Chris Gocong, Philadelphia Eagle

[PhillyFan]

Second, Bush is an idiot, a horrible human being, and hands down the worst president this country has yet had.

Speaking of lemmings. 

[SD_Eagle5]

Is it possible that it was never really his account in the first place.  I ask this never having actually seen it, so it's an honest question.

It was his, I read some of his comments and they were all from his college buddies and friends congratulating him on being drafted.

[henchmanUK]

Interesting pick. Ourlad's mentioned that the numbers he put in college against that competition are comparable to what John Randle did at Texas A&I. I am concerned about moving to outside linebacker, though, simply because they've tried to move players to other positions before (Mark Simoneau, Dhani Jones) and ended up having to bring old players back (Jeremiah Trotter, Shawn Barber). I hope this one works out, but I am sceptical.

[MURP]

Jets | Team might have traded away Gocong
Tue, 2 May 2006 11:55:16 -0700

Randy Lange, of the Bergen Record, reports the New York Jets might have committed a gaffe when they traded their No. 71 overall draft selection to the Philadelphia Eagles for their No. 76 selection and a seventh-rounder. The Eagles picked DL Chris Gocong with the selection, after showing no pre-draft interest in him. The Jets had visited with the swift defensive end and might have been considering picking him. Gocong said, "I was talking to my agent and we actually expected the Jets to draft us with the 71st pick, but we didn't really know if it was going to happen."

[SD_Eagle5]

This made me laugh:

Jets | Team might have traded away Gocong
Tue, 2 May 2006 11:55:16 -0700

Randy Lange, of the Bergen Record, reports the New York Jets might have committed a gaffe when they traded their No. 71 overall draft selection to the Philadelphia Eagles for their No. 76 selection and a seventh-rounder. The Eagles picked DL Chris Gocong with the selection, after showing no pre-draft interest in him. The Jets had visited with the swift defensive end and might have been considering picking him. Gocong said, "I was talking to my agent and we actually expected the Jets to draft us with the 71st pick, but we didn't really know if it was going to happen."

Jets | Team might have traded away Gocong
Tue, 2 May 2006 11:55:16 -0700

Randy Lange, of the Bergen Record, reports the New York Jets might have committed a gaffe when they traded their No. 71 overall draft selection to the Philadelphia Eagles for their No. 76 selection and a seventh-rounder. The Eagles picked DL Chris Gocong with the selection, after showing no pre-draft interest in him. The Jets had visited with the swift defensive end and might have been considering picking him. Gocong said, "I was talking to my agent and we actually expected the Jets to draft us with the 71st pick, but we didn't really know if it was going to happen."

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Eric Mangini can sit on it and twirl.  Oh!

[ice grillin you]

whats even funnier is that they used the pick they traded for on one of the worst players in the draft

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Every time Schlegel is in the game (if he ever sees the field), the other team will audible to pass.  Easy.

[phattymatty]

me ruv you rong time

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Racist!

[MURP]

link

Draft Q&A: Chris Gocong

Today's draft Q&A is with Cal Poly DE-OLB Chris Gocong, who was the runner-up behind former teammate Jordan Beck in 2004 for the Buck Buchanan Award, given annually to the best defensive player in Division I-AA, before winning the award this past season when he notched 19 sacks. Gocong put on a strong display of athleticism and intelligence at the Combine last month. Not only did he show off his 38.5-inch vertical leap and run a sub-4.8 40, but he also scored a 36 on the Wonderlic — one of the highest scores this year. No wonder. The kid is a biomedical engineering major at one of the best schools in the country. We talked to him about music, San Luis Obispo and what normal biomedical engineering majors do when they aren't preparing for the NFL draft.

What's your daily routine like these days?

CG: Basically, I go to class — 12 units, three classes — and then work out, and if I have a workout (for an NFL team) scheduled, I'll go do that. And basically, I do that and homework and that's about it.

How hectic has it been with all the workouts and the Combine and all the non-school stuff?

CG: Yeah, it has been pretty tough during school and getting ready for the draft at the same time. My teachers are pretty understanding of my situation.

That was my next question. It has to be a little rare at Cal Poly for a student to go through this routine.

CG: Especially an engineering major. The teachers are all about school. It's tough in that I'll miss a week, and a (missing a) week of engineering classes puts you way behind.

That would have been like me missing a semester of English classes when I went to school. Now you were a Biomedical–engineering major at Cal Poly. What the heck do biomedical-engineering majors study? And more appropriately, what do they do when they graduate normally?

CG: I don't know, I'd probably go work for a company like Stryker. They make like pacemaker leads and implants and stuff like that.

Are you also prepared for a career outside of football just in case the worst-case scenario happens? Are you interviewing with other employers outside the NFL?

CG: No, I am not. I'm totally focused on the NFL. (Engineering) is a great backup plan to have.

Are your parents nudging you at all to be prepared in case things don't work out? How is their role in this whole thing?

CG: I went to Cal Poly for the engineering, and I played football just because I loved to play football. I got to play there and do engineering, and it's a great program. So once I realized I could go on, I could play football, it kind of became ... [long pause] school kind of came second to my workouts, mostly the last quarter. My working out was more important than — doing well at the Combine was more important than doing well in classes that I could retake.

And I promise I won't be sending this to any of your professors ...

CG: [laughs] Yeah, I hope not!

So you said you went to school for engineering and not for football, but clearly you could play a little. How big were you coming out of high school?

CG: I played quarterback and linebacker (in high school). I was probably 6-2 and 230, maybe 225 coming in.

Did you make any of those fancy blue-chip recruiting lists?

CG: No, no.

When did you realistically know you had a chance to play pro ball?

CG: I think that once Jordan (Beck, Cal Poly teammate and third-round pick of the Falcons last year) was drafted, that was the for-sure thing, like, 'Wow, it could be a reality.' And I still had to keep it on the backburner last season, because you don't want to be playing college football thinking about the NFL the whole time, 'Oh, I hope I don't get hurt.' So I just kind of kept it in the back of my mind. And now that my college career is over, I've been focusing on it.

And you stood out at the East-West game. It had to feel good that you fit right in there, as well as the Combine.

CG: I talked to Jordan, and he kind of told me how he experienced it. At first he wasn't sure of himself, that he could play with those guys. And once he started getting into it, it doesn't matter where you're from. You're just playing football. I kind of expected that, and the same thing happened. I started playing, and it felt good. And I came out feeling confident, and I feel that I proved I can play (with players) from bigger-name schools.

And what was the biggest difference? The size of the players? The speed?

CG: I think the biggest difference is the height, just the overall size. The bigger guys are lighter on their feet.

Height and reach, right?

CG: Right. Reach makes a big difference.

As a sophomore, you were playing nose tackle at 235 pounds. What did that teach you about leverage and technique? You had to be pretty precise or you were going to get eaten up, no?

CG: I played nose my redshirt sophomore year. I was about 230, 240. It was one of those things where I would hit my guy and knock him off, but there was no way I could win a pushing contest — there was sometimes a 100-pound difference. I would hit him, do what I am supposed to do and then just get to the ball.

How did that experience help you playing outside?

CG: Yeah, I think it definitely made me a little more rough around the edges. I wasn't — I would be less ... I don't know how to say it. I don't mind going up against a guy who is 70 pounds more than me now. Or take a double team or whatever.

Did you stand up at all in college or did you mostly play down?

CG: I actually played half and half, depending on down and distance, so I would be in a two-point (stance) if we thought it was going to be a run.

It has to at least be flattering that NFL teams were so impressed with your athleticism so far that they want to see you as a linebacker. Do you have a preference?

CG: First of all, it's great to be looked at and to have teams look at me and say, 'OK, he can play this, maybe he can play that.' I think that in my past experience, working at inside 'backer and moving to end, I kind of didn't know how I was going to do at that. But once I started working there, I really started doing well. I think it would be a little bit of a transition (to be a 3-4 outside 'backer), learning some new things, coming from defensive end. But I am confident I can handle those things, drop into coverage, things like that.

What teams do you think have showed the most interest in you so far?

CG: I had my workouts, four over the past week and a half. They were with the Falcons, Patriots, Cowboys and Jaguars.

And what about at the Combine? What teams did you talk to there?

CG: I had, I think, nine interviews. It was really cool to be there, talking to guys like Tony Dungy. You see him all the time on the TV, and he's right there. And he knows my name. That was fun. Most of those (interviews) were getting-to-you things, seeing how I fit in with them personality-wise. My last one, with the Jaguars, that was more breaking film down and talking defenses. They and the Patriots, I would say, have shown the most interest, but who knows?

OK, trivia time. As the Buck Buchanan Award winner this season, do you know who were the last three winners before you?

CG: Uh, Jordan, Jared Allen and ...

Hint: All three are in the NFL today.

CG: I am not sure of the last one.

Rashean Mathis.

CG: Oh really? OK, I didn't know that.

Well, Beck was too easy anyway — he was your teammate. So tell me about this band you are in.

CG: Yeah. We just play every now and then. Lately, we haven't been able to play that much. I have been a little too busy with workouts and such. Actually, our guitarist just cut his finger open.

Ouch! Is he on the team too?

CG: No. But actually, our singer is Kyle Shotwell, and he's our middle linebacker too.

What do you play?

CG: I play bass.

What kind of music is it? What are your influences?

CG: It's kind of bluesy. I would say mostly blues.

Any cover songs? Or mostly original?

CG: No, all original. We like to go in and mess around.

So you have three potential careers now: football, music and biomedical engineering. Last question: What's the best thing about San Luis Obispo?

CG: Oh, man, I don't know ...

Good food? Music? Beaches? The girls?

CG: I would say the best thing about the town is the overall atmosphere. It's not a small town, but it has a small-town atmosphere. Laid back. The city really supports its athletics, and it's a great place to be.

Tomorrow we'll chat with Miami (Ohio) CB Darrell Hunter, sometimes referred to as the "Deion Sanders of the MAC." Wonder why?

[SD_Eagle5]

And you stood out at the East-West game. It had to feel good that you fit right in there, as well as the Combine.

CG: I talked to Jordan, and he kind of told me how he experienced it. At first he wasn't sure of himself, that he could play with those guys. And once he started getting into it, it doesn't matter where you're from. You're just playing football. I kind of expected that, and the same thing happened. I started playing, and it felt good. And I came out feeling confident, and I feel that I proved I can play (with players) from bigger-name schools.

Coming from a small school that's the best attitude to have.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

He played QB in high school, which means he's more experienced at that than at LB.

[MURP]

He played QB in high school, which means he's more experienced at that than at LB.

CG: I played quarterback and linebacker (in high school).

[ice grillin you]

he played nose tackle as well

all this combined should translate into him being one hell of a special teamer in the nfl