Joseph carries stellar offseason into spring
PISCATAWAY >> Through five spring practices, reporters were hardpressed to prod much out of Rutgers’ new coaching staff as far as depth charts go.
In an era of black stripes on players’ helmets symbolizing a lack of game readiness, plus a whole new set of concepts and schemes to absorb, head coach Chris Ash and his nine full-time assistants have resisted the urge to declare definitive pecking orders this early in the year.
But Rutgers’ defensive front, arguably the team’s most experienced and talented unit, is an entirely different story.
Defensive line coach Shane Burnham not only admitted Tuesday there is a “pretty big drop” after Rutgers’ starting four, he raved about the “death grip” redshirt junior Sebastian Joseph possesses on the starting nose tackle job.
“He plays more consistently with his technique, hands and pad level inside,” Burnham said. “Different blocks we talk about, he’s playing them better. Whether it’s a block that he should keep on the line of scrimmage and keep a linebacker clean, or whether it’s a block he should be playing off of and penetrating, he just has a better feel and really he’s just more consistent in his effort and his production right now than anybody else at that position.”
Steady Eddy. Relentless in his effort. Moving better than he ever has. Just a try-hard guy.
That is how Burnham characterizes Joseph, and it sums up the type of standout offseason the Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania native has had.
Before spring ball began, Joseph was one of four defensive linemen named to the program’s quarterly Champions Club for offseason work ethic. Then this past Saturday at practice, he became just one of three Knights to be “knighted” thus far with the removal of the black stripe from their helmet, signifying they are ready for combat next season.
“I was shocked. I didn’t even know it was going to happen,” said the 6-foot-4, 295-pound Joseph. “(Ash) just called my name out in front of everyone. You can ask (Chris) Laviano. Laviano was laughing about it. He was like, ‘The expression on your face was hilarious.’ “I wasn’t expecting it. It was an honor, it’s a blessing. But it doesn’t mean anything. I just know I’ve got to keep working and keep progressing, keep getting better and also, I’ve got to take my teammates along with me.”
What is the standard for achieving those distinctions? Joseph doesn’t know exactly what warranted the nomination for removal of his stripe. But his mindset has been unequivocal.
Over the past four months, Joseph embraced change. Everything about the program changed during the coaching staff overhaul, from the way players were to trained, to conditioning, to nutrition.
Joseph embraced it all and his role as a rising leader on the defense, expressing how grateful he is to strength and conditioning coach Kenny Parker and his staff for developing him mentally and physically.
“I just try everything in my power to get better,” said Joseph, who compiled 5.5 tackles-for-loss and one sack in 2015, his first year as a starter, “because I know nothing is guaranteed, and I know that I have to get better. I’m the nose guard. That’s the center of our defense.”
During Parker’s grueling eightweek winter conditioning program, coaches evaluated players on an array of sprints, agility drills, weight lifting and what Joseph called “mental toughness drills.”
At the end of all the workouts and individual competitions, nearly flawless players who progressed throughout the winter garnered induction into the Champions Club.
“You have to win like 99 percent of your competitions against people,” Joseph said. “Maybe if you have one loss, but if it’s one loss it has to be really close. You really can’t lose, you can’t miss anything, even if you’re sick. You have to be 100 percent participation, you have to do great in everything.
“It’s crazy, because one thing could really not let you in. Just losing one competition.”
That offseason, along with a stellar first week of spring, has made Joseph one of the first players deemed game-ready in the Chris Ash era, along with safety Anthony Cioffi and wide receiver Vance Matthews.
Senior defensive end Julian Pinnix-Odrick, a Champions Club member, raved about the extra motivation that provides to the rest of the team.
“We’re all competitors out here, man,” Pinnix-Odrick said. “When you see that, you’re like, ‘I need to get mine off. I can’t be walking around with this thing on my helmet.’ If I’m a fifth-year guy and I’m not doing enough to show the coaches that I can get it off, then quite simply I’m not doing enough. I have to light a fire under myself and make sure that I’m doing what I need to do in order to earn that privilege, which is not a right.”