For the first time since he has been the Jets’ head coach, Rex Ryan yesterday sounded lukewarm about Vernon Gholston, the team’s 2008 first-round draft pick.
Ryan, who has been talking up Gholston for months, sounded as though he was urging the mild-mannered linebacker to get nasty.
A moment after praising rookie linebacker Jamaal Westerman for getting a sack in his first NFL game, Ryan declined to gush when asked to assess the game Gholston had against the Texans, calling his performance “up and down.”
“He played well at times,” Ryan said, before urging Gholston to play with more fire and anger. “He did a lot of good things. He helped cause a number of hits on the quarterback. He was able to push the pocket a little bit. There were other times where I would have liked to see him jump on a pile. If there’s a piece of fabric that you can hit before that guy is down, then go take a shot at him.”
Ryan gave offensive game balls to Mark Sanchez and Thomas Jones, who had one rushing yard in the first half but finished with 107 yards and two touchdowns. Ryan called Sanchez’s prowess on third downs “unheard of” for a rookie.
On defense, Darrelle Revis and David Harris got game balls. Jason Trusnik was given a game ball on special teams.
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After activating DE Shaun Ellis to the active roster yesterday after his one game suspension was complete, the Jets waived CB Marquice Cole.
The Jets suffered only a couple of minor injuries, with DT Sione Pouha tweaking an ankle and S Eric Smith getting kicked in the nose. LB Bart Scott was down for a few moments, seemingly shaken up, but Ryan joked Scott was merely “looking for some TV time.”
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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he expects to rule this week on the Jets’ failure to report Brett Favre‘s arm injury last season. Past violations of that nature usually have resulted in fines.