I Dislike Your Favorite Team

This story was tipped to me by Miwacar. A hunka information comes from this article by Dennis Waszak, Jr of the AP.

NY Jets Head Coach Eric "Mangenius," protege of Bill Belichick, has invited two world-class Olympic wrestlers to try out for his overachieving team. Recall the 2006 Jets were picked by most experts (citing a reek of untalent) to finish in the 3-13 area. The Jets instead went 10-6, earning the #5 seed by winning their last three games.

Mangini, who wrestled in high school, is intrigued by the athleticism, balance, sense of leverage and kill instinct which marks a successful wrestler. These two wrestlers stopped playing football early in high school because of their year-round focus on grappling. The interesting (only because football is 4 months away) question is whether either of these wrestlers can make the jump to playing football at the highest level. Athletically, they're awesome. But football is a complicated game and it is a team game, something wrestlers are not accustomed to.

Who are these stud heavyweights, anyway? The best heavyweight wrestler in the country is Ohio State's Tommy Rowlands, who beat U of MN's Cole Konrad in the finals of the U.S. National Championships last month in Las Vegas. They are both Olympic hopefuls who will be squaring off at the U.S. World Team Trials on June 10 in Las Vegas. Rowlands is Ohio State's career leader in wins, team points and takedowns. His career record with the Buckeyes was 161-14, including the 2002 and 2004 NCAA heavyweight titles.

They are both two-time NCAA wrestling champions. They were also roommates during the three-day minicamp.

Cole Konrad, 23, is trying out for the OL. Konrad won NCAA heavyweight titles in 2005 & 2006, and went 154-13 -- including 76 straight victories to end his career at Minnesota. Apparently, his cauliflower ear is something extraordinary, illustrating his tireless dedication to the mat.

Rowlands, 26, is trying at LB. Neither has played competitive football in years: Konrad since his freshman year of high school, and Rowlands since eighth grade. If anyone were to ask me, I would tell them to put both men on the defensive line. OL requires specific technique and footwork which must be coached for years before a decent player can be effective pulling, chopping, walling-off, kicking-out, etc. LB requires specific technique as well as the ability to read plays through the blockers and react instantaneously.

The reason I would put these boys on the DL is that it is the one position in football which favors athleticism over studied technique. To be great, defensive lineman study their opponents' tactics as hard as their own playbooks. But to come into the league without football experience, penetrating a gap is the most natural place for a wrestler. Shut up, that's not supposed to be funny.

Mangini says, "What you look for in terms of progress is a little bit different. What I like about these guys is that they're in a foreign environment, yet they're not fazed by it. They're going to go out and compete like crazy because that's how they're wired, and that's a great characteristic."

The Jets sought the wrestlers out; neither had considered the NFL at all. Says Rowlands: "I thought it was a prank call. When I returned his call, it was a voice mail and it said he was from the New York Jets, so I figured if someone was pranking me, they're going to great lengths to make the joke work."

The most recent champion wrestler to make it in the NFL is the Washington Redskins H-Back Chris Cooley. And by "champion" I mean going undefeated his senior year and earning the Utah state title and High School All-American honors. He was also a high school All-American TE. His unexpectedly gifted hands, combined with his toughness, balance and ferocious tenacity have provided the Redskins with an awesome offensive weapon and fan favorite.

How good is Cooley? He has 19 TDs in 3 years, has never missed a game due to injury and he averages 12.9 yards per catch -- outstanding for a TE. In 2006, his average gain on 3rd down was for 18.6 yards.


In Week 15 of the 2005 season (the only playoff season for the Redskins in a long time), Cooley single-handedly vanquished the Dallas Cowgals. He snatched six catches for 71 yards and scored a career-high three touchdowns (8, 2 and witness the ass-kicking 30-yarder).

Because Cooley dropped wrestling to focus on playing football for Utah State (he led the NCAA in receptions and yards his senior year), his jump to the NFL was not nearly as vast what the Jets are asking of their wrestling-first recruits. But we'll keep an eye on it Konrad and Rowlands.

The connection between wrestling and football is most obvious to the uninitiate: it looks like big bodies falling down on each other. In high school, our new wrestling coach gave a stirring speech to the football team in the locker room one day after practice, emphasizing how wrestling techinques would translate into success on the football field. I was convinced, and became a high school wrestler.

Although I suffered through mat-burns, mat-zits, unfortunate haircuts, two broken noses, a lot of pain and the Hunger necessary to meet weight requirements, there is no question that being a wrestler enhanced my football playing and established a level of mental endurance I wouldn't have otherwise.

And finally, it's called a singlet. Not a leotard or tights or whatever you unititiates say. There's nothing gay about it ... not that there's anything wrong with it.