Mini-Camp Notes and Observations, 6 June

The War Room Detroit Lions — The Den
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I found this read on Dahl this morning, for those interested. I will say that I’m generally not in favor of guys who wait until the last year of their contract to suddenly appear to be worthy of a roster spot. There could be valid reasons for that, injuries or poor coaching in his 1st 2 years, whatever. And maybe the guy isn’t going to make the team anyway, so all this talk amounts to nothing.

But - as a Lions fan for a long time, I always like to see guys develop into usable players that improve the team in some way, and maybe this guy will do that. Maybe not as a starter, but if he’s good on ST and can backup the 3 IOL positions AND give you a block on offense as an FB in short yardage, then that’s all to the good. You gotta have guys at the bottom of the roster that can fill in as necessary without costing you a win. I’m hoping Dahl becomes one of those guys.

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Wise, I too get a little cynical when guys seem to pull it all together in the last year of their contract. But I find I am getting less cynical when it is their rookie contract.

These kids are coming out at 21-23 years old and have been playing against 18-23 year old kids. Now they are up against men that are fully grown and have years of conditioning and technique to make them the best they can be. I want our picks to jump in and excel, but some need a few years of seasoning. I think the lines take more time physically and the skill positions take more time technique wise. God help the TE’s that have both responsibilities.

This thought certainly isn’t a catch all because you will find numerous players that come in and make huge impact immediately. But I do think this applies to many of the role-players in the league.