ascension from one step to the next to the next
Cheap Vincent Valentine Jersey , and so on. And so it certainly was interesting to hear the Colts QB say this week that the shoulder problem that
led to his January surgery first surfaced in September 2015, which was the
beginning of the first bump-in-the-road season he’s had since any of us have
been paying attention.
“It was my decision, ultimately,” Luck said. “The team gave me all the resources that I needed to make the best decision. We sat down after the year
with our guys in the building and talked, and then went out and got a lot of
really good opinions from a lot of doctors around the country. At the end of the
day, I never felt like anyone was trying to make a decision for me. I made this
decision with what I felt was the best information I could find. I have no
regrets about going to get my surgery.”
OK, so let’s go through how Luck got here. As I understand it, there was a belief, when the brass met with Luck, that he could conceivably repeat the
process he went through in 2016 to get himself ready to play and skip the
surgery. After he first hurt the shoulder in 2015, Luck handled training camp
last summer in pretty much the same manner he always had. When the Colts got to
the season, the coaches adjusted some things. They kept Luck from throwing on
Thursdays
Cheap Trey Flowers Jersey , and built that as a run-oriented practice day so he wouldn’t have to sit out completely. In addition to that, over the course
of each week, Luck went through exercises to maintain strength in the shoulder,
and had regular massages and treatment. And the belief was that Luck’s shoulder
withstood all of that reasonably well. But there was a mental price Luck paid
every week in needing to go through that kind of routine, especially being as
young as he is, in addition all the normal work a quarterback does to get ready
for a game. And so came the point where getting all that time back, and taking
the hassle of the shoulder maintenance out of his routine, was worth going
through the process/recovery period of surgery.
Now, as for what will change going forward, the hope in Indy is that Luck’s play will begin to evolve, in the same sort of way Ben Roethlisberger’s did when
Todd Haley arrived in Pittsburgh. I’d expect an emphasis on Luck getting the
ball out quicker, and being more judicious in taking the chances he does running
it. Because he’s built like a tank
Cheap Tom Brady Jersey , he’s gotten away with a daring style other quarterbacks wouldn’t be able to employ. Going through what Luck has the past
couple seasons should serve as a good signal of that style’s long-term
sustainability.
2. Why a Malcolm Butler trade makes sense now. Earlier this offseason, the Saints dealt Brandin Cooks, and I don’t think the reason why
makes Cooks a horrible guy. There was history there, and that made it so there’d
be benefit for both sides to move on, which they did. And I think the same sort
of reasoning applies to Malcolm Butler, which is why the idea of a
Cooks-for-Butler deal was floated in March after the Patriots signed Stephon
Gilmore but before the Saints sent Cook to New England for the 32nd overall
pick, and a swap of mid-rounders. That’s why, as I see it, there’s a pretty
decent chance the Patriots move Butler between now and next Thursday night.
Cooks publicly groused about his role in the fall. And according to a couple teams who’d studied him in weighing whether to consider trading for him, Cooks’
dissatisfaction was apparent on tape not in his effort, but how he carried
himself. In games where he wasn’t the focal point, his frustration was
visible
Cheap Tedy Bruschi Jersey , and it was clear that he’d chafed at rookie Michael Thomas nudging into the territory of the team’s No. 1 receiver. Some
decisions for the team were coming, including whether or not to pick up Cooks’
2018 option. And the Saints decided the pick they could get in return for Cooks
was worth it, and now both sides get a fresh start.
Butler’s case isn’t quite the same, but you can draw parallels. Like Cooks, what had for a while seemed like a perfect match of team and player wasn’t so
anymore. With Butler, it was a result of contract talks that went nowhere, and
the anger that plenty of NFL players feel while they’re outplaying their pay. As
I’ve heard it, there was friction between Butler and the Patriots in the fall.
And now, the Patriots have to consider what version of Butler they’d get in
2017. Will it be the scrappy, tough, committed guy who seemed to embody
everything about New England’s program? Or will it be a player worried about
getting himself to the end of the year in a position to get paid? The Pats went
through that with Jamie Collins last season, and pulled the plug less than
halfway through. They dealt him for the 103rd overall pick. And unlike Collins
last year
Cheap Steve Grogan Jersey , Butler actually knows what kind of money is out there for him now, having negotiated financial terms with the Saints, and
knows exactly what staying in New England is keeping him from receiving.
So if New Orleans offered to flip the 32nd pick back to the Pats for Butler? I’d guess the Pats would analyze what version of Butler they’d get this year,
while knowing he’d likely be gone next year, and see dealing him for a valuable
commodity in a corner-rich draft as a good idea.
• INSIDE THE FILM ROOM: Andy Benoit goes over game tape alongside rising draft prospect Mitchell Trubisky
3. Not all spread offenses are created equal. There’s this rush to group every offense where the quarterback doesn’t take the ball from
under center as “spread”, and position the transition to the NFL from those
schemes at the level of English to Mandarin. Sure, .
