Stressing Over Camp Holdouts Is Pointless
| 7
|
by TLong
One of my best friends is a diehard Carolina Panthers fan, and he was upset that Jon Beason, the Panthers' first round draft pick, was holding out and missing "valuable" practice time at training camp. With the news that Beason has now ended his holdout, my friend's life can now get back to normal. However, here's my question...who cares?
I understand that it's more beneficial for a rookie to be in camp than away from camp, but does it matter that much in the grand scheme of things? No. Just because a player wasn't there for practice on August 1st doesn't mean he'll miss an assignment on October 14th. There are a lot of practices left, and most rookies settle their contract disputes well before the season begins. If the coaching is at least mediocre, it'll be able to get the player up to speed by the time Opening Day rolls around. Considering the light nature of most practices before preseason games begin, players like Beason don't miss a whole lot.
Once the games begin, the intensity level picks up and guys get more information thrown at them in terms of schemes and packages. However, rarely is there a time that rookies hold out well into preseason games, let alone the regular season. There are a number of rookies still unsigned and their respective fan bases are freaking out for no reason. These guys are just lobbying for better deals, waiting until the very last minute to get the best contract offer.
Word out of Charlotte was that Beason and the Panthers were nowhere near coming to an agreement, but then two or three days later, a deal was done. Most guys, and their agents, just do a little posturing to squeeze the maximum amount of money out of their respective teams. It has nothing to do with their lack of desire to play, nor an act of disregarding the importance of practice. They know that right now not a lot of important stuff is going on, but by the time practices do pick up, they'll need to be in camp. That's why a lot of these deals will get resolved in the coming weeks before the real preparation for the season gets under way.
Valued players only play a few series in the opening preseason games anyway, so the field time for these holdouts would be minimal. So, if your favorite team's draft pick has yet to be signed and you're mad at him, relax; he's not missing anything important, and he'll be there for you by the time the results matter.
