatever. It doesn’t matter.
I was asking about the mentoring Brandon got over the years from one of the NFL’s greatest all-time linemen, who is his uncle.
What a resource for the kid to have.
And just so you know, Brandon has been helped by Art, and will continue to be.
“We went on the field and worked on some things, and watched some film together,” Art Shell told the Charleston Post and Courier. “I would ask him questions: ‘What are you thinking here? What are you doing? Why are you doing that?’ And then I would also ask him what he did wrong, and what he needed to do to make adjustments. He’s a good learner. He’s a smart kid. That’s one thing he has going for him.”
Not only was Art Shell a great offensive tackle, but former offensive line coach and head coach in the NFL. So not only is he helping Brandon as a tackle, but in his transition to the NFL, in general. In fact, he gave him some pointers heading into this weekend’s rookie mini-camp.
“The key thing that Brandon has going for him is, he’s a good kid,” Art Shell said. “He’s a guy who has a lot of ability. I think if he gets with a team with a good offensive line coach, he has a chance to be a player in the league for a long time, because he has that kind of talent. It may not have come to the forefront in his years at (USC), but he does have it.”
That is a really, really interesting comment.
Clearly, Art Shell didn’t love how his nephew was coached at South Carolina. It’s no secret the program slipped the last couple of years culminating with Steve Spurrier resigning last year.
So if Jets offensive line coach Steve Marshall, and his new assistant David Diaz-Infante, can coach the kid up over the next year or two, this guy clearly has starting potential.
It remains to be seen whether this is on the right or left side. Brandon Shell played both at South Carolina, but many project him to the right side in the NFL.
The Jets haven’t ruled out the left side.
Shell has the size and feet to man the left side. He just needs a lot of work on his technique and strength.
This guy is clearly a starting candidate in 2017 or 2018, not 2016.
But with his natural ability, and the coaching he will get from Marshall, Diaz-Infante and his uncle (long distance from Georgia), the sky’s the limit.
May 7, 2016
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