New Jets’ Sheldon Rankins said a sales pitch by coach Robert Saleh convinced him to come to New York.
Rankins agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $ 17 million with the Jets on Sunday. During an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday, Rankins said Saleh was a selling point to join the Jets.
“When he called me and expressed his interest and how much he really wanted me to be a part of it and the vision he had for me and Quinnen [Williams] inside and carl [Lawson] at the limit, it got me excited, ”said Rankins. “It made me want to be part of something special.”
Rankins has spent the last five seasons with the Saints. His best season was in 2018, when he had eight sacks and 12 tackles to defeat. He has been dealing with Achilles tendon problems for the past two seasons that have hampered his production. Rankins, who will be 27 next month, said the problems have been resolved and that he is healthy.
“The past few years have not been exactly what I wanted,” said Rankin. “One thing I can guarantee is that I am back, when it comes to feeling myself.”
The Jets added Lawson on the outside to give a boost to Saleh’s defense. The defensive line already had Williams, which comes from a strong second year. Rankins said he is a Williams fan, which the Jets chose as the third overall position in 2019 in Alabama.
“I’ve watched Quinnen since he was in Alabama,” said Rankins. “I observed the true impact defender that he really is. I watched him bloom last year, but he’s just scratching the surface. He’s still doing a lot of things just being better than a lot of people. I think that once you adjust some things … I’ve been around with this game for six years. I saw a lot, I went through a lot. I can give him some nuggets here and there. “
Rankins said he talked to guys who played for Saleh in San Francisco, where he was defensive coordinator for 2017-20, and feels it is a good option for his defense.
“I think, you know, for me, as I went through this whole process, I kind of had some things that would be important to me,” said Rankins. “The adjustment of the scheme would be great, in addition to opportunity and vision. I needed a team to see me as the player I saw myself and I think I got it, you know, with the Jets. So, you know, when all these things came together and I obviously talked to everyone in the building and saw what we are able to build and saw what they are already building, you know, I jumped on board. “
Rankins now feels he is healthy, ready for a great season.
“I think I’m back to feeling how I felt in 2018, which is obviously my best year, when I felt I was doing well as a major D-tackle in this league,” he said. “The past few years have been frustrating, you know, because I, as a player, will fight for anything and everything I can to be there, you know, fighting with my teammates. And sometimes, you know, obviously, from the external point of view, they don’t see all the things I’m fighting for and just see me as not being productive or explosive or not being the guy I was before, without knowing everything with I’m dealing. So, it’s difficult, you know, it’s mentally difficult, it’s physically difficult, but you know, weak and weak-minded individuals don’t play these games. So, you know, I’ve been able to fight for it and continue to work and continue to trust my own process, you know, continue to trust my own skills and, and continue to trust that, you know, there will come a point where I feel myself again. And when I reach that point, you know, it’s time to turn off all the noise. “
New Jets’ Sheldon Rankins said a sales pitch by coach Robert Saleh convinced him to come to New York.
Rankins agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $ 17 million with the Jets on Sunday. During an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday, Rankins said Saleh was a selling point to join the Jets.
“When he called me and expressed his interest and how much he really wanted me to be a part of it and the vision he had for me and Quinnen [Williams] inside and Carl [Lawson] at the limit, it got me excited, ”said Rankins. “It made me want to be part of something special.”
Rankins has spent the last five seasons with the Saints. His best season was in 2018, when he had eight sacks and 12 tackles for defeat. He has been dealing with Achilles tendon problems for the past two seasons that have hampered his production. Rankins, who turns 27 next month, said the problems were resolved and he was healthy.
“The past few years have not been exactly what I wanted,” said Rankin. “One thing I can guarantee is that I am back, when it comes to feeling myself.”
The Jets added Lawson on the outside to give a boost to Saleh’s defense. The defensive line already counted on Williams, which comes from a strong second year. Rankins said he is a Williams fan, which the Jets chose for third overall in 2019 in Alabama.
“I’ve watched Quinnen since he was in Alabama,” said Rankins. “I observed the true impact defender that he really is. I watched him bloom last year, but he’s just scratching the surface. He’s still doing a lot of things just being better than a lot of people. I think that once you adjust some things … I’ve been around for six years in this game. I saw a lot, I went through a lot. I can give him some nuggets here and there. “
Rankins said he talked to guys who played for Saleh in San Francisco, where he was defensive coordinator for 2017-20, and feels it is a good option for his defense.
“I think, you know, for me, as I went through this whole process, I kind of had some things that would be important to me,” said Rankins. “The adjustment of the scheme would be great, in addition to opportunity and vision. I needed a team to see me as the player I saw myself and I think I got it, you know, with the Jets. So, you know, when all these things came together and I obviously talked to everyone in the building and saw what we are able to build and saw what they are already building, you know, I jumped on board. “
Rankins now feels he is healthy, ready for a great season.
“I think I am back to feeling how I felt in 2018, which is obviously my best year, when I felt I was doing well as the main d-tackle in this league,” he said. “The past few years have been frustrating, you know, because I, as a player, will fight for anything and everything I can to be there, you know, fighting with my teammates. And sometimes, you know, obviously, from an external perspective, they don’t see all the things I’m fighting for and they just see me as not being productive or explosive or not being the guy I was before, without knowing everything with that I’m dealing with. So, it’s difficult, you know, it’s difficult mentally, it’s difficult physically, but you know, weak and weak-minded individuals don’t play these games. So, you know, I’ve been able to fight for it and continue to work and continue to trust my own process, you know, continue to trust my own skills and, and continue to trust that, you know, there will come a point where I feel myself again. And when I reach that point, you know, it’s time to turn off all the noise. “