The majority of NFL teams held their only three-day mandatory minicamps of the offseason this week. And the majority of those teams are now done with football until late July.
Before that happens, let's look back on what we learned at minicamps this week:
- If living in a diabolical world is wrong, then we don't want to be right.
- The New York Giants made a calculated risk by waiving tight end Jake Ballard and the New England Patriotsmade them pay. Which created a lot of teeth-gnashing in New York. Just don't talk to Bill Belichickabout unwritten rules.
- Is Peyton Manning back? It all depends on who you ask, but he's a lot further along than we expected he'd be in January.
- Manning's replacement with the Indianapolis Colts, Andrew Luck, finally got to show what all the fuss was about, answering all of Reggie Wayne's questions.
- LeGarrette Blount is holding off Doug Martin in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers backfield, at least for now.
In other battles:
A) No one has been eliminated in the Seattle Seahawks' three-way quarterback bloodbath.
B) Colin Kaepernick appears to be losing ground with the San Francisco 49ers.
C) Kevin Kolb and John Skelton remain neck and neck, which isn't sitting well with the Arizona Cardinals faithful.
D) Two cousins. One starting Philadelphia Eagles job.
- Jets safety LaRon Landry is "shocked" by the progress he's made in his rehab. (Even though his rehab hasn't progressed that much.)
- Justin Tuck's facemask will give you nightmares.
- We won't see Detroit Lions running back Mikel Leshoure in the regular season until Week 3. But he did finally get back to practice after tearing his Achilles as a rookie. We still don't know how much time his teammate, Nick Fairley, will miss, but the Lions insist the big man is headed for a breakout year.
- It's a good thing the Washington Redskins are deep at wide receiver, because Josh Morganstill isn't healthy.
- Ronnie Brown is bringing the Wildcat back to the San Diego Chargers. Because, uh, taking the ball out of Philip Rivers' hands seems like a great idea?
- Dallas Cowboys cornerback Mike Jenkinsshowed up for work, but that didn't end the drama surrounding his situation.
- The New Orleans Saints should be happy minicamp season is over, so nothingelse can go wrong.
- Tebow is big. Tebow is professional. Tebow is running with the "twos". (Oh, and Mark Sanchez completed less than 40% of his passes at minicamp. Just saying.)
- Joe Flacco had a good excuse for missing Baltimore Ravens minicamp. Ed Reed did not.
- Other notable missing players: Mike Wallace, Cliff Avril, Drew Brees, Chris Clemons, Ray Rice, Matt Forte and Maurice Jones-Drew.
- If we were guessing whose contract standoff would last the longest, we'd roll with Maurice Jones-Drew.
- Groundhog Day for Darrelle Revisincluded a lot of references to Band-Aids.
- There is likely to be an odd man out in the Cleveland Browns' backup quarterback battle, no matter what Mike Holmgren says.
- The Eaglesaren't shying away from offseason hype. Again.
Not bad for three days. We have a handful of minicamps next week, and then we'll just have to start making up stories.
