Winston Justice, Philadelphia Eagle

[Diomedes]

Im pretty sure it is the pics from the combine that every player is required to have done.

Yeah, of course.  My point is, maybe they shouldn't be made public.  I feel bad for Justice, Jean-Gilles, etc.  They look horrible.

[Zanshin]

Wow.  Here's to hoping the Eagles training staff gets paid overtime.

[MadMarchHare]

Justice doesn't look nearly as rough as Jean-Gilles.

[Zanshin]

I don't know about that.  Jean-Gilles looks like a big guard should look.  You can tell there's some serious muscle under his bulk.  Justice looks more slender, obviously, but softer.

[reese125]

dont know if this was posted or not....the boy has some speed and footwork...good to hear


Justice a fighter on and off the field
By BERNARD FERNANDEZ
fernanb@phillynews.com

Twenty-plus years ago, standout running back Herschel Walker took ballet lessons in an attempt to improve his footwork.

Walker's experiment in alternative training methods apparently did not catch on with the helmet-and-shoulder-pads set. You don't hear much any more of football players in tights dancing on their tippy-toes and executing arabesques.

But there is a growing movement among NFL players, and NFL wannabes, to adopt boxing training techniques as part of their offseason regimens. Eagles tight end L.J. Smith has considered training as a boxer, and Southern California offensive tackle Winston Justice, drafted in the second round by the team on Saturday, speaks approvingly of the months he spent in 2004 and '05 at the Wildcat Boxing Club in Hollywood, where he worked primarily with former heavyweight Macka Foley and sometimes with Freddie Roach, who used to train Mike Tyson.

"It's the closest thing to football, getting fit and hitting people," the 6-6, 320-pound Justice, whose parents are from Barbados, said of boxing. "I boxed just a little bit when I was younger, so I got back into it when I was out of football [suspended for the 2004 season because of an off-the-field incident]. It was something that I was pretty good at doing and something that I liked."

Foley, who posted a 32-20-1 record with 20 knockout victories from 1969 to '79, said offensive linemen - or tight ends, who also must be adept at blocking - are the football players who would most benefit from some time in the ring.

"There's so much mental conditioning in boxing," Foley said. "You're constantly setting and resetting, trying to get into a position to punch effectively. You have to understand use of angles, of leverage.

"Isn't that what an offensive lineman does? But a play in football lasts what, 5 or 6 seconds? A fighter has to do it for 3 minutes at a time."

Justice was not allowed on the field for USC's run to a second consecutive national championship in 2004 for brandishing a replica firearm at someone. But he is an athlete, and even idle athletes have to do something to stay in peak condition and to prepare themselves for competition when it finally does come.

As it turns out, one of the USC equipment managers has a son who is an amateur boxer. And when the equipment guy found out that Justice also had some background in the sport, he brought the massive tackle to the Wildcat Boxing Club, where such world-class fighters as James Toney, Manny Pacquiao and Israel Vasquez hone their craft.

Foley said it was immediately apparent that Justice knew a thing or two.

"Winston started picking stuff up so quick, which surprised me," Foley said. "Yeah, he boxed some as a kid, but he hadn't done it for a while. It's not like riding a bicycle. You can forget if you don't stick with it.

"Mostly he hit the heavybag and the speedbag, but he also did a little sparring with a journeyman heavyweight. They weren't going all out, but Winston did all right. He moves like a fighter, you know? He didn't just use his size and strength to bull-rush the guy."

Justice - who trained extensively at the Wildcat Boxing Club in 2004, and also from April to September of last year - said he came away from the gym with skills that are easily applied to the football field.

"I learned initial quickness, how to use my hands, stuff like that," Justice said. "It's a different type of conditioning."

So, if Justice's career with the Eagles doesn't pan out, could he make it as a fighter? The heavyweight division is packed with guys who would have been considered giants not so long ago, the largest of whom is WBA champion Nicolay Valuev of Russia, who goes 7-2 and 325 pounds.

"I could imagine Winston as a fighter, given the state of the game now," Foley said. "But, to me, he's too big and bulky to ever be a dominant heavyweight. To me, the best heavyweights are 6-1, 6-2, maybe 215 pounds. They're strong and mobile. I look at somebody like Evander Holyfield, with that sculpted physique, and think, 'That's what a heavyweight should look like.'

"But it was a pleasure working with Winston, and I'd gladly work with more football players if they were as dedicated as him. There isn't that much difference between boxing and football when you get right down to it. You have to maintain balance, bend your knees, find the right angle, know when to back off, when to come in, when to step side to side.

"I tell you what, if he moves his feet (with the Eagles] like he did in our gym, there won't be too many pass-rushers blowing past him."

[PhillyPhanInDC]

I've watched interviews with Justice, and to me, it seems like Justice may not be the sharpest pencil in the box. I thought O-lineman were supposed to be the smartest guys on the field. If anything, he definitely strikes me as pretty immature, hopefully Runyan, Thomas, and the rest of the vets will toughen him up by beating him in his sleep with soap-stuffed socks during camp.

[reese125]

thats one of the reasons I questioned his dropping in the draft and prob the reason why so many teams passed on him. Some people clam up on interviews and stutter a little bit because they are nervous, but he sounds so ridiculously dumb, it makes me nervous he can learn the blocking schemes.

Winston, what can you bring to the Eagles O-line?

Umm, Ummm, excitement and happiness.

[ice grillin you]

how hard is it to grasp the offensive tackle position...come on now

[MadMarchHare]

Really, the center makes all the line calls.  The guards pull.  His job is to hit the guy in front of him - hard.  So the guy could lose an IQ test to a rock.  Big deal.

[PhillyPhanInDC]

I should have been more clear, it's not so much I am worried the kid is dumb, it's the maturity thing with me. I think the coaches are hoping he grows up here, and combined with his raw talent, becomes a great tackle. There is a bit of risk in that though, but I think it is worth the shot.

I know the guy has had a studdering problem, he has been working on it and I can't imagine how nervous he was in those PCs, he did well though, good for him.

[reese125]

Really, the center makes all the line calls.  The guards pull.  His job is to hit the guy in front of him - hard.  So the guy could lose an IQ test to a rock.  Big deal.

Theres a little more to it than that, and there are schemes in football--much more on the NFl level

The lineman have zone blocking schemes and option blocking schemes--creating holes for the running back on either the left or right side of the defender-depending on positioning, working with other lineman in tandems, double teaming, popping off a double team and getting the LB--stationary or blitzing, etc...

So yes there are schemes and it does take some brain power

[mussa]

another 4 yr deal with Mr. Justice

http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/homeNewsDetail.jsp?id=51191

[Drunkmasterflex]

another 4 yr deal with Mr. Justice

http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/homeNewsDetail.jsp?id=51191

I was just about to post this, good now just one more to go.

[Susquehanna Birder]

This team is WAY ahead of the rest of the league in signing their picks. Hopefully it's a good omen.

[Rome]

Their first preseason game is a week ahead of nearly everyone else.

It's kinda to be expected, don't you think, Sus?