Dwayne Bowe, Golden Tate, Matt Schaub
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe has set out to do something about his disappointing 2013 season, during which he caught only 57 passes for 673 yards.
And that something is to improve his physical conditioning.
Bowe recently told USA Today that, thanks to an intensive workout routine and a diet consisting mainly of fish and vegetables, he is 10 pounds lighter from last year's playing weight of 222 pounds.
"I made the initiative to be in better shape," Bowe said. "I'm getting older, and talking to the old vets, the only way you last longer is to be in better condition. I took that to the heart and am training extremely hard this year."
Another motivation for the veteran receiver is the anticipation that the Chiefs' offense will frequently put him in motion before the snap, which means he will be doing plenty of running on most plays.
"I'm moving around, doing lot of motion, so I want to be as fit and in as good a shape as possible," Bowe said. "I feel lighter, and it's definitely because of what I'm eating and how I'm treating my body. That's the main reason why I'm feeling so explosive."
GOLDEN TATE SEES A CHANCE TO CATCH 'A TON MORE BALLS' WITH LIONS
For Golden Tate, the satisfaction of being a part of a Super Bowl-winning team had its limitations.
It didn't, for example, prevent him from seeking a larger contract, which is what the wide receiver received by bolting the Seattle Seahawks in free agency for the Detroit Lions. Nor did it cause him to overlook the fact he didn't have many passes come his way for the Seahawks last season.
How bad did it get?
"I hated being tackled because I didn't know when my next ball was going to come," Tate told ESPN.
Now that he is playing with the Lions opposite one of the game's most dominant receivers, Calvin Johnson, he is expecting that to change dramatically.
"I have a chance to catch more balls and make Pro Bowls," Tate said. "I think if I can stay healthy … it's going to be fun. I have a chance to catch a ton more balls. I'm going to see a lot of single coverage. I'm probably going to see a lot of No. 2 and No. 3 cornerbacks because everyone's going to be on No. 81 (Johnson). I'm excited. I think the sky's the limit. I think it's going to get back to the old Golden."
CHARLES WOODSON: RAIDERS SHOULD EXPECT 'BIG THINGS' FROM MATT SCHAUB
Matt Schaub's poor performance with the Houston Texans last year helped lead to his being traded in the offseason to the Oakland Raiders.
It also creates questions as to whether Schaub, despite earlier success with the Texans, is capable of recapturing his old form on his new club. But at least one of Schaub's new teammates is optimistic that he will.
"I think every man on the team is counting on him being the guy," Raiders safety Charles Woodson told Sirius XM NFL Radio. "You know, you bring him over from Houston, and it's been duly noted about the struggles that he had last year. But you can't discount the year that he had before last year so we're looking at last year as being an anomaly and that not being the true Matt Schaub."
DICK VERMEIL CAN SEE JON GRUDEN MAKING A RETURN TO COACHING
Dick Vermeil knows all about the regret of leaving a head-coaching job in the NFL too soon.
He did just that when, citing "burnout," he walked away from the Philadelphia Eagles at age 46 to become a broadcaster. Vermeil returned to coaching in his 60s, led the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl victory, and retired a second time before returning to coach a third time with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Vermeil told SiriusXM NFL Radio that he can picture Jon Gruden, who hasn't coached since being fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at age 45, coming back to the sidelines and having great success.
"No question, he's a hell of a lot better coach than I am, and a lot smarter," Vermeil said of Gruden. "I think he would be very successful. I hope he does come back, because I like him a lot."
Vermeil admitted that he made a "poor decision" when he left the Rams.
"My family wanted me home and I was tired and I didn't want to cut the (veteran players from the) squad and go into free agency," he said. "And I thought, at my age, to go out a champion was a great opportunity." >>Be sure to tune in Monday through Friday, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET, for "Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford" on ESPN 850 WKNR or catch the live stream right here on ClevelandBrowns.com. We take your questions at 216-578-0850 and via Twitter @Browns_Daily.
