Wellness

[gardenman]

The NFL has a zero tolerance policy with drugs and they kind of need it. It's pretty easy to find a doctor someplace who will swear after the fact that a performance enhancing drug was prescribed for some legitimate reason. If the league didn't have a zero tolerance policy they might as well not have a drug policy as anyone who failed a test could find a doc someplace who would swear the use had been okay. Anyone who truly does need the drug for a legitimate reason can apply for, and be granted a waiver to use the drug for that purpose, but letting people claim after being caught that the use was legitimate would largely make the drug policy unenforceable.

Some good news out of Eagles camp. GJ Kinne, our fourth string quarterback who's working with the rookies, came away from practice today raving about Jordan Matthews, our second round pick at wide receiver this year and told the press that the kid was something special. GJ's worked with our starters in last season's training camp and also after resigning with the Eagles after Vick got injured last year, so he knows NFL caliber receivers and if he's impressed by the kid, it's a good sign.

There's an undrafted free agent wide receiver from LSU that we signed named Kadron Boone who might end up being a big surprise. He was the third wide receiver at LSU behind Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry. Several scouts have commented that he might be the steal of free agency. He'd have reportedly been the number one wide receiver on most college teams but found himself behind two excellent receivers at LSU. The Eagles will work with him and see what he has to offer, but so far they seem pretty happy with the kids. They're so happy they recently cut Arrelious Benn, but there are reports that might just be a cost cutting move to try and resign him later at a lower price.

If I was Trent Murphy of the Redskins I might want to have my former coach throttle back the rhetoric a bit. He was reportedly handled pretty easily by the rookie tackle Morgan Moses of the Redskins during the rookie camp. If he can't beat a fellow rookie his chances of beating veteran NFL tackles isn't great. He doesn't need his ex-coach making expectations higher than they need to be.

[gardenman]

I saw the Cowboys were considering signing running back Ryan Williams and my first thought was, "Who's he?" It turns out he's a former Cardinal who was a second round pick three years ago who ruptured his patellar tendon in his third preseason game in his rookie year and has been largely sidelined since then. He's only played in five games in three years. He could be a feel good story for the Cowboys if he's truly recovered and can function well now.

Sometimes guys will get injured early and often and the team that drafted them will give up and a later team will find a treasure. That happened with the Eagles a few years back with a defensive end (Derrick Burgess.) We drafted him in the first round, but he just couldn't stay healthy. After four years we cut him loose, he caught on in Oakland and went on to be a Pro Bowl player without any further major injury issues. You never know what will happen.

[Spurt]

On 5/17/2014 teganslaw said:

I saw the photo of Andrew Luck with the wedding couple. a few days ago. They had used a professional photographer. Who said that Luck ruined the photo? He was dressed casually, but the couple asked him to be photographed with them. Luck, being the kind of guy he is, agreed. Maybe the photographer thought Luck ruined it (I don't know for sure), but apparently the couple thought it was a good start for their wedding. Who wouldn't want a photo with Andrew Luck? Except maybe someone who's not a sports fan who who just doesn't like the Colts.

I wonder if Sam's reality show is cancelled or just postponed. I guess the network listened to the complaints.

Mathis did appeal the suspension, but the NFL refused to hear it. The NFL has a strict rule about substance abuse, yet they are re-thinking their opinion on medical marijuana use? I don't have a link, but I read an article about that. Maybe the NFL will eventually revamp their drug rules.

Hey Tegan.....Tony Kornheiser ESPN/PARDON THE INTERRUPTION is the one that said Andrew ruined the wedding photos....Any NFL fan (you don't even have to be a Colt's fan even to appreciate the moment) if Andrew Luck was in my wedding photos----I would be so EXCITED!!!!! ....So nice of Andrew to accomodate them!

....and speaking of suspensions why the heck haven't the Redskins cut Fred Davis!!!! ---he's on a indefinite suspension and he's done...

Don't even get me started on Sam.....they need to evaluate him like any other rookie player, and if he makes the team for any other reason, then that's not applying a fair chance to all......and Im glad they aren't going to go thru with the reality show. ..it would have created a distraction and involve the other teammates who are just trying to focus on making the team....

[Spurt]

On 5/17/2014 gardenman said:

The NFL has a zero tolerance policy with drugs and they kind of need it. It's pretty easy to find a doctor someplace who will swear after the fact that a performance enhancing drug was prescribed for some legitimate reason. If the league didn't have a zero tolerance policy they might as well not have a drug policy as anyone who failed a test could find a doc someplace who would swear the use had been okay. Anyone who truly does need the drug for a legitimate reason can apply for, and be granted a waiver to use the drug for that purpose, but letting people claim after being caught that the use was legitimate would largely make the drug policy unenforceable.

Some good news out of Eagles camp. GJ Kinne, our fourth string quarterback who's working with the rookies, came away from practice today raving about Jordan Matthews, our second round pick at wide receiver this year and told the press that the kid was something special. GJ's worked with our starters in last season's training camp and also after resigning with the Eagles after Vick got injured last year, so he knows NFL caliber receivers and if he's impressed by the kid, it's a good sign.

There's an undrafted free agent wide receiver from LSU that we signed named Kadron Boone who might end up being a big surprise. He was the third wide receiver at LSU behind Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry. Several scouts have commented that he might be the steal of free agency. He'd have reportedly been the number one wide receiver on most college teams but found himself behind two excellent receivers at LSU. The Eagles will work with him and see what he has to offer, but so far they seem pretty happy with the kids. They're so happy they recently cut Arrelious Benn, but there are reports that might just be a cost cutting move to try and resign him later at a lower price.

If I was Trent Murphy of the Redskins I might want to have my former coach throttle back the rhetoric a bit. He was reportedly handled pretty easily by the rookie tackle Morgan Moses of the Redskins during the rookie camp. If he can't beat a fellow rookie his chances of beating veteran NFL tackles isn't great. He doesn't need his ex-coach making expectations higher than they need to be.

GARDENMAN,

Perhaps it was more of a PR promotion or a local journalist trying to get a different take on the draft regarding Murphy since his being the first Redskin pick, even though second round, was a bit of a surprise....But Im more excited to hear the rookie I wanted, Morgan Moses handled him easily!!!! We need to develop a good young tackle to protect RG3....and we got a good one, Trent on the other side, --so rebuilding our line is what I want to see!!!

I did read that Murphy did better in the afternoon session.

Of our draft picks TE Ted Bosler struggled the most---dropped passes and struggled as a blocker....

Spencer Long Guard, Nebraska ---He looked very comfortable and said a lot of the Redskins schemes were similar to Nebraska---.he's smart and athletic, picked up blitzes and line stunts. And coaches saying he could be a starter.

CB Breelad was impressive he excelled in press coverage, long arms, he did a good job on the mental aspect, coverage, and physicality although he had a tendency to grab and hold receivers which could result in too many penalties.... so the coaches will work with him on that.

WR Ryan Grant-good versatility, smooth, understands route concepts, good in the slot, good comfort level having just learned the schemes and on did a good job on special teams as a jammer. Gruden said he plays like a 10 year veteran. Gruden thinks he should be a very very good football player....

RB Seastrunk-RG3's Baylor buddy--very speedy, but very raw

The nice surprise of the undrafted rookies---BYU WR Cody Hoffman. He's 6'4" 210 a smooth route runner and good hands, perhaps not the speediest, and the Redskins could use a tall receiver. He will have to make the roster through special teams. But coaches were pleased with what they saw so far.

[gardenman]

SPURT. I think Lache Seastrunk will be a good running back for the Redskins.The kid had a pretty good college career and running backs can transition into the NFL pretty easily.

These rookie camps are always interesting, but misleading. When the pads go on and the "real" players are also on the field, the guys who look great now will suddenly start to look a bit more normal. Once you've got vets to compare them to, the rookies will start looking a lot more like rookies.

Many years ago the Eagles drafted a wide receiver named Todd Pinkston. He looked great in the rookie camp and was talking a bit much when the first mixed practice started. Suffice to say the vet DB's quickly schooled him. They threw him to the ground, pushed him out of bounds and gave him no room to do anything. The bad news is they so shook his confidence he became pretty tentative for most of the rest of his career. He was a guy who everyone was raving about after the rookie camp, but the vets just bullied the kid and pretty much destroyed him.

[gardenman]

Rookie camps have all pretty much concluded now and every team is absolutely thrilled with their draft picks and undrafted free agents and knows they're going to the Super Bowl! At least publicly. Privately, I'm betting about half the coaches/GM's would kill to be able to redo the draft now after having had their new picks in the building for a few days. Many of them now know that they swung and missed on a few picks and are wondering how to control the damage. Quite a few coaches/GM's are looking at the guys they drafted and praying they're just getting off to a slow start and that what they've seen isn't what they're really getting. Quite a few rookies will have shown some attitude issues (and other issues) that they hid during the pre-draft period.

The next few months will see coaches cringing at some of the choices that were made and praying a rookie, who has to make the team due to where he was picked, won't tear the team apart, and please dear God, don't let something happen where that idiot has to be on the field in a critical situation. Every motivational technique known to mankind will be employed in an effort to get the guy to open his playbook and study, but chances are the layer of dust on the playbook will just keep getting thicker and thicker.

Pretty soon the mini-camps will start up with the vets and rookies on the field together. That's when the real judging can take place and when doubts raised in the rookie camps become certainties. A guy who looked slow in the rookie camp will look even slower going against the vets. An offensive lineman who had a hard time blocking a rookie will become a turnstile to the vets. Guys who were a bit lost in rookie camp will be completely lost in the mini-camp. Depth charts that had optimistically had a high draft pick slotted in as the starter will be redone and that high draft pick will slide down the chart. Unsigned veteran free agents will suddenly find their phones ringing as teams discover the guys they brought in to fill a hole may not be all they were hoping for.

Officially, every team is just thrilled with their new players. Privately, about half of them know they're in big trouble and would kill for a do-over. Oh well, there's always next year and who knows, maybe the kid will improve? It's not like he could get much worse. The good news is that for each under-performing highly drafted idiot there's an unheralded guy who really wants to be on the team and is working hard and doing his best to make the roster. Now all the coach and GM have to do is figure out how to get him on the the 53 man roster.

[Spurt]

On 5/18/2014 gardenman said:

SPURT. I think Lache Seastrunk will be a good running back for the Redskins.The kid had a pretty good college career and running backs can transition into the NFL pretty easily.

These rookie camps are always interesting, but misleading. When the pads go on and the "real" players are also on the field, the guys who look great now will suddenly start to look a bit more normal. Once you've got vets to compare them to, the rookies will start looking a lot more like rookies.

Many years ago the Eagles drafted a wide receiver named Todd Pinkston. He looked great in the rookie camp and was talking a bit much when the first mixed practice started. Suffice to say the vet DB's quickly schooled him. They threw him to the ground, pushed him out of bounds and gave him no room to do anything. The bad news is they so shook his confidence he became pretty tentative for most of the rest of his career. He was a guy who everyone was raving about after the rookie camp, but the vets just bullied the kid and pretty much destroyed him.

Hi GARDENMAN----I guess in rookie camps without the veterans they are ALL FUTURE HALL OF FAMERS.....

In Baylor's offense Seastrunk never caught passes, he just ran so he has a bit too learn, but he can spell time for Alfred Morris....

[Spurt]

MY TEAMS ARE DOOMED!!! DOOMED....WE ARE JINXED!

Not only did Skip Bayless, but now Stephen A BOTH picked my Spurs to win, and now they are picking my Redskins to win the NFC East---(they were uncertain about Nick Foles---uncertain??? he did a darn good job last year).....most experts picked my Redskins to win 7 games....

WE ARE DOOMED WE ARE DOOMED please Skip and Stephen A pick the Cowboys and jinx them!!!!

On a positive note, much like the Eagles did last year, the Redskins will have joint practices with the Pats---perhaps Gruden can pick up some good tips from the Pats...

The owners are postponing the vote on the expanded playoffs until fall---under this set up one of the first round byes would be eliminated....so only the team with the best record in each conference would receive a bye at the beginning of the playoffs....

[SeaGal]

Just heard that Minneapolis was chosen to host the 2016 SuperBowl.

Go Seahawks!!

[gardenman]

That new Minneapolis stadium is going to be very interesting to see. I'm a bit concerned about the plastic roof though. The long term life of plastic film isn't generally good and that's a lot of plastic film to replace.

SPURT. I wouldn't worry too much about any guesses on who will win the NFC East. You can make a pretty good argument for any of the four. I still think the Eagles have a leg up and the Cowboys are in trouble, especially on defense, but if Romo has a great year he could rally them. I don't necessarily give the Giants as much credit as many others do. Installing a whole new offense with an older quarterback who's never played in that style of offense isn't generally an easy thing to pull off. The Redskins needed to fix their defense as that was their biggest problem last year. I expect RGIII to be good again, but I'm not sure that losing London Fletcher won't be a huge issue for an already shaky defense.