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How would we know?
I’m seeing reports on how some guys looked good in the spring, and how others looked bad.
I can’t go there.
Now, I will report on nice plays here and there in OTA and minicamp practices, but I just won’t go where others go, talking about the kind of springs certain player had.
We are not coaches. There is a lot system installation going on, a lot technique being taught. We don’t even know who is or isn’t doing the right things. So we’re going to tell people who is doing well?
You might see a nice catch here or there, or an interceptions from a defensive back, and that’s fine, but one or two or three of these here or there, doesn’t constitute a great practice or spring.
If you want to find out who had a good spring, you would have to ask the coaches or Joe Douglas, but they probably won’t tell us. First of all, those evaluations are private in the minds of most NFL coaches and general managers. That is proprietary information.
And also, guys like Robert Saleh and Douglas don’t want to rave about how players look in the spring because it’s touch football in shorts with no pads, so they don’t want flag football praise to go to a player’s head, or for the media to make a big deal out of their words.
Spring praise is fool’s gold.
Also, remember, some young guys are swimming mentally right now. Not just because they are learning new systems, but systems that are a lot more involved than college playbooks.
So if the media is, let’s say, telling the world that a receivers looks really good because of a great catch or two, but they are actually making a ton of mental errors out there, what good is that assessment? You might make a great catch in the spring and had run the wrong route.
I recently asked Zach Wilson for his thoughts on why he connected with Braxton Berrios so much in the spring, and his answer was enlightening.
“Braxton is a smart guy, that’s one of his best attributes,” said Wilson. “He’s a slippery player, he gets in there and runs some great routes. He’s quick, but I think the best attribute is just knowing what’s going on. He’s got a great feel for the defense, he’s got great hands. He’s just been in those spots to make plays.”
In other words, Berrios is always where he’s supposed to be, which is so important for the quarterback.
And there are clearly other guys who WEREN’T where they were supposed to be, and that is totally understandable. Many are young, and this spring was there first exposure to this complex system, so what do you expect?
So we should calm down with the assessment of how guys looked in the spring – good or bad. Chris Herndon or whomever?
People outside the organization, it’s not in their wheelhouse to make those assessments.
June 22, 2021
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