Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com
Tips For New #ProDucks From UO Alumni
04/28/20 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
With NFL facilities closed, Justin Herbert, Troy Dye and the rest of the Oregon football players now on NFL rosters still can help themselves this offseason.
Four Ducks were selected in last week's NFL draft, and several others agreed to free-agent contracts to begin their professional careers.
It was a monumental weekend in the lives of all the Oregon football players poised to make the jump to the NFL. But what now?
Typically, newly drafted or signed players would attended a rookie mini-camp at team facilities, either this upcoming weekend or the next. But pro facilities are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic; teams are conducting business virtually, as they did for last week's draft.
Few NFL veterans could imagine what that uncertainty feels like. But one who can is former UO linebacker Spencer Paysinger, who entered the league in 2011 — the year of a lockout that lasted from mid-March well into July.
Paysinger was an inside linebacker, just like Troy Dye, the Ducks' four-time leading tackler who was selected in the fourth round of this year's draft. Dye at least knows he's now a member of the Minnesota Vikings; Paysinger, who was hoping to catch on as an undrafted free agent following the 2011 draft, had to wait months before joining the New York Giants, with whom he ended up winning a Super Bowl ring.
"He's in a better position, because I couldn't talk to anybody," Paysinger said. "There was just radio silence after the last pick of the draft."
Dye and the other members of the 2019 Pac-12 champions who were picked up by pro teams this past weekend don't face nearly as much uncertainty. Still, it's unknown when team facilities can open, and training camps can begin.
How can Oregon's 2020 NFL rookies best prepare themselves for when camps do open? Paysinger and two other Ducks who played in the NFL had some tips to offer.
"When you're in shape, you play faster," said Geoff Schwartz, who spent nearly a decade on NFL rosters after helping the 2007 Ducks reach No. 2 in the polls before injuries derailed that season. "You worry less about being tired. You have a clearer mind."
The NFL has modified its offseason rules to allow for meetings and workouts that are conducted virtually. Still, players will be on their own more than usual, and need not waste that time.
"We all know how to lift weights and stay in shape in that aspect," Paysinger said. "But I'd put myself though all the on-field situations — if (Dye) has a chance, hit bags or do any kind of cone drills he can."
Working on dynamic movements like that will pay off once formal preseason camp begins.
"As much time as we spent on the field, I felt my legs giving out a little quicker than other parts of my body," Paysinger said. "So it's just getting field-ready for fall camp and the rest of the season."
Joey Harrington also spent nearly a decade in the NFL, after leading the 2001 Oregon football team to a Pac-10 championship. Like the latest UO quarterback to be drafted — Justin Herbert, the No. 6 overall selection last week, by the Los Angeles Chargers — Harrington was academically astute; each was a first-team academic all-American as a senior.
Given Herbert's acuity, Harrington said, he should be able to grasp the Chargers' playbook on his own. But Harrington also offered a caveat.
"There's a difference between learning a playbook and knowing a playbook," said Harrington, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2002 draft. "I can sit here and learn a playbook tomorrow; you've got slide protection, you've got your base protection, you have zone protections, play action. … It's all the same recipe.
"But knowing a playbook? Being able to act and react instinctively? That's the difference between success and failure in the NFL. If you don't have to think, you're a half-second faster than the guy across from you. And that dictates success in the NFL."
And, Harrington added, "that's not something you sit in the classroom and learn. That's something that happens after you get hit in the face because you didn't recognize what was coming at you. Or you recognized it a half-second late and got rid of the ball and it got taken the other direction for six."
To be sure, missing out on a few days at a rookie camp isn't a huge deficit for Herbert to overcome. But there's nothing like on-field experience.
"I would go as far as to say it would depend on what type of learner you are," said Paysinger, who helped the Ducks reach the BCS Championship game to cap his senior season in 2010. "I was a very kinesthetic learner; I could be in the film room with DP" —former UO defensive coordinator Don Pellum — "yelling at me for years, but we'd go out on the field and he'd walk me through it and I'd be like, 'OK, I got it.' "
Learning plays will be easier once the drafted Ducks go from looking at an iPad to taking reps on the field. Likewise, building bonds with new teammates will happen faster in person, as well.
But in both cases, there's no use waiting until the pandemic ends to begin the process. Relationships formed over text message and FaceTime aren't perfect, but they're a start.
Paysinger's pro career overlapped with two stars of the defense Dye is joining with Minnesota. Vikings linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks are fellow Pac-12 alumni, having both attended UCLA, and Paysinger said they can be valuable role models for Dye.
"I'd be willing to bet they're willing to help if he reaches out to them," Paysinger said.
Herbert also is entering an enviable situation in terms of his future teammates, Harrington said. The Chargers' roster includes pass-catching targets like receiver Keenan Allen and tight end Hunter Henry.
"Where he landed, I don't think it could have been any better," Harrington said. "The guys with whom he's surrounded are as talented a group as you'll find, especially coming in as a rookie."
Given the presence of Barr and Kendricks with the Vikings, Dye is probably looking at a backup and special teams role, after starting four years at Oregon. Herbert also could be on the bench as a rookie, given that the Chargers have veteran Tyrod Tayler, who has made 46 career NFL starts.
The two Ducks taken later in the draft, offensive linemen Shane Lemieux and Jake Hanson, plus those who signed free-agent deals could face added pressure once training camp does open, Schwartz said. Because if the offseason is condensed, preseason camp will put a premium on ramping up for the coming campaign, rather than assessing younger players who might not make a big impact until future seasons.
"You're going to get less reps in camp," said Schwartz, a seventh-round pick in 2008. "So the reps you get have got to matter."
Those reps will need to be competitive. But they're not going to be perfect. That's something the rookies from Oregon, including the No. 6 pick Herbert, will have to accept as well.
"Whether you've got a mini-camp under your belt or not," Harrington said, "when you show up the first day of camp as a rookie, you're going to make mistakes. And you're probably gonna make a few more without that mini-camp.
"The key for any rookie quarterback is to be able to make those mistakes, and come back the next snap with the knowledge of what you need to do, and the confidence to go do it. Because guys see that."
It was a monumental weekend in the lives of all the Oregon football players poised to make the jump to the NFL. But what now?
Typically, newly drafted or signed players would attended a rookie mini-camp at team facilities, either this upcoming weekend or the next. But pro facilities are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic; teams are conducting business virtually, as they did for last week's draft.
Few NFL veterans could imagine what that uncertainty feels like. But one who can is former UO linebacker Spencer Paysinger, who entered the league in 2011 — the year of a lockout that lasted from mid-March well into July.
Paysinger was an inside linebacker, just like Troy Dye, the Ducks' four-time leading tackler who was selected in the fourth round of this year's draft. Dye at least knows he's now a member of the Minnesota Vikings; Paysinger, who was hoping to catch on as an undrafted free agent following the 2011 draft, had to wait months before joining the New York Giants, with whom he ended up winning a Super Bowl ring.
"He's in a better position, because I couldn't talk to anybody," Paysinger said. "There was just radio silence after the last pick of the draft."
Dye and the other members of the 2019 Pac-12 champions who were picked up by pro teams this past weekend don't face nearly as much uncertainty. Still, it's unknown when team facilities can open, and training camps can begin.
How can Oregon's 2020 NFL rookies best prepare themselves for when camps do open? Paysinger and two other Ducks who played in the NFL had some tips to offer.
Stay in shape — football shape
It goes without saying that the post-draft celebration had to be brief. Then it was back to eating right and working out."When you're in shape, you play faster," said Geoff Schwartz, who spent nearly a decade on NFL rosters after helping the 2007 Ducks reach No. 2 in the polls before injuries derailed that season. "You worry less about being tired. You have a clearer mind."
The NFL has modified its offseason rules to allow for meetings and workouts that are conducted virtually. Still, players will be on their own more than usual, and need not waste that time.
"We all know how to lift weights and stay in shape in that aspect," Paysinger said. "But I'd put myself though all the on-field situations — if (Dye) has a chance, hit bags or do any kind of cone drills he can."
Working on dynamic movements like that will pay off once formal preseason camp begins.
"As much time as we spent on the field, I felt my legs giving out a little quicker than other parts of my body," Paysinger said. "So it's just getting field-ready for fall camp and the rest of the season."
Know your stuff — but expect the real education to begin in camp
Joey Harrington also spent nearly a decade in the NFL, after leading the 2001 Oregon football team to a Pac-10 championship. Like the latest UO quarterback to be drafted — Justin Herbert, the No. 6 overall selection last week, by the Los Angeles Chargers — Harrington was academically astute; each was a first-team academic all-American as a senior.
Given Herbert's acuity, Harrington said, he should be able to grasp the Chargers' playbook on his own. But Harrington also offered a caveat.
"There's a difference between learning a playbook and knowing a playbook," said Harrington, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2002 draft. "I can sit here and learn a playbook tomorrow; you've got slide protection, you've got your base protection, you have zone protections, play action. … It's all the same recipe.
"But knowing a playbook? Being able to act and react instinctively? That's the difference between success and failure in the NFL. If you don't have to think, you're a half-second faster than the guy across from you. And that dictates success in the NFL."
And, Harrington added, "that's not something you sit in the classroom and learn. That's something that happens after you get hit in the face because you didn't recognize what was coming at you. Or you recognized it a half-second late and got rid of the ball and it got taken the other direction for six."
To be sure, missing out on a few days at a rookie camp isn't a huge deficit for Herbert to overcome. But there's nothing like on-field experience.
"I would go as far as to say it would depend on what type of learner you are," said Paysinger, who helped the Ducks reach the BCS Championship game to cap his senior season in 2010. "I was a very kinesthetic learner; I could be in the film room with DP" —former UO defensive coordinator Don Pellum — "yelling at me for years, but we'd go out on the field and he'd walk me through it and I'd be like, 'OK, I got it.' "
Begin building relationships with new teammates — to the extent technology will allow
Learning plays will be easier once the drafted Ducks go from looking at an iPad to taking reps on the field. Likewise, building bonds with new teammates will happen faster in person, as well.
But in both cases, there's no use waiting until the pandemic ends to begin the process. Relationships formed over text message and FaceTime aren't perfect, but they're a start.
Paysinger's pro career overlapped with two stars of the defense Dye is joining with Minnesota. Vikings linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks are fellow Pac-12 alumni, having both attended UCLA, and Paysinger said they can be valuable role models for Dye.
"I'd be willing to bet they're willing to help if he reaches out to them," Paysinger said.
Herbert also is entering an enviable situation in terms of his future teammates, Harrington said. The Chargers' roster includes pass-catching targets like receiver Keenan Allen and tight end Hunter Henry.
"Where he landed, I don't think it could have been any better," Harrington said. "The guys with whom he's surrounded are as talented a group as you'll find, especially coming in as a rookie."
Be mentally ready for the challenges camp will present
As positive as those situations may be, the newly drafted Ducks will face hurdles.Given the presence of Barr and Kendricks with the Vikings, Dye is probably looking at a backup and special teams role, after starting four years at Oregon. Herbert also could be on the bench as a rookie, given that the Chargers have veteran Tyrod Tayler, who has made 46 career NFL starts.
The two Ducks taken later in the draft, offensive linemen Shane Lemieux and Jake Hanson, plus those who signed free-agent deals could face added pressure once training camp does open, Schwartz said. Because if the offseason is condensed, preseason camp will put a premium on ramping up for the coming campaign, rather than assessing younger players who might not make a big impact until future seasons.
"You're going to get less reps in camp," said Schwartz, a seventh-round pick in 2008. "So the reps you get have got to matter."
Those reps will need to be competitive. But they're not going to be perfect. That's something the rookies from Oregon, including the No. 6 pick Herbert, will have to accept as well.
"Whether you've got a mini-camp under your belt or not," Harrington said, "when you show up the first day of camp as a rookie, you're going to make mistakes. And you're probably gonna make a few more without that mini-camp.
"The key for any rookie quarterback is to be able to make those mistakes, and come back the next snap with the knowledge of what you need to do, and the confidence to go do it. Because guys see that."
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