We live in an era of complete football saturation, where the only few weeks a year when news is not truly percolating still need to be filled with something. We live in an era where seemingly any time an NFL quarterback throws a ball -- first-pitch public appearances included -- there is a camera there to document it and it ends up as a report somewhere. We also live in an age where people generally want their NFL information before it happens on Twitter, etc.
So couple all of that together, and the dog days of June are filled with intimations that Matt Flynn is already a free-agent bust in Seattle, or Ryan Tannehill is buried in the abyss on the Dolphins' depth chart. Stop the madness, please. Heaven forbid somebody gets an opportunity to throw a pass in full pads at a contact practice, or, bite my tongue, maybe even gets a chance to suit up in an actual preseason game! Why wait for that?
Trust me, no coach is going overboard about what a rookie or newcomer did during glorified walkthroughs. Everyone is at a different point in his learning curve. The pressure is off in the spring, there aren't as many eyes watching, the climate is still gentile, there are no opponents to face and, for the most part, there are no injuries or outside factors forcing coaches to juggle plans.
So please, let's not get all breathless about what has transpired during OTAs and a minicamp. No one's mind has been made up. Everything is subject to change and if someone who has been allegedly cast aside before July 4 comes out slinging through a few weeks of camp and an exhibition game or two, no one is going to be running back to reminisce over OTA returns.
