DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Odell Beckham says he’ll be at mandatory minicamp

correct, by "paid" I meant obligated by contract

Maybe I'm being simplistic, but I'm just damn happy he's on the team! The team and OBJ can handle the details, just show us the wins!

Since he didn't show up for OTA's when he was with the Giants and he's one of the top 5 WR's in the league, it seems to have worked well for him so far.

Because these things have been collectively bargained and teams can only do what is in the agreement.

He missed out on some reps with his new QB that I wish he had been there for.... that's really about it. Maybe a chance to get to know his teammates a little better.

The NY media was also running with it, talking about how "the drama has started", etc... they will do anything to try to save face and make it look like they didn't get taken to the woodshed on this deal.

No, he's here when it is required.


How often do you show up to the office to practice your job voluntarily?




Probably far less likely than any internet critic tweaking a thumb while banging on their keyboard.

Why do you have "personal training" in quotes?

My guess is that he doesn't believe "Jr" is working out.

It would be the same. If it isn't mandatory, I am not going to get all bunched up if players skip voluntary practices.

I would like for them to be there, and it is pretty important for players on the bubble to be there, but OBJ is going to start from game one. Not going to these workouts isn't going to change a thing.

You are just attempting to make something out of nothing... I have no idea why?

Sorry if this drags on or is a bit rambling. I always struggle on how I feel about these types of issues. I obviously have never been A pro athlete so I have no idea how they think or feel about their jobs.

I assume a rookie or second string type player uses vol workouts as an opportunity to show coaches what they can do and to work on their game so they seem to have the most to gain.

My other thought about this group is their "impression" of OBJ or others for that matter skipping them. I assume that is why Vers mentioned Duke & Njoku and one other player because they are skipping Vol camp also? I thought they might think "I can't wait to get good like OBJ so I can skip volunteer camp". But then I thought that most, or at least a large percentage of good athletes are driven to succeed and may think "I need to work really hard so I can reach OBJ's level".

My point in all of this is I really don't think it matters much if he is here for his playing ability reasons. I only question team chemistry and I don't think OBJ or the other guys have a reputation for being lazy so they can still lead by example when they are here. If a player who notoriously slacks off skips them they should probably not be on the team anyway.

In all honesty, I am more concerned in how Zeitler's position will be filled, and a few LB & DB spots. My biggest concern is Ward's concussion health. He may never suffer another but that thought scares me a bit.

Should be fun to see how it all plays out. Much different this year than prior ones when I had to talk myself into "we could be 8-8 if everything falls right" knowing I was hoping.

oh, snap, Dawg.

Grossi's a douche. Nowhere did JT say or even try to imply that OTA's were unimportant.

LOL From AP's Tom Withers:

Now that it seems fairly certain that OBJ--or "Jr"--as mac likes to call him is going to be at camp, lets speculate what he can do to trigger the wrath of guys like Grossi, mac, and Diam?

Have you seen what he looks like? He is a walking trigger.

These reporters are jerks

Ya, i been really brutal ... incredibly harsh ... definitely in the same category as grossi and mac ... with brutally harsh statements such as ...

- this doesn’t matter one iota in the grand scheme of things and will be forgotten about by next week
- hes been an OUTSTANDING and EXEMPLARY TEAMMATE ...
- he works his arse off and will be prepared ... thats not an issue and won’t be come sundays in the fall when it actually matters ...

Yup, grossi, mac and I are like 3 peas in a pod when it comes to this subject ... ...

Not sure what i was thinking that IMO a dude that gets traded to a new team oughta be there for the install of the new O ... i was way out line with that line of thinking ... sorry about that ....

To align my views with grossi and mac’s ... thats very device like ... nice job ...

Bro, you are calling him a "diva" for working out w/a personal trainer rather than attending "voluntary" workouts. You haven't liked him from the get-go and that's fine. I just think you have some double standards going on.

I will put this as plain as I can for you............working out w/an individual trainer is far, far superior to working out in a group setting.

Once the real deal starts, as in it's mandatory, then all should be there. I don't seem to remember you having an issue w/Josh Gordon missing mandatory camp time last year. But, damn man..........OBJ is a diva for paying someone to work out with individualized workouts and skipping "voluntary" workouts that are run at half speed.

Get outta here w/that BS, bro!

My argument is OTAs have a certain value, but so does training the body and recharging the mind. It’s important to place the proper value on all of the off-season activities and then weigh them against each other when deciding how to spend your time to make yourself...

...the best Cleveland Brown when the season starts. Only @obj can properly assign the value to those activities, so he is the only one who can weigh the activities and make the best decision for himself and his team.

If the equation was OTAs vs laying on the couch and eating bon-bons, I’d say get your ass to OTAs, if the equation is OTAs vs elite and customized training tailored specifically to your body by a trainer who’s known you and worked with you for years, it’s a more nuanced question

And, you, I, the Browns, any @NFL coach player or teammate can’t properly evaluate the decision because we aren’t OBJ and don’t know how important that customized training is to his game readiness.

I just think overlooking that fact is short sighted and deems off-season training unimportant.

Back to your question...Here’s why I attend OTAs for the Browns every year.

1) I was a long term Browns player who developed a great relationship with the strength staff, and felt our relationship (built during the seasons prior) helped them understand the best training methods for me. @obj doesn’t have that yet...

2) I lived in #Cleveland year round. I believe @obj lives in LA and would have to uproot his life (just traded) and go back and forth every week to make the OTAs. The stress and travel would lead to less than ideal training conditions

3) Workout bonus

4) The last 3-4 years of my career, I didn’t participate in the OTA practices. This was primarily because of the accumulated wear and tear, and to minimize any further damage when it didn’t directly effect a real game, but a huge benefit was being able to “train thru” OTAs.

“Training thru”- old track term used to describe continuing to train hard without tapering for a meet because the meet is unimportant. OTAs are too hard and the sport is too dangerous to train hard and practice at the same time, so the training suffers when you practice on field

By not practicing, I was able to maximize my training sessions (improve much greater strength, flexibility, injury resistance, speed, quickness, etc) and come out of the spring sessions a better version of myself then if I had practiced and had less intense training.

5) Offensive line is so much more technical and requires many more years of technique than does the WR position. Much quicker to master the WR position vs OL. So in order to get to a level of proficiency at OL where there is a law of diminishing gains, it takes a lot longer.

6) I liked the free food in Berea...see draft day this year. Don’t ever turn down a free meal

https://twitter.com/joethomas73/status/1135706358786011138

methinks Mr. Grossi bit off more than he can chew with Mr. Thomas ...

I’m calling him a DIVA and SELFISH for not showing to a voluntary team event where it would have been his first chance to hang with his new teammates and be here for the first install of the new O ... not cause he missed some workouts ...

I also said its no biggie and should be forgotten by now ...

So lets see here ...

Mac/Grossi’s take = OBJ missing OTA’s is a big deal and he’s a jerk for missing them ...

My take = OBJ missing OTA’s is a selfish diva move but is no big deal what so ever ...

Vers take = OBJ missing OTA’s is no big deal and its a non issue ...

Seems to me the fact U and I both agree its no big deal would align my views more with yours than mac and grossi’s ...

What u did was BS and u know it ...

Double standards ... your comparing OBJ missing OTA’s to Josh Gordon missing OTA’s ... ... other than playing WR and missing OTA’s there situations aren’t remotely close in any area ...



Gee, thanks for making it as plain as u can for me ... ...

This wasn’t about the workouts ... when asked what he missed Freddie said ... and i quote ....

“A LOT”

But whats he know ...



Ya ... thats the sole reason why he’s a diva ... it has nothing to do with:

- beating up water coolers, heaters and various other inanimate objects during games ...
- throwing his QB, HC and GM under the bus to the press on multiple occasions ...
- being a top 3 WR in the game entering the prime of his career who just a signed a contract the season before that made him the highest paid WR in football was deemed trade worthy for NO WHERE’S NEAR HIS WORTH ....

Your ASSumptions here are wrong in every aspect but one ... your right in that before the trade i did not want him ... i figured the cost was going to be two first rounders and that was too high for my blood ... if u told me basically this years #1 and Peppers ... in a heartbeat ...

Not sure how u lump me in with those two ... thats the BS here ... either U and the two who liked your post didn’t read what i said or really need to work on your reading comprehension skills if u think my views align with grossi and mac’s on this ...

I’m with tabber ... THIS WAS TO BE EXPECTED cause IMO he is a DIVA and the reasons why i believe that are well laid out above weather u agree with them or not ..

When he misses ota’s next year u won’t here a peep out of me ... ENTIRELY DIFFERENT SITUATION ...

Since the trade i’ve been nothing but thrilled cause i realize he’s gonna be well worth the “ BS “ distractions like this cause were gonna be WINNING and he’s gonna be a big art of the reason why ...

Go ahead and tell me why MY OPINION’S wrong and i’m Holding OBJ to a different standard cause u don’t agree with it ... u can have the last word ... like i said ... this should be forgotten by now ... i’ll Heed my own advice and put it behind me ...

I’m out ...

LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooo ....

I think Joe Thomas is saying the same thing as I am in regards to this matter and it's what you are missing.



Btw-------------Josh Gordon missed mandatory TC, not OTAs.

just clicking ...

I have stayed out of this thread. i am wondering why it is "news" that a player says he will be at a mandatory camp.

there are players who skip the voluntary ones, whatever. i agree that these are more important for some than others, and one needs to have reached some sort of "level" before one can start skipping these optional ones in favor of other, personal workouts.

OBJ did not attend most of the OTAs. That should not have surprised many. But did anyone think he would blow off mandatory workouts? It would be news if someone said they were *not* attending the mandatories.

I am ok when a players does what he is supposed or not supposed to do.

It was not mandatory, meaning if it was soooo important, it would be MANDATORY.

The only ones that don't get it are the ones that are bent out of shape about him missing OTA's.

The coaches, players, and OBJ get it WAY better than you do.

"As the Browns new Head Coach said when asked what Jr has missed by blowing off 8 of the 9 OTAs and the 3 day mini camp..."

The mini-camp has not started yet, how did he miss it ?

I don't think Kitchens actually believes that. He's just smart enough to understand that a significant portion of NFL fans love to point at millionaire athletes and mock them for being entitled and lazy, lacking dedication and discipline, and just not getting "it."

Kitchens knows that when OBJ is amongst the NFL's leading receivers on one of the NFL's most electric offenses in a few months, nobody is going to give a damn that he missed a couple of voluntary practices that a lot of veterans miss.

No, I believe that Kitchens would have preferred the media stop hounding him over a non-issue, and that belief is backed up by people from Berea following Kitchens' interview.


Go read everything from Joe Thomas, then read it again and keep repeating until you actually UNDERSTAND it. Especially the parts about "he didn't miss anything, everything will be repeated multiple times", "veterans have to have their mind right and avoid boredom", "working on timing in OTA's is overrated because you aren't going full speed", "WR is easy to learn", and lastly "you are better off working with a personalized training program and trainer that knows you".


Wait, who am I kidding? You will not pay attention to any of that and you will continue to beat your same tired drum - ya know, because you know better than a professional athlete actually living it.

Facts. LOL.

The voluntary camp, the one he wasn't required to attend.

Yep. He didn't "miss" anything.

Thread title caught my eye ....

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001...r-mayfields-arm

Published: June 5, 2019 at 06:10 p.m. Updated: June 5, 2019 at 09:16 p.m.

Odell Beckham adjusting to Baker Mayfield's arm

Herbie Teope

Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., finds himself adjusting to a new team, a new offense and new surroundings as he gets in work during the Cleveland Browns' three-day mandatory minicamp.

On top of all that, the three-time Pro Bowler has to acclimate to a new quarterback and the velocity of Baker Mayfield's passes after not experiencing the throws during voluntary organized team activities, which Beckham elected to miss.

"I'm going to have to get adjusted to the speed because he's got an arm," Beckham told reporters Wednesday. "He's throwing that ball hard, so just catching it from him from the first day it was like, 'Wow, this is completely different.' It just takes time. Again we play in September, so it's a good thing."

The two have plenty of time to get accustomed to each other before games count in the win-loss column, and Mayfield will also need to use the time between now and September to figure out the nuances of Beckham's game.

But once the two build the all-important chemistry, the rest of the league should be treated to offensive fireworks out of Cleveland, especially when considering Mayfield already has a rapport with Jarvis Landry.

Meanwhile, Beckham took a moment Wednesday to double-down on a previous high complimentary comparison on what he's seen in Mayfield.

I loved Brett Favre growing up and Baker has a lot of similarities to him," Beckham said. "They put the highlights together. It looks the same. But obviously he's going to have to go out and put the work in for however many years he plays. Hopefully I can help him put up numbers, whatever he needs to do, win championships. But in my eyes he has the talent to do whatever he wants to do. Whatever he wants to do with it, that's what will happen."

Beckham, who caught passes from Eli Manning with the New York Giants, also expressed an appreciation of Mayfield's willingness to speak his mind, a trait Beckham said is "definitely different" from what he was previously accustomed to.

"I know that I'm always going to back him, right, wrong, indifferent," Beckham said of Mayfield. "You know the whole T.O. joke, 'That's my quarterback'? That's my guy. Baker was a friend, a brother to me before I got on this team and now for him to be my quarterback, I'm always going to back him.

"So for him to speak his mind, it's always good for the leader of your team to kind of have that and everybody follow that lead. If he steals off, that's what this team is here to guide him on the right path. But I don't see him really doing anything too wrong. He speaks his mind. Freedom of speech. You have your right to your own opinion. So that's what he does and I personally love it."

So far, so good in Cleveland with the growing love-fest between Beckham and Mayfield.

While Beckham's presence was missed during OTAs, the duo has clearly been busy making up for lost time and have the entire summer to strengthen the relationship.