Combine star has no left hand, Lester bouncing the ball to first

Linebacker Shaquem Griffin stars at NFL Combine without a left hand

Shaquem Griffin, whose left hand was amputated when he was 4 years old, is the feelgood story of the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.  He ran a 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds, fastest time by a linebacker at the Combine since 2003.  He put on a prosthetic left hand and bench-pressed 235 pounds 20 times.  At Central Florida University he was AAC Defensive Player of the Year and Peach Bowl Defensive MVP.  His twin brother Shaquil Grffin plays cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks.  Shaquem, who lost his arm because of a congenital condition, is projected in some mock drafts to go in the second round, with expectation that he will excel on special teams and nickel defense.

Between the Lines: Griffin’s handicap isn’t so different from Jason Pierre-Paul playing defensive end for the New York Giants missing three fingers.  But Griffin is light for a linebacker at 225 pounds.  If he gains weight he will lose speed.  Second round seems overly optimistic. 

 

Vikings coach Zimmer wants Laquon Treadwell ‘to get out of his own way’

Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is losing patience with Laquon Treadwell, first-round draft pick of 2016.  Last season the 6-2, 220-pound receiver caught just 20 passes, in 35 targets, for 200 yards and no touchdowns.  Zimmer issued this scathing evaluation: “Treadwell is a guy who needs to get out of his own way.  He thinks he’s doing the right things, but sometimes he goes about it the wrong way.”

Between the Lines: Treadwell occasionally makes the acrobatic catch, but his lack of speed (4.65 in the 40) prevents him from gaining separation, and his broken pass routes annoy Zimmer.

 

Manziel says he ‘will play for free’

Johnny Manziel has been diagnosed with bi-polar depression, one of the trendy ailments of this age.  He said the condition is being treated with medication.  He’s sworn off alcohol and is determined to resume a football career that made him a first-round draft choice of the Cleveland Browns and a starting quarterback.  But a series of alcohol misadventures and a domestic violence charge have kept him out of the NFL for two years.  Johnny Football said he “will play for free” if the league will give him another chance.

Dear Johnny:  You should play in the Canadian Football League and show you can stay out of trouble for a year before you expect the NFL to forgive you.

 

Gronk still not certain he will stay with Patriots

Rumors continue that All-Pro Rob Gronkowski is unhappy with the New England Patriots and is contemplating retirement if he’s not traded.  Patriots beat reporter Tom Curran (NBC Sports) said Gronk “didn’t enjoy himself” in 2017, though this is the one player cited as refutation that coach Bill Belichick doesn’t allow his players to have a good time.  According to Curran, the 28-year-old tight end “felt persecuted to a degree.  He felt singled-out in some ways.  And as a result, that’s where we are.”  Gronk reportedly was upset by, among other things, the team’s distancing from unconventional trainer Alex Guerrero, who has worked with Gronkowski and QB Tom Brady.  Gronk’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said on Pro Football Talk (NBCSN), “It’s gonna take some time” before his client decides on his future.

Between the Lines:  Belichick needs to repair his strained relationships with Brady and Gronkowski.  Brady’s wife, Giselle, is pressing her husband to retire at 41, and losing his best receiver could nudge him in that direction.

 

Cubs’ pitcher Lester can’t make throw to first base, so he’s bouncing the baseball 

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jon Lester for years has had a phobia about throwing to first base.  If a ball is hit to him, he tries to run all the way to the bag and hand it to the first baseman if he can’t tag the runner himself.  But Lester is working on a new approach.  During the mornings in spring training he’s practicing a bounce throw.    “I don’t care what it looks like,” he said.  “I don’t care if it bounces 72 times to get there.  An out’s an out.”  But his first try in a game did not go well, as a bounce pass to Efren Navarro skipped by the first baseman.

Dear Jon: Surely there’s a sports psychologist somewhere who can help you through this problem.

 

Nationals manager Dave Martinez brings camels into camp ‘to get over the hump’

Dave Martinez, rookie manager of the Washington Nationals, brought three camels into spring training camp at West Palm Beach to emphasize getting the team over its much discussed “playoff hump.”  Some players enjoyed riding the camels, who were on loan from a nearby petting zoo.  But others wondered if it’s necessary to keep reminding the team of failure.  First baseman Ryan Zimmerman said, “It’s fair for people to write about it, but making the playoffs every year, winning the division every year to me is already over the hump.  We used to lose 90 games every year.  People forget that.”  The Nats have reached the playoffs four times in the past six years but have not won a postseason series.  

Dear Dave: Your former mentor, Joe Maddon, used gimmicks to relieve the monotony of training camp.  But it’s dubious strategy to have players focusing on the postseason before the first regular-season game.

 

Kevin Love is being treated for panic attacks

Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Kevin Love writes in The Players’ Tribune that he suffered a severe panic attack during a game last November: “I was stressed about issues I’d been having with my family.  I wasn’t sleeping well.  On the court, the expectations of the season, combined with our 4-5 start, were weighing on me.  . . .  I was winded within the first few possessions.  I played 15 minutes of the first half and made one basket and two free throws. . . . Everything was spinning . . . The air felt thick and heavy.  My mouth was like chalk. . . . My heart would not stop racing.  . . . I ended up on the floor in the training room, lying on my back, trying to get enough air to breathe.”  He had suffered from anxiety for years but never said anything about it.  “I didn’t want people to perceive me as less reliable as a teammate.”  He is seeing a therapist and encouraging others with his condition to seek help.  “Creating a better environment for talking about mental health – that’s where we need to get to.”

Dear Kevin: It’s good that you and other athletes, such as Johnny Manziel and DeMar DeRozan, are sharing experiences with depression — especially difficult for a public figure to do.  You may save lives besides your own.

 

J.R. Smith suspended for tossing a bowl of soup at assistant coach Damon Jones

J.R. Smith, a starting guard of the Cleveland Cavaliers, was suspended for one game for “detrimental conduct.”  Coach Ty Lue would not elaborate on the specific conduct, saying only that ”it was something that happened after shootaround.”  Reporters said Smith tossed a bowl of soup at assistant coach Damon Jones, a close friend of his.  Smith admitted he threw the soup, but when asked what kind it was, said, “Um, honestly I don’t remember.”  Nor would he or Jones say where the bowl landed.  One reporter quipped, “There’s a 39.6% probability that it hit the coach,” citing Smith’s field-goal percentage.