After 3 weeks, did we make the wrong move???

[Swirvi]

Granted it is early in the season, and Devin Thomas did look like he was getting more involved today, but he still only ended the day with one catch for 7 yards.

Through 3 games, Devin Thomas and Malcom Kelly combined have:

3 receptions, 18 yards
1 carry, 16 yards

Billy McMullen has

7 receptions, 124 yards (including a TD that was nullified by a penalty)

I'm not sure exactly who we kept on the roster in his place, but what do you guys think so far?

[RedskinRyan]

Thomas should easily have another two catches, but the drop and Stephon Heyer's bone-headed block were crucial. It's still too early to tell, given that Kelly was also scratched from the game roster.

[Skins-fo-life]

Devin Thomas will be the better pro than McMullen. He had those catches because Seattle has no WR's and they played the Rams who have to be the worst team in football right now.

[give_portis_the_rock]

Drafting two wideouts as our first two picks? That's some Lions **CBS** -- we needed (and have needed for 10 years) a pass rusher. I'm not saying Thomas and/or Kelly cant be good players -- I'm just against the principle of drafting two wideouts as your first two picks. That's what a team like Philly has the luxury of doing. We are more flawed than that...

[saviour]

Drafting two wideouts as our first two picks? That's some Lions **CBS** -- we needed (and have needed for 10 years) a pass rusher. I'm not saying Thomas and/or Kelly cant be good players -- I'm just against the principle of drafting two wideouts as your first two picks. That's what a team like Philly has the luxury of doing. We are more flawed than that...

Technically, we drafted a reciever and a tight end with our first two picks. But truthfully there were no DE's that would have helped us right away anyway so why not upgrade your recieving corps since the better players were available were recievers.

The only DE that was available at the time was Calias Campbell who Arizona drafted. And did you hear his name called at all today? He may be a good player someday but we had two under performing wideouts and a young QB with no consistent play makers. Something had to give.

[dogfight6]

Year one week three we don't know yet. They could be the second comming or another draft bust, ask me next year.

[Skins7ny]

Technically, we drafted a reciever and a tight end with our first two picks. But truthfully there were no DE's that would have helped us right away anyway so why not upgrade your recieving corps since the better players were available were recievers.

The only DE that was available at the time was Calias Campbell who Arizona drafted. And did you hear his name called at all today? He may be a good player someday but we had two under performing wideouts and a young QB with no consistent play makers. Something had to give.
Also, Langford (who had two sacks in his first two games for Miami) and Jason Jones (who has had at least one sack already for Tennessee were available and drafted not too far away from the Kelly pick.
Devin Thomas will be the better pro than McMullen. He had those catches because Seattle has no WR's and they played the Rams who have to be the worst team in football right now.
It is way too early to say. Of course, the rookies have a big learning curve and McMullen is a veteran. I suspect strongly that by the end of the year, we will not be questioning keeping either rookie over McMullen. Certainly by next year.

[skins74]

I think both of our new wides are going to be good.

[LATrueRedskin]

Let's look at the big picture instead of the last 3 weeks. It'll be a couple of years before we can consider any rookie a bust.

[smoak]

Its WAY too early to start throwing around assumptions... And while I like McMullen, I can tell you that while he has shown flashes, he hasn't built any credibility that he can consistently bring anything to the table and this was the FRIGGIN Rams. They are horrendously terrible and should be blown up before the EOY. Give it time...

[Skinz4lyfe]

Granted it is early in the season, and Devin Thomas did look like he was getting more involved today, but he still only ended the day with one catch for 7 yards.

Through 3 games, Devin Thomas and Malcom Kelly combined have:

3 receptions, 18 yards
1 carry, 16 yards

Billy McMullen has

7 receptions, 124 yards (including a TD that was nullified by a penalty)

I'm not sure exactly who we kept on the roster in his place, but what do you guys think so far?

If you want to count TDs nullified by penalties how about Devin Thomas' TD from yesterday? That's a woulda, coulda, shoulda stat. Who cares?

Personally, I don't care if McMullin has 100 receptions this year. the proof will be in what is done over the course of the next few years. Also, consider Thomas and Kelly are still working their way into the lineup and coming off of injuries. Heck they are 2nd and 3rd off the bench after Thrash. McMullen has to start because of injuries to Seattle's receivers. IMO that's not even close to a fair comparison. I'm sure people were thinking the world of Michael Clayton a few years ago and where has he been ever since. There are so many ways to go with this one but I will defer.

[BurgundyNGold]

Granted it is early in the season, and Devin Thomas did look like he was getting more involved today, but he still only ended the day with one catch for 7 yards.

Through 3 games, Devin Thomas and Malcom Kelly combined have:

3 receptions, 18 yards
1 carry, 16 yards

Billy McMullen has

7 receptions, 124 yards (including a TD that was nullified by a penalty)

I'm not sure exactly who we kept on the roster in his place, but what do you guys think so far?
The question about McMullen isn't his stat line. I'm glad he's got 7 catches for a team who had lost their top 7 WRs. The more important stat is the one they don't advertise. How many drops does he have? That's always been one of McMullen's problems at this level.

[akhhorus]

Thomas and Kelly are playing behind ARE and Moss. McMullen has been pressed into service due to injury with a pro bowl caliber Qb throwing to him.

[BigHairedAristocrat]

Granted it is early in the season, and Devin Thomas did look like he was getting more involved today, but he still only ended the day with one catch for 7 yards.

Through 3 games, Devin Thomas and Malcom Kelly combined have:

3 receptions, 18 yards
1 carry, 16 yards

Billy McMullen has

7 receptions, 124 yards (including a TD that was nullified by a penalty)

I'm not sure exactly who we kept on the roster in his place, but what do you guys think so far?

Billy McMullen is only playing for the seahawks because of rash of injuries at the WR position on their team. He's been in the league for years and never did anything to be excited about. Malcom Kelly has been hurt and has not played much. Also, you mention McMullen had a TD nullified by a penalty but you neglet to mention Devin Thomas also had one (at 68yarder) nullified by one.

So in answer to your question, no we did not make the wrong move.

[Moe]

Billy McMullen is as good as he's gonna get. We have no idea how good either Thomas or Kelly could be, but the situations presented for both kinda speaks for itself.

[hail2skins]

It's way too early to be asking this question. Give it time. We're heading into week #4 of the regular season. Also, you shouldn't be comparing rookies to McMullen who has been in the league awhile now.

[Cutter]

After watching his every move yesterday, I'm a Devin Thomas believer. He's one of the good ones.

[VegasSkinsFan]

After watching his every move yesterday, I'm a Devin Thomas believer. He's one of the good ones.


I am so glad to hear this and the other good reports. I had to miss the game and only know what happened by reading here. Cant wait to get kelly up and running because he seemed much more pro-ready....we might have an amazing offense by the end of the season. GO SKINS !!!!

[BigHairedAristocrat]

I was at the game yesterday and it seemed to me that Devin Thomas has already replaced James Thrash as the #3 receiver.

I was really surprised at how often he was on the field in 3WR sets. Losing Jason Taylor is a huge blow to our defense. Kelly and Thomas both need to step up against Dallas. I don't think our defense can stop their offense, so we are going to have to keep up with them in scoring points. Field goals are not going to cut it. We need some big plays from these guys sunday.

[Cutter]

Because Zorn said he didn't run all the routes right, I did wonder about the ball Jason almost/should have had picked off. It very well could have been DT turning the wrong way. I don't know who to blame on that one so we'll call it a wash. Aside from that, he totally looked like a better #3 than Thrash (and I'm a big Thrash fan). Heck, I thought he could be our #1. He looked fantastic yesterday.

[Charlz]

The only DE that was available at the time was Calias Campbell who Arizona drafted. And did you hear his name called at all today? He may be a good player someday but we had two under performing wideouts and a young QB with no consistent play makers. Something had to give.

Spot on. And another thing, it is WAAAAAAAAY too early to judge the wisedom of draft picks.

[BraveHeartFan]

Devin Thomas will be the better pro than McMullen. He had those catches because Seattle has no WR's and they played the Rams who have to be the worst team in football right now.

Agreed. You can't judge what that guy did against the Rams as really all that indicitive of what he'll do through out the year.

[Battle Cat]

It is way to early to judge our receivers. And when the judgement is made I don't think the conversation will ever be between McMullen and Thomas and Kelly more like between our Thomas and Kelly and D. Jackson form Philly and Royal from Denver which were taken after our receivers. That will be the question in the long run and can't be answered until after year 2 at the earliest.

[guess88]

Stupid thread. Rams are arguably the worst team in the league. McMullen would be lucky to be on the Seattle practice squad if they weren't so desperate for a WR. And you're judging rookie receivers. You'll get a better gauge of a rookie in the 2nd half of the season, right now they're still learning to walk in the NFL. So far Thomas looks like a keeper. Davis and Kelly have barely seen any playing time, but it'll come. I think Davis put up a good block on the Moss TD yesterday. Kelly caught a crucial 1st down against the Saints. So far so good. Still way too early to tell.

[lorimike]

Granted it is early in the season, and Devin Thomas did look like he was getting more involved today, but he still only ended the day with one catch for 7 yards.

Through 3 games, Devin Thomas and Malcom Kelly combined have:

3 receptions, 18 yards
1 carry, 16 yards

Billy McMullen has

7 receptions, 124 yards (including a TD that was nullified by a penalty)

I'm not sure exactly who we kept on the roster in his place, but what do you guys think so far?>>

I am surprised we didn't keep McMullen. But Devin Thomas is starting to look like he's about to break out. I didn't really understand the interference calls. Michael Irvin pushed off his entire career. Plaxico Burress never gets called for it yet he does it several times a game.

[skinsfan36]

thomas may end up being special and mcmullen may be working at harris teeter in a few weeks

[colkurtz]

we had a good look at Mcmullen and he just dropped too many in the PS - as he did with the other teams he played for before us. Good stats against the Rams? Tthey are the worst team in the NFL and may push the Dolpins loss record.

Thomas would have had a TD and 68 yd pass but for a penalty. Let's give both these guys a chance and 2 years before we start worrying about a 'bust' label.

If even half your draft picks make a contribution to the team over a 2-3 year period you've had a great draft.

[shally]

and calais campbell is no difference maker with the cards so far

we need to chill

[redwolf1218]

i know i will get bashed for this, but it always seems like conditioning equals health. Miami ditched Taylor, presumably because they didnt like all that off season dancing-with-the-stars, and so he was not at any OTA's, and he has been incredibly durable during his entire career, yet now he is plagued by debilitating injuries. i think he just needs to get in shape and then he will be the force that he always is, unless he's just too old, which i doubt. if we had anyone else that was any good, we could have let him ease his way into the lineup. and no James, Evans, Wilson, Jackson are not in the same league with Taylor.

[shally]

i know i will get bashed for this, but it always seems like conditioning equals health. Miami ditched Taylor, presumably because they didnt like all that off season dancing-with-the-stars, and so he was not at any OTA's, and he has been incredibly durable during his entire career, yet now he is plagued by debilitating injuries. i think he just needs to get in shape and then he will be the force that he always is, unless he's just too old, which i doubt. if we had anyone else that was any good, we could have let him ease his way into the lineup. and no James, Evans, Wilson, Jackson are not in the same league with Taylor.


the injury that taylor had was random.. not a product at all of conditioning or lack thereof.. it is a function of bleeding inside the muscle, something you cant exactly prevent

[redwolf1218]

the injury that taylor had was random.. not a product at all of conditioning or lack thereof.. it is a function of bleeding inside the muscle, something you cant exactly prevent

but conditioning might lead to avoiding such unfortunate circumstances.

[shally]

but conditioning might lead to avoiding such unfortunate circumstances.

no.. absolutely, not...

you could make the case that if he had sat down and not played as soon as the injjry occurred, then maybe it doesnt need surgery.. but that is the nature of football players

[redwolf1218]

no.. absolutely, not...

well i expected this kind of rebuttal, but it seems to happen a lot in the NFL.

[redwolf1218]

no.. absolutely, not...

you could make the case that if he had sat down and not played as soon as the injjry occurred, then maybe it doesnt need surgery.. but that is the nature of football players

i would make the argument that if he was in game shape, like he was for the last 10 years, with no missed games, and no dancing with the stars, he would not get tangled up in situations that get him hurt to the extent that he has already been hurt twice in a month here now.

[shally]

well i expected this kind of rebuttal, but it seems to happen a lot in the NFL.

not going to pull rank on you, but having treated this kind of injury i can tell you it is a function of the body's response to injury.. plus, team docs really look for it now, as opposed to in years past.. it is not a function of conditioning in any way

[redwolf1218]

not going to pull rank on you, but having treated this kind of injury i can tell you it is a function of the body's response to injury.. plus, team docs really look for it now, as opposed to in years past.. it is not a function of conditioning in any way

i agree, and i expected this response, but you have to admit, it seems to happen a lot. i'm not a doctor, but i know how my body reacts to athletic challenges when i'm in shape, and when i'm not, when i think i can do things in my mind, that i cannot do physically.

[shally]

i agree, and i expected this response, but you have to admit, it seems to happen a lot. i'm not a doctor, but i know how my body reacts to athletic challenges when i'm in shape, and when i'm not, when i think i can do things in my mind, that i cannot do physically.

actually it DOESNT happen that much.. compartment syndrome is relatively rare even in traumatic conditions, but the penalty for not picking it up is very severe-- permanent nerve/muscle damage, that docs are taught to really look for it and treat it aggressively

i some cases, the better conditioned athlete is actually more vulnerable. think about it this way. if you have more muscle stuffed into a tighter compartment because you have exercised it and made it hypertrophy, you have that much less margin for error if bleeding occurs. the fascia that covers the muscle cannot expand very much, so it takes less to create a compartment syndrome..

[redwolf1218]

actually it DOESNT happen that much.. compartment syndrome is relatively rare even in traumatic conditions, but the penalty for not picking it up is very severe-- permanent nerve/muscle damage, that docs are taught to really look for it and treat it aggressively

i some cases, the better conditioned athlete is actually more vulnerable. think about it this way. if you have more muscle stuffed into a tighter compartment because you have exercised it and made it hypertrophy, you have that much less margin for error if bleeding occurs. the fascia that covers the muscle cannot expand very much, so it takes less to create a compartment syndrome..

i've seen a lot of guys get injured when they were exhausted or out of shape to begin with.

[shally]

i've seen a lot of guys get injured when they were exhausted or out of shape to begin with.

agreed.. but from what i have read, this is not that type of injury. he got kicked ..how do you prevent that ? it is a risk with every pile up..like getting rolled up from behind

[redwolf1218]

agreed.. but from what i have read, this is not that type of injury. he got kicked ..how do you prevent that ? it is a risk with every pile up..like getting rolled up from behind

but he should be able to avoid that pile-up like he has for 10 years, if he is in peak condition and can move like he thinks or remembers he can.

[shally]

but he should be able to avoid that pile-up like he has for 10 years, if he is in peak condition and can move like he thinks or remembers he can.

as my wife would say to you.."there is no arguing with logic like that..." lol

remind me never to play golf with you because i guess you will blame me if i get struck by lightning-- inside the clubhouse...lol

peace

[redwolf1218]

as my wife would say to you.."there is no arguing with logic like that..." lol

remind me never to play golf with you because i guess you will blame me if i get struck by lightning-- inside the clubhouse...lol

peace

it just seems to me that it's a coincidence that cant be ignored, especially if you dont believe in coincidences.

[shally]

it just seems to me that it's a coincidence that cant be ignored, especially if you dont believe in coincidences.

i believe in what i know about this particular condition

[redwolf1218]

i believe in what i know about this particular condition

well it's happened to him twice now in a month, after a ten year career. do you think conditioning has no factor at all in any imjury?

[shally]

well it's happened to him twice now in a month, after a ten year career. do you think conditioning has no factor at all in any imjury?

not in this one.. and not in the last one.. did you even see the film of his knee injury ? most of the time that results in a season ending ligament tear.. he was both lucky and unlucky.. conditioning had nothing to do with either one.

now i would agree that conditioning and flexibility have a major impact in many injuries.. but not all

[guess88]

I side with the wiley old man on this one... blaming JT's injury on conditioning is like blaming him for breaking an arm. It's one of those "ship happens" injuries... The only way to really prevent it would be to bench him, but then why play football at all?

Shally can diagnose.. trust me on that. Thanks again.