I guess you sign up for this kind of crap if you want to be a head coach in the NFL.
You think you have your key pieces set on your offensive line… then BOOM!, the league takes out your pseudo-All-Pro right tackle which your team just spent over $35 million in guaranteed money on to be there for you…
Amino protein supplements tainted with peptide hormones, they say… hmmmm…I’d like a second opinion, Doctor.
Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson, who signed a five-year, $52.25 million contract extension in February, is reportedly facing a 10-game suspension for violating the NFL performance-enhancing drug policy.
The weird thing is, as of this writing on Wednesday morning at the midnight hour, none of this is official based upon any kind of league office announcement.
But the vibes are ominous at worst, and troubling at best.
Fox Sports reported that Johnson said he took an approved amino acid but tested positive for a banned peptide hormone. He is appealing the suspension, which was first reported via Twitter by Wildfire Radio and confirmed by NFL Network.
“We are aware that a member of the media has started a rumor that Lane Johnson will be suspended for a PED violation,” said Johnson’s agent, Ken Sarnoff, in a statement released to ESPN on Tuesday. “Lane has not been suspended and any report to the contrary is false. None the less we will not comment on my client’s protected health information.”
That was the state of the case about 16 hours ago. By the time I wake up to read the update, who knows what this story will reveal?
The Eagles’ official team response to this point has been to SHUT UP.
The history behind Lane Johnson’s medications: Johnson, 26, was suspended for four games in 2014. At the time, Johnson said he had taken a prescription medication (Adderall) without checking with the Eagles’ medical staff. The medication was on the NFL’s list of banned substances.
The Eagles drafted Johnson, a 303-pound tackle from Oklahoma, with the No. 4 pick in the 2013 NFL draft. He has played in all 45 games, including a playoff appearance, or all the games in which he was eligible to play in his three seasons with the Eagles.
If this 10-game suspension is for real, the Eagles offensive line just took a big hit. Veterans Andrew Gardner, Matt Tobin and/or Dennis Kelly would be the most likely replacements at right tackle. Tobin is scheduled to start at left tackle (filling in for the idle Jason Peters) in Thursday night’s preseason opener against Tampa Bay. I guess that could change in a hurry.
Rookie Halapoulivaati Vaitai, a fifth-round draft choice this year, would be another possibility at right tackle. So would Allan Barbre, who has played tackle in the past, but that would entail making a change at left guard. Maybe The Wiz (Steve Wisniewski) can answer the call at left guard, freeing up the rest of the swing linemen to answer the call of duty at RT?
The biggest problem in substituting for Lane Johnson at right tackle is the complete re-interpretation of the continuity and confidence factors in the run-blocking and pass-protection schemes which have so far been the building blocks for the current Eagles offense.
These backups are professionals—but they’re not Lane Johnson. Sooner or later an overload rush or a complete pass-pro breakdown will expose them—and at best, will lead to a panic play decision by Sammy, or at worst a spine-crushing blow to your Philadelphia Eagles quarterback—or a mind-numbing QB fumble or interception thrown at the worst possible moment.
None of this controversy would matter so much if Lane Johnson was below-average at his job. But he’s not—he was and is quietly ascending to the best technician status at right tackle in the business.
That’s what make this latest potential blow to the Eagles’ attempt to create a formidable offense so frustrating—it had nothing to do with physical injury, and it just seems like it was so avoidable.
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