I had the opportunity to visit my first ever NFL training camp. I found out that the Redskins' training camp was held right down the road from my home, so I packed up wife and baby and headed for DannyWorld. Here are five observations:
1. The NFL is the most corporate of all the major sports, so it is refreshing to see something that is so informal. There were security checks but they were minimal. For the most part, people could walk around wherever they wanted (except the field).
2. The training camp appears to be both organized and casual. During the two hours that it was open to the public, players were going about very regimented drills but at a leisurely pace. First the offense and defense were separate, and then further broken down into RB's/QB-WR's-O-line and D-line/defensive backfield, respectively. Later the squads came together for orchestrated drills, and the practice concluded with a two-minute drill.
3. Since the majority of cuts haven't taken place yet, there were a lot of players whom with which I was unfamiliar. I did recognize lineman Jon Jansen and RB Clinton Portis up close. The rest, however, were far away on the fields. The size of the players is interesting in that, since we most ly watch the game on TV, we have no real idea of how big they are. Essentially, it comes down to this - the linemen are huge, and everyone else pretty much looks like a normal guy. The DB's are all under 6'.
4. A word on the crowds. Down on the field we could see a row of women with their children- these were some of the players' wives. If I may make a crass observation, it appears as if football players' wives are typically girls with whom they hooked up in college at a frat party and later married. NBA players' wives, on the other hand, appear to typically be girls with whom the players picked up at Scores or Mons Venus. The rest of the audience was very respectful. There were lots of kids running around clamoring for autographs. I was a little unsettled however in witnessing 7 year olds wearing $200 cell phones on their belts and one 5 year old sporting a Carmelo Anthony Oak Hill Academy throwback. I try not to judge, but...dang.
5. The thing that impressed me the most? Watching QB's launch 50 yard deep-out patterns like it was nothing. To me, it's the equivalent of watching guys dunk. There are maybe 5 guys on the team that can make that kind of throw, or less than 10%. At the pro level, usually at least nine out of the 12 (75%) can throw it down. I personally cannot throw a football 10 yards. So it was quite magnificent, beautiful, really, to watch the QB's firing passes all over the place.
And as for this year's Redskin starting QB? I'd give it to Ramsey. The new young stud Jason Campbell has a live arm but is raw and erratic. Sadly, Mark Brunell is D-O-N-E. He's got no juice left. The last guy, l0 and behold, was Richmond's very own Bryson Spinner. All I can say is that I hope he likes living in Europe.
post script: I am no fan of the Redskins, primarily because of their owner Dan Snyder. I've also noticed that the venom that ESPN writer Len Pasquarelli has for Snyder is palpable, and this article will be the first of at least 4-5 this year where he trashes the 'Skins.
Pasquarelli bashes 'Skins (again)
