Gwacham hopes to earn spot at linebacker with Jets
Florham Park, N.J. — Obum Gwacham wanted to catch footballs from the time he started playing the sport.
Now, the New York Jets linebacker is chasing after the guys who are throwing them.
"You can also catch the ball on defense, too," Gwacham said with a big smile. "So if I'm able to do that, I would not be mad at all."
Gwacham enters the team's final preseason game Thursday night at Philadelphia hoping to make an impression on Todd Bowles. He's among several sitting squarely on the roster bubble, but has flashed the type of speed and athleticism that make him an intriguing player.
"They want to see an outside linebacker that can power rush, that can speed rush and can do all those things," Gwacham said. "They know that I can do that."
The 27-year-old Gwacham has two tackles for loss and a quarterback hit, along with a special teams tackle in the preseason. He's facing tough competition at the outside linebacker position, with Brandon Copeland, Frankie Luvu, Dylan Donahue, Lorenzo Mauldin and David Bass all jockeying for spots behind projected starters Jordan Jenkins and Josh Martin.
Gwacham is also still learning the nuances of playing defense after spending most of his college career at Oregon State as a wide receiver. He didn't play defense regularly until his senior season.
Gwacham is certainly used to finding different paths to achieve his goals. He was born in Onitsha, Nigeria, and spent his early years in a high-rise in Lagos, where his mother Caroline owned a jewelry store. She and her husband Edwin raised five children — two boys, including Obum, and three girls — while trying to provide them a solid life.
"I remember school, and I had to be trilingual," Gwacham recalled. "I had to know English, French and Igbo. My sister is planning to get married in Nigeria next year. She sent out some pictures of our old house and a lot of memories came back. I remember our auntie cooking for us when my mom was working and I remember us acting a fool in the house when I was younger."
Gwacham — whose name means "Son of God" — was just 7 when his family packed up and headed to the United States with hopes for a brighter future.
They had won a visa lottery, which allowed them to emigrate to the U.S. The family lived with relatives in southern California before settling in their own place in Chino Hills. Sports became a bonding activity.
Gwacham played soccer and learned about football, basketball and track from his older cousins and siblings. By the time he got to high school, he was already an outstanding athlete. And, his mom finally allowed him to play football.
"I felt as though I was a little different from the other kids," Gwacham said. "I was a little bit taller, a little bit faster than them."
He played wide receiver and cornerback at Ayala High School. The 6-foot-5 Gwacham also excelled in track, where he ranked among California's best athletes in the high jump, triple jump and long jump.
That's how he first drew the attention of Joe Seumalo, then the defensive line coach at Oregon State.
"The thing that always intrigued me about Obum was his 6-foot-10 high jump," said Seumalo, now the D-line coach at San Jose State. "I knew that validated the fact that he was explosive, a very freakish athlete. When we recruited him, I was able to get on the table and convince people that, yeah, this kid is raw, but he was 6-5, 220."
Gwacham visited Oregon State's campus in Corvallis and fell in love with the school. He joined the football and track teams, and continued to impress with his athleticism in both sports.
In football, Gwacham insisted on playing wide receiver, despite Seumalo urging the youngster to play defense.
He was buried on the depth chart, though, behind the likes of Brandin Cooks and Richard Mullaney and saw little action. Gwacham played frequently on special teams, though.
Entering his senior season in 2014, he finally agreed to take Seumalo's advice and switched to defensive end.
"I told him, 'Boom, I just need you to run. I need you to run by or through somebody. And, you just need to go,'" Seumalo said. "And, that's what he did."
Gwacham finished tied for third on the team with four sacks and had 27 tackles as a top backup.
Eagles start on top of first AP Pro 32 poll of 2018 season
The Eagles are looking for a Green Repeat. Led by Nick Foles, the Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl last season with a 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots. Foles took over last season when Carson Wentz tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee. Wentz is not expected to be ready when the Eagles begin defense of their title on Sept. 6 by hosting the Atlanta Falcons to open the NFL's regular season. The Patriots are the most recent team to win consecutive championships, winning Super Bowls 38 and 39. And the Eagles will start their quest as the top team in the first AP Pro 32 poll of the 2018 season. The Eagles received six of the 12 firstplace votes and 367 points in balloting by media members who regularly cover the NFL. The Patriots, who have been to eight Super Bowls in the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era, were a close second — just as they were in the loss to the Eagles in Minneapolis. The Patriots received three first-place votes and finished with 366 points. “As long as the Killer B's, Brady and Belichick, reside in Foxborough, the Pats will loom as the team to beat,” said Ira Kaufman of SB Nation Radio. The Minnesota Vikings, who lost to the Eagles in the NFC championship game, are No. 3. The Vikings added quarterback Kirk Cousins in the offseason to a team with high expectations. The Los Angeles Rams, who won the NFC West last season, earned two firstplace votes and are No. 4. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who have won three of the past four AFC North titles, are No. 5. Drew Brees and the Saints received the other first-place vote and will start the season at No. 6. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who were in position to reach the Super Bowl until blowing a fourth-quarter lead at New England in the AFC title game, are No. 7. The Jaguars will start the season short-handed after they lost receiver Marqise Lee for the season with a knee injury. He was hurt in a preseason game against the Falcons, who are No. 8 in the poll. The Packers, who slumped to a 7-9 season after Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone, will begin at No. 9. And L.A.'s other team, the Chargers, round out the top 10. At the bottom of the poll, the Colts will start at No. 30 despite the return of franchise QB Andrew Luck. The Browns, who have lost 31 of 32 games in the past two seasons, are fittingly No. 31. The Browns will have a tough opener as they host the Steelers. And the Jets, who could start rookie Sam Darnold at QB, will begin in last place at No. 32. “The future may be bright with Sam Darnold, but the present looks brutal,” Marvez said.
Carson Wentz or Nick Foles? Doug Pederson isn't saying yet
Eagles coach Doug Pederson doesn't plan to reveal whether Carson Wentz or Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles will start the season opener until 90 minutes before the game. Wentz has been recovering from surgery last December to repair a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee. He is practicing, but hasn't been medically cleared for contact. "I've made comments that his arm was live and throwing some really, really nice throws and very strong," Pederson said Tuesday. "Then when he came back into the 11-on-11, one of the noticeable changes again, or differences, was just his lower body strength and how well he's progressed through his rehab and conditioning." Foles struggled in two preseason games and won't play Thursday night against the New York Jets. The offense didn't score any points on 14 drives with Foles under center in the preseason. However, he was missing nearly all starters at the skill positions. Pederson indicated he would make a decision Friday, but doesn't plan to disclose which quarterback will line up when Philadelphia hosts the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 6 until game day.
Seattle's Baldwin ‘won't be 100 percent' this season
For most of the past month, Doug Baldwin has been a spectator as he dealt with a sore left knee that kept him from participating in Seattle Seahawks practices. It may be how Baldwin and the Seahawks end up managing most of the upcoming season for Seattle's No. 1 wide receiver. "I'm probably about 80-85 percent right now and the truth of the matter is it won't be 100 percent," Baldwin said. "It's something I've got to deal with for the rest of the season." At least Baldwin is back on the field and showing signs of progress. He won't play in the preseason finale Thursday against Oakland, but the expectation is that he will be ready for the regular-season opener Sept. 9 at Denver. The month of waiting to get back into practice has been difficult for Baldwin to handle. "To be out this long ... it was hard. It was hard emotionally. It was good to be back out there," he said.