“The Lockout’s Been A Blessing”
July 13th, 2011
Davin Joseph says the absence of team responsibilities has let him focus more on personal, physical improvement.
Joe’s intrigued to learn how the Bucs and the rest of the NFL might learn from the physical successes and failures that emerge after the lockout. Joe touched on this Monday.
No doubt some guys will be in better shape because they didn’t spend time with OTAs and the organization in the offseason and used the time more hyperfocused on improving their own bodies and weaknesses.
Count Davin Joseph in the group of guys who has used the lockout to his advantage, so he explained on WDAE-AM 620 today during the Ron and Ian Show. Joseph went so far as to call the lockout “a blessing.”
“It’s common along a lot of the guys in the league is feeling like they really have time to recover and they’ve taken this time to improve themselves in areas that they know they need improvement. You know, it’s hard during OTA’s and things of that sort to go to a team workout, where it’s just a general workout, and then having the energy to go and do something else to improve yourself,” Joseph said.
“So just having your own control of the offseason has helped a lot of guys. It’s going to hurt some guys. But I think a majority of the guys are really taking the time to improve themselves.
“[The lockout] definitely was a blessing. I’m not going to go around that and say I miss OTAs. I miss the locker room more than anything. That’s one thing I do miss. But just having the time to work on the small things, the lockout’s been a blessing.”
As Joe wrote earlier, Joseph said he’s religiously training with Jeremy Trueblood and they’ve incorporated yoga into their routines.
Joe wonders whether it’s primarily true veterans like Joseph — of the which the Bucs don’t have many — that have the maturity and savvy to maximize the lockout time to their physical advantage.
July 13th, 2011 at 1:27 pm
A blessing my AZZ!
This has been a mess since the start and as a fan I’ve resented the whole damn thing. We’re being used to make billionaires and millionaires even richer and have to take it. Still going to lose the London “home” game and still going to have to pay full price for practice games and a lesser product on the field due to lack of preparation.
Nice freaking “blessing” for the fans!
July 13th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
Joseph hasn’t impressed on the field nor in his interviews. I didn’t know why we drafted a freaking GUARD (with Santonio Holmes being my #1 choice-perhaps I missed on that one, and C Nick Mangold being #2) in round 1 that year and to this day Joseph has proven that he was a wasted pick…seriously, who the EFF drafts an OG in round 1? Horrible draft strategy!
July 13th, 2011 at 3:32 pm
Wow Brandon, some serious hate there.
To be honest, while one can debate the intelligence of drafting a guard in the first round, that may have been one of the few picks Chucky nailed as far as a productive player.
July 13th, 2011 at 6:39 pm
Not impressive + wasted pick = pro bowl….wait what????
July 13th, 2011 at 9:13 pm
Fans???? Fans????? Does ANYONE really believe that the players OR the owners give a rats azz about the fans?
As for being a ‘blessing’ – Pure and utter CRAP! The OTA’s and mandatory team meetings WERE/ARE not that inclusive that it would hinder any players ability to still train and do what Joseph claims.
This is utter nonsense and strictly a PR ploy.
As for this lockout hurting the ‘fans’ REALLY? Is your life THAT shallow that you lie or die on OTA’s and FA signing in the offseason? REALLY??
If the answer is yes then I feel sorry for you….
July 13th, 2011 at 9:30 pm
Training with Trueblood?? Nooooo!!! “Holding, #65, 3rd and 25” 🙁
July 13th, 2011 at 11:25 pm
Really surprised with all the hate. All he is saying is for players that will get the work done regardless of being required (Freeman, Rudd, etc) to its been good because he can work on specific things about his game. Whats the big deal with that? He does also say for “some” it wont be good and he is referring to guys like a Stylez White who tweeted that its tough getting motivated to workout on your own a while back, what a horrible thing to say as a professional.
This guy is BY FAR our top priority to resign and he is getting ripped on here? Totally not justified
July 14th, 2011 at 6:14 am
While I like and respect the professionalism of both TrueBlood and Joseph, its obvious that neither has performed up to the level you’d expect from a 1st or 2nd round pick. NOr has our line Agee accomplished anything other than Underachieve- which has been pointed out frequently in numerous Mags and reports. No, I don’t think Chucky got even that pick right. Joseph doesn’t produce like a first round pick. Not due to lack of effort or work- he works his butt off. Just never gonna be good at Pass blocking- and that obviously hurts the offense.
July 14th, 2011 at 8:06 am
Captain Stagger Says:
July 13th, 2011 at 6:39 pm
Not impressive + wasted pick = pro bowl….wait what????
++++++++++
Absolutely, if you draft a freaking OG in round 1, that guy better damn well be a perennial all-pro, a la Steve Hutchinson and Alan Faneca, because good OGs can be found past round 4 and as UDFA’s. 1st round picks are better served drafting anything but OGs, RBs, and K/P’s. Sure, there are a few OGs, RBs, and K/Ps that somehow live up to their 1st round draft status, but they are few and far between.
The premium positions to draft in round 1 are QBs, LTs, DEs, WRs, and DTs. LBs, TEs, and the occasional S can be thrown in there if they are exceptional. Considering the needs that that particular Bucs team had at the time, drafting an OG in round 1 would have been a luxury. If worse comes to worse, draft an OT that may transition to OG if they can’t cut it at OT (Leonard Davis)….but drafting an OG in round 1, especially with a pick as high as #23 is more asinine than the lockout.
Gruden blew EVERY draft, wasting the 23rd overall pick on an OG that has made (as an injury replacement, meaning at best, he was the 5th or 6th best OG in the NFC that season) exactly one Pro Bowl in 5 seasons as a pro. This hardly constitutes a success story.
The only real successes that Gruden can claim is Tanard Jackson, Quincy Black, Aqib Talib, Geno Hayes, maybe Jeremy Zuttah, Jermaine Phillips, Adam Hayward (late round find), Barrett Ruud, and Bruce Gradkowski. That’s 9 solid, not great, picks in 7 seasons. Picking an OG in round 1 and hi making it to exactly 1 Pro Bowl does not make Joseph a success.