BallHawk
09-15-2007, 06:33 PM
Per JSO
Green Bay - Two years ago today, Joey Thomas was 24 hours away from his first National Football League start for the Green Bay Packers.
It was written that Thomas, who had moved ahead of Ahmad Carroll, was going to become just the Packers' 13th starter at left cornerback in the previous 45 years.
Offensive lineman Junius "Juice" Coston grimaced Friday when Thomas' name was brought up. Thomas' career as an NFL starter tied a record for brevity: one game. Six weeks later, he was waived. After a five-game fling with New Orleans later in 2005, he sat out the '06 regular season and is out again after being cut by Dallas Sept. 1.
Coston will be making his first start Sunday in New York, another Week 2 encounter just like the one Thomas failed at against Cleveland two years ago. The difference might be that Coston is a mature, dependable person and seems better equipped to seize the chance of a lifetime.
"This is my opportunity and I'm going to make the best of it," Coston said. "When opportunity knocks, you've got to be ready to blow down the doors. Any time you go out there and get a chance to start, you're looking at it long term."
It's still unclear to what degree performance and injury have impacted the decision by coach Mike McCarthy to start Coston at right guard ahead of Jason Spitz. For more than a month, a calf injury has been limiting Spitz, who was removed after 40 snaps in the opener and replaced by Coston for the last 24.
"I don't really know and don't really care, to tell you the truth," Coston said. "I can't dwell on that. They said I'm starting. It's all up to me. This business is based on going out and performing."
Coston, a fifth-round draft choice in 2005, is more athletic than Spitz, a third-round pick in '06. But Spitz was much better prepared coming from Louisville than Coston was coming out of North Carolina A&T.
That's basically why Spitz played 931 snaps as a rookie, compared with two for Coston last season (and three in '05).
Now, however, Coston is making up ground. Spitz was far better than '05 starter Will Whitticker, but still was ranked by scouts as the club's fifth-best lineman in '06.
The Packers loved the way Spitz came in acting like a pro, making rapid adjustments and not backing down physically. But Coston, who at 23 is almost a full year younger than Spitz, has improved enough in the staff's eyes to warrant a shot.
"It was a long, hard road to this point," Coston said. "I wouldn't say there really ever was a low point. It just was basically I had to grow up to be a man on the football field. I feel like I pretty much achieved it. I'm pretty happy about it."
A four-year starter in Division I-AA ranks, Coston ran 40 yards in 5.07 seconds at a campus workout in March 2005.
Before Coston's first training camp, offensive line coach Larry Beightol said: "We think he has big-time possibilities. He is an excellent athlete. He learns well."
Coston, 6 feet 3½ inches and 306 pounds, spent most of his rookie season at tackle, learning how to get his hands inside in pass protection.
"We really looked into taking him at Atlanta," offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said in July 2006. "Because that's the kind of guy you're looking for. Very athletic. Lean. Fast. Aggressive. He just has to learn to do it the right way every single time."
Last year, Coston bounced between tackle and guard, but his progress was slow. The Packers were starting to wonder if he lacked competitive fire.
"But the switch has hit," new offensive line coach James Campen said in late July. "He has matured a tremendous amount this off-season. He's as athletic as any of our (players), including (Chad) Clifton. I believe we'll see what 'Juice' is this year."
Coston did show lack of strength in college but definitely not lack of effort or toughness. A three-position starter for the Aggies, he also kept bouncing from position to position in Green Bay and wasn't able to hone his game.
That was the pattern again this summer, tackle one day and guard the next. Now this humble native of Raleigh, N.C., is ready to make his mark as a starter.
"I always felt like a player," Coston said. "It was always growing, growing, growing, trying to be better. That's what people got to understand."
Green Bay - Two years ago today, Joey Thomas was 24 hours away from his first National Football League start for the Green Bay Packers.
It was written that Thomas, who had moved ahead of Ahmad Carroll, was going to become just the Packers' 13th starter at left cornerback in the previous 45 years.
Offensive lineman Junius "Juice" Coston grimaced Friday when Thomas' name was brought up. Thomas' career as an NFL starter tied a record for brevity: one game. Six weeks later, he was waived. After a five-game fling with New Orleans later in 2005, he sat out the '06 regular season and is out again after being cut by Dallas Sept. 1.
Coston will be making his first start Sunday in New York, another Week 2 encounter just like the one Thomas failed at against Cleveland two years ago. The difference might be that Coston is a mature, dependable person and seems better equipped to seize the chance of a lifetime.
"This is my opportunity and I'm going to make the best of it," Coston said. "When opportunity knocks, you've got to be ready to blow down the doors. Any time you go out there and get a chance to start, you're looking at it long term."
It's still unclear to what degree performance and injury have impacted the decision by coach Mike McCarthy to start Coston at right guard ahead of Jason Spitz. For more than a month, a calf injury has been limiting Spitz, who was removed after 40 snaps in the opener and replaced by Coston for the last 24.
"I don't really know and don't really care, to tell you the truth," Coston said. "I can't dwell on that. They said I'm starting. It's all up to me. This business is based on going out and performing."
Coston, a fifth-round draft choice in 2005, is more athletic than Spitz, a third-round pick in '06. But Spitz was much better prepared coming from Louisville than Coston was coming out of North Carolina A&T.
That's basically why Spitz played 931 snaps as a rookie, compared with two for Coston last season (and three in '05).
Now, however, Coston is making up ground. Spitz was far better than '05 starter Will Whitticker, but still was ranked by scouts as the club's fifth-best lineman in '06.
The Packers loved the way Spitz came in acting like a pro, making rapid adjustments and not backing down physically. But Coston, who at 23 is almost a full year younger than Spitz, has improved enough in the staff's eyes to warrant a shot.
"It was a long, hard road to this point," Coston said. "I wouldn't say there really ever was a low point. It just was basically I had to grow up to be a man on the football field. I feel like I pretty much achieved it. I'm pretty happy about it."
A four-year starter in Division I-AA ranks, Coston ran 40 yards in 5.07 seconds at a campus workout in March 2005.
Before Coston's first training camp, offensive line coach Larry Beightol said: "We think he has big-time possibilities. He is an excellent athlete. He learns well."
Coston, 6 feet 3½ inches and 306 pounds, spent most of his rookie season at tackle, learning how to get his hands inside in pass protection.
"We really looked into taking him at Atlanta," offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said in July 2006. "Because that's the kind of guy you're looking for. Very athletic. Lean. Fast. Aggressive. He just has to learn to do it the right way every single time."
Last year, Coston bounced between tackle and guard, but his progress was slow. The Packers were starting to wonder if he lacked competitive fire.
"But the switch has hit," new offensive line coach James Campen said in late July. "He has matured a tremendous amount this off-season. He's as athletic as any of our (players), including (Chad) Clifton. I believe we'll see what 'Juice' is this year."
Coston did show lack of strength in college but definitely not lack of effort or toughness. A three-position starter for the Aggies, he also kept bouncing from position to position in Green Bay and wasn't able to hone his game.
That was the pattern again this summer, tackle one day and guard the next. Now this humble native of Raleigh, N.C., is ready to make his mark as a starter.
"I always felt like a player," Coston said. "It was always growing, growing, growing, trying to be better. That's what people got to understand."