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David Blough doing all he can to stay sharp amid pandemic

David Blough is trying to stay sharp amid restrictions imposed nation-wide becase of coronavirus.
David Blough is trying to stay sharp amid restrictions imposed nation-wide becase of coronavirus. (AP)

MORE: Blough on Moore: 'He could play on just about every NFL team tomorrow'

David Blough’s rookie season in the NFL went better than anyone could have envisioned. But now, like the rest of the world, his professional life is on pause as the coronavirus pandemic grips the world.

“Gyms, bars, restaurants … they all have shut down in Dallas,” said Blough. “Really, it hasn’t effected me much career-wise.”

The former Purdue quarterback is still doing all he can in his hometown area to stay in shape and prepare for 2020. Blough has been throwing to NFL receivers at various places in the Dallas area this offseason. Current Boilermaker Rondale Moore recently was in Texas working out and catching passes from Blough, among others.

Blough has a lot to build on. After going undrafted in 2019, he was signed as a free agent by the Cleveland Browns. He subsequently was traded to the Detroit Lions in training camp. Then, after injury ravaged the position in Detroit, Blough found himself starting the final five games as an undrafted rookie free agent. He hit 54 percent of his passes (94-of-174) for 984 yards with four touchdowns and six interceptions.

Since leaving Detroit after the season, Blough hasn’t been back. He and the other players were slated to return on April 20, per NFL guidelines. Now?

“If you don’t have a home (in Detroit), players tend to go back to where they are from,” said Blough. “You work out, I have guys to throw to down here. I can do everything I need to do. Then, you go through the OTAs and mini camps, things like that, in May and June.

“They will reassess everything with what is going on in the nation. It could still be April 20 (when I return), the following Monday, May, I don’t know. Everyone is trying to figure it out.”

The 6-1, 205-pound Blough says he hasn’t been tested for the coronavirus.

“No one (from the NFL or Lions) has reached out,” said Blough. “Maybe it’s because we don’t have to be back until the end of April. We aren’t breaking the law, but we are trying to get our work in. You can six or seven receivers to catch your passes. We haven’t had more than 15 people at any time. We are trying to get our work done.”

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David Blough went undrafted out of Purdue but still ended up starting five games as a rookie in 2019.
David Blough went undrafted out of Purdue but still ended up starting five games as a rookie in 2019. (USA Today)
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Blough is under contract with the Lions for two more years. The team recently signed Chase Daniel to compete with Blough to be the backup for Matthew Stafford.

“More competition for the room, and it makes it better,” said Blough. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they added another quarterback in the draft. Last year, they kept three. Maybe next year, they’ll just keep two and one on the practice squad. Or maybe they will keep three. You never know.

“In the new CBA, there are more roster spots on the practice squad. I am gonna improve in the offseason and prove I can be Matthew’s backup and produce when called upon like I did last year.”

Blough feels like he will make the team once again.

“I proved to myself last year that I can play in that league,” said Blough. “There is a lot I wish I had done better. But I know that I can play. There is self-doubt at some point. But on Thanksgiving (when he made his first start), I found out I can make plays, make the checks. My best football has yet to be played.”

Blough wants to improve his ability to read defenses, while also refining his footwork.

“I played a lot in college, but the defensive schematic level was tough,” said Blough. “So many of the coordinators have been doing this a long time and can trick you a little bit.”

As for his footwork.

“Coach Brohm will tell you the same thing, when my feet are bad, I’m not a very accurate passer,” said Blough. “Whenever I was a little jumpy, whenever my feet weren’t set, I wasn’t accurate. There are things I need to work on in my drop-back game. And it starts with footwork. It has been fun to work on.”

Blough isn’t the only one in his household who is training for athletics. His wife—Melissa Gonzalez—also is preparing to compete in the 400-meter hurdles in the Olympics for Columbia. But, like so many looming events, the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan could be in peril of being canceled.

“The IOC has until the end of May to decide if the Olympics will go on,” said Blough. “With the way things are trending in China and Japan, they are optimistic. The hard part is the college track meets leading up to the Olympics have been canceled. My wife and other pros run in those. She is having some good practices. But she is discouraged. She doesn’t even know if she’ll get to run. For a lot of them, this is their one chance. If it gets pushed back a year, that wouldn’t be the worst thing.”

Has Blough given consideration to the possibility that the 2020 NFL season could get scrubbed?

“No football?” said Blough after a long pause. “Wow. I hadn’t thought about it. I know there would be more pressure for college football to be postponed or canceled than the NFL. The NFL is strictly business, an $18 billion industry. I know a lot of people wouldn’t want to see it shut down. The NFL would find a way for it to work, I think.”

Blough will be ready.

David Blough hit 54 percent of his passes (94-of-174) for 984 yards with four touchdowns and six interceptions as a rookie.
David Blough hit 54 percent of his passes (94-of-174) for 984 yards with four touchdowns and six interceptions as a rookie. (USA Today)

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