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Gocong Hitting the Books (This is what it takes)

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  • Gocong Hitting the Books (This is what it takes)

    As a rookie - I mentioned it's so hard for 1st year skill players on offense to step right in. Well on defense - the back "7" really need to know the system or it will cost the team dearly.

    Gocong is a unique talent - and I believe that his intelligence will really play a role in us seeing him on the field more and more as the season progresses.

    Unfortunately Dhani Jones will still be the SAM when we line up in week 1 vs. Houston - but don't be shocked to see Gocong being a situational pass rusher and replacing Dhani in less "risky" situations.

    I'm so intrigued by him.

    -----------------------------------

    http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/14669385.htm

    Birds draft pick buried in booksChris Gocong is finishing up classes in California - and studying his plays.
    By Bob Brookover
    Inquirer Staff Writer
    If you want to know how complicated defensive coordinator Jim Johnson's scheme is, talk to the engineering major from California Polytechnic State University.

    So, Chris Gocong, on a scale of one to a final examination in your biomedical concentration, how difficult is it to learn this Eagles defense?

    "It's definitely tough," Gocong said after he stopped laughing during a telephone interview earlier this week. "I think it's especially tough for linebackers. You really have to recognize a lot of checks."

    Gocong, the Eagles' third-round draft pick last month, is the only rookie who was not in attendance yesterday at the NovaCare Complex as the team opened an instructional camp for its younger players.

    He'd like to be here, but instead he's required to complete his education at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. Gocong, who is being converted from a college defensive end to an NFL strong-side linebacker, admitted that he is concerned about missing the rookie camp.

    "I really don't want to fall behind," he said. "I want to jump into my rookie year running full speed."

    On the other hand, when he arrived at Cal Poly five years ago, his goal was to pick up an engineering degree. Playing in the NFL was a distant dream that did not seem realistic. He had not been heavily recruited out of tiny Carpinteria (Calif.) High School.

    Only after he registered 171/2 sacks as a junior at Division I-AA Cal Poly and watched a teammate - linebacker Jordan Beck - go in the third round of the 2005 draft to the Atlanta Falcons did he think that the NFL was a reachable goal. He sealed a spot in the draft with 231/2 sacks - a I-AA record - during his senior season; he succeeded Beck as the winner of the Buck Buchanan Award that goes to the best I-AA defensive player.

    Now, he wants to get started on his new career, but first he has to pick up that degree.

    "That's what I went to college for in the first place," Gocong said. "I didn't go to Cal Poly to play football. It's really important for me to graduate."

    It is probably unrealistic to think that Gocong can replace Dhani Jones as the starting strong-side linebacker as a rookie, but it is also not a secret that the Eagles were less than thrilled with Jones' work last season.

    "He is one of those guys that might not start right away," Johnson said of Gocong. "Maybe he will help on special teams. We know he has some athletic ability, and we will just see how fast he picks it up. He's an intelligent guy, and we knew that coming in. We know he has a fast motor, and he's going to get plenty of opportunity."

    Gocong is trying to learn the Eagles' defense even as he prepares for his final exams.

    "I would say it's been pretty much half and half," Gocong said. "The playbook is pretty thick, and I haven't even got a chance to see the whole thing yet. It's just more. You have to always be aware on the field. As a defensive end in college, I just pretty much played the ball. This is a lot more reading of what's going on."

    Gocong said he is scheduled to rejoin the Eagles on June 7 when the team will be conducting a full-squad minicamp in Philadelphia. At that point, he'll finally be able to focus entirely on football rather than artificial knees and other biomedical subject matter.

    "The past two quarters have been pretty tough," Gocong said. "I was getting my body ready for the scouting combine and the draft. Now, I actually have a job, but at the same time I'm still going to school. I've had to switch my mind back and forth. When I was in Philadelphia, I was totally into football. Here, I'm into school, I'm going over the playbook, then I'm back looking at school stuff. It's definitely tough, but it's well worth it."

    When you have such a busy schedule, something has to be sacrificed. In Gocong's case, it has been his rock band, VOID. He has been the void in the band.

    "I think I've been replaced," said Gocong, who plays guitar, bass and piano

    Carson Wentz ERA


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  • #2
    Just read this article in this morning's Inky; I hope he can finish up with his degree and then get cracking on the playbook ASAP.
    Whatcha Gonna Do Brother, When the Eagles run wild on you?

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