quotes on Donnell Washington, OTA notes from various sources

[Patler]

Maybe weight wasn't an issue, but lack of motivation and laziness was from the get go per the scouting reports I recall. And for a DT, it's not hard to predict if he's that type of football player weight could become an issue. Clearly Sherman couldn't motivate him, and TT didn't want to put up with his lazy crap attitude/approach anymore. Happy Trails.

I agree completely, and do not lament his departure at all. Things went bad for Washington last year, motivationally. Yes, motivation was the knock against him coming out of college, but he seemed set on reversing that. He openly acknowledged it. If you recall, during his early rookie training camp, before he got hurt, they talked about what tremendous condition he was in. He continued that last off season, staying in GB and attending all the workout sessions, OTAs, everything. The coaches said he even came in for extra work with the new defensive coaches on little things, like using his hands, etc. But then, the pads came on, preseason started, and he still couldn't play. He saw no action for the second straight year.

I think he gave up, or wrongly looked for the answer in being much bigger. I find that that sort of misdirection in ones life very sad, for anyone, regardless of what they do. I can not find it in me to berate him for it. I really hope he can find another coaching staff that can help him, give him direction and focus. Or, I hope he finds another life path that is satisfying. From recent comments of other players, it seems he is a bit of a loner. He keeps to himself, which is difficult for a borderline athlete. It can be a very lonely place to be.

[packerpete]

This sad story seems to repeat itself regularly.

see the life story of:

James Lee
Cletidus Hunt
Gabe Wilkins
Darius Holland
Jonathan Brown
Jermaine Smith
Jamal Reynolds
On and on and on and on.....

As far as how Washington was handled, he got a lot more than he deserved, he should have been held up to public ridicule for his lack of motivation. He walks away with a huge bank account, more than most get.

Anyone who thinks he was mislead or used in any way is a complete idiot. The exact opposite is true, who lost and who won in this exchange?

Get real or be quiet.

[woodbuck27]

"I really think Jolly is going to make us forget quickly about Washington. After listening to Jolly, I have a sense of what Thompson and McCarthy mean by Packer people. I get a good feeling about alot of these rookies. I think the locker room is getting filled with a bunch of self motivators." NickCollins

Man, I sure do hope you are right Nick as that will be the biggest factor necessary for us to make any real turnaround in the next 2-3 seasons.

It's really a matter of inspection, or trial by fire and then ' weed and feed '.

I would want a 53-man roster, that first and foremost, is in not just showing up mode, but serious about Packer Pride and Honor.

Every single man on OUR side has to have the proper attitude or see ya ! I want a Packer team of Packer contributors all season long, not Prima Donna's.

Excuses have to be properly defined as 'proper excuses'.

[RashanGary]

I'm hoping so too buck.....

I get that feeling from Hawk, Hodge, Jolly, Jennings, Spitz, Blackmon ect.......I'm a little leary of Colledge. Apparently he got a 30 on his wonderlic and seems to be quite intelligent. It will probably help him early, but it seems that intelligent people get very bored very early. I hope he can keep it interesting for himself and just force himself to grind through the workouts and practices even though it's boring as hell. He seems like a competitor on the field so he should be the same nasty, tough, hard core football player he was in college.

We'll see. I like College, but I don't think he's going to be one of those well liked players in the locker room. He seems to have confidence in his thoughts and self. Sometimes other men dont' always appreciate that.

[Patler]

This sad story seems to repeat itself regularly.

see the life story of:

James Lee
Cletidus Hunt
Gabe Wilkins
Darius Holland
Jonathan Brown
Jermaine Smith
Jamal Reynolds
On and on and on and on.....

As far as how Washington was handled, he got a lot more than he deserved, he should have been held up to public ridicule for his lack of motivation. He walks away with a huge bank account, more than most get.

Anyone who thinks he was mislead or used in any way is a complete idiot. The exact opposite is true, who lost and who won in this exchange?

Get real or be quiet.

Who said anything about him being used or mislead?
Who expressed an opinion that he didn't deserve to be released?
What in the world are you ranting about???

[packerpete]

This sad story seems to repeat itself regularly.

see the life story of:

James Lee
Cletidus Hunt
Gabe Wilkins
Darius Holland
Jonathan Brown
Jermaine Smith
Jamal Reynolds
On and on and on and on.....

As far as how Washington was handled, he got a lot more than he deserved, he should have been held up to public ridicule for his lack of motivation. He walks away with a huge bank account, more than most get.

Anyone who thinks he was mislead or used in any way is a complete idiot. The exact opposite is true, who lost and who won in this exchange?

Get real or be quiet.

Who said anything about him being used or mislead?
Who expressed an opinion that he didn't deserve to be released?
What in the world are you ranting about???

wrong thread, this was supposed to be posted in the MM is a prima donna thread. Im going to copy and paste.

BTW, my comments that shamrock so vehemently reacted to were in response to those made by APB, aka Tank inthe aforementioned thread

[Fritz]

Maybe weight wasn't an issue, but lack of motivation and laziness was from the get go per the scouting reports I recall. And for a DT, it's not hard to predict if he's that type of football player weight could become an issue. Clearly Sherman couldn't motivate him, and TT didn't want to put up with his lazy crap attitude/approach anymore. Happy Trails.

I agree completely, and do not lament his departure at all. Things went bad for Washington last year, motivationally. Yes, motivation was the knock against him coming out of college, but he seemed set on reversing that. He openly acknowledged it. If you recall, during his early rookie training camp, before he got hurt, they talked about what tremendous condition he was in. He continued that last off season, staying in GB and attending all the workout sessions, OTAs, everything. The coaches said he even came in for extra work with the new defensive coaches on little things, like using his hands, etc. But then, the pads came on, preseason started, and he still couldn't play. He saw no action for the second straight year.

I think he gave up, or wrongly looked for the answer in being much bigger. I find that that sort of misdirection in ones life very sad, for anyone, regardless of what they do. I can not find it in me to berate him for it. I really hope he can find another coaching staff that can help him, give him direction and focus. Or, I hope he finds another life path that is satisfying. From recent comments of other players, it seems he is a bit of a loner. He keeps to himself, which is difficult for a borderline athlete. It can be a very lonely place to be.

Here's my theory: what is it that contributes to lack of motivation? Pot. So when DW came out of college, he was huffing away and thinking he could just show up. Then he found out it didn't work that way, and after his friend Cletidus Hunt got dumped, DW didn't have a connection to get the stuff in GB. So he stopped, got in shape, and seemed headed for better things. But then he met up with some psuedo-liberal named "Tank" who turned him on to some really good shit, and DW started regularly toking and consequently becoming unmotivated once again.

In "helping out" DW, Tank unwittingly helped further destroy the reputation of his hero, Mike Sherman.

[OKC PackerFan]

Washington's Replacement

From the quote below it looks like the different direction the Packers went with Washington was Kenderick Allen. Allen dropped his weight and Washington didn't.

[quote="motife"]MONDAY, June 12, 2006, 3:23 p.m.
Weight down, Allen moves up

When the Green Bay Packers held their first minicamp in early May, defensive tackle Kenderick Allen weighed 341 pounds and huffed and puffed his way through practice. "It was like putting an overweight fighter in the ring," admitted Allen. "He ain't going to last too long." The New York Giants had cut Allen in late April for not participating in their off-season workouts and the Packers signed him as a free agent.

But Allen said after the Packers' practice Monday - as their off-season team activities continue - that his weight was down to 325, just about his natural playing weight. And it has shown on the practice field. Allen is moving better in individual drills and being downright overpowering on occasion in one-one pass rushing sessions. "He's a beast," said guard Junius Coston.

At 6-foot-5 and 325, Allen has a similar build to recently cut defensive tackle Donnell Washington, who was listed at 6-6 and 328. In truth, Washington probably had a better physique. Washington had pipes bigger than Popeye. But unlike Washington, Allen plays with leverage. His strong suit is playing the inside running game. But Allen also has been bull-rushing linemen into the lap of an imaginary quarterback in one-on-one pass rushing drills. He also has been getting some work with the No. 1 defense. Allen was paired with Cullen Jenkins Monday, and they split time with the tandem of Corey Williams and Colin Cole. Allen played 14 games with the Giants last season and has played in 29 over the course of his three-year career. He spent his first season with New Orleans. Allen, who played at Louisiana State, signed with the Saints in 2003 as a non-drafted free agent.