Eagles rookie Seumalo making up for lost time

THROUGH NO fault of his own, Isaac Seumalo is behind.

An Eagles rookie offensive lineman, Seumalo is the victim of a ludicrous NFL rule that punishes players from the handful of colleges that still are on a quarter system.

The rule - instituted in 1990 as a peace offering by the NFL to college coaches who were threatening to ban the league's scouts from its campuses for opening its doors to underclassmen - prohibits rookies from attending organized team activities and minicamps until their school has completed final exams.

This isn't a problem for the vast majority of rookies, since most schools now are on a two-semester academic calendar and are finished with classes and exams by mid-May, before NFL teams begin OTAs.

But some schools, including Oregon State, where Seumalo went, don't finish their spring semester until mid-June.

It didn't matter that Seumalo, the Eagles' third-round pick, wasn't even enrolled at Oregon State last semester, or the semester before that when he was preparing for the NFL Scouting Combine and his Pro Day workout.

It didn't matter that the same league that came up with this dumb rule has no qualms at all about making kids miss class time in March and April for pre-draft visits and workouts.

Seumalo attended the Eagles' three-day rookie camp two weeks after the draft, then was banned from the NovaCare Complex until Oregon State's final exams were over, which just happened to be the day after the Eagles' final minicamp in June.

In all, he missed 13 workouts and many valuable hours of face time and meetings with his coaches and teammates.

"It was frustrating," Seumalo said. "I mean, I wasn't even (enrolled) in classes, but still couldn't be there. It's just a weird rule. If you're on a quarter system like we were, you've got to wait until (exams are over). I guess it's supposed to (encourage) guys to stay in school and graduate.

"I tried not to complain too much and do what I could to just prepare and get ready."

Seumalo regularly Skyped with Eagles offensive-line coach Jeff Stoutland four or five times a week, and also was able to watch the tape of the team's practices on his iPad. But that's not nearly the same as being there.

"I could watch the day's practice and then ask coach Stout questions," Seumalo said. "Mentally, I was there. It's just the physical stuff that I wasn't there for."

After Oregon State's semester finally was over, Seumalo flew to Philadelphia for a couple of days to work with Stoutland and assistant offensive-line coach Eugene Chung. But the rest of the players already were gone by then.

"Football's football," he said Monday after the Eagles finished the first of three days of training camp workouts with rookies and selected veterans before the team's first full-squad workout on Thursday.

"The NFL is the highest level. But I'll (catch up). You have to block the guy in front of you. I try not to overcomplicate it.

"There's going to be some good days and bad days. I just need to get acclimated and compete."

Seumalo is a smart guy with a good understanding of the game. His father, Joe, who played with Eagles coach Doug Pederson in NFL Europe in 1995, is the defensive-line coach at Arizona State. Coaches' sons generally are quick studies.

"You always want those reps (he missed)," he said. "It's the best way to get better. But I think in a week or so I'll be acclimated and in that zone where it's all football.

"I'm just trying to take advantage of the reps I'm getting these next few days before the veterans get here."

The Eagles have high hopes for Seumalo. He played four positions at Oregon State: 23 starts at center, nine at right guard, three at left tackle and two at right tackle.

The only position he didn't play was left guard, which, interestingly, is where the Eagles are going to start him out.

"I feel comfortable playing guard," Seumalo said. "Going from right to left isn't a big deal in my head. I've always been a quick learner."

Left guard is the only spot on the offensive line that is unsettled. Allen Barbre started all 16 games there last season. He did a decent job in pass protection, but struggled with his run blocking.

While Barbre will enter camp as the starter, Seumalo and veteran free-agent addition Stefen Wisniewski both are expected to get long looks there.

"As a competitor, I want to come in and play right away," Seumalo said. "I'm going to keep my head to the grindstone and work hard."

"I thought he came out here in a great frame of mind," Pederson said. "He was in shape and ready to go. He's so smart and intelligent. I give coach Stoutland a lot of credit for spending time with him this offseason. He did a great job of catching him up.

"He just hasn't been around the guys. He hasn't heard the calls from center. (Not) getting those live reps (in the spring) might set you back a little bit. But he's such a hard worker. I don't think he's going to have any trouble showing us what he can do."

@Pdomo Blog: philly.com/Eaglesblog