We talked with the Ultimate New York Giants Blog Guru Wonder about all things NFL: Dunta Robinson, the Combine, and Steroids.
1) Dunta Robinson- CB Houston Texans.
The big news from Wednesday that got Wonder all excited was that the Texans chose to not tag Dunta Robinson. Like Pavlov’s dog, Wonder immediately started salivating at the idea of having him opposite Revis. Wonder did want to get too far ahead of himself because there may be something in the CBA about the Jets being able to go after him, being in the Top 8. Maybe someone can check that out for us, but needless to say, we asked about the gmen. “Robinson is really underrated,” Wonder said. “Of course the Giants could do GREAT with a player like this. He is right below Revis and Asomugha in ability. He can tackle, he can cover, he can play zone and he can go man to man. He is a good guy too, no trouble off the field.” How much do you pay for a guy that is going to be 28 in April and has been in the NFL for 6 years? “He is a terrific player that is worth a lot. Give him 4 years and 32M, 15M guaranteed.”
2) Brian Westbrook- RB Eagles.
Wonder was emphatic and basically concurred with our general ideas on him being near the end- “Do not touch this guy. He is shot to hell. Concussions. Bad news. Stay away.”
3) NFL Combine
The NFL Combine starts Saturday and goes through Tuesday. Wonder, what do we look for in Safeties and Linebackers, our two biggest needs?
LB: Key on how they move side to side. How do they change direction? How fast are they able to move forward and then back? I want to see them shed blocks.
S: In today’s game these guys need to be smaller versions of LBers. They need to physically look the part, they need to hit. Safeties today need to have fluid hips (like CBs). This is why Roy Williams is obsolete. Because of the passing game, they need to cover more and more. Also closing speed- how fast can they get there. (In other words, everything?!!)
4) Steroids
The NFL wants to test for HGH and the Players Union has balked. “What does that say?” asks Wonder. “I’ll tell you what it says- if you are a player in the NFL and NEED to run through walls to survive and make millions in salary, you are going to take steroids. So they are taking steroids.”
What percentage of players do you think have taken steroids at one point in their career? “75%-80%,” says Wonder. And what percent currently? “30-40%.” He continues. “There is too much rational logical demand for the product. You have thousands of players making millions of dollars… that is billions in salary. (If each team has a cap of ~$100M+, that is $3.2B) Players on the fringe who have a choice between playing for millions with steroids and flipping burgers are going to choose to do the steroids so they can run through walls. And don’t forget about the supply side. There is no doubt in my mind that there is an underground society to feed this demand. Where there is a lot of money and a lot of need, there are going to be people filling that need. Chemists, out of work medical professionals, drug reps with contacts… lots of people out there with a very lucrative opportunity. There are simply too many marginal players who will use drugs to get millions in contracts.”
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
