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
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
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