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In life of Trevor Reilly, staying a Jet is extra critical
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Friday, August 28, 2015, 9:31 PM A A A
Trevor Reilly accepted the realities of his profession before he was even hired by a billion-dollar organization last year.
Nothing is promised, especially for a relatively old late-round flier with creaky knees.
He stays employed by refusing to treat this game like a game. Real-world circumstances have provided clarity. His wife and three kids have provided purpose. When your 4-year-old daughter is a kidney-cancer survivor, perspective isn’t a problem.
He has to make the Jets’ 53-man roster.
“This is a job to me,” Reilly told the Daily News in a quiet moment this week. “I got to be a real professional. It’s not just all fun and games for me. I got to be on the team. I got bills to pay. I got school. I got clothes to put on people’s backs. At the end of the day, we’re all trying to play, but I got real-life problems that a lot of the younger guys don’t have.”
Reilly, who went on a two-year Mormon mission after high school, will turn 28 in January. He has a grand total of one season (14 games) on his NFL resume.
The Jets’ outside linebacker has everything to prove and so much to lose. So, he approaches each work day with a sense of urgency that hasn’t gone unnoticed by the new coaching staff. Effort has never been a problem for the 233rd pick of the 2014 draft.
“He works his a-- off every day,” outside linebackers coach Mark Collins said. “He never has a lull. He’s still progressing at the position, but I like where he’s at. The one thing about him that stands out is that he’s a hard worker . . . and it’s every day. You can see the improvement in his game.”
RELATED: JETS UNFAZED BY DEFENSIVE STRUGGLES
The 6-5, 245-pound Reilly, who played only 60 defensive snaps as a rookie, worked tirelessly to improve his pass-rush techniques in the offseason. He’s the model of consistency, doing anything and everything to stand out.
He’s motivated by his love for the game and a family that needs him to succeed.
Reilly is an anomaly in a league littered with immature young people struggling to find their way. His work-life balance is rare for such an inexperienced player.
“If I was 22 or 23 with no wife and kids and bills, I’d be different,” Reilly said. “There are some guys in there who are 25-year-old three-year vets. Yeah, they’re a vet, but I’m like, ‘You know what, man? I got some things I could share with you off the field.’ It’s a weird dynamic. I get things from them, but if they ever want to sit down and talk to me, I’d share things with them off the field that would help them, too.”
Reilly and his wife, Jessica, raised two infants while the linebacker was starring at Utah. They also dealt with caring for their first-born daughter, Shayn, who was diagnosed with the cancer. When the Jets took Reilly in the seventh round last year, the pressure to make the team was real. He needed to care for his child. Failure wasn’t an option.
Todd Bowles has been impressed with Reilly’s intensity and intelligence, but ...
“I’d like to see more of him,” the coach said.
With outside linebackers Calvin Pace (groin) and Lorenzo Mauldin (knee) ailing, Reilly will get his first extended snaps with the starters Saturday against the Giants at MetLife Stadium.
It’ll be a chance to make a definitive claim to stick around after the final roster cuts on Sept. 5.
Reilly might have limited NFL experience, but he’s fully aware of the cut-throat nature of the business.
“You sign a contract, but it’s not really a contract,” he said. “It’s a one-way binding agreement. They don’t have to pay me s---. They could put my a-- on the street.”
To minimize those chances, Reilly, who had two knee surgeries before entering the league, plays with a motor that runs from start to finish every day. After a recent practice, he was so exhausted that he couldn’t talk while standing.
“Some guys might have more ability, but don’t always have that killer instinct or that heart,” veteran outside linebacker Jason Babin said. “Trevor’s going to give it everything’s he’s got. You can’t coach heart.”
Reilly’s reliable special teams presence provides versatility. His improvements as a situational pass rusher could make him too valuable to let go.
“I wanted to finish my first contract and hopefully get a fifth year,” Reilly said of his goals entering the league. “If I can play five years, I’ll be happy . . . I want to be here.”
He needs to make this team.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Friday, August 28, 2015, 9:31 PM A A A
Trevor Reilly accepted the realities of his profession before he was even hired by a billion-dollar organization last year.
Nothing is promised, especially for a relatively old late-round flier with creaky knees.
He stays employed by refusing to treat this game like a game. Real-world circumstances have provided clarity. His wife and three kids have provided purpose. When your 4-year-old daughter is a kidney-cancer survivor, perspective isn’t a problem.
He has to make the Jets’ 53-man roster.
“This is a job to me,” Reilly told the Daily News in a quiet moment this week. “I got to be a real professional. It’s not just all fun and games for me. I got to be on the team. I got bills to pay. I got school. I got clothes to put on people’s backs. At the end of the day, we’re all trying to play, but I got real-life problems that a lot of the younger guys don’t have.”
Reilly, who went on a two-year Mormon mission after high school, will turn 28 in January. He has a grand total of one season (14 games) on his NFL resume.
The Jets’ outside linebacker has everything to prove and so much to lose. So, he approaches each work day with a sense of urgency that hasn’t gone unnoticed by the new coaching staff. Effort has never been a problem for the 233rd pick of the 2014 draft.
“He works his a-- off every day,” outside linebackers coach Mark Collins said. “He never has a lull. He’s still progressing at the position, but I like where he’s at. The one thing about him that stands out is that he’s a hard worker . . . and it’s every day. You can see the improvement in his game.”
RELATED: JETS UNFAZED BY DEFENSIVE STRUGGLES
The 6-5, 245-pound Reilly, who played only 60 defensive snaps as a rookie, worked tirelessly to improve his pass-rush techniques in the offseason. He’s the model of consistency, doing anything and everything to stand out.
He’s motivated by his love for the game and a family that needs him to succeed.
Reilly is an anomaly in a league littered with immature young people struggling to find their way. His work-life balance is rare for such an inexperienced player.
“If I was 22 or 23 with no wife and kids and bills, I’d be different,” Reilly said. “There are some guys in there who are 25-year-old three-year vets. Yeah, they’re a vet, but I’m like, ‘You know what, man? I got some things I could share with you off the field.’ It’s a weird dynamic. I get things from them, but if they ever want to sit down and talk to me, I’d share things with them off the field that would help them, too.”
Reilly and his wife, Jessica, raised two infants while the linebacker was starring at Utah. They also dealt with caring for their first-born daughter, Shayn, who was diagnosed with the cancer. When the Jets took Reilly in the seventh round last year, the pressure to make the team was real. He needed to care for his child. Failure wasn’t an option.
Todd Bowles has been impressed with Reilly’s intensity and intelligence, but ...
“I’d like to see more of him,” the coach said.
With outside linebackers Calvin Pace (groin) and Lorenzo Mauldin (knee) ailing, Reilly will get his first extended snaps with the starters Saturday against the Giants at MetLife Stadium.
It’ll be a chance to make a definitive claim to stick around after the final roster cuts on Sept. 5.
Reilly might have limited NFL experience, but he’s fully aware of the cut-throat nature of the business.
“You sign a contract, but it’s not really a contract,” he said. “It’s a one-way binding agreement. They don’t have to pay me s---. They could put my a-- on the street.”
To minimize those chances, Reilly, who had two knee surgeries before entering the league, plays with a motor that runs from start to finish every day. After a recent practice, he was so exhausted that he couldn’t talk while standing.
“Some guys might have more ability, but don’t always have that killer instinct or that heart,” veteran outside linebacker Jason Babin said. “Trevor’s going to give it everything’s he’s got. You can’t coach heart.”
Reilly’s reliable special teams presence provides versatility. His improvements as a situational pass rusher could make him too valuable to let go.
“I wanted to finish my first contract and hopefully get a fifth year,” Reilly said of his goals entering the league. “If I can play five years, I’ll be happy . . . I want to be here.”
He needs to make this team.
