Minicamp: a time for optimism, projections and … confessions. Seems that we can expect Gerard Warren and Ryan Tucker to have better seasons in 2003 because they’ve cleaned up their act. Each acknowledged this week that they’ve mistreated their gifted bodies in the past, to the detriment of their career.

Warren said: “I was partying and hanging out all the time, running with my friends, not getting much rest. I felt like I was 40 last season and I was only 23 years old.”

And here’s Tucker: “For a long time I was one of the ‘warriors’ … a guy that loved to drink beer. Basic, old-school offensive lineman. It wasn’t working for me. I decided to take a different route.”

I admire their honesty and fully expect both of these tackles to have breakout seasons. Isn’t it amazing, though, how we sometimes take our gifts for granted? These two make an excellent living playing a game that depends on peak physical conditioning. Yet they risked their professional success and personal well-being for the “high life.”

As Butch Davis said, “Unfortunately, there’s no mulligans in life.”

Wish we could’ve told that to Don Rogers.