After hearing his name a lot and realizing he was starting on the 1st team at LG, I feel its now time to discuss. Adrien Clarke (born March 26, 1981) is a National Football League Offensive lineman for the New York Jets. He was a 7th round draft pick in 2004 by the Philadelphia Eagles out of Ohio State University. He is originally from Shaker Heights, OH. A backup for two seasons, Clarke was cut by the Eagles prior to the 2006 season. Vital Statistics: Height : 6-5 Weight : 330 OVERVIEW Ohio State's most-seasoned offensive lineman with 43 starts and 50 games on his resume, Clarke has been equally effective for the Buckeyes, whether lining up at guard or tackle ? He is a big, strong blocker with exceptional footwork for a player his size and is especially effective in short-yardage and goal-line situations ? A force to be reckoned with when he is on top of his game, he worked extremely hard during the 2003 offseason to be in the best physical shape of his career. ANALYSIS Positives: Barrel-chested athlete with good overall body mass, thick legs and good initial quickness ? Has a quick first step in his pass set up, showing good explosion upon contact ? Works well in the short area, firing off the line at a low-pad level ? Effective pass blocker whose size poses big problems for defenders in attempts to get around him ? Comes on the rise with force, getting his hands up quickly to lock on and steer defenders off the ball ? Has adequate kick slide working in the box area ? Pulls hard running downfield and is impossible to knock off balance due to his proper anchor ? Has the arm power and leg drive to simply flatten the defender when moving off the snap ? Does a good job of sealing off the inside rush, using his hands properly to redirect ? His hand quickness and wide leg base, along with powerful leg drive, could see him shift to center at the pro level. Negatives: Hard worker, but you need to stay on him, as he struggles to control his weight (he hit the scales as high as 380 pounds at one point) ? Shows better mobility playing in the 330-pound range (when he's heavier, he will generally struggle to work in space and is too slow to be effective on the pull) ? Does not have the speed or leverage to be an effective drive blocker working in space (will flatten the defender if he gets his hand on him, but it is not often enough, as he appears to be too late on reach blocks) ? While asked to lead on pulls and traps, his lack of foot speed slows down the flow of the game at the line of scrimmage ? Won't chase plays and lacks that nasty nature needed in order to dominate (can flatten defenders, but will try to out-finesse them instead) ? His inability to seal off working in space resulted in him moving inside to guard from tackle ? Does not always locate a target to hit when asked to work outside the box ? Does not have the foot speed to seal off the edge and can be beaten regularly by the linebacker blitz ? Lack of stamina (poor conditioning) resulted in him being replaced late in several games. AGILITY TESTS 5.5 in the 40-yard dash ? 385-pound bench press ? 550-pound squat ? 360-pound power clean ? 27-inch vertical jump ? 8-foot-7 broad jump ? 4.65 in the 20-yard shuttle ? 32?-inch arm length ? 10 ?-inch hands. HIGH SCHOOL Attended Shaker Heights (Ohio) High ? Lettered in football and track ? Advanced to the state finals in the shot-put as a junior ? Rated as one of the nation's top 10 offensive line prospects, winning consensus all-state honors as a senior ? Teammate of former Buckeyes defensive back Nate Clements, now playing with the Buffalo Bills. PERSONAL Communications major ? Son of Maxie and Antoinette Clarke ? Born March 26, 1981 ? Resides in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Youth?
I forgot about this guy. If he's good enough to start, I feel a lot better about the o-line this season.
Clarke has experience. he also has a demanding HC that will make sure he is in top shape. The guy can be a fine player for us.
I am not sure he is the long term answer. I still think Kendall will start, but if not he might be the best option at this point. His negatives listed lend me to believe he is not going to be an upgrade in the run game. Who knows, a change of scenary and coach might help him take his game up a notch. At the very least, he a decent backup and get the Oline through the year until it can be addressed next offseason.
he was clearly talking about this DeW hmm... i see a name change commin... The Green DeWd.... do it GM... you wont.
My sentiments exactly. Right now he's the best of a bad lot. Has the size & potential & has bounced around quite a bit. Hopefully he can get the job done.
Clarke Coming Up Big at Guard Published: 06-07-07 By Eric Allen Senior Managing Editor After appearing in 13 games with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2005, Adrien Clarke was nowhere to be found in 2006. ?I had back surgery and actually wasn?t anywhere last year,? said the big offensive lineman following the Jets? latest OTA today. Clarke, who actually spent his rookie season on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury, had back surgery last August and was later waived by the Birds. ?Being an athlete, there is no such thing as being up off your feet,? he said of the procedure and subsequent rehab. ?I was up rehabbing a week after surgery. That is just the name of the game.? The 6?5?, 330-pound Clarke has put the injury behind him. So much so, in fact, that he doesn?t even recall the exact nature of his procedure. ?It was just something that was building up,? he said. ?Then something specific happened and I ended up having to get surgery. I don?t even know exactly what it was, but I had to get some things cleared out of my back.? With everything squared away, Clarke got a call from the Jets and was brought in for a workout. He performed well enough and was signed to a reserve/future contract in January. Now in early June, he is lining up with the first offense at left guard in place of the absent Pete Kendall. ?I love it out here. I have been enjoying everything, picking up on the offense,? he said. ?The guys, the offensive linemen, have helped me out. Tony [Wise] and Mike [Devlin] have been helping me out also.? Wise, the Jets' offensive line coach who has mentored in the NFL for 19 seasons, and Devlin, Wise?s assistant and the club?s tight ends coach, have a player in Clarke who is genuinely delighted to be practicing in the summer heat. ?It feels great. We?re back out here at OTAs and I have a helmet in my hand again,? Clarke said as he pointed to his lid. ?I want to take advantage of it because you can be out of it in a second. To be here is a blessing. The Jets have given me an opportunity and I am just happy to be here.? Known to have battled the bulge a time of two in college, the 26-year-old appears to be in prime physical condition. He is quietly doing his job and not worrying about anything beyond his control. ?I'm just doing what they tell me to do. I'm just trying to learn the system and get in and get out ? do what I have to do,? he said. ?I have no control over it. I am just out here playing. That?s all.? Clarke, a seventh-round selection by the Eagles in the 2004 draft, played tackle and guard at Ohio State, but he?s been a guard in the NFL. Andy Reid?s West Coast offense presented him more opportunities to work on his pass protection after working in a run-first outfit. ?Coming out of college I was more of a run blocker, but in Philly we were more of a pass team. Now I am just trying to be an all-around player,? he said. ?I don?t want to be recognized for one distinct thing. I want people to look at me and say, ?He can do good things at different places.? I am looking to improve all parts of my game.? He becomes another one of the Buckeyes who don the Green & White, a list that includes center Nick Mangold, kicker Mike Nugent and linebacker Anthony Schlegel. He said, ?We bleed scarlet and gray on this team? and ?Mangold has been a great help,? but the credit extends beyond The Ohio State alums. ?The other guys have been more than helpful, too," he said. "Wade [Smith] has helped me out, AC ? the other AC [Anthony Clement] ? has helped me out, [Brandon] B.Moore is helping me out with the new technique, even Brick [D'Brickashaw Ferguson]. "Everybody from the top to the bottom is helping me learn the new techniques and the new styles and the new plays.?
It must be a dream for a fat guy to have an article written about him in the paper declaring that he is "in prime physical condition". :grin:
The Oline is going to be fine. You don't have to draft 5 first rounds picks to have a good line. We have our anchors now we have to find the scarp heep meat the makes up most of the NFL.
With Kendall sitting out, the staff is getting a real good look here to see if Clarke fits in with the 1st team, and he seems to be doing quite well for himself as well. He's a big dude as well and in "prime physical condition", so I'm hoping that he can come in and be the road grater we need for Jones and Leon.
