Jets' Vilma has clock set at 3-4
but Mangini also has steadfastly maintained that Vilma can be a good fit in the 3-4.
"He's been excellent," Mangini said of Vilma's work both in the off-season and in camp, "and we've put in quite a bit more [in the playbook] here early on in camp than last year. Jon is able to see it and then also add some of the nuances that we had. His recall is outstanding."
Mangini also believes that a quality linebacker can be successful in any system.
"I've seen a lot of different linebacker types playing the system over the years," he said, "and they've all played at a good level. It's not that there's only one way to necessarily play it. It develops and you figure out the best way for you to get those jobs done. Tedy Bruschi played it very differently than Ted Johnson did, than Roman Phifer did, than Junior Seau does.
"It's the same system [and] it's the same responsibilities, but each guy caters it to the things they do well."
I didn't think Vilma was a good fit, but Mangini says he is. He should know. Look for Vilma's numbers to improve.