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  • Numbnut JV player coming around?

    Faster, more confident Shelton Gibson now playing like Eagles envisioned


    Nick Fierro Nick FierroContact Reporter
    Of The Morning Call

    As a rookie last season, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Shelton Gibson needed a GPS device just to get from the north end of the NovaCare Complex’s playing fields to the south.

    His natural speed throttled by indecision, Gibson would meander slowly from one play to the next, one drill to the next, even from his starting spot on the line of scrimmage to where he thought he was supposed to be at the end end of any given play.

    “Last year, I used to wonder all the time, `am I running the right route?,’ ” Gibson admitted Wednesday at minicamp. “So then I can’t even run fast, I can’t even play fast.”

    Not anymore.

    By the end of the offseason camps, Gibson had established himself as a player of extreme interest heading into training camp, a player the Eagles thought they were getting when they drafted him in the fifth round out of West Virginia last year.

    This remarkable transformation, Gibson insists, came about from a conversation he had with teammate and fellow receiver Nelson Agholor.

    “He asked me a couple of weeks ago, when we first came back, if I’m doing everything I can do to be great,” Gibson said. “I told him, `no.’ He told me from this day forward, don’t let that be the thing.

    “So I started coming in early with him, me and Greg Ward. And ever since then, I’ve been progressing, progressing, progressing. Now it’s just like a routine thing, coming in early and doing everything I can.”

    The extra effort has been reflected on the field with decisive route-running and the ability to get open deep and finish off plays.

    Not surprisingly, Agholor spent most of the day during the open locker room following Tuesday’s practice loudly praising the youngster he has taken under his wing, just as Agholor had been mentored by Jordan Matthews in his first two years.

    In the process, Agholor may have saved Gibson from the kind of second NFL season Agholor was forced to endure before everything clicked for him in the third.

    The difference is that in 2015 and 2016, Agholor was thrust into action before his time. The Eagles didn’t make the same mistake with Gibson, though they did decide to protect him from being poached by rewarding him with a roster spot after he was outperformed by other receivers who did not survive the final cuts.

    That curious decision by coach Doug Pederson and executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman was explained at the time as their belief that Gibson’s higher ceiling warranted them keeping him around for at least another year.

    Obviously their faith already is starting to be rewarded.

    Gibson actually looks the part now of a receiver drafted a lot higher than the fifth round.

    That’s mainly because he doesn’t need that GPS to get around anymore, thanks to some career-saving advice from Agholor.

    “That’s what we’re supposed to do in this locker room,” Agholor said, “and these are our brothers. We’re responsible for their development and their growth. So I’m here for him just like guys in this locker room are here for me.”

    Specifically, Agholor helped raise Gibson’s level of self-awareness.

    “We think we’re grinding,” Agholor said. “We all think we’re grinding. As a receiver, as football players, we all thing we’re grinding and pushing our limits. But the reality is there’s another step you can take. There’s guys, there’s successful people in this world who have sleepless nights. Early mornings, sleepless nights, you have to get after it.

    “And they’re so obsessed with their process, so obsessed with their grind. We see the final product, great people, successful people. But we know they grind. Everybody says they grind, everybody talks about grinding, but you don’t know what grinding is until the results show. … It’s one thing to start it. It’s another to finish it.”

    Gibson is not at the end stages yet. But he is playing with a mastery of the playbook this year. Combined with his natural speed, that should make him a threat to score any time he is targeted.

    “When the play spits out, now you can just think about something else,” Gibson said, “because you know, like, `I’m going to run this on this DB.’ But last year, I used to worry if I’m running the right route. I’m playing much faster when I don’t have the ball.”

    Gibson will have to be better to make the team again this year. The way he’s played this offseason, he is giving himself a better chance each day.

    EAGLES WIDE RECEIVERS

    Alshon Jeffery

    Nelson Agholor

    Mike Wallace

    Mack Hollins

    Markus Wheaton

    Bryce Treggs

    Shelton Gibson

    Rashard Davis

    Marquess Wilson

    Greg Ward

    Tim Wilson

    Anthony Mahoungou

    [email protected]

    Twitter @nickfierro

    610-778-2243
    "Hey Giants, who's your Daddy?"

  • #2
    Aggy is the man! What a redemption.

    From seeming 1st round bust with his career on the brink to key receiver on a Championship team to team leader and mentor to a young guy struggling as he had.

    There are some quality dudes on this team whose value to the team goes well beyond their football skills.

    This is an easy team to like and feel good about.

    Comment


    • #3
      deep, deep team. let's get started.
      We're looking for people that are fundamentally different,” vice president of player personnel Andy Weidl said Saturday night. “The love and passion for football, it's non-negotiable. They're caring, their character, they do the right thing persistently, and they have a relentless playing style that you can see on tape. The motor, it burns hot. You see them finishing plays. They have a team-first mentality. They're selfless individuals.

      Comment


      • #4
        I think Gibson has a good shot to make the 53 man roster.
        Just give me ONE before I go!

        Comment


        • #5
          I believe most first year guys have their head on a swivel. The NFL just isn't college; just as college isn't high school. I'm surprised it takes these guys so long to understand that you have to work--not necessarily physically but mentally. You have to come in early. You have to study the playbook but also you have to watch film to understand the playbook. They see the stars like Brady, Wentz, etc doing it so why don't they understand they have to do it.
          I hope Gibson gets it because he has the thing that you can't teach--speed.
          Wait until next year is a terrible philosophy
          Hope is not a strategy
          RIP

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by NoDakIggle View Post
            I believe most first year guys have their head on a swivel. The NFL just isn't college; just as college isn't high school. I'm surprised it takes these guys so long to understand that you have to work--not necessarily physically but mentally. You have to come in early. You have to study the playbook but also you have to watch film to understand the playbook. They see the stars like Brady, Wentz, etc doing it so why don't they understand they have to do it.
            I hope Gibson gets it because he has the thing that you can't teach--speed.
            I imagine that there's a reason that he ended up at West Virginia. Dumb speed.
            "Hey Giants, who's your Daddy?"

            Comment

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