OT: BWC signs with Jets for $2.3 mil as a Guard
I didnt see this posted anywhere but I thought this was interesting. Two years ago, I thought Big Will would be teaching PE at Cass Tech after his UM career ended. Just goes to show the impact coach Hoke and Mattison have had on this young man's life. I'm extremely happy for the kid...
http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/jets/post/_/id/23174/g-will-campbell-inks-four-year-contract
good for him. Certainly unexpected though
GO BLUE
Please use that money and talent wisely.
He's got to make the team first. NFL contracts aren't guaranteed. Very important that he keep in shape this summer and get that playbook down.
Will's story and turnaround under Hoke and Mattison is a great one, and it was awesome that he took on a leadership role with the defensive line as well - he even led the film sessions with his position group. Always great to see Wolverines get their shot in the NFL - I wish Campbell only the best and much success at the next level.
Wow, this is great news. The young man went through quite a roller coaster of a career, but the result speaks for itself: the NFL and $2.3 mil, now that's worth getting excited about.
He still has to make the team and do it while switching positions. Unfortunately he was a sixth round pick, meaning the Jets won't feel like they need to keep him around if he does not perform. Now is the time for him to keep making the improvements he has made over the last two years. I wish him the best of luck.
From NJ.com (a/k/a The Star Ledger):
• As for the new offensive lineman: Oday Aboushi played tackle for the most part, while Brian Winters played left guard and William Campbell played on the right side. Campbell said the coaching staff already has him watching tape of Brandon Moore, another former defensive lineman who converted to guard.
Campbell is even wearing No. 65.
Reading the maize-colored tea-leaves, giving Campbell Brandon Moore's #65 suggests they have hope for their new position convert. For perspective, Moore was an undrafted free agent out of Illinois who bounced from the practice squad to the Scottish Claymores, back to the Jets, and eventually to the Pro Bowl.
Will gets a positive mention In a NY Daily News article that isn't even about him, but about the two O-linemen who were drafted ahead of him (guys who actually played the position in college and before), who coincidentally played side-by-side in the 2009 U-19 Championship.
The duo, along with fellow lineman draftee William Campbell, have impressed Rex Ryan.
...Ryan believes the rookie class will make the line deeper. “Well I think, certainly when you look at it out there, as I’m sure all of us have seen, it looks way better than it has the last couple of years,” said Ryan. “(It used to be that you didn’t) want your kid playing quarterback in the second half of a preseason game.”
Campbell is working on the opposite side of the line, so he's not competing against them but clearly in the mix for depth and the future.
Had Hoke and Mattison showed up two years earlier, I hate to think how good he could have become. In addition to teaching him how to play, they helped him grow up and make good decsions which played a huge part in his development as a player and as a person. Good luck to BWC.
It would seem to me that staying at OL would have been better for his pro development.
Its the second line in the article homie...
"Campbell, who played defensive tackle in college, is attempting to transition to the offensive side."
He's going to the offensive line, so he is a guard.
I'm confused. Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but to me it clearly states he's signed to be a guard.
He was questioning why "Guard" is in quotes in the title. A lot of times people put things in quotes like that to show sarcasm and highlight the fact that he isn't a guard. Now, I'm starting to think that you meant something along the lines of "BWC signs with Jets for $2.3 mil as a guard".
Changing the title now. Pree-shate it homie...
"Pre-shate"? Is that like "gophering"?
"When you have to shit really bad, but you aren't close to a bathroom, the turd starts to come out, but you suck it back in your ass as you walk swiftly to the john. like a gopher popping out of a hole." -- www.urbandictionary.com
Love him, but he should come with an UrbanDictionary.com translator, homie.
I know you? How else would my high school nickname be known here??
Congrats and good luck. A credit to him and our current coaches.
The NFL doesn't do guaranteed money, except for signing bonus'. As far as I can tell, Will will only earn money if he makes the team, and it's just like a normal salary
From google, it seems the 6th round contracts do carry a relatively small signing bonus; have seen numbers from the $60K-120K range, probably prorated across the duration of the contract, with the rest dependent on making the roster at the end of the summer.
according to this article.....
http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Previewing-the-2013-rookie-deals.ht…
I think it's only the first 16 picks, and even then, they're guaranteed only through 4 years (link).
As far as the rest, according to this article, link, when you hear guaranteed money, it's just sports agent's marketing. They're betting that their clients won't be cut before the first year, so essentially that first year is "guaranteed"
Apparently it was someone on the Michigan coaching staff who recommended Will at the guard position:
At the conclusion of the draft, Jets director of college scouting Jeff Bauer relayed the story of how the team came to view Campbell as a guard, crediting some insight from the Michigan coaching staff as a key piece of information. Bauer also noted thatBrandon Moore, a long-time starter for the Jets, was a defensive tackle at Illinois before changing positions.
“Well, when I went in this fall, [Campbell] was a defensive tackle there,” Bauer said, according to the club. “As I was visiting with the coaches there, one of the coaches said, ‘You see him as a defensive tackle, he’s a big guy, plays hard, he’s physical. He’s not the most gifted pass rusher, not a lot of plays behind the line of scrimmage.’ He said, ‘You know, this guy really is going to do best as an offensive guard.’ And that stuck with me when I went for the fall visit.
“. . . We sent our offensive line coach, Mike Devlin, out to work him out and Mike loved him. Smart kid, worked hard, and we really thought he was going to be a good fit.”
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/10/agent-rookie-guard-will-campbell-signs-with-jets/
I really hope he can turn it into a long career
You watch your darn mouth. Don't you know that coaches can only be wrong all the time or right all the time?
/s
That was the first thing that went through my head, but then I realized that BWC was probably moved back to defense mostly because we had no one else at the position. So, if we are counting that as a win for Rich Rod, it's directly offset by the fact that he didn't manage to recruit any DTs on his own.
Quinton Washington flipped to DT when BWC moved to OL. He was a 4-star recruit in the same class, played very well last year, and is a favorite for all-conference honors this year.
But he wasn't awesome as a RS freshman, so that probably means his coach was fucking up big time.
Lewan (All-Everything), Roh (HM All-Conference), Schofield (likely All-Conference this year, multi-year starter), Washington (ditto), BWC (drafted despite probably playing out of position at a time when the players at his natural position struggled) is a ridiculously good haul on both lines for one full recruiting class with any kind of job security.
Ok
Good luck, Will.
I'm glad he's switching to O-line. The Jets play the Jags in preseason, and wouldn't want him to make his mark at the expense of one of his former teammates. (And vice versa.)
Big WIll has to protect LoLino LoLmith? Poor guy
Mangold, Moore, and Slauson in the middle. They were arguably one of the better OL in the NFL.
With Moore and Slauson leaving the NYJ, it leaves the void at both OG spot. BWC have a chance to compete for a starting spot but Willie Conlon, Stephen Peterman are the vets plus they also drafted Brian Winters to be the LG of the future.
The myth that NYJ OL were god-awful is in fact false. It's the offensive skill players that leaves a lot to be desired. They can't make plays or couldn't separate from LB/DB or do something with the ball in their hands.