Scouting Report Nick Mangold C NY Jets
Nick Mangold had a big problem on Thursday night against the
Browns—Atleast 350 to 375 pounds worth of big problem named Shaun Rogers. Mangold has never been the biggest C in the
league but he has worked hard to put muscle on.
He is now up to 300. But Mangold
is wise beyond his years in the NFL. He
held his own against the monster pro bowler.
By Bill Smith
Effective At Times
Rogers doesn't present
much of a pass rush threat but is a huge rock against the run. The Browns traded for him to help against the
run. Mangold was able to move him when
he played low. But like all younger
O-Linemen, there is a tenancy to stand up and then hit the opponent. In that case he lost leverage and failed to
open a hole. When he played low, he was
able to create a crack for Thomas Jones and the other Jet running backs to
sneak through. In the only series they
played against each other, the Jets were able to run effectively against what
should be a much better run defense of the Browns.
Unlike most
C's in the league, Mangold is outstanding at leaving a double team block to get
another block on the second level. He
doesn't give up his body unless it is absolutely necessary which means when he
gets a linebacker, he is still on his feet and has a shot at a safety. He has always played to the whistle and is
searching for the next guy to hit until it blows.
Playing Next to
Fanica
Mangold
will really enjoy working with a new LG Allen Fanica, the free agent 7 time pro
bowl player from Pittsburgh. Fanica is considerably quicker and much more
aware than last year's gaggle of want-to-be starters. There were several that got a chance to
replace Pete Kendall who was moved in a spitting contest with the coach and
front office.
On passes,
Mangold really shines. He is so aware
that if he is uncovered he is able to help out any leakage by another lineman
or pick up a blitzer. The toughest blitz
for a C to take is the corner blitz of the edge. He has the quickness to get there and make
that block. On every pass play, he
seems to find the closest leak to the QB and has the quickness to plug it
up. That is going to make him a pro
bowler for years to come.
Rain Delay
Because of
the lightning the work against Rogers
was limited to one series and a single play of the second series but Mangold
looked good against one of the most challenging NT in the NFL.
Mangold had
a very good rookie year and fell off slightly last year as was the case for the
entire team. Part of that was due to his
having to do more 1 on 1 blocking because of a lack of a quality LG once Kendall left. He
is going to be a pro bowl C for a long time and his first trip to Hawaii isn't too far
away.
Grade A-
Bill Smith is a
former coach of several semi-pro teams and has scouted talent. He is a senior writer for http://BrutusReport.com. He has
also published several novels on http://ebooks-library.com/index.cfm and
edits http://fryingpanpolitics.blog.com