Calling Donald Penn “Rusty” Is Ludicrous
August 23rd, 2010
Joe wrote earlier about how it made absolutely no sense to blame Donald Penn for Josh Freeman’s busted thumb.
Freeman’s follow through hit Chiefs defensive end Tamba Hali, who had half-beaten Penn with an inside rush move on the play. Hali didn’t hit or pressure Freeman, and it was just an old fashioned football play. Watch it yourself here.
What makes even less sense is to lay blame on Penn getting half-beaten on the fact he didn’t attend offseason workouts with the team because of his contract status.
Yes, there is someone who would purport such nonsense — and then publish it.
That’s exactly what PewterReport.com is doing. (For those unfamiliar with that website, the fellas there used to have a colorful handheld magazine that was obliterated last year.) A mysterious unnamed writer there has called Penn “rusty.”
Keep in mind Penn didn’t miss training camp, where Penn was fit and healthy and near flawless in the preseason opener in Miami.
PewterReport.com’s Take: This is the negative result of holding out. Yes, Penn got his long-term deal, but he has only been with the team since July 31. That is only three weeks worth of practicing, when the rest of the team started in May. Penn is rusty and that is why. The good news is that he recognizes it and is willing to put the time in to improve his game. Many athletes become complacent after receiving a large contract, but Penn’s comments do not reflect that. Penn will use the rest of the preseason to work out the kinks in his game and once Freeman returns to the lineup, his blindside protector should be ready to go.
Joe thinks it’s flat out ridiculous to call Penn, a veteran, “rusty” because he skipped OTAs and lifting weights with his teammates. Penn’s quote after the game made it clear that Hali’s film from the Chiefs’ preseason opener showed him a different player than he saw Saturday night.
How that is evidence of “rust” from skipping a June practice in shorts Joe will never know.
By that logic, Kellen Winslow should be expected to make all kinds of screwups on opening day against the Browns. Yet no savvy observer would expect that to happen.
August 23rd, 2010 at 1:26 pm
All I can say Joe is look at the film again and focus on Penn during the first half. He was beat on most plays I watched. He looked slow. Hopefully he will get back to his old form.
August 23rd, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Comparing Donald Penn to Kellen Winslow Jr. is just ludicrous.
August 23rd, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Joe here,
Dew – The film isn’t the point. The point is it makes no sense to call him rusty because he missed OTAs.
August 23rd, 2010 at 1:43 pm
I’d rather hear Penn say he’s rusty after training camp not some hack. Joe’s not comparing Penn and Winslow
August 23rd, 2010 at 1:44 pm
Is it really possible to have a a gut the size of Penn’s and be in football condition? It looks highly unlikely to me. He has been a pain in the ass for a long time and continues to be one. Just an objective observation.
August 23rd, 2010 at 1:46 pm
Ray, when has Penn been a PIA. Even his hold out was done the right way.
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Here’s the quote from Penn himself:
“…”I didn’t play very well,” Penn said. “I need to go watch film and see my mistakes and fix them and see what (Hali) saw that made him play different. He played different than he did against Atlanta (in the preseason opener). I need to make sure I’m not setting up wrong.
“It wasn’t a matter of him manhandling me. But I do need to work on some things. It’s good, I think. This is what the preseason is for. And Tamba Hali, he’s a good defensive end. It’s not like he’s some slouch. But I need to get all this out of me in the preseason so this doesn’t happen again.”…”
Sure sounds a bit rusty to me…
Joe’s picking a fight… lol.
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Um, who compared Donald Penn to Kellen Winslow?
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Sorry Joe.
I usually agree with your posts, but you’re WAAAAAY off the mark here and come of sounding like you have an axe to grind with Pewter Report.
Penn was a holdout. He is also a guy who Dominic has gone on record as saying has trouble with his conditioning and weight – during the season – not just the offseason.
Why then are we to immediately assume he kept himself in supreme condition while away from the team? Wouldn’t THAT assumption be a leap of logic?
Unless Penn has a stable of Defensive Ends in his neighborhood that he practiced against during the offseason, there’s no true way he was in 100% football shape when he returned.
He’s the left tackle. The guy who protects Freeman’s blind side. He got his huge contract. No excuses. He didn’t do his job on that play.
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Filmbuc:
First, thanks for the kind words.
On “that play,” Penn absolutely did his job. Did Hali lay a finger on Freeman?
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:19 pm
Didn’t the Seahawks franchise LT Walter Jones always skip all of training camp every year, saying to his teammates at the end of the season “See you guys next September.”? I remember someone on Fox during a game commenting on that. Jones never did a lot of OTA’s and never any of training camp or preseason, but the guy showed up and dominated in this league year in and year out.
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:22 pm
“On ‘that play,’ Penn absolutely did his job. Did Hali lay a finger on Freeman?”
Apparently it was Freeman that laid a finger on Hali…
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:23 pm
Joe said “On “that play,” Penn absolutely did his job. Did Hali lay a finger on Freeman?”…No he did not, Freeman layed a thumb on his helmet. This just happens at times. Joe is right on this one. The Bucs even pointed out that Penn was in great shape. When you have all those guys wearing helets trying to knock eachother around, sometimes you hit a helet by accedent.
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:23 pm
Joe had to laugh on that one.
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:24 pm
We must have all laughed at the same time…
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:25 pm
Gilbert Brown started in a Super Bowl and he had a gut about the size of Evansville.
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:28 pm
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d819ec930/Freeman-hurts-thumb
Hali smoked Penn on that play… inside swim.
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:31 pm
You have the right to your opinion, Joe. The problem is that you lose credibility when you throw PR under the bus to make your point. They obviously saw it different from you but how about keeping it professional?
GO BUCS!
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:35 pm
Good thing you read this, since the video is already linked. LOL …Don’t know about Smoked since Freeman got to step up and throw
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Joe here,
GoBucsMP wrote: “You have the right to your opinion, Joe. The problem is that you lose credibility when you throw PR under the bus to make your point. They obviously saw it different from you but how about keeping it professional?”
All day long Joe comments on others opinions of the Bucs, and offers his own, in addition to his fresh commentary. That’s sort of what the 5,000+ posts in the archives are all about. Joe hardly is throwing the Pewter Report fellas under the bus or doing anything out of the ordinary with them. They deserved it on this one and they can take it.
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:45 pm
There was no pocket after 2 seconds… that isn’t a good thing to see from the oline.
RDE swam. LDE powered… their DT’s pushed – Freeman couldn’t take a step.
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:53 pm
Not A Rocket Surgeon Says:
LOL! Why, Hali “smoked” Penn so bad that not only did Hali not lay a finger on Freeman, but Penn threw Hali to the ground.
August 23rd, 2010 at 3:00 pm
That’s rubbish joe. Hali saw the gap, quickly slides right and Penn pushes him after the fact. Unfortunate that JF is in his throwing motion.
details, schmetails.
August 23rd, 2010 at 3:02 pm
“By that logic, Kellen Winslow should be expected to make all kinds of screwups on opening day against the Browns. Yet no savvy observer would expect that to happen.”
Sounds like you’re saying that just because K2 can skip a bunch of offseason work, Penn should be able to do the same without “rust”. That’s not the case. Some players can skip (like K2) and be just fine, others need reps in OTAs and training camp. Penn is not K2, he needs the offseason conditioning as much to get the “mental” reps as for the physical aspect of it. He could have been working on technique in OTAs, could have had it pointed out that he’s “setting up wrong”.
August 23rd, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Penn hasn’t missed a day of camp. Any rust was long gone. How do you people not get that unless you know Donald Penn? He didn’t have his best game against the Chiefs and he’s a veteran so what?
August 23rd, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Not A Rocket Surgeon:
Here’s the ultimate detail:
Hali did not lay a hand, finger, toe, tongue, schlong nor ear on Josh Freeman on that play.
Mission accomplished Donald Penn.
August 23rd, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Phil M. = Phil Mushnick???
August 23rd, 2010 at 3:40 pm
It’s preseason for the Pooper Report also. Maybe this writer is just rusty also…
August 23rd, 2010 at 4:39 pm
I’ll take Donald at his word. His quote posted above sure seems like an admission of some “rust”. C’mon Joe! You must think Penn’s opinion of his own performance is just as ludicrous as PR’s take. Hali was getting the better of Penn most of the time, but Freeman’s injury was a fluke. I’ve wondered how things would have transpired if the blatant pass interference penalty by KC on 2nd down would have been called. That play is the one that really bugs me!
August 23rd, 2010 at 6:03 pm
Joe Says:
August 23rd, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Not A Rocket Surgeon:
Here’s the ultimate detail:
Hali did not lay a hand, finger, toe, tongue, schlong nor ear on Josh Freeman on that play.
Mission accomplished Donald Penn.
Joe — how about it being somewhere in between? Penn was beat on the play. Penn jumped outside and the defender went inside (I am guessing that is the mistake or the change that Penn was referring to). Penn recovered and ultimately knocked the guy down, but the guy beat him initially and that (along with Freeman’s short drop) is why the guy was close enough for Freeman to hit him.
Not Penn’s fault that Freeman got hurt, but even Penn acknowledged that the guy gave him problems and that preseason was about eliminating these mistakes
August 23rd, 2010 at 8:37 pm
lol @ joe… who says schlong… especially in pass protection.
You got me man… I laughed…. there should be a rule.
August 23rd, 2010 at 9:51 pm
Not saying I agree with Pewter Report, but they are no more out of line than you are Joe for blaming Sabby for everything but the spread of syphillis.
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:58 pm
admin Says:
August 23rd, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Joe here,
Dew – The film isn’t the point. The point is it makes no sense to call him rusty because he missed OTAs.
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Wow, Joe. You really do take lessons from Florio.
August 24th, 2010 at 3:48 am
“By that logic, Kellen Winslow should be expected to make all kinds of screwups on opening day against the Browns. Yet no savvy observer would expect that to happen.”
You logic is failed, Joe. Winslow arrived in Tampa at the beginning of July and worked with Freeman for a month. Penn, on the other hand, arrived Aug 1.
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/bucs/content/winslows-knee-ready-go-bucs-plan-limit-his-workload