Basketball has natural shooters. Baseball has natural hitters. Even football has players who seem to possess an innate instinct when it comes to things such as passing and running. But is there such a thing as a natural-born blocker?
If there is, the Jets may have one in center Nick Mangold. The second-year player from Ohio State is already a mainstay on the offensive line and had arguably the best year of any lineman in 2006.
…the late first-round pick was forced to take over the position because of injury and never looked back. Some even think he may be on his way to perennial Pro Bowl status.
Not expected to start right away, the late first-round pick was forced to take over the position because of injury and never looked back. Some even think he may be on his way to perennial Pro Bowl status.
But the scary thing about Mangold’s rookie season is this: He did it primarily without knowing what he was doing.
“You go back and look at yourself and see what you did well, what you did bad, and how you can fix it,” Mangold said of his offseason self-analysis. “One of the things was that I didn’t really play with great technique, mostly because I was trying to learn everything else.”
With a year of the Jets offense comfortably embedded in his hairy head, Mangold was able to turn his attention to the finer points of his position. He worked on better hand placement, better footwork, and better balance. After a very strong first season without much room for improvement, Mangold is just plain better.
“Nick’s really good,” Jets coach Eric Mangini said, a blunt compliment he won’t often utter about one of his players. “Nick has the ability to really react to those quicker guys, those quicker noses, and then also the ability to anchor and not give ground to the stouter noses.”
Mangini is so fond of Mangold’s play that, unlike all of the other offensive line positions that he scrambles in the name of versatility, he has kept Mangold exclusively at starting center this summer.
“I’m comfortable with his flexibility right where it is,” Mangini said.
Mangini said he likes the way Mangold sinks his hips and uses his hands so “he can strike, reload, strike again.”
He said that’s a skill refined in the Teddy Atlas boxing classes Mangini encouraged this offseason.
“The offensive linemen, they’re snapping what would be the equivalent of a jab, but it’s with two hands,” he said. “It applies at every position and that’s why boxing has a serious carry-over.”
Mangold’s hands weren’t quick enough to avoid the bite of perhaps the smallest foe he’s faced in his NFL career. On Monday, while speaking to a television reporter, he was stung on the hand by a bee. When the insect returned and landed on his back, Mangold shrieked: “Ooo, ooo, get it off of me!” and darted about the field. He’s better equipped to handle opponents the size of the Patriots’ Vince Wilfork than that buzzing menace.
Although the Jets are not permitted to discuss injuries, Mangold was forthcoming with details from his encounter Tuesday. “It’s still a little swollen, but we’re getting better,” he said. “It hurt. A lot. It caught me by surprise.”
Mangold may not mix well with nature. But, is there such a thing as a natural blocker?
Mangini, the coach, said no. “They are definitely things that are coached,” he said.
Mangold, however, had a different take. “I guess you kind of have to have a natural block to get to the NFL, but I think it’s what you do with your natural ability once you get here,” he said. “All the guys here, myself included, are working real hard to perfect what we’re doing.”
Some have longer to go than others.
Copyright © 2007, Newsday Inc.
