CharityMike

Saw this article and it's pretty good. Keeping things in perspective during OTA's.

Teddy Bridgewater dropped back to pass in slow motion, with a heavy brace over his left knee, delivering passes to the beat of a faux-inspirational dance track. The Vikings' surprise release of a hype video showing Bridgewater throwing at Tuesday's practice was, like so much of the news during OTA season, full of hope and short on clarity.

It is undoubtedly great to see Bridgewater back on the field after the quarterback's devastating injury last August. NFL Network's Randy Moss reported that Bridgewater had a positive medical checkup Wednesday, which will result in him increasing his lateral movement. Receiver Jarius Wright told reporters that Bridgwater was throwing passes harder than before after working on his arm strength. Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, however, was careful to point out that Bridgewater hasn't been cleared to truly practice yet, and there remains no timetable for his return. Like most spring storylines, the Bridgewater video was a nice preview of the real news to come in training camp, a post-it note reminder to check back later.

This is the time of year for optimism, and plenty of the sunny news that arrives is worth keeping tabs on. It's also worth knowing which tropes to ignore and which stories should be read with a critical eye.

Below is my handy guide of what matters and what doesn't in the next four weeks of OTAs and minicamps:

WHAT MATTERS

Players returning from serious injury: Bridgewater was hardly the only big name with an eye-opening return to the field this week. J.J. Watt was a full participant at Texans OTAs, confirming the positive progress reports about his recovery from back surgery. On the heels of Rob Gronkowski's newly upgraded contract and display of acting chops, he was making one-handed catches again at Patriots practice following a season that also ended with back surgery. Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota threw passes in 7-on-7 drills in his early return from a broken leg, something Mariota and coach Mike Mularkey weren't counting on a few months ago.

Jets receiver Eric Decker (hip and shoulder surgery) was on the field in a non-contact jersey to open OTAs, a great sign following a March report that he could miss training camp entirely. Chargers receiver Keenan Allen, coming off a torn ACL, is already participating in team drills, making an assortment of catches and "all the cuts" according to coach Anthony Lynn.

These developments don't indicate that each player is fully back or that the road ahead is simple. But their practice availability speaks louder than any words, especially during a time in the offseason when teams aren't required to give injury updates. OTA season is great for providing verifiable proof that players are on the mend.

Selective message sending: 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan knew a question was coming about his talented inside linebacker group, and he had an answer ready.

"In my opinion, there's going to be a very good player who is not out there all the time," Shanahan said to open OTAs, via the San Francisco Chronicle.

NaVorro Bowman -- coming back from a torn Achilles suffered early last season -- has been a team leader for the 49ers since he arrived five head coaches ago. Shanahan's decision to publicly group Bowman in with rookie first-round pick Reuben Foster and highly paid free-agent pickup Malcolm Smith sets a tone for Bowman and other players from the previous regimes, alerting them that their jobs aren't necessarily safe.

"I won't be on the sideline," Bowman said. "I'm going to tell you that now."

Significant injury revelations and updates: This is the time of year to find out about surgeries previously done under the cover of offseason darkness. Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt reportedly underwent hand surgery, and safety Sean Davis reportedly had shoulder surgery, with neither procedure being revealed until this week. One of the Colts' only quality returning starters, safety Clayton Geathers, is recovering from neck surgery that could jeopardize the start to his season. The Broncos are targeting training camp for running back Jamaal Charles -- whose 2016 campaign was marred by an uneven recovery from a torn ACL -- to return, which highlights that his signing is very much a roll of the dice.


It took open practices for anyone to know that Cardinals linebacker Deone Bucannon is recovering from ankle surgery, allowing first-round pick Haason Reddick to take over with the first team.

"Classic Wally Pipp," coach Bruce Arians said Wednesday. "[Haason] is getting every single rep. He looks damn good."

Message sent.

WHAT DOESN'T

read the rest here: What matters and what doesn't during OTA season - NFL.com

jnormand

Great read. And COMPLETELY true.

foreverfan

Am I at the wrong website?

QBREES9

Welcome back and good luck to all they guys coming back from injury. Just not when you play the Saints.

We know where to hit you.