Remember: Tangini had just dropped that mega/monster contract on Pace, so VG wasn’t going to sniff that side. Also, Tanny was still smarting from that insane Brian Thomas contract, so he had to save face and wasn’t about to give up on him if Thomas so much as found the playing field in camp. To his credit, after the way the fans treated him that year (much like they are VG this year), Thomas stood up, fought off any imagined pressure from the sexy rookie, reclaimed his spot and actually played well the first half of the season before trailing off in his usual manner after the Tenn. game. So, no room for VG on that side. Ellis wan’t going anywhere on his side of the line, and Coleman was a “Mangini guy” who brought nothing to the table but always started anyway. So, nowhere for VG to fit, learn and grow, there.

I’m not downplaying any of VG’s flaws. They are apparent. I’m just saying that often there are many more things going into decisions we see made and not made than just one individual’s effort or lack of same.

One more point: you’ll agree I’m sure that there is a sorry trail of otherwise good players who’ve been forced to adapt to a new system they didn’t fit and failed, when they might very well have prospered had they played in a scheme that they WERE suited for. Two examples here are Vilma, who was a monster in a 4/3, but disappeared in Mangini’s new 3/4. Further, what could “The People’s Choice” Dwayne Robertson have done in the NFL if he had been in a 4/3 for his whole time in the league? He was just too small, and played too small for Mangini’s system; he wasn’t the Kris Jenkins that Mangini’s scheme cried out for, and DR got crushed in there, as the rest of the scheme collapsed around him. Does that mean he was a bad player? I doubt it. We’ll never know. He was shot by the time he went to Denver’s 4/3.

So, I for one am going to reserve judgment on VG until I see what Sexy Rexy and his staff can do with him, and what they devise for his strengths. Remember, this is the year that the Jets will need to begin seeing return for VG’s contract, so they’ll do anything they have to to squeeze value out of that pick.

So, we’ll see.

this is an article in today’s Star-Ledger talking about VG and where the new regime sees him at

Jarron Gilbert will make an impact with the chicago bear defense this year.

He is a typical mangini player. We should have drafted him when we had a chance.

Our defensive line is doomed this year without giving Jenkins some help. If gholston produces he is not enough and the schemes won’t cut it. We need beef on the line!!!!

It takes a year to transition from a 4-3 DE to 3-4 OLB in the pros. We will know what he has with Coach Ryan & Co.

Hold your bust comments after this Year?

i said it last year, it amazed me how mangini couldnt dump down the defense to allow gholston to make a play. i would have put him in the game during obvious passing situations, let him put his hand in the dirt, and tell him “forget everything else, your job is to destroy the QB”. if it is obvious that he couldnt make reads and decisions on the fly, why even bother having him on the field in situations where he needed to think?

i believe in rex and am confident he will put gholston in the position to make plays this year.

My point was Mcginest struggled early on but made plays. Something VG did not do….even a little…

Again guys I am not saying he is a bust I just think we are fooling ourselves to think Rex is going to turn this swtich on for VG when it appears it might not ever go on….At least to become the player we want him to be.