logo
Former NFL TE says Commanders safety is an athletic 'freak'

Former NFL TE says Commanders safety is an athletic 'freak'

USA Today2 days ago
So you think you could play in the NFL?
Former Washington tight end Logan Paulsen and Craig Hoffman engaged in a conversation on their latest edition of the "Take Command" podcast, discussing the athleticism of NFL players.
Paulsen mentioned the Commanders' rookie undrafted safety last year, Tyler Owens. "He's a freak, right?" said Paulsen. Logan then told of how, though Owens is a physical specimen, he last year only saw action for the most part on special teams. "He's a special-teams backup because he lacks some of that football intuition right now. Can you learn it? Sure. Can you develop it? For certain. I think that is where the starting players are special."
Paulsen broke out and told an old story about how one of his NFL tight end coaches had used a grading system for players for about a decade. The coach graded all but two players as green athletically and had two players whom he graded down athletically as red. The coach was talking with Paulsen one day, conveying to him that in the decade, he had only graded two of his tight ends in the red. Paulsen, curious, asked, only to be surprised to find out he himself was one of the two!
When Paulsen was asked one time to join a bunch of athletic guys in a game of flag football. They could not believe all of the plays that Paulsen was making, such as touchdowns and an interception. Afterward, one of the guys told Paulsen that he viewed him as an NFL scrub, and now he marveled because Paulsen had just proven he was much more athletic than all the other guys playing.
Do you remember Brian Scalabrine? He was a mere role player, spending 11 NBA seasons on the bench. Those who played basketball in high school might view themselves as athletic. Still, they have no idea of the numerous levels of basketball players who have played in college, some of whom made it to the NBA, some were starters, some were All-Stars, and even fewer were superstars.
Scalabrine was criticized by someone who was clueless and had no comprehension of the many levels of athleticism out there, and Scalabrine responded, "I'm way closer to LeBron than you are to me."
The same holds true in every sport; the golfers, swimmers, basketball players, football players, and tennis pros you see on television are far better than anyone you have most likely seen in person in your respective sport.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trevor Story homers as part of 4-hit day to help Red Sox beat Nationals 11-2
Trevor Story homers as part of 4-hit day to help Red Sox beat Nationals 11-2

Hamilton Spectator

time31 minutes ago

  • Hamilton Spectator

Trevor Story homers as part of 4-hit day to help Red Sox beat Nationals 11-2

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trevor Story homered and drove in four runs as part of a four-hit day, Lucas Giolito pitched 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball in his first game against the team that drafted him and the Boston Red Sox routed the Washington Nationals 11-2 on Friday. Jarren Duran had three RBIs for Boston, which collected 16 hits and has won four of six since enduring a season-worst six-game skid. Washington was denied its first three-game winning streak since taking four in a row on May 28-31. Giolito (5-1) allowed four hits and three walks while striking out seven, surrendering Luis García Jr.'s sacrifice fly in the sixth. He is 2-0 with an 0.61 ERA in his last two starts. The right-hander was the Nationals' first-round pick in 2012 and debuted with the team four years later. Washington traded him to the Chicago White Sox in December 2016. The Red Sox broke the game open with a seven-run fifth inning. After Boston loaded the bases, Wilyer Abreu walked in a run to make it 3-0 and Story ripped a two-run single to center to chase Washington starter Michael Soroka (3-6). Marcelo Mayer hit reliever Zach Brzykcy's first pitch to left to score Abreu. Three batters later, Duran hit a two-run double. He later scored on Abraham Toro's single. Story hit his 13th home run of the season in the eighth, a two-run blast to left off Ryan Loutos. Soroka allowed seven runs and struck out six in four innings, matching his shortest outing of the season. Key moment Story's two-run single in the fifth extended Boston's lead to 5-0 and ended Soroka's day. Key stat Boston has won 10 of its last 11 games on the Fourth of July. Up next The series continues Saturday when Boston RHP Walker Buehler (5-6, 6.45 ERA) faces Washington LHP Mitchell Parker (5-8, 4.63). ___ AP MLB:

Trevor Story homers as part of 4-hit day to help Red Sox beat Nationals 11-2
Trevor Story homers as part of 4-hit day to help Red Sox beat Nationals 11-2

Washington Post

time43 minutes ago

  • Washington Post

Trevor Story homers as part of 4-hit day to help Red Sox beat Nationals 11-2

WASHINGTON — Trevor Story homered and drove in four runs as part of a four-hit day, Lucas Giolito pitched 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball in his first game against the team that drafted him and the Boston Red Sox routed the Washington Nationals 11-2 on Friday. Jarren Duran had three RBIs for Boston, which collected 16 hits and has won four of six since enduring a season-worst six-game skid.

Trevor Story homers as part of 4-hit day to help Red Sox beat Nationals 11-2
Trevor Story homers as part of 4-hit day to help Red Sox beat Nationals 11-2

CBS News

time43 minutes ago

  • CBS News

Trevor Story homers as part of 4-hit day to help Red Sox beat Nationals 11-2

By PATRICK STEVENS Associated Press Trevor Story homered and drove in four runs as part of a four-hit day, Lucas Giolito pitched 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball in his first game against the team that drafted him and the Boston Red Sox routed the Washington Nationals 11-2 on Friday. Jarren Duran had three RBIs for Boston, which collected 16 hits and has won four of six since enduring a season-worst six-game skid. Washington was denied its first three-game winning streak since taking four in a row on May 28-31. Giolito (5-1) allowed four hits and three walks while striking out seven, surrendering Luis García Jr.'s sacrifice fly in the sixth. He is 2-0 with an 0.61 ERA in his last two starts. The right-hander was the Nationals' first-round pick in 2012 and debuted with the team four years later. Washington traded him to the Chicago White Sox in December 2016. The Red Sox broke the game open with a seven-run fifth inning. After Boston loaded the bases, Wilyer Abreu walked in a run to make it 3-0 and Story ripped a two-run single to center to chase Washington starter Michael Soroka (3-6). Marcelo Mayer hit reliever Zach Brzykcy's first pitch to left to score Abreu. Three batters later, Duran hit a two-run double. He later scored on Abraham Toro's single. Story hit his 13th home run of the season in the eighth, a two-run blast to left off Ryan Loutos. Soroka allowed seven runs and struck out six in four innings, matching his shortest outing of the season. Key moment Story's two-run single in the fifth extended Boston's lead to 5-0 and ended Soroka's day. Key stat Boston has won 10 of its last 11 games on the Fourth of July. Up next The series continues Saturday when Boston RHP Walker Buehler (5-6, 6.45 ERA) faces Washington LHP Mitchell Parker (5-8, 4.63).

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store