NFL Offseason '14: Wake me up when minicamps start

[Danny99]

Re: NFL - 2014 Offseason

Sam lasted that long because no one wanted to take him early and be accused of doing it because of the situation. I still wouldn't want him on my team, not because he's gay or because he's a bad player. This is going to be Tim Tebow Round II: a media circus that will turn him into a lightning rod.

 

[1001001]

Re: NFL - 2014 Offseason

My Rams had a very good draft, I think.

No receivers, so they must have confidence in the current crew...we'll see. With Robinson joining the O Line I hope to see Bradford upright for a majority of the season...



As for Michael Sam...this is interesting from a football point of view, not just a social one. SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year lasts until round 7? He is a bit small for an NFL DE, and is probably going to need to reinvent himself as a linebacker.

I wish the kid good luck. It is a pretty cool thing. Hopefully the knuckleheads out there will keep it professional.

The Rams were pretty much playing with house money by the time they got to Sam so I should have seen that pick coming. He will be struggling for playing time but he will go to a great coaching staff that can use his talents to supplement an increasingly scary defense. Rams killed it in the draft.

I hope so.

Playing in the same division as the Seahawks and the 49ers, the Rams need to step it up.

 

[chrisspringob]

Re: NFL - 2014 Offseason

Sam lasted that long because no one wanted to take him early and be accused of doing it because of the situation. I still wouldn't want him on my team, not because he's gay or because he's a bad player. This is going to be Tim Tebow Round II: a media circus that will turn him into a lightning rod.

OK, but wouldn't it be morally problematic to pass on drafting him because of fears of a media storm generated by people's reaction to who he is, not something that he can control about himself?

I mean, can you imagine when the first black player was drafted, a GM saying "Well, *I'm* not racist, but this guy is different from the other players in the league, and so drafting him would be a distraction"? (Of course, they might have said something like that, but I don't think it's a sentiment that should be respected.)

To quote Ta-Nehisi Coates from the column he wrote after Sam came out:

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertai...ver-be-ready-for-an-openly-gay-player/283706/

"The NFL has no moral right to be "ready" for a gay player, which is to say it has no right to discriminate against gay men at its leisure which anyone is bound to respect."

 

[Timby]

Re: NFL - 2014 Offseason

No offseason NFL thread

Ahem.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Re: NFL - 2014 Offseason

^ Where was that? There was only 1 page of threads. Can you merge please?

ETA, that thread is not showing on the sports & fitness page, even now.

 

[Use of Time]

Re: NFL - 2014 Offseason

We could just consider this the draft discussion thread.

 

[BillJ]

Re: NFL - 2014 Offseason

As for Michael Sam...this is interesting from a football point of view, not just a social one. SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year lasts until round 7? He is a bit small for an NFL DE, and is probably going to need to reinvent himself as a linebacker.

I don't buy that he's too small to play Defensive End. He's only five pounds lighter and three inches shorter than #1 pick Jadaveon Clowney.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Re: NFL - 2014 Offseason

That's because it probably fell off the first page (when there wasn't much to discuss since March). You have to set it to display older posts. I'll bump the thread, but a merge would be in order.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Bump for the NFL Draft (and to merge with this thread).

 

[Use of Time]

Re: NFL - 2014 Offseason

As for Michael Sam...this is interesting from a football point of view, not just a social one. SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year lasts until round 7? He is a bit small for an NFL DE, and is probably going to need to reinvent himself as a linebacker.

I don't buy that he's too small to play Defensive End. He's only five pounds lighter and three inches shorter than #1 pick Jadaveon Clowney.

Not too small but too short and not strong enough to play line in the NFL. He would struggle mightily going up against a good o-line. He was drafted pretty much where he was expect to go if he was even going to be drafted at all. He just isn't strong enough to play the line and too slow to be a good linebacker. He is going to end up being a situational piece to a blitz package every once in awhile allowing someone to take a breather for a play. Special teams is another area where he has a chance to make the team.

 

[1001001]

Re: NFL - 2014 Offseason

Well, I'm sure he'll be given a chance at DE. If he can do it, that's great...but we already have two pretty good ends. Not sure how much playing time he'd get even if he did make it as a lineman.

I'm rooting for this kid...I hope he's able to make the grade and contribute.

 

[BillJ]

Re: NFL - 2014 Offseason

Not too small but too short and not strong enough to play line in the NFL.

I agree he may not be strong enough against most NFL offensive lineman but I don't agree that he is too short to play the position. Straight line 40 time is a touch slow but he does seem to have a quickness coming off the line. Quickness can make up for the strength shortcoming to some degree. I also agree that he ends up as a situational pass rusher if he makes the Rams, no way he supplants Quinn or Long.

But the shirt and shorts measurements never have bothered me. How many games are played in shirt and shorts? The game tape shows a competitor.

 

[Use of Time]

Re: NFL - 2014 Offseason

Well, I'm sure he'll be given a chance at DE. If he can do it, that's great...but we already have two pretty good ends. Not sure how much playing time he'd get even if he did make it as a lineman.

I'm rooting for this kid...I hope he's able to make the grade and contribute.

I am too. He is on a team that I feel will give him every opportunity to make the team and treat him well while doing so.

I would try to mix him in on third down situations where he doesn't have to worry about stopping the run. He needs space to do his thing, he loses a lot of momentum after first contact.

 

[Use of Time]

Re: NFL - 2014 Offseason

Not too small but too short and not strong enough to play line in the NFL.

I agree he may not be strong enough against most NFL offensive lineman but I don't agree that he is too short to play the position. Straight line 40 time is a touch slow but he does seem to have a quickness coming off the line. Quickness can make up for the strength shortcoming to some degree. I also agree that he ends up as a situational pass rusher if he makes the Rams, no way he supplants Quinn or Long.

But the shirt and shorts measurements never have bothered me. How many games are played in shirt and shorts? The game tape shows a competitor.

His height wouldn't be a big deal if his vertical wasn't below average for the position as well as his cone drills. Throw in a slower 40 time than average for his position and he did not have a very good pro day. Scouts almost unanimously had him towards the back of the pack well before his coming out announcement. As for being a competitor, no doubt he was a gamer for Mizzou.

He does have a few things going for him though. He is something of a gym rat so nobody will question his work ethic to improve on the things he can. Having access to an NFL strength and fitness coach and all of the resources that go with that should help. He will also be surrounded by fantastic players and coaches to learn from. He may not have gone to a team with the best chance to play immediately but he did go to a team with a great defensive philosophy.

 

[tighr]

Re: NFL - 2014 Offseason

Sam lasted that long because no one wanted to take him early and be accused of doing it because of the situation. I still wouldn't want him on my team, not because he's gay or because he's a bad player. This is going to be Tim Tebow Round II: a media circus that will turn him into a lightning rod.

OK, but wouldn't it be morally problematic to pass on drafting him because of fears of a media storm generated by people's reaction to who he is, not something that he can control about himself?

I mean, can you imagine when the first black player was drafted, a GM saying "Well, *I'm* not racist, but this guy is different from the other players in the league, and so drafting him would be a distraction"? (Of course, they might have said something like that, but I don't think it's a sentiment that should be respected.)

The media circus is absolutely a concern for a team. If the media is more interested in this one player than your team as a whole, you're going to have a problem. This applies even to players like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning (hence why those players tend to deflect praise in favor of their teams). You really have to look no further or recently than Tim Tebow to see a similar situation.

His height wouldn't be a big deal if his vertical wasn't below average for the position as well as his cone drills. Throw in a slower 40 time than average for his position and he did not have a very good pro day. Scouts almost unanimously had him towards the back of the pack well before his coming out announcement. As for being a competitor, no doubt he was a gamer for Mizzou.

Tim Tebow won two National Titles and a Heisman in college. No doubt he was a gamer for Florida. Didn't translate to NFL success.

 

[Use of Time]

Re: NFL - 2014 Offseason

As soon as I said that he was a gamer I knew it would only be a matter of time before someone dropped a Tebow comparison.

 

[BillJ]

Re: NFL - 2014 Offseason

Tim Tebow won two National Titles and a Heisman in college. No doubt he was a gamer for Florida. Didn't translate to NFL success.

Tebow would still be playing if he had ever mastered that new-fangled forward pass.

 

[tighr]

Re: NFL - 2014 Offseason

Tim Tebow won two National Titles and a Heisman in college. No doubt he was a gamer for Florida. Didn't translate to NFL success.

Tebow would still be playing if he had ever mastered that new-fangled forward pass.

Tebow would still be playing if he swallowed his pride and switched to fullback/TE.

FTFY.

 

[Yanks]

Re: NFL - 2014 Offseason

I think my Steelers did pretty well.

... but you really don't know until about 3 years out.

 

[BillJ]

Re: NFL - 2014 Offseason

Tim Tebow won two National Titles and a Heisman in college. No doubt he was a gamer for Florida. Didn't translate to NFL success.

Tebow would still be playing if he had ever mastered that new-fangled forward pass.

Tebow would still be playing if he swallowed his pride and switched to fullback/TE.

FTFY.

I don't know? How many guys would he have to leap frog that know the TE/FB position because they played it in high school and/or college? I think it would've been an uphill battle for him.

Having Tebow trying to pick up a blitz from an OLB/S might be a good way to get a franchise QB killed.