Does anyone else have a feeling that Donte's not fitting in?

[Rob0729]

Re: Does Anyone Else Have Feeling that Donte's Not Fitting In

This doesn't make any sense. If Stallworth was having trouble learning the playbook why would they take away the time that would be his opportunity to learn the playbook and the new offense. Holding a player out of a game because they don't know the playbook, but learning is what training camp is for. If he was having trouble they might demote hiim to second team offense but they wouldn't hold him out of practice so he would fall weeks behind the rest of the team in terms of preparation. Wouldn't that only be worsening the problem?

And maybe he was studying the playbook all last week because he had nothing else to do, seeing as he was on the physically unable to perform list and was unable to practice.

I don't understand why when a receiver is having a little trouble for whatever reason people immediately jump to the conclusion that he is having trouble learning the playbook. You know there are other factors in a player's performance, or lack there of.

Read Breer's blog that BelichickFan quoted in his post. That is where I got my hunch. The Pats are pretty cut and dry on these things. It is like failing the conditioning run. You don't pass, you don't practice and get placed on the PUP. Same thing happened to Washington for failing the run. It is a very plausible reason why Stallworth ended up on the PUP.

 

[Rob0729]

Re: Does Anyone Else Have Feeling that Donte's Not Fitting In

Okay, at this point my head's about to explode. The amount of not just conjecture, but RANDOM, wildly speculative and totally bat$hit insane, way, WAY off the beaten path conjecture is truly mindblowing.

He had a little something wrong, as did many of the PUP players, they took care to let whatever he had going on heal up, and now he's better so he's back in action. Isn't this the most obvious, likely reason?

As for not knowing the playbook - good Lord, don't you think it would put him MORE behind to then not be on the field running the plays??? Come on, guys, I realize the off-season is tough, but let's not make it worse with crazy, baseless crap like this.

I based my opinion on Stallworth's comments to the press. They were far from random. It is about as bat$hit insane as to think Washington spent one day on the PUP for failing the conditioning run. Now that would be insane.

If you read Stallworth's quotes, it seems fairly clear that his injury that could have landed him on the PUP was his lack of knowledge of the playbook. Maybe the Pats are not going to have another Donald Hayes debacle and have Stallworth admit midseason that he doesn't know the playbook.

If Stallworth was on the PUP for an injury, why would he not be rehabbing and instead off the field studying the playbook. Stallworth's quotes seem pretty clear.

 

[zippo59]

Re: Does Anyone Else Have Feeling that Donte's Not Fitting In

Read Breer's blog that BelichickFan quoted in his post. That is where I got my hunch. The Pats are pretty cut and dry on these things. It is like failing the conditioning run. You don't pass, you don't practice and get placed on the PUP. Same thing happened to Washington for failing the run. It is a very plausible reason why Stallworth ended up on the PUP.

I've read the blog but I have a completely different take on it than you do. BelichickFan quoted the following passage:

After getting word, which was confirmed by talking to the team, the burner refocused his energy to study the Patriots complex, multiple offense.

“There’s a difference between studying the playbook and actually being able to come out and do stuff,” he said. “I’ve been sticking to that as best I can and I think I’ve got a decent grasp on it as far as me not being out here. Tomorrow will be a different story. I’ll be out here.”

I took this to mean that since he couldn't practice he focused on learning the offense as much as he could from a mental standpoint so that he wouldn't fall completely behind, but mentally learning it and physically grasping it through practice are two different things. That's what I got out of it. Maybe Stallworth is having trouble learning the offense, but I don't see anything in here to signify that.

 

[Rob0729]

Re: Does Anyone Else Have Feeling that Donte's Not Fitting In

Kind of reads that way in Breer's blog :

"After getting word, which was confirmed by talking to the team, the burner refocused his energy to study the Patriots complex, multiple offense.

“There’s a difference between studying the playbook and actually being able to come out and do stuff,” he said. “I’ve been sticking to that as best I can and I think I’ve got a decent grasp on it as far as me not being out here. Tomorrow will be a different story. I’ll be out here.”"

At least someone besides me can read between the lines in Stallworth's quotes. Usually you don't rehab a hamstring or groin pull by redirecting focus on studying the playbook.

 

[zippo59]

Re: Does Anyone Else Have Feeling that Donte's Not Fitting In

At least someone besides me can read between the lines in Stallworth's quotes. Usually you don't rehab a hamstring or groin pull by redirecting focus on studying the playbook.

Actually you do. The only way to "rehab" a pulled groin or hamstring is to rest it.

But he was still seen doing some route running work the other day with Troy Brown and Chad Jackson.

 

[Rob0729]

Re: Does Anyone Else Have Feeling that Donte's Not Fitting In

I've read the blog but I have a completely different take on it than you do. BelichickFan quoted the following passage:



I took this to mean that since he couldn't practice he focused on learning the offense as much as he could from a mental standpoint so that he wouldn't fall completely behind, but mentally learning it and physically grasping it through practice are two different things. That's what I got out of it. Maybe Stallworth is having trouble learning the offense, but I don't see anything in here to signify that.

Who said there was a big deal. Stallworth probably failed a written test and was put on the PUP until he passed a new one just like Washington did with the conditioning run. Unfortunately, for Stallworth, failing the written test forced him to go back and hit the books for some time rather than retaking the test the next day.

 

[Rob0729]

Re: Does Anyone Else Have Feeling that Donte's Not Fitting In

Actually you do. The only way to "rehab" a pulled groin or hamstring is to rest it.

That isn't true. You can do a lot of things to rehab a hamstring from working with trainers to light stretching.

 

[Crazy Patriot Guy]

Re: Does Anyone Else Have Feeling that Donte's Not Fitting In

We are just past the new phase of the moon. THerefore during the day tomorrow, the moon will be on the other side of the earth. When it explodes, it will kill everyone in Asia and Australia, but the Americas will survive unharmed.

Earth would quickly change though because of the absence of the moon. The moon affects Earth's rotation and without it, the planet would wobble with no certain degree or rotation. Seasons would no longer exist and we would see extreme temperature changes that we could not survive through.

VA Pats Fan, are you sure about your feeling? I'm really freaking out now!

 

[Rob0729]

I don't know why people are getting so defensive about the possibility that Stallworth landed on the PUP because he had difficulties with the playbook. The Pats have already made mistakes with Donald Hayes and Doug Gabriel by rushing these players to the field without a firm grasp of the playbook.

Maybe the Pats are being cautious not to make Stallworth into a failure and not rushing him to the field until he is ready with a grasp of a playbook.

Many Pats players have confirmed that players have been benched or deactivated for failing written tests. Why would Stallworth failing such a test to land him on the PUP be such an unrealistic possibility.

We will probably never know why he was on the PUP, but based on his comments I don't see it as such a stretch.

 

[spacecrime]

Re: Does Anyone Else Have Feeling that Donte's Not Fitting In

As for not knowing the playbook - good Lord, don't you think it would put him MORE behind to then not be on the field running the plays???

Hey, hey, hey ... HEY!!! WHOA! Stop right there! Application of logic and using your head is cheating. You're going to ruin this thread if you start injecting common sense.

 

[patsox23]

Re: Does Anyone Else Have Feeling that Donte's Not Fitting In

I read his comments to mean that, since he was on PUP, instead of directing his energy to on-field activities - which he couldn't do because he was on PUP - he redirected them to studying the playbook instead, until he was off PUP. Then, being a sentient being and an NFL veteran, Stallworth recognized and mentioned that there's a big difference b/w studying the playbook and applying, ON THE FIELD, what you have learned.

I don't think you guys are reading into that quote right at all. I guess I could be wrong, but it's a huge stretch, IMO.

 

[reflexblue]

Re: Does Anyone Else Have Feeling that Donte's Not Fitting In

I've been away all day,but it sounds like he's not on the pup list any longer. I read he was at practice today. Is that wrong?

 

[zippo59]

Re: Does Anyone Else Have Feeling that Donte's Not Fitting In

That isn't true. You can do a lot of things to rehab a hamstring from working with trainers to light stretching.

Are you suggesting that rehabbing hamstrings is so rigorous and time consuming that Stallworth wouldn't have time to learn the playbook as well? Stretching and strenth work helps, but recovery really comes down to rest, especially at first.

Stallworth was at Gillette everday. He was present at each walkthrough. He spent a lot of time studying the playbook but that doesn't mean he spent every waking moment doing it. There is plenty of time throughout the day to both work out and study the playbook.

 

[Rob0729]

Re: Does Anyone Else Have Feeling that Donte's Not Fitting In

Hey, hey, hey ... HEY!!! WHOA! Stop right there! Application of logic and using your head is cheating. You're going to ruin this thread if you start injecting common sense.

Too bad they didn't use that logic with Donald Hayes. They apparently held him out of practice until week 10 and expected him to know the playbook. It wasn't his fault he was running the wrong direction, it was Weis and Belichick's fault for not getting him on the practice field.

Wouldn't it be logical that the best way to get a player to pass the conditioning run is to let him practice his way into shape? The Pats don't do that.

Wouldn't it be logical for the Pats to waive the rule that you must attend all practices to start if you are attending your grandfather's funeral? The Pats didn't do that for Seymour.

The Pats have a set of ridgid sets of rules and they do it their way. If they have a test that players have to pass to get on the field, they are not going to change their routine.

Also, if Stallworth didn't understand a lot of the terminologies and presnap reads, he might have had to get them down before he could get out there because he would have slowed down the team as people had to explain the play to him. Belichick isn't going to put the needs of one player over the needs of the whole team. If Stallworth didn't couldn't pass a test that had a basic level of terminology, he might have hurt the team in practice.

 

[JDP111]

Re: Does Anyone Else Have Feeling that Donte's Not Fitting In

Call it a gut feeling. I stand by my concern. But please prove me wrong.

QB12

This is the dumbest thing I have ever read. . . . . .here's a suggestion-- keep him off of your Yahoo™ fantasy team.

 

[reflexblue]

Re: Does Anyone Else Have Feeling that Donte's Not Fitting In

I've been away all day,but it sounds like he's not on the pup list any longer. I read he was at practice today. Is that wrong?

NEVER MIND........

 

[Rob0729]

Re: Does Anyone Else Have Feeling that Donte's Not Fitting In

Are you suggesting that rehabbing hamstrings is so rigorous and time consuming that Stallworth wouldn't have time to learn the playbook as well? Stretching and strenth work helps, but recovery really comes down to rest, especially at first.

Stallworth was at Gillette everday. He was present at each walkthrough. He spent a lot of time studying the playbook but that doesn't mean he spent every waking moment doing it. There is plenty of time throughout the day to both work out and study the playbook.

If he was truly injured, why was he surprised he was on the PUP? Every player with injuries that forces him to miss at least the first day of camp on virtually every team ends up on the PUP. So why was he unaware he was on it if he had an injury that he knew was going to hold him out of camp? That is as illogical to me as him actually failing a written test that the Pats give all the time is to you.

Personally, I hope to God it was trouble with the playbook over a hamstring or groin pull. He has proven he can pick up complicated offenses fairly quickly like last year. He has also proven his hamstring and groin has hurt his production over his career.

 

[Rob0729]

Re: Does Anyone Else Have Feeling that Donte's Not Fitting In

Question for those of you who think I am coming from left field. Can you name one player in the league who missed the beginning of training camp due to injuries (no matter how minor)who wasn't on the PUP? If you can't, why was Stallworth unaware that he would be put on the list.

I may be wrong and have been many times in the past and will probably be many times again. I just think it could be a possibilty. It seems there is more to this story than we will ever know. I think it is just a little weird that he would be surprised about being on the PUP if he was nursing an injury that was still bad enough to keep him out of camp.

 

[Crazy Patriot Guy]

Re: Does Anyone Else Have Feeling that Donte's Not Fitting In

Question for those of you who think I am coming from left field. Can you name one player in the league who missed the beginning of training camp due to injuries (no matter how minor)who wasn't on the PUP? If you can't, why was Stallworth unaware that he would be put on the list.

Question for you. Do you think that every player that practiced on Day 1 of their respective team's camp was fully, completely, 100% healthy? Not a single player in this league had anything wrong with him that would have allowed him to miss a couple days?

It's not impossible to believe a player is ready to practice even though he might only be 90%. For Stallworth to have missed just one week of practice, it's not impossibe to believe that he was ready and willing to go Day 1 and the trainers and coaches decided not to risk it.

As for him saying he spent extra time with his head in the playbook, it's because of what he said, it's not the same as being out there running the plays. You're going to learn a whole lot more running routes in practice for 30 minutes than looking at routes on paper for 30 minutes. I think he simply spent extra time with the playbook as to not be too far behind when he did return to practice.

 

[Rob0729]

Re: Does Anyone Else Have Feeling that Donte's Not Fitting In

Question for you. Do you think that every player that practiced on Day 1 of their respective team's camp was fully, completely, 100% healthy? Not a single player in this league had anything wrong with him that would have allowed him to miss a couple days?

It's not impossible to believe a player is ready to practice even though he might only be 90%. For Stallworth to have missed just one week of practice, it's not impossibe to believe that he was ready and willing to go Day 1 and the trainers and coaches decided not to risk it.

As for him saying he spent extra time with his head in the playbook, it's because of what he said, it's not the same as being out there running the plays. You're going to learn a whole lot more running routes in practice for 30 minutes than looking at routes on paper for 30 minutes. I think he simply spent extra time with the playbook as to not be too far behind when he did return to practice.

That is a possibility that he was held out as a precaution and that I am reading too much into this, but with our history of WRs not being able to pick up the basics of our playbook like Gabriel and Hayes they could have be extra precautious.

But there are plenty of players who are not ready to go physically who have been active from day one many of years and just did limited things on the field so they could still participate. This year, Maroney is playing with a non-contact jersey. Last year, Harrison practiced although being limited. If actually being out there running the plays is so important and Stallworth was close to returning, why not activate him and just let him participate in certain activities like they have been doing with Moss after he tweaked his hamstring?