Interesting Buffalo News article on Dawkins

[LabattBlue]

Just now, ColoradoBills said:

 

Personally, I don't use the "ignore" function for those who I disagree with, but I do use it for the blatant trolls.

I agree, but clearly some can’t stand to read anything negative about their team. 

[Beck Water]

2 hours ago, Dopey said:

I didn't know this was a beauty pageant. 

 

It's not a beauty pageant, but it is similar in one sense: beauty contestants and professional models and dancers need to care for their bodies meticulously,  maintaining the physique and physical condition their job demands.

 

So do professional athletes.

 

I wish I could find it, I think it was @Shaw66 who wrote a really cool post about sitting in a section at an NBA game that he realized was full of the wives and girlfriends and "road wives" of the players, and having the epiphany that one thing these ladies had in common with the players was the need for meticulous, almost obsessive, focus on their bodies.

 

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

On 9/7/2023 at 8:02 AM, Chandler#81 said:

Personally, I don’t hold out much hope he’ll ever be dominant. Too interested in being a goof off and never really serious about health and commitment to excellence. He entered the League as a ‘good’ LT, which in its own right puts him above the pack. But -until this dramatic weight loss, he’s never really striven to excel. 
jmo, but depending how the season shakes out, LT should be high on our Draft board next April.

 

🤷‍♂️

Idk. I just have a hard time believing that someone who makes an NFL roster and retains his starting position for 7 straight years doesn’t have commitment to his craft. Especially in such a violent & unforgiving sport. Maybe he’s not as good as you want him to be, but to question his work ethic is a little unfair. You’ve most likely never met this man outside of a training camp or even know what any of his daily routine is. 

[Beck Water]

23 hours ago, SectionC3 said:

Talk is cheap.  He has a sloppy physique that is unlikely to improve.  I hope he proves me wrong. 

 

One of the interesting things about Dion was that he's always looked as though he has a poor body type.

 

I forget who, might have been Greg Cosell, commented on how you see Dawkins and you think he's got a bad body type for a LT, then you get to late in the 4th Q and realize he hasn't given up a sack.

[cd1]

On 9/7/2023 at 7:45 AM, DaBillsFanSince1973 said:

 

 

 

Mark Gaughan: Dion Dawkins feels fit, trim, and he's ready to make Bills' haters eat their words

 

Dawkins had lost 40 pounds earlier in the offseason. He has been strictly following an eating regimen laid out by the team for the past six months, since the start of March. He’s in great shape and ready for the start of his seventh season.

 

He gained an added 40 pounds from his 330-pound playing weight during late January and February.

 

“I was like 370 by the start of March,” Dawkins said. “I was kinda binging as comfort. Dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner. It caught up quick.”

Dawkins met with Will Greenberg, the Bills’ assistant strength and conditioning coach and performance development coach.

 

“I started drinking a ton of water,” Dawkins said. “I would drink 100 ounces of water before I would eat anything, before I would put any food into my body. Every day. Then I was doing two Chipotle salads a day, like 600 to 800 calories a day. That’s it. If I needed a pick-me-up, I’d have a protein bar for 200 calories.”

He gained FORTY POUNDS in TWO MONTHS!  

 

That is one hell of a binge. Team dedication be damned! He had to work as hard as he could just to get back to end of season shape. MOST dedicated players, like Micah Hyde, work most of the off season to get BETTER than last season - THAT is team dedication.

[Mango]

2 hours ago, Dopey said:

I wish this place had more posters like you. This place is overrun by the vocal minority. Called the lynch mob. They're not happy until they find someone to gripe about. Happens every season. I just hope this board is a substitute for them kicking their dogs, yelling at their kids, or beating their wives. 

 

Thanks for the psychoanalysis. 

I like Colorado's post. I have some further concerns he doesn't. This is a good topic. I posted my thoughts and didn't make any commentary on yours, or anybody else's ethos. But you did....

Disagreements, negativity, homer-isms, nor positivity are a problem on this board. It is one of the better sports message boards on the internet for any team or sport. The biggest problem here (or any forum) is when people show up with commentary on the character of the posters here rather than partaking in conversation about the topic at hand. 
 

[Beck Water]

1 minute ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

Idk. I just have a hard time believing that someone who makes an NFL roster and retains his starting position for 7 straight years doesn’t have commitment to his craft. Especially in such a violent & unforgiving sport. Maybe he’s not as good as you want him to be, but to question his work ethic is a little unfair. You’ve most likely never met this man outside of a training camp or even know what any of his daily routine is. 

 

I agree with you. 

 

On the other hand, there are those who maintain that some players are such athletic freaks that they can get by on native athleticism, until they get older and it wanes.

 

I don't think that's a realistic POV because in the NFL, many of the players these guys are competing against are also athletic freaks, but still train and study obsessively.  That's why IMO guys who are athletic freaks and don't train at all (off season) or take it seriously, just don't last.  Some may be less obsessive than others, but all have to train and work hard. 

 

The ones who try to get by on athletic freakishness alone, are IMO the 1st and 2nd round draft picks that don't work out from the get-go.

[Shaw66]

3 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

It's not a beauty pageant, but it is similar in one sense: beauty contestants and professional models and dancers need to care for their bodies meticulously,  maintaining the physique and physical condition their job demands.

 

So do professional athletes.

 

I wish I could find it, I think it was @Shaw66 who wrote a really cool post about sitting in a section at an NBA game that he realized was full of the wives and girlfriends and "road wives" of the players, and having the epiphany that one thing these ladies had in common with the players was the need for meticulous, almost obsessive, focus on their bodies.

 

Beck - I am definitely flattered.   I've written that a couple of times, but I don't think anytime in the past couple of years.  It was a hockey game.

 

Yes, it was an epiphany.   It was so clear that those women were really focused on their bodies and how they looked, and suddenly it dawned on that of course they would be because their partners were also focused on their bodies.  

 

Think about what Dawkins did.   It was, apparently, five or six weeks, 35 or 40 days, where EVERY DAY he:  (1) drank 100 ounces of water before he ate anything.   Think about that.  Eight glasses of water before eating anything.  (2)  Ate a salad for lunch.  (3) Ate a salad for dinner.  (4)  Maybe had a protein bar.   That's it.   Every day.  I couldn't eat my favorite food every day for six weeks, but that diet?   

 

These guys are focused on their performance in ways that, to be honest, aren't normal.  

[Beck Water]

2 minutes ago, Mango said:

 

Thanks for the psychoanalysis. 

I like Colorado's post. I have some further concerns he doesn't. This is a good topic. I posted my thoughts and didn't make any commentary on yours, or anybody else's ethos. But you did....

Disagreements, negativity, homer-isms, nor positivity are a problem on this board. It is one of the better sports message boards on the internet for any team or sport. The biggest problem here (or any forum) is when people show up with commentary on the character of the posters here rather than partaking in conversation about the topic at hand. 
 

 

Mango, to your point: you and I have had different POV on a number of topics and have discussed them at length, staying on the topic in question.

 

I wish I could "like" this about 1000x because you're exactly correct.  Almost any type of topical discussion is not a problem, but when the topic turns to the character of those having the discussion it goes sideways, fast.

[Beast]

Not a fan of this guy. I believe the Bills can do a lot better at LT.

[corta765]

On 9/7/2023 at 7:51 AM, Warriorspikes51 said:

hahahaha maybe Dion reads the boards

 

these boards motivated me... to no longer make predictions

[Beck Water]

3 hours ago, maddenboy said:

I mentioned a couple weeks ago about Dawkins:  It seems like every off season he tries to get back to where he was last season.   And every year it takes a little longer.

 

My problem is, i never see or hear or feel him trying to be better than last year.   "'ill be back to where i was by" the last preseason game, or week 2, or week 6, or 'dont worry about it, I'll be fine."

 

I mean i get he has admitted emotional-eating issues.  And "oh he gets paid to stay in shape."  But again, when is he ever actually better than he was the previous season.  Or trying to.  Or talking about it.

 

Its kinda like he is slow-retiring.  since he got his big contract.

 

You do realize you're posting in an thread about an article on Dawkins talking about all those things?

 

Funny that.

 

5 minutes ago, Beast said:

Not a fan of this guy. I believe the Bills can do a lot better at LT.

 

Who?

Edited September 8, 2023 by Beck Water

[Mango]

16 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

I agree with you. 

 

On the other hand, there are those who maintain that some players are such athletic freaks that they can get by on native athleticism, until they get older and it wanes.

 

I don't think that's a realistic POV because in the NFL, many of the players these guys are competing against are also athletic freaks, but still train and study obsessively.  That's why IMO guys who are athletic freaks and don't train at all (off season) or take it seriously, just don't last.  Some may be less obsessive than others, but all have to train and work hard. 

 

The ones who try to get by on athletic freakishness alone, are IMO the 1st and 2nd round draft picks that don't work out from the get-go.

 

The NFL and football is its own crazy animal. It is so "twitchy" and requires so much strength. I think more than a lot of sports the spectrum of work v natural ability sku's to natural ability. There is a lot of downtime, and given the physical nature and impact of the sport, the body requires a lot of downtime just to recover. You just can't always put in the hours some more aerobic, or lesser impact sports do. 

 

Somebody who who swims, or runs, or plays handball probably puts in more physical fitness hours per year. But they also don't get hit by a Prius once a week for 17 weeks. 

 

I posit that means football is a bit more open to "lazier" athletes. They can have better careers just because so much more rest is built in and their natural ability can carry them through. But that means every once in a while you get a guy like Brady or Jerry Rice who do do it all, and they take over the sport entirely. Where as swimming, or water polo, or rowing are hoping for a physiological monster like Michael Phelps to show up. 

13 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

Mango, to your point: you and I have had different POV on a number of topics and have discussed them at length, staying on the topic in question.

 

I wish I could "like" this about 1000x because you're exactly correct.  Almost any type of topical discussion is not a problem, but when the topic turns to the character of those having the discussion it goes sideways, fast.

 

Thank you. I enjoy our back and forth between kicking my dog and beating my partner. 

Edited September 8, 2023 by Mango

[wppete]

14 minutes ago, Beast said:

Not a fan of this guy. I believe the Bills can do a lot better at LT.

How often to players get their Captainship taken away from them? I think the team can see it also, that’s why they didn’t vote him a captain again. Hopefully he smartens up and focuses on Football and protects Josh Allen. 

[Beast]

23 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

You do realize you're posting in an thread about an article on Dawkins talking about all those things?

 

Funny that.

 

 

Who?

What do you mean, who? 
 

That’s up to the front office to answer. Doesn’t mean I don’t like the team. In fact, I believe they will win the SB this year.

 

Just not a fan of Dawkins.

 

 

 

[Rico]

2 hours ago, LabattBlue said:

There is this function of the board called “ignore”.  If the “vocal minority” is causing you to lose sleep at night, you might want to consider using it. 

The last refuge of the feeble-minded.

[AuntieEm]

On 9/7/2023 at 9:00 AM, Coach Tuesday said:

Lol so the guy lards up for two months to start the offseason and has to scramble to lose weight during OTAs and that’s a “positive” showing of his “commitment to excellence”?

 

Do not restructure or extend this man’s contract, Beane.

Indeed,  Bruce Smith was a chubby lump of a DE when he was drafted out of Virginia Tech, once Rusty Jones gave him proper direction in his diet and conditioning you couldn't hold Bruce back from attacking the stairmasters to get in prime shape for what he asked his body to do on the football field. Bruce would skip large portions of training camp but I never worried he'd start out slow when the real games began he was every opponents nightmare.

[Rico]

1 hour ago, AuntieEm said:

Indeed,  Bruce Smith was a chubby lump of a DE when he was drafted out of Virginia Tech, once Rusty Jones gave him proper direction in his diet and conditioning you couldn't hold Bruce back from attacking the stairmasters to get in prime shape for what he asked his body to do on the football field. Bruce would skip large portions of training camp but I never worried he'd start out slow when the real games began he was every opponents nightmare.

I just watched this the other day, here's his first game in the league, the 1985 opener against the Chargers, pre-getting into great shape. Doesn't look like Bruce Smith at all.

 

[Beck Water]

4 hours ago, wppete said:

How often to players get their Captainship taken away from them? I think the team can see it also, that’s why they didn’t vote him a captain again. Hopefully he smartens up and focuses on Football and protects Josh Allen. 

 

His "captainship" wasn't "taken away".  The team votes each year for captains.  It's not uncommon to have fluctuations, but if you want to make a deal out of Dawkins not being a captain, you got to go back to 2021.

 

2020 offensive captains: Allen, Dawkins (that's it, out of 7 total - 3 on D, 2 on ST)

2021 offensive captains: Allen, Diggs (that's it, out of 8 total - 3 on D 3 on ST)

2022 offensive captains: Allen, Diggs, Morse (out of 9 - 3 each unit)

2023 offensive captains: Allen, Diggs, Davis, Morse (out of 8 - 3 on D 1 on ST)

 

This reminds me of another thread that wanted to make a big deal out of the number of captains the Bills elected this year - 8 - and make it into some kind of "message" McDermott was sending when, in fact, the team had more captains in 2022 and 8 in 2021.

 

[Beck Water]

4 hours ago, Beast said:

What do you mean, who?

 

Who should the Bills draft or acquire that would be a sure bet to be "a lot better" than Dawkins at LT?

 

4 hours ago, Beast said:

That’s up to the front office to answer. Doesn’t mean I don’t like the team. In fact, I believe they will win the SB this year.

Just not a fan of Dawkins.

 

Oh.