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In the latest edition of “News to Me,” JC Publisher Dan Leberfeld takes a look at an assistant coach who will be of great assistance in a certain area, and the Geno Smith diligence debate.
This off-season, some NFL coaches, reached out to college coaches, to gain some insight into how to deal with some of these college formations, like the “read-option” and “the pistol.”
The Jets didn’t have to do that. They had a very good resource in house: new linebacker coach, Brian VanGorder,
Last year, VanGorder was the defensive coordinator at Auburn. He’s been a defensive coordinator at other stops as well, including the University of Georgia, for four years.
So he’s seen all these funky offenses first hand from having to defend them.
He’s a good in-house resource to deal with these configurations.
The Jets do play the Washington Redskins this year, with Robert Griffin III, but you get the sense, coming off major knee surgery, he’s not going to run as much this year . . .
VanGorder is certainly a coach who has paid his dues. He’s had many different stops all over the country, including brief head coaching gigs at Wayne State (in Detroit) and Georgia Southern.
People from the Boca Raton-area might remember him from his three stops there in the 1980’s at Boca Raton Community High School, Pine Crest and The American Heritage School . . .
The Newark Star-Ledger did a long-form feature over the weekend on Geno Smith’s daily schedule (before the team left for the break before camp).
It painted a picture of a guy working very, very hard.
The story took you through his entire day starting with him getting up at 5:30 am.
“You have to be that detailed to be great,” Smith said.
You have to think part of the reason for this story, and the excellent access given Orr, was to help dispel the talk that Smith was lazy.
“He’s not a student of the game,’ wrote Nolan Nawrocki. “He’s not committed or focused – marginal work ethic. He interviewed poorly at the combine and didn’t show an understanding of concepts on the white board. Has approached off-season training like he’s already arrived. Needed to be coddled in college – cannot handle hard coaching.”
I know some of you are tired of reading snippets from Nawrocki’s scouting report on Smith, but I did a lot of freelance from Pro Football Weekly over the years, and I know he has great sources.
One very plugged in reporter at the NFL Network told me recently, “I know Nolan’s sources on the Smith stuff, and they are impeccable.”
A Jets official person took umbrage with a reporter (not me) who recently used some of Nolan’s talking points in an article on Smith.
The official basically said, “That is just one guy’s opinion,” implying Nolan was on an island with this assessment.
The Orr piece painted a different picture, a picture the Jets would like to see more of, that the kid works hard.
You know what is great about this whole debate – the proof will be in the pudding.
Let’s see how this turns out – does he put the work in, does he correct his shortcomings? He’s still only 22.
In a couple of years, we can have discussion about this more clarity.
It will be very intriguing to see how this works out.
Only time will tell.
June 17, 2013
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