A Tale of Two Rookies

Posted by Holly Phelps on July 29, 2010   Jump To Comments

NFL Training camp is nigh for fans and players alike, and as 32 teams assemble all over the country, there are hundreds of young guys champing at the bit to put their pro football pads on for the first time.  Today’s stories center on two guys who should be on the short list for Defensive Rookie of the Year – Detroit defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and Baltimore outside linebacker Sergio Kindle.  For these two, the expectations are already sky-high – each figures to strike fear in the heart of offensive coordinators across the league.  Each has the talent to do it from Day 1.

I'm not sure whether the talk of Suh's successes in OTAs say more about Suh or about the state of Detroit's offensive line...

Ndamukong Suh is already off and running.  In addition to impressing people around the country with his generosity after announcing a $2.6 million donation to his alma mater before he made a dime in the NFL, he’s impressed his teammates with his raw talent.  Right from the get-go, his new teammates have done nothing but shower the rookie with glowing reviews.  We’re not just talking ex-Packer Corey Williams, either.  All-Pro defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch went on NFL Network and praised Suh to the skies.  Heck, there’s even talk about how drivers in Michigan could hear the profanity-laced frustration spewing forth from offensive linemen when going against him in OTA drills.  The legend around this guy is growing in Detroit and beyond.  If you haven’t already seen this video, you need to.  We face this monster in Week 4.

For Sergio Kindle, however, his plans to dominate the AFC North have hit a brick wall.  At first, when the story broke that he’d fallen down several flights of stairs at a friend’s house last weekend and was in the hospital, there were mutterings (at least among Ravens fans I know) that alcohol was surely involved.  What a way to start, not even signed to a contract and you decide to jeopardize your whole career. Soon, it became clear that Kindle’s injury was pretty serious, as the Carroll County Times reported that there was “swelling inside his skull.”  Despite initial thoughts that he would recover in time for training camp, it was later reported that Kindle fractured his skull, and that the team was hopeful that he would miss ONLY training camp.  On the bright side, it turns out that Kindle doesn’t have an attitude problem.  What he does have is narcolepsy, which can be a pretty vicious condition — a friend of mine has it, and the pill regimen that’s required to keep him awake (even during a workday) is astounding.  When you’re already exhausted from workouts or physical activity, adding in a condition that fights you for every waking hour sounds like a raw deal.

A sprained ankle kept BJ Raji from achieving his potential last year...will a fractured skull do the same to Kindle?

We won’t face Baltimore this year except in the Super Bowl, but Kindle’s a guy that I really liked heading into the draft.  A powerful rusher, I thought he’d be a phenomenal bookend for Clay Matthews, if he happened to fall to #23 (he did, but so did Bulaga).  Fellow Texas alum Jermichael Finley was also a big cheerleader, promoting him as a good pick for the Packers.  It’s extremely unfortunate that a player with such potential has a freak injury sideline him so early in his career.  (It also may have an unfortunate effect on any contract he signs with the Ravens.)

As training camps get underway across the league, let us relish the return of this great sport we all follow.  And, when you’re taking a break from following every moment of Packers football, keep an eye out for these two rookies — you’ll likely be talking about them all season long.

Got a question? Shoot me an email at holly@brentfavre.com.  You can also find me on Twitter at @htphelps and during the season at CheeseheadTV’s The Other 31.

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