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NFL Free Agent Donte Rumph admits he too had contemplated suicide
When things get tough in life many people look for a way out. Some have friends they can talk to or family, while some have no one.
We will never know what was going through Adrian Robinson Jr.’s head, the former NFL player who took his own life a few days ago.
Many players may feel like they are at rock bottom, but won’t admit it. Well last night, Donte Rumph the former Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle admitted on Twitter, that he too thought of suicide.
@DonteRumphNFL: I was almost there.. Along with Adrian. I wanted to give up. This is why I truly can’t give up now. I know how he felt. My heart to the fam
Rumph was a very solid pass rusher from the University of Kentucky who recently camped out in front of the Falcons stadium for another opportunity.
Here is a Video of Donte’s Tent of Faith
Rumph is a huge believer in Christ now and knows not to give up. He knows he will spend eternal life with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So I thought it was very amazing he would be willing to admit he too had thoughts.
The hardest part is admitting you have thought’s about it. If you are thinking of hurting yourself please contact someone. Talk to them, open up and don’t do it.
From the Great Howard Shatsky remember these words:
@HowardShatsky: @DonteRumphNFL Don’t ever let the game define u. Football is what u do, not who u are. If the NFL dosent happen u still can have a gr8 life!
New Post has been published on http://nfldraftdiamonds.com/former-nfl-player-is-camping-outside-of-the-atlanta-falcons-facility-for-another-shot/
Former NFL player is camping outside of the Atlanta Falcons facility for another shot
Donte Rumph aka Cupcake the former Falcons defensive lineman is camping out in front of the Falcons facility hoping to land another opportunity after being cut last year by the team.
You have to love this commitment, do you think the Falcons will give him a shot?
Mark Stoops was brief in his comments to the media today, and the interview lasted shorter than normal following some quick answers. See below for a full transcript of his comments:
Opening statement
Good practice today. Worked some situations and two-minute before half, two-minute end of the game. Got some good work in, guys were focused, so I thought it was a good day.
There were some better things than I initially thought just walking off the field. Things that we could get corrected fairly easy. There's still plenty of mistakes -- don't get me wrong -- we need to get better in a lot of ways, but there were some good positive things.
On Max Godby being on crutches
I'm not commenting on anybody except Donte (Rumph).
On what he's seen from Steven Borden in moving around to several positions
Noticed him again today, did some good things. He's getting better and he gives us a little dimension in there. So, been happy with the way he's been progressing.
On the biggest adjustment offensive line has to make in this scheme
I don't know about the past, but right now obviously the tempo, the urgency with what we've got to do things. They've got to be in shape. The tempo at which we move around. They've got to be very bright, pick things up fairly quickly and they've got to be on the move and in some pretty good shape. They're doing a good job.
On if he's ever coached anyone as big as Jack Gruenschlager
No. I don't know if I have. Big boy.
On if anything changes in second half of spring practice versus first two weeks
Not much other than start working some more situations. Again, we worked some good two-minute situations today. We got to continue to continue to work on some third downs, so we'll work on some third downs, some goal line situations. But it's the same thing. We were functioning a lot better today, so this third week compared to the first we got a lot more work in today because our operation was much better.
UK head coach Mark Stoops met with the media Friday following his team's first scrimmage of the spring. See below for a full transcript of his comments:
Opening statement
Good to have everybody here. We just got done with our first scrimmage. It was good. We went quite a few plays, about 140 plays and got some good work. Kept everybody healthy for the most part. Did some good things on both sides of the ball. Obviously, we have a long way to go, but we got some good work."
Well, we got some turnovers. The defense got some takeaways and got some big stops. I think that's probably the best thing of the day. Offensively, they moved the ball, did some good things at times. Critical turnovers, penalties, things like that. Just typical things you would expect for the first time out.
On injury update for Donte Rumph
Yeah, Donte is going to get surgery this afternoon. He's going to get shoulder surgery and we expect Donte to make a full recovery and be back with us in the fall.
On how players reacted to game-like situation
I was pleased with the offense and the defense as far as alignments and assignments. Well, I shouldn't say that. There were obviously some missed assignments. But the tempo of the offense and the execution, they do some good things. It comes down to playmakers. We need some more playmakers. It's hard for them to sustain a long drive, 70 or 80 yards without making some big plays. The minute we'd get something going, a critical turnover here and there would stall them.
On which side is further along than the other
I think the defense. Just like you would expect, the defense is further along. If the defense just gets lined up right and makes them execute, the offense… It's always a little bit harder for them to get started. Defense is a little bit further ahead right now.
On how the quarterbacks looked
They looked good at times and looked bad at times. Again, that comes down to the players around them as well. Players have to make plays and the other ten guys around the quarterback, they need to be in position and doing the right things and making plays. As far as individually for each quarterback, it's still hard to pick it out because we're so far off at certain positions.
On dropped passes
Yeah, it's still an issue. Yep. Definitely.
On what he wants to get out of the second half of spring practice
We have a long way to go. We're getting a better sense of urgency each and every day. Offensively, I like the positions the coaches are putting them in. I like the tempo and things. Defensively, the same things. We're coaching them hard. I like what we're doing. We look good at times. But like was mentioned, a dropped pass here and there or a turnover, and the mental toughness is not where we need it to be. We step on the field with a top 10 teams right now and we've got a long way to go.
On being able to play tired
Yeah, that's all part of it. Just being tough, just being mentally and physically tough and pushing your way through situations. When bad things happen, having a mean-ness and a toughness about you. We just don't have it right now.
On playing under pressure
I don't know, but they're going to be under extreme pressure at different times, so we have to learn to respond to it.
On if scrimmages are about getting better or finding areas for improvement
Getting better. We know we need to improve in a lot of areas. It's a little bit of both, I guess. We're always trying to assess where we're at and where we need to improve, but we need to get better. It's good just to put the ball down and let them play and see how our guys respond.
On how he's adjusted to being the guy in charge
It was a little different. I probably felt it as much as before in the previous practices. I'm usually as a defensive coordinator, right in the middle of it. I like being right in the middle of the huddle and in the middle of the play and in scrimmages, it's so much for us about coaching and getting them to do things and being hard on them and getting involved. So in a critical situation today, a third down where the offense was about to get a first down and dropped it, I'm mad at the offense. Normally, I'd be mad because they were open. So it was a little different. I just want to see good football right now. I want to see good football on both sides of the ball. I don't want the defense to be successful because the offense can't execute, and vice versa. Just really looking for some good ball right now. I saw a little bit of it out there today, but not nearly enough.
On if being outside helped assess punting and kicking
Yeah, it was a little better. It was a little better, obviously. Especially with the punting.
On the balance between defense being simpler than what players had last year but still being complex
It's just a mindset. Believe me, we could be as complex as we want to be. It's not what we know. We could sit in there on the board and come up with a lot of good defenses. There are a lot of good ways to do things. But it's up to you to get your team to understand it and teach it and get them to execute it. That's the bottom line. Nobody really cares how much I know on Saturday. It's a matter of what the players know and how they execute and how they play. I think that's a big part of it and that's a big part of our philosophy defensively, is to make it simple, make them understand it, know who they are and then have tweaks and changeups off of it. Defensively, we'll always continue to install, but that's over time.
On if his evaluation with this team will begin with defense
I guess so. I never really put a lot of thought into that. Probably just habit with me, maybe always starting with the defense. But I'm looking for balance. I know we need to be good in all areas to be successful. The offense is very important to me and very important to us and our success. I found myself standing over there with them most of the day.
On if upcoming week will be any different
It'll be just continue to progress. Really as we start to understand things better, I'm really looking forward to seeing some guys emerge. We need some leaders, we need some toughness, we need to build on what we're doing.
D. J. Eliot met with the media after UK's first scrimmage of spring practice. See below for a full transcript of his comments, including some insight on early standouts:
On what he saw at the scrimmage
Well it was the first live tackling day, so we’re not where we need to be today. But I saw some guys making some plays and being aggressive, but we still got a ways to go.
I think assignment-wise, we’re right where I wanted to be. Fundamentally-wise, we’re not where I wanted to be right now. I had hoped that we’d be better at both those.
On whether anyone has surprised him
Some of the guys that had played well here last year I think are doing a good job. Guys like Bud Dupree. Avery’s (Williamson) doing a good job and I think that some of our young corners are playing well as well.
On how the scrimmage was in terms of tempo
For only doing it for half a spring, we’re doing well. But we’re not where we need to be to handle that tempo. We had guys that weren’t lined up at times and those were free plays for the offense if you don’t get lined up.
On who has looked good at safety
I think Ashely’s (Lowery) playing well at safety. He’s made a lot plays and he’s getting the defense lined up and doing some good things.
On whether Williamson is emerging as a vocal leader
He’s trying to be. Right now he’s trying to be that guy. He’s got a lot of experience, he’s played well in the past, so he’s trying to be that guy.
On how to address poor fundamentals
I didn’t say they were poor; they’re not where I wanted them to be right now. So we just have to continue to emphasize it in practice and we have certain within our practice that are solely designed for fundamentals.
On how the communication has been
I’m pleased with that. I think they’re grasping the base defense and we’re getting communicated and we’re getting lined up. If it wasn’t for the tempo, I think we’d be lined up almost all the time.
On seeing Za’Darius Smith in live action for the first time
I think Za’Darius has had a very good spring so far and I feel the same about him (after the scrimmage as before). He’s playing physical and he’s doing some good things. Now nobody’s where we want to be. We have a goal in mind for each position and the whole defense. We’re not close to that goal yet.
On who is getting reps at defensive tackle in place of the injured Donte Rumph
Tristian is. Tristian Johnson’s getting those reps and he’s progressing every day.
UK football practice was open to the media Wednesday for the first time in the Mark Stoops Era. I'll post some photos and observations later on KyForward.com, but for now here is a full transcript of Stoops' comments following practice:
Opening statement
Nothing to report today, you guys should have all the answers (Laughs). Another good day. Both guys had some good, had some bad. I thought the offense did some really good things early and then in the second half of practice they dipped a little bit. Did not have a good blitz drill, didn't have great team period, but up to then they were doing pretty good. Defense, again, some good, but some of that's just cause the offense missed assignments and different things like that. Overall, we got some good work in.
Donte got injured. Donte got injured on Monday. He's getting evaluated today. It looks like it's a fairly significant injury. He may be out for a while, may require some surgery. We'll see. We'll keep you updated. It's a big loss though. He probably is the most consistent player we had going on defense, so big loss for us.
On if this practice was consistent with what they usually do
Yeah. Yeah, it was. It was. We backed off a little bit. The high performance guy, Eric (Korem), told me to back down a little bit today cause we were getting up there with some measurements and some things he tests in the off days. So we backed off just a touch. But we're gonna have a real good physical practice no Friday with the scrimmage. We're gonna put the ball down and see where we're at.
On Demarcus Sweat's status
He's working. He's on the team, he's fine. He's working in there. He's coming back off a little injury, but nothing significant, so he's working his way in there.
On if they responded the way he wanted after poor practice Monday
We're just trying to show them they just don't understand the sense of urgency that it takes to win at a high level yet. But that's our job to get them going.
On if that lack of urgency is because they're still learning the system
Some of it's learning the system, and some of it's just bad habits. Some of it's just simple things -- playing high, not finishing plays -- and some of it's not being focused enough to get the call, get lined up and thinking about things before they happen. It all goes together.
On Jalen Whitlow throwing well today, and if he expected to see that
I thought he's been practicing very well. It's hard for me to tell sometimes. I'm not even watching whose throwing until the end, unless something just grabs my eye. I'll watch it all on film. But I've been very pleased with him. I thought he's been doing a good job
On whether QB is a legitimate three-man battle
Oh, no question. Yeah, no question.
On if after six practices the program is where he expected it to be
Yeah I think it is. It’s about where I thought it would be. So we’ve got some work to do. We’ve gotta continue to make the players we have better. And we’ve gotta continue to put them in position to be successful. And we’ve gotta continue to recruit.
On Za'Darius Smith's play
He’s doing a really good job. He’s just a big, physical guy and he’s been solid in there. Yeah, he’s been solid.
On any surprises so far
I don’t know if anything’s surprised. I don’t think so. We’re about where I thought we would be, and sometimes as you can see from the assistant coaches, from myself, from different people, it’s frustrating. We’ve got a lot of work to do. But nobody’s discouraged, nobody’s down. We’re just – that’s our job: just keep on grinding and getting better and better. But we are making progress. We just have a long ways to go.
On if it's an adjustment for coaches after being at Florida State
It’s not much different. When I went to Florida State, it was the same way when I got there. It wasn’t maybe in the same position, but I’m talking defensively, as the coordinator at Florida State, it’s a fight each and every day to get them lined up, to get them to play with a sense of urgency, to get them to comprehend the defense. All those things, it’s a grind. So that’s where we’re at. But again, that’s fine.
On if there are spots other than wide receiver that need more bodies
Yeah. I mean, yeah. Yeah. Yes. All of them. I mean, all of them. We need depth. But we’re no different. I don’t mean to demean our team here, because everybody will say that in the spring. We’re just thin. We’re thin. We need numbers. And I bet you if you asked any team in the conference, they’d say the same thing.
On if he's leaning on tight ends to compensate for lack of receivers
I like the way they’re playing. I really do. I feel like they can bring a little something. They’ve got a little punch to them and catching the ball pretty good. They’re doing some nice things. Gives us some versatility within the offense.
