Lotuleilei Work Out Video: Not retiring [Edit] At Minicamp

[IgotBILLStopay]

Star has been a no-show at the voluntary OTA's so far and I was thinking he might actually choose to retire. Even McD appeared a bit irritated with his no-show.

 

see https://heavy.com/sports/buffalo-bills/bills-defensive-anchor-leaning-retirement/

 

But he appears to be working out on his own (guess he has not heard of  a guy named Jawuan Jones).

 

 

Our space eater looks in great shape. We sorely missed him on the inside runs last season and I am glad he will now likely come during the mandatory minicamp. HIs replacements (Jefferson and Oliver) were at least 25 lbs lighter and quite easily run on. His leadership on that defensive line is also very underrated. He is the glue guy there.

[Punching Bag]

He seems to occupy a lot less space.

[Richard Noggin]

This video was posted a little while back. Not sure what it means, other than Star is in fact training, and looks fairly lean. 

 

Whether and when he, who opted out last season due to COVID concerns (ostensibly), wants to report to the facility of a team whose roster is mostly unvaccinated (allegedly), remains to be seen.

[Paul Costa]

Star ⭐️ lose weight? Or did he just trim his beard ?

[Buffalo Boy]

This must be a doctored video!!!!

I’ve read on this here page that Star is a worthless, lazy slug who is retiring 😎

Or maybe, those of us that said there was a rush to judgement might have judged right.

[Paul Costa]

If that was him he looked sharp and ready to go. He needs a few golden coral meals to beef up a little ?

[Richard Noggin]

53 minutes ago, IgotBILLStopay said:

Wouldnt be surprised if he lost a bit of weight - Covid affected the heavier guys disproportionately - and he opted out due to Covid concerns.

 

 

Good point about the 'unvaccinated". While vaccination or not is no doubt a personal decision, it is also undeniably a decision that imposes externalities on every one else. 

 

I have had a change of heart. Initially I wanted to leave the vaccination decision to individuals. Now, I think that for the sake of the team, Josh Allen and Cole Beasley should take the lead and get themselves vaccinated even if they remain unconvinced about its benefits. With the tens of millions already vaccinated - clearly the risk of harm appears miniscule. So, what dya have to lose?

Without getting too deep down the fraught path of vaccine discourse, I must agree with your posts here on a strictly football-related basis. Many/most NFL players probably voluntarily ingest substances (orally and through syringes) FAR more dangerous or at least FAR less tested than a vaccine like this one. They do this to stay on the field and to be more productive (which are intrinsically linked ends), and ultimately to maximize their contracts. One could easily argue that choosing not to get vaccinated logically runs counter to all the work they put in and all the stuff they allow into their bodies otherwise, because they're choosing a path of more likely (and more severe) infection and thus, of unpredictable time OFF the field. Again, this is thinking about it purely in terms of football availability. It's a bizarre choice with respect to the myriad other choices made in the name of availability and productivity. And this says nothing of a broader responsibility to the team (if you care about such virtues in a cold-hearted business) and its prospects this season.

 

Also, I really do wonder if the roster's vaccination rate could be a factor in Star's absence to date. Of course, other d-line vets are also absent, so who knows?

[YoloinOhio]

Retiring? 

[BADOLBILZ]

 

Another Star Ukulele thread?

 

[Peace Frog]

11 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

Another Star Ukulele thread?

 

Awesome.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

21 minutes ago, Richard Noggin said:

Without getting too deep down the fraught path of vaccine discourse, I must agree with your posts here on a strictly football-related basis. Many/most NFL players probably voluntarily ingest substances (orally and through syringes) FAR more dangerous or at least FAR less tested than a vaccine like this one. They do this to stay on the field and to be more productive (which are intrinsically linked ends), and ultimately to maximize their contracts. One could easily argue that choosing not to get vaccinated logically runs counter to all the work they put in and all the stuff they allow into their bodies otherwise, because they're choosing a path of more likely (and more severe) infection and thus, of unpredictable time OFF the field. Again, this is thinking about it purely in terms of football availability. It's a bizarre choice with respect to the myriad other choices made in the name of availability and productivity. And this says nothing of a broader responsibility to the team (if you care about such virtues in a cold-hearted business) and its prospects this season.

 

Also, I really do wonder if the roster's vaccination rate could be a factor in Star's absence to date. Of course, other d-line vets are also absent, so who knows?

 

I expect that a lot of the DL vets are looking at the extended season with an extra game and wanting to nibble things short on the other end.

 

It's a valid point about the voluntary ingestion/injection of far less tested therapies.

 

I know for a fact a lot of these football players are hip-deep in alternative therapies that have little to no investigation of or data about 1) possible harms, including long term harms 2) effectiveness.    Cryotherapy (not ice baths, but liquid nitrogen); Ozone therapy; IV therapy from the more proven (Myer's Cocktail) to the more esoteric (glutathione, lipostat etc).  Then we move to platelet-enriched plasma injections and on from there.

 

My personal "take" on all that is they may help, and if not, the placebo effect is very real - if a guy believes in it and thinks it will make him better, chances are it will.

 

But I think a corollary is it makes the guys distrustful of mainstream medical expertise (that might tell them these things don't work) and more prone to believe all kinds of other stuff.

 

You're right, though, it's bizarre that a guy who is willing to have all kinds of stuff injected into his body or dripped into his veins without any kind of studies much less of "long term effects" suddenly seems to have a wholly different standard of proof for a vaccination.

[Governor]

2 hours ago, Paul Costa said:

Star ⭐️ lose weight? Or did he just trim his beard ?

He struggles to keep weight on, not the other way around.

[Richard Noggin]

51 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I expect that a lot of the DL vets are looking at the extended season with an extra game and wanting to nibble things short on the other end.

 

It's a valid point about the voluntary ingestion/injection of far less tested therapies.

 

I know for a fact a lot of these football players are hip-deep in alternative therapies that have little to no investigation of or data about 1) possible harms, including long term harms 2) effectiveness.    Cryotherapy (not ice baths, but liquid nitrogen); Ozone therapy; IV therapy from the more proven (Myer's Cocktail) to the more esoteric (glutathione, lipostat etc).  Then we move to platelet-enriched plasma injections and on from there.

 

My personal "take" on all that is they may help, and if not, the placebo effect is very real - if a guy believes in it and thinks it will make him better, chances are it will.

 

But I think a corollary is it makes the guys distrustful of mainstream medical expertise (that might tell them these things don't work) and more prone to believe all kinds of other stuff.

 

You're right, though, it's bizarre that a guy who is willing to have all kinds of stuff injected into his body or dripped into his veins without any kind of studies much less of "long term effects" suddenly seems to have a wholly different standard of proof for a vaccination.

If I may, I'm reminded of Hard Knocks with the Rams back when Fisher was still the head coach (and our own Rob Boras was heading the offensive play-calling?)...anyways, who was that DE who believed in Mermaids but NOT dinosaurs? I'll never forget his "logic" about it: the impressive volume of unearthed evidence of dinosaurs (you know, their actual remnants/fossils) was actually suspicious to him, whereas the complete LACK of evidence of mermaids (save for dubious anecdotal accounts) was a sign to him of something suspicious, like a coverup or conspiracy. His logic was entirely inverted. 

 

I think alternative medicines and treatments sometimes lead people down a similar path, where distrust in the mainstream healthcare machine (which undoubtedly gets things wrong sometimes) becomes belief. Some of it must be the demonstrable efficacy of belief/placebo effect, as you point out. Players find alternative treatments and therapies and medicines that help them more than the standard accepted practices. They both reap the rewards AND feel smarter or more resourceful for circumventing accepted best practice.

 

Anyways, it's a compelling storyline for this team and for others. I'll do my best to stick to football-related angles on it.

Edited June 11, 2021 by Richard Noggin

[machine gun kelly]

There could be a lot of reasons why Addison, Star, and Hughes are not at OTA’s.  Age seems to me to be the biggest corollary.  What someone wrote above that due to a longer season in the 17th game, it’s plausible they are staying away for wear and tear concerns.  It’s why I don’t get wrapped around the axle of our 30 somethings not there.  Morse didn’t even show up until this week.

 

Where the rubber meets the road is the mandatory mini camp coming up.  Anyone not in a contract dispute not showing up at that time where they are subject to fines would be a concern.  The guys most motivated to be at voluntary OTA’s are guys showing up in a Bills uni for the first time whether an acquisition, a rookie, or an UDFA.  The other group are the guys trying to make the team.  Leaders like Allen want to be there.  The flaw if this is a concern by some of our 30 somethings is if they get hurt on their own.  All of them are watching for the outcome on grievance filed by Juwan who now has been picked up by another team.

 

Their CBA is very clear.  The point in play is how much instruction did the team give to any player to follow some training regimen and whether the team carries liability.

 

I suspect all of these guys will be there once it is a mandatory camp.  

[H2o]

He definitely looks about 25-30lbs lighter imo, probably somewhere between 280-290lbs. Not sure how much that will effect his game or if he will bulk up a bit before the season starts. 

[RangerDave]

7 hours ago, Richard Noggin said:

I think alternative medicines and treatments sometimes lead people down a similar path, where distrust in the mainstream healthcare machine (which undoubtedly gets things wrong sometimes) becomes belief. Some of it must be the demonstrable efficacy of belief/placebo effect, as you point out. Players find alternative treatments and therapies and medicines that help them more than the standard accepted practices. They both reap the rewards AND feel smarter or more resourceful for circumventing accepted best practice.

I wonder, too, if some players are looking for a competitive advantage.  Everyone can use the "mainstream healthcare machine".  Using normal therapies does not give them any additional advantage, since everyone is already using them.  What some players are looking for is something that other players don't know about or won't use to give them that edge on the competition.  It's why I think some people believe all kinds of nonsense they find on the internet.  They feel smarter when they think they know something that the rest of the world does not.  This is just a hypothesis not based on any science that I am aware of.

[Beast]

1 hour ago, H2o said:

He definitely looks about 25-30lbs lighter imo, probably somewhere between 280-290lbs. Not sure how much that will effect his game or if he will bulk up a bit before the season starts. 

 

He either bulks up ir is shown the door.

[Da webster guy]

I trust our Gm and Coaches, but if they are truly counting on this guy to be a difference maker on our defense this year I would consider that to be overly optimistic.

 

Does anyone know if we brought in any free agent 1 techs to try out this year?

[Beerball]

Old news.

[Buffalo Boy]

25 minutes ago, Da webster guy said:

I would consider that to be overly optimistic.

Because he looks like he hasn’t been :

Working out?

In shape?

Taking it seriously?

There is this assumption that Star and the coaches have had NO contact and he’s out there on his own.

Star is a vet leader who made a personal decision last year based on incomplete info. I wonder if he doesn’t have some misgivings about his choice in light of how the season turned out. I’m 1000% positive he has been in contact with other team members who have told him how much they need/ want him this year. This is a SB or bust year and they ALL know it.

 

[Punching Bag]

7 minutes ago, Buffalo Boy said:

Because he looks like he hasn’t been :

Working out?

In shape?

Taking it seriously?

There is this assumption that Star and the coaches have had NO contact and he’s out there on his own.

Star is a vet leader who made a personal decision last year based on incomplete info. I wonder if he doesn’t have some misgivings about his choice in light of how the season turned out. I’m 1000% positive he has been in contact with other team members who have told him how much they need/ want him this year. This is a SB or bust year and they ALL know it.

 

 

Whenever percentage is above 100% it is impossible which means do not trust judgement.

[FireChans]

11 hours ago, Buffalo Boy said:

This must be a doctored video!!!!

I’ve read on this here page that Star is a worthless, lazy slug who is retiring 😎

Or maybe, those of us that said there was a rush to judgement might have judged right.

Yes you have been proven correct because of a work out video posted on Twitter from

who knows when. Incredible stuff.

[Beerball]

11 hours ago, Buffalo Boy said:

This must be a doctored video!!!!

I’ve read on this here page that Star is a worthless, lazy slug who is retiring 😎

Or maybe, those of us that said there was a rush to judgement might have judged right.

Those aren't shades you're wearing, they're blinders.

[YoloinOhio]

4 hours ago, machine gun kelly said:

There could be a lot of reasons why Addison, Star, and Hughes are not at OTA’s.  Age seems to me to be the biggest corollary.  What someone wrote above that due to a longer season in the 17th game, it’s plausible they are staying away for wear and tear concerns.  It’s why I don’t get wrapped around the axle of our 30 somethings not there.  Morse didn’t even show up until this week.

 

Where the rubber meets the road is the mandatory mini camp coming up.  Anyone not in a contract dispute not showing up at that time where they are subject to fines would be a concern.  The guys most motivated to be at voluntary OTA’s are guys showing up in a Bills uni for the first time whether an acquisition, a rookie, or an UDFA.  The other group are the guys trying to make the team.  Leaders like Allen want to be there.  The flaw if this is a concern by some of our 30 somethings is if they get hurt on their own.  All of them are watching for the outcome on grievance filed by Juwan who now has been picked up by another team.

 

Their CBA is very clear.  The point in play is how much instruction did the team give to any player to follow some training regimen and whether the team carries liability.

 

I suspect all of these guys will be there once it is a mandatory camp.  

Hughes wife is 38 weeks pregnant and they are in Houston. He probably won’t be at mandatory minicamp next week either 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

24 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

Hughes wife is 38 weeks pregnant and they are in Houston. He probably won’t be at mandatory minicamp next week either 

 

Doesn’t he get fined like, $100,000 if he misses mandatory minicamp?  

 

Pretty sure he could charter a private jet flight there and back for less.

[Royale with Cheese]

17 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Doesn’t he get fined like, $100,000 if he misses mandatory minicamp?  

 

Pretty sure he could charter a private jet flight there and back for less.

 

I'm sure something like this could be excused by McDermott.

[YoloinOhio]

21 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Doesn’t he get fined like, $100,000 if he misses mandatory minicamp?  

 

Pretty sure he could charter a private jet flight there and back for less.

I doubt they will fine a player like Hughes for missing OTAs due to the birth of a child that could happen any day. If it was an actual  game he would be there and do the PJ thing 

Edited June 11, 2021 by YoloinOhio

[DJB]

33 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Doesn’t he get fined like, $100,000 if he misses mandatory minicamp?  

 

Pretty sure he could charter a private jet flight there and back for less.

 

I also think McDermott has a strict rule that he takes the baby away for himself as well. 

Edited June 11, 2021 by DJB

[Royale with Cheese]

1 minute ago, DJB said:

 

I also think McDermott has a strict rule that he takes the baby away for himself as well. 

 

Hughes will get the baby back in February.  

[Buffalo Boy]

3 hours ago, Limeaid said:

 

Whenever percentage is above 100% it is impossible which means do not trust judgement.

Any number multiplied by any other number larger than 2 yields a percentage greater than 100%
😉

2 hours ago, FireChans said:

Yes you have been proven correct because of a work out video posted on Twitter from

who knows when. Incredible stuff.

Because seeing is NOT believing?

A prevalent shortcoming these days😐

2 hours ago, Beerball said:

Those aren't shades you're wearing, they're blinders.

The urge to weeney is strong in this one😘

Edited June 11, 2021 by Buffalo Boy

[machine gun kelly]

I would hope if the team is to I love other, now that I know he would excuse the absence.  I bet he would even probably have a pic of the baby if the team is together as Hughes as a leader on the team.  What a change he made over the years since he used to blow up on the field.

 

a little early, but happy daddy day JERRY.

[HappyDays]

 

Can we officially toss the narrative that Star is lazy and will come back out of shape? Not that there was any reason to believe that in the first place.

[TheFunPolice]

I would rather see video of Star eating an entire large works pizza and a box of wings in preparation for being the anchor at DT

[Kwai San]

12 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

My personal "take" on all that is they may help, and if not, the placebo effect is very real - if a guy believes in it and thinks it will make him better, chances are it will.

 

 

I agree Hap - the mind over matter thing is pretty impressive.  My wife works with people using Reiki, it is one of those holistic treatments that either you believe it works and it does or you don't and it doesn't.  She has some amazing success stories and the same amount of one and done folks.....the mind is an amazing muscle.

[Motorin']

14 hours ago, Richard Noggin said:

This video was posted a little while back. Not sure what it means, other than Star is in fact training, and looks fairly lean. 

 

Whether and when he, who opted out last season due to COVID concerns (ostensibly), wants to report to the facility of a team whose roster is mostly unvaccinated (allegedly), remains to be seen.

 

Reminded me of the stories about Gronk faking workout videos last year to satisfy the Bucs. 

[Bangarang]

I’m not impressed. He’s a professional athlete, this is what he should be doing if he’s not going to show up for team activities. 
 

I never questioned his motivation to stay in shape. I questioned his ability to actually be a good player.

[TroutDog]

6 hours ago, H2o said:

He definitely looks about 25-30lbs lighter imo, probably somewhere between 280-290lbs. Not sure how much that will effect his game or if he will bulk up a bit before the season starts. 

I was shocked when I saw the video. I’m not sure how a guy that size takes on a C and G without getting blown off the line (which I witnessed on occasion happening previously when he was heavier).

 

Perhaps they told him to slim down to increase speed and burst…that’s all I can think of. 

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, TroutDog said:

I was shocked when I saw the video. I’m not sure how a guy that size takes on a C and G without getting blown off the line (which I witnessed on occasion happening previously when he was heavier).

 

Perhaps they told him to slim down to increase speed and burst…that’s all I can think of. 

 

 

The people who have been selling Star as an impact returnee to the team......and have been upset by the assumptions that he won't be at least "the same" quality......are desperate for anything to latch onto.

 

Big Star is now Little Star.   We will see how that goes. 

 

Edited June 11, 2021 by BADOLBILZ
no idea

[GoBills808]

So he also posted how much he weighs?

[TroutDog]

21 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

The people who have been selling Star as an impact returnee to the team......and have been upset by the assumptions that he won't be at least "the same" quality......are desperate for anything to latch onto.

 

Big Star is now Little Star.   We will see how that goes. 

He has been good to very good at times…others, not so much. 
 

At this point, however, I would like to see Beane grab someone else unless, as I previously mentioned, they are wanting this position to be ‘quick’.