Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Hold on tight

-- So the off season merry-go-round spins once more and this time it's Cedric Benson who falls off in an undignified heap. Benson was charged with misdemeanour assault in Austin, Texas and has been released on bail, just another feather in his cap when it comes to off the field incidents. And people wonder why teams are a little cagey about taking on players with a previous history of trouble? This is why. -- Flozell Adams has been to visit the Steelers. With starting RT Willie Colon down for the season, the Steelers are likely feeling out the possibility of bringing Adams in to play LT, which would require a shift to the right side for Max Starks. The Steelers aren't the only team in the market for Adams, with Denver also considering pulling the trigger after their starting tackle Ryan Clady went down earlier this off season. Have a great day everyone.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Rolling in horse sh...

-- There's been a debate in the recent past about whether Willie Colon can really hold down the RT spot for the Steelers. Debate over, because he's done for the season. Colon tore an Achilles' tendon while working out on Monday and is expected to sit out the entire coming season. The likely hood now is that Trai Essex will have to step in at RT. -- Pat Kirwan produced an article for NFL.com talking about spread sets and how great they are at stopping the blitz etc compared to six and seven man protections, because of hot routes and spreading blah, blah. Now don't get me wrong, spread sets can be useful and if you know what you're doing then that's fine. But what I hate is Kirwan, like many others, telling me that it's so much easier with the spread set etc and that you'll never get sacked and you'll never throw interceptions. Tell that to all the QBs who've been taken down last year by surprise blitzes from defenders coming off of a slot receiver. And let's not forget that receivers in a spread set are just as vulnerable to being jammed at the LOS as receivers in an I-Formation. I get that people like spread sets and I get that you've been told how wonderful they are by someone that uses them, and I even get that you've trawled a Defensive Coordinator out from a team that uses spread sets in its offense and he's said how difficult they are to defend etc, but I'm not buying it. It's an offense, just like a lot of other offenses. It's not the cure fro cancer. It has its strengths, it has its weaknesses. Neutralise the first, attack the second. When someone puts a baguette in front of me and tells me its a revolution in the culinary arts, I say "no it's not, it's just a loaf of bread but in a different shape". And I resent being told otherwise like I'm some kind of idiot. Pat Kirwan officially goes on my list of B***sh*t peddlers, along with homeopaths, psychics and water dowsers. -- DeMaurice Smith has been addressing the rookies at this years rookie symposium and from what I can tell the indoctrination has already begun. Smith went to great lengths to explain to the rookies that football players make the NFL what it is. And he's right to an extent. But Mr. Smith should also remember that there are thousands of undrafted college players, AFL and CFL players, and several fringe players at teams already, who would take the chance to play at the drop of a hat and would do so for less money than is already being spent on wages. He would also do well to remember that the NFL got where it is today through investments in stadiums by owners and by aggressive marketing and clever negotiations with TV stations. The game has always been played by great players that people want to watch. But it became a multi-billion dollar industry thanks to the league and the owners. Never forget that. Have a great day everyone.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Bow your heads

Ok, here's the deal. England lost in the soccer to Germany 4-1. Imagine if the US had a national football team.... that then lost to Canada 28-7. That would pretty much some up the national mood over here right now. I think today should be set aside as a day of mourning. The critical ingredients in the defeat were as follows: 1) A lack of technical skill 2) A lack of mental skill 3) A poor refereeing decision If ever you complain about the officiating in the NFL, at least take comfort in the fact that video replay allows challenges and allows officials to review plays at their own discretion (inside of two minutes). This is something soccer could learn a lot about. As for the lack of mental and technical skill, it all ties back to what I've been hammering on the last couple of days; fundamentals. The communication, tactical awareness and foundation technical skills of the English team were appalling. Think about the Lions in their 0-16 season. It was that bad. This further reinforces to me the vital need for sound basics at all positions. Whether it's football or soccer, you cannot expect to achieve wins and reach high levels of competition without a solid base to build on. This I think is the hallmark of the great coaches. Think Bill Walsh, Paul Brown, Vince Lombardi etc. All are known for their attention to detail and their devotion to getting better at the core skills of the game. Mike Leach, formerly of Texas Tech would also point us to this. When he's not busy locking students away in cupboards, Leach was known for having his quarterbacks take part in drills simultaneously, with everyone from the 1st to the 4th string guy taking drops and making reads. It's little wonder that over time he's had multiple quarterbacks seemingly just slot right into his offense and excel from day one. I'll say it again. Fundamentals. I hope the Rams are listening... Have a great day everyone.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Work Stoppage

Yawn!!! Not so much at the lack of any new information, more at the fact that I'd tired, I'm grouchy, and I want to go to bed. Which brings up an intriguing question. Recently on Coach Huey (www.coachhuey.com) there has been a lot of talk about how many hours coaches spend at work, with a keen eye on how much time guys such as Belichick etc spend in the office. As NFL coaches are all too keen to tell the media, the hours can often be long and arduous. But how much of that time is being spent productively? And if you're spending 17 hours at work, another hour travelling to and from work, and then 6 hours in bed, what the hell is the point? Is even a Superbowl worth that? How do you think the coaches family feel about it? And it really begs the question as to how much of that time is spent doing things that couldn't be done at home. An example is studying game film. Every time you see a schedule for coaches, you often see large chunks at the beginning and end of the day that are devoted to watching film at work. It makes me wonder though, couldn't a coach sit at home with a laptop and do the same thing? Is it gonna take longer? Yep. Is the coach going to get distracted? Yep. I myself remember times in my previous coaching stint when I was watching footage at home and some ass would call, usually someone from India trying to sell me a new kitchen. But the point is your at home, with your family, and providing you don't spend half the time dicking about playing solitaire, you'd be surprised how much work can be done. When I hear stories of guys like Sean Payton sleeping in their offices, it doesn't impress me. It makes me feel sorry for them, and their families. But it doesn't impress. It strikes me that they could learn from the old cliche "work smarter not harder". But maybe that's just me. Take the study of tendencies for example. At the pro level, we're talking hours sitting in front of computers working out percentages; 30% of this on first down, 48% of that on 2nd & 3 etc. But I've always been very skeptical of the notion of trying to predict what someones going to do, or what plays going to be called, as opposed to just studying what you do and getting better at that. Sure it helps to know what the opposition are up to, but out smarting yourself by thinking you're so clever that you're going to predict what the other guy is thinking is no substitute to sound coaching and organisation. It shouldn't matter what variation of a certain coverage they use. Your playbook should already account for that. Your guys should know how to deal with the various coverages and what adjustments they have to make. Maybe if a little more time was spent on learning defensive assignments instead of trying to get the jump on people, we wouldn't have three seasons worth of "anatomy of a play" on NFL.com where the only thing that's special about each featured play is how badly the defense blow their assignments (trust me. Ignore the presenters comments about how great Romo was on this play or Manning was on that one. Just watch how bad some of the defensive play is). I'm not saying that studying the opponent is outright bad. Getting a feel for opposition teams is good and studying the characteristics of certain players is also good (Darrelle Revis for example plays the high shoulder, therefore he should be more susceptible to Comeback and Deep In patterns). But when we start dissecting every last play and thinking we're going to catch someone out when they run it because we're so ahead of the game is a recipe for disaster. Food for thought maybe, unless you're a coach of course, in which case you probably don't eat. Your too busy studying film. Have a great day everyone.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Back to basics

-- Michael Vick is in the news again. I don't really want to comment much until I know more about the situation but the basic rundown is that he was back in Virginia celebrating his 30th birthday at a nightclub and some time shortly after 2am a man was shot. The man is believed to be one of the co-defendants in Vicks dog fighting trial, though again, details are still sketchy at this stage. All early reports claim Vick was not present at the club when the shooting happened. The question I'm mostly interested in is whether Vick invited his old friend to the party or whether he was a gate crasher. If he was invited, then I can't fail to see that as poor judgement from Vick, who should be doing everything possible to distance himself from his past. I'll come back to this at some point in the future when more details are available. -- Now, it's not very often you can compare football and soccer in terms of what one might teach the other. The games are very different in almost all key areas. But watching the World Cup (yes, my football withdrawal symptoms are that bad) I'm reminded of two things that are very important to both sports: 1) Don't always believe the hype 2) Sound fundamentals are vital In the first case, I can point straight away to the cases of teams like Italy (the defending champions) and France. These are two teams that are packed with world class talent, yet both have had dire tournaments, finishing bottom of their respective groups (with Italy finishing below that giant of international soccer; New Zealand). In addition, teams such as England, Germany, Spain & Portugal have all had their struggles during the group stages, despite being loaded with top flight players. Meanwhile, a number of the lesser sides have put on a good show, with Japan being among the biggest surprise qualifiers to the knockout stage. What this tells us is that on any given day, any team can win. If big stars fail to live up to their billing and show the quality that they are known for then all bets are off. Similarly, lower order teams can persevere with a little commitment, hard work, organisation and team spirit. The lesson we should take forward with us is into the 2010 NFL season is not to write off teams like Detroit, St. Louis, Tampa and Kansas so easily. At the same time, we should be wary about handing the Superbowl over in June to teams like Dallas, Indianapolis, New Orleans or Minnesota. This world cup has taught us that the difference between good and bad is - at times - wafer thin. Which leads me to point number 2. One of the big difference's has been in the execution of fundamental techniques. Passing, scoring, off the ball movement; these are all things that teams like France and Italy have struggled with. Just this evening I was watching the game between Spain and Chile and noticed that the Chilean players struggled to put good quality crosses into the penalty area. This is something that children are taught how to do in school. There are players playing in the lower divisions in England who can put in better crosses than the ones I saw today. Imagine having a QB in the NFL who couldn't complete a simple quick slant on a regular basis (JaMarcus....). The guy would never last (JaMarcus....). Whether it's soccer, football, or for that matter any sport, fundamental skills need to be honed to perfection, even still at the highest levels. For all the talent in their teams and the clever ideas and formations their coaches tried to utilize, the big guns have suffered at this world cup mainly through their poor execution of basic skills. For Italy and France the wounds were mortal. For England, Germany, Spain & Portugal, the wounds were not as bad, but they're still not out of the woods yet. Lesson to be learned? Get the basics right first. Whether it's kicking a soccer ball or throwing a football, you can't perform well without fundamentals. Have a great day everyone. P.S. Good luck to Team USA against Ghana!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Cold off the press

-- Actual news to report this Thursday! Marc Bulger - formerly of the Rams - will now be lining up in purple for the Ravens. He's been brought in as a veteran back up to Joe Flacco and I have to nod my head and say that it's another solid pick up in Baltimore this season. Will Bulger light up the scoreboard if needed? Probably not. But behind the Ravens line and with their run based attack, Bulger is experienced enough to get it done if Flacco is out for whatever reason. It's a good move. The Ravens also picked up CB Walt Harris, at a guess I would say just to add some depth to their secondary. But again, it's a solid move and the Ravens look like they're building a team this year. Not collecting talent or big names, but team building. Does a date in Dallas call for the Ravens? It's a little early, but the signs are promising.... -- Steve Smith has given the token speech about regretting his injury after it emerged that he broke his arm playing flag football with adults, not at a youth football camp as many previously believed. But a token speech is all it was. Smith tried to defend his position on Charlotte radio station WFNZ-AM by pointing out that he could easily be injured in all manner of everyday situations and then later joked on a telephone interview with NFL Total Access host Rich Eisen that he could potentially get injured slipping on a diaper. And while that's true, there's nothing in Smiths contract that stops him from slipping on diapers or cutting off a finger on a lawnmower. There is however - like almost all NFL contracts - some wording that prevents him from playing sports. For a very good reason. Say, like the risk of breaking your arm if you take a heavy fall. I don't care how dangerous flag football is or isn't. I don't care if Smith knows a ton of people who are off playing basketball right now. That doesn't matter. What does matter is that you have a contract which entitles you to large sums of money and prevents you from taking part in other sports. End of story. Is he going to pay some of the money back? How do his team mates feel knowing the best receiver on the team is going to miss the whole of training camp because he wanted to out shine some amateurs in a YMCA league? If I was his coach I'd be pretty damn pissed off right now, mainly because of the blase (I cant find the special character e') attitude shown. If I was his team mate, I'd be even more so. Some people just don't get it. -- And talking of locker room fractures and dismay, it's the Albert Haynesworth saga!! Yes, Haynesworth has said he'll be back in training camp and that he was only 'holding out' from voluntary camps, but the question still remains as to what will happen to Haynesworth when he returns. The Redskins want him to be a NT in their 3-4, Haynesworth wants to sit over a gurad and make hell in the oppositions backfield all day long. The answer? Ma'ake Kemoeatu They picked up the NT for a reason. Maybe initially just as an insurance policy against the chance that Haynesworth did indeed leave, but now the opportunity is ripe for Kemoeatu to be put to good use, sitting over the center and freeing up Haynesworth to play DE in the 3-4 scheme. How does the old phrase go; when all you have is lemons, make lemonade.... ? -- And in one last final and seamless transition, we go from a disgruntled pass rusher to the topic of my post yesterday, which was pass rushing in general, particularly with interest in the Defensive Tackles of a 4-3 getting penetration. Easier said than done you might say. And you'd be right, but to give you some idea of how it's done and what you should expect out of guys like Gerald McCoy and Ndamukong Suh this season (though don't set the bar too high), I point you in the direction of the excellent brophy football (www.brophyfootball.blogspot.com) who has just posted a series of videos by Pete Jenkins on defensive line play. Keep an eye out in the first video for the Pull slide and swim. Have a great day everyone.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Stick it up the middle

Borrrrrrredom!!!!! As is expected of the NFL between late June-early August, nothing at all has happened today. Maybe some coaches were watching film somewhere. Maybe an executive was rearranging his desk. Maybe Terrell Owens's agent was still trying to convince his client that he's good, but not to the tune of $5 million per year. All I know is that nothing worth relating happened today. So I wandered the web, lost for something football related to keep me happy. I headed over to http://www.gridironsource.com/ to check out their latest videos..... and I stumbled on a gem. Even better, I've finally figured out how to embed their videos to this blog so I can show you the gem without you having to run around the Internet following links. So I present to you (in a bit) a scouting reel of Dallas McClarty, DT from Clear Springs High School (League City, Texas). And like all good scouting film, there's no damn marker at the start of each play to point out where he is. But that's irrelevant. In fact, I don't even want you to focus on McClarty all that much. What I want you to keep an eye on is the performance of the entire front line in general. What you're going to see is penetration (stop giggling at the back). Which is important why? Because (yes I know, bad grammar) it's the fundamental key to unlocking the potential of any defense. And even though the Cougars appear to be running a 3-4 front, the lesson still holds true for 4-3 teams. This is important because the 4-3 is a dying breed in the NFL. Last year the Packers were the latest high profile team to switch to the 3-4. And I think it's a shame. In my article last Thursday about running the football I briefly bemoaned how we're constantly being told that the old style running game is dead and attempted to offer up some advice on how to get it breathing again. Well, we're also being constantly told how the 4-3 is dead (or dying). We're told that it's outdated. Hopefully this video clip will inspire some hope and maybe bizarrely serve to get the 4-3 breathing again. Hope that Defensive Tackles can be taught how to effectively break in to the oppositions backfield. Hope that the art of the 4-3 will not be lost in a quagmire of 3-4 hyperbole (or worse, the dreaded 3-3 stack). And hope that coaching the necessary skills at each position will once again supersede thoughts about which scheme is better. So here we are and enjoy: Have a great day everyone.

In the old days, we didn't have these 'concussions' ....

Day 3690 of the 2010 NFL off season: All hope is lost. Everyone is gone. All the food has run out. There's no water. There's no news... Yes the fun filled, wall-to-wall excitement extravaganza that is the NFL off season is really kicking into full swing. As I speak I'm currently doing what many of the real sports journalists around the country are doing; making a list of articles-however seemingly inane or out of place they may be-to be used in lieu of an actual news story breaking out. For a moment I was tempted to start covering the Arena league. Then I slipped over, banged my head and finally came to my senses. It was getting desperate for a moment. I also considered digging up footage posted onto YouTube by football teams here in the UK, only to realise that the sight of fully grown men struggling to make themselves look as good as a Pop Warner side would do nothing to beneficially promote the game. Instead of this, I regained my senses and meandered over to have a look at http://www.smartfootball.com/ (a generally very good blog, especially if you're one of those Game Theory-a-holics). It was here I found a video called 'Old Fashioned Football' (which I shall post later on for your viewing pleasure). This nugget of oldy worldy football led me to YouTube itself and to the search for more old clips, some of which will be posted here. These intrigue me for a number of reasons, the two main ones being: 1) There are 'Spread Offense' coaches who simply believe that less men in the box makes running the football a little easier etc. Then there are spread offense coaches who will pour honey in your ear and try to make you believe that it's impossible to effectively run against anything more than a 6-man box. These videos clearly prove that notion to be false. 2) You can't beat a bit of retro football. Anyways, here you are. Enjoy (keep an eye out for the ref in the first video @2:25 firing a gun to signal a TD!): Well, hope you enjoyed that little trip down memory lane and don't forget you can now subscribe to future posts using that 'Follow' thingy on the right hand side (you'll need a blogger account). You can now also send me abusive e-mails at: keepingthechainsmoving@live.co.uk Have a great day everyone.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

The end is nigh!

Ta da! Better late than never I guess. Oh what's this? Is this a nugget of news to astound the people with!!! No, it's a actually just a peanut. I'm afraid, as always in the off season there is little kicking around to be commended as news. Steve Smith just about tops the scale with his freshly broken arm. He's had surgery and is expected to be back by week 1, but it remains to be seen what action the Panthers will take against him, after the cause of the break was revealed to be a game of flag football. Yeah, flag football. Apparently he slipped and fell on his arm, explaining the break. It's not known for certain yet whether he was playing against adults or children, as he did have a youth camp scheduled some time over the weekend. But it throws up the interesting point that even flag football is not entirely safe. Neither is basketball. Nor is any sport really. This is one of the reasons why I'm so firmly against many of the changes that the league makes to try and make the NFL 'safer'. It's a physical sport where guys crash into each other. It's almost impossible to make the game totally safe. What it is possible to do is to make the game more 'pass-centric' through judicious changes in the rules. Maybe that's what all this 2012 doomsday stuff is about. Maybe the Mayans, or the Aztecs, or whoever it was that predicted that the world would end in 2012, maybe this is what they saw. Maybe they knew that in 2012, possibly after a year of work stoppage in the league, that the NFL would return to our screens as.................................... flag football!! Fingers crossed for an asteroid hit then. Have a great day everyone.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Let's all have a moment of quiet reflection

Yeah, It's Sunday. The day when the NFL seems to go into a quiet slumber, and all news outlets around the nation cease to produce anything that might even dare to call itself news. It is to the news week what the off season is to the NFL. Boredom!! What I actually hate the most is the impending prospect that once OTAs are done, we've basically got a month of nothing. Not a peep for near enough four weeks. Everyone bow your heads and pray that one day we will have something useful to discuss in this time period. Amen. Have a great day everyone.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Rolling in the brown stuff

-- Starting off today, Jammal Brown of the New Orleans Saints is set to make a move to Washington. Brown will have to pass a physical with Redskins first, then sign a deal in New Orleans that will allow him to be traded (teams cannot trade players without a contract). The compensation will be a draft pick in 2011, either a third or a fourth rounder, depending on which pick the Redskins end up giving to the Eagles as part of the McNabb trade. Brown was taken by the Saints in the first round of the 2005 draft and has since been to the pro bowl twice. With OT Trent Williams drafted by the Redskins at number 4 overall, it looks likely that Brown will find himself playing on the right side of the Redskins line. -- The Department of Labor is preparing to interview members of the NFLPA as part of an ongoing investigation. Sources inside the NFLPA have told the Associated Press amongst others about an e-mail that was sent to members of the union advising them of their options should they be contacted by federal authorities. Of most concern to the league are claims made in court documents from a wrongful dismissal suit filed by former NFLPA employee Mary Moran, that commissioner Roger Goodell met with members of the NFLPA, including former president Troy Vincent, without the knowledge or authorization of the union. It's alleged that the purpose of the meetings was to provide the league with confidential information about the union. Vincent has so far declined to comment on the matter and the league has dismissed the claims against Goodell, pointing out that it's common for Goodell to meet with players and union executives. Have a great day everyone.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Bring on the bangers!!

So what's the theme today? None. Sleep maybe. If million dollar superstars (and I use that term lightly) can hold out from mini camps till they get paid enough, then I can hold out from blogging until I get enough sleep. It's now 23:44 here and I've been up since about 20:15 yesterday. That's over 24 hours. To add to the mix, I watched England play in the World cup. Who needs alcohol when that was depressing enough? But in general, I do like watching the world cup. All those players diving at the slightest brush, cheating, spitting, holding their ankles and faces after taking a minor knock and just the general lack of anything that might represent manhood reminds me of why I turned to the NFL in the first place, why I love it so much, and why I'm very concerned with the direction the game is heading in (the push towards "basketball on grass". I wanna see banger racing on grass!!). But I will be back tomorrow, refreshed and ready. Till then, have a great day everyone.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Run for your lives!!

The other day I promised a treatise of sorts on the running game, and here is the fruits of my labor. Just so we're clear, we're talking about a good old fashioned running game, not the "spread to run" philosophy. We're talking 7 or 8 men in the box, driving guys off the ball and controlling the rock and the clock with the run game. Why you might ask? I'm just a little tired of hearing about all the benefits of "spread" offenses, that cream lesser opposition into the floor only to come a little unstuck against a tough defensive team. I want to stand up and defend the corner of the rushing attack. But rather than expound the many benefits of this type of offense (ball control, eating the clock, physically and emotionally draining a defense etc), I want to look more at how an effective run game can be created and what goes in to making a rush first offense work. Shall we begin? -- Strength and conditioning: Let's face it, looking at the NFL you notice something strange about the O-line of certain teams. The Bengals, the Jets, the Ravens, the Dolphins and the Panthers to name a few. They're big guys. But more importantly they're powerful guys. They explode off the ball quickly and strike hard, riding defensive guys out of the hole and pushing them up and back. This is down to good old fashioned strength training. Time spent in the weight room shows on the field. In the run up to the draft this year everyone was looking at the ease with which DT Ndamukong Suh would fend off potential blockers, hold the line, then chuck them aside to get to the ball carrier. That's pure strength. His bench press showed, if nothing else, that Suh is no stranger to the inside of a gym. If you want to run the ball, that's the kind of strength you need in return. You need power guys, who explode into the faces of the D-line and match them step for step, swinging their butts round to get between ball carrier and potential tackler, creating holes for the RB to slip through. You need guys who are familiar with the squat, the bench press and the deadlift. But not just familiar, but who love it, who smile at the end of a good lift, appreciating mans temporary victory over gravity. Bob Ladouceur, HC of the famous De La Salle High Spartans, once claimed that his strength and conditioning coach was the most important guy in his program. That's a pretty good reference right there. -- Formations and Motion: You here this all the time from passing teams. The use of motion and varied formations to confuse a defense. Well, it applies to the run game as well you know. There is a great clip somewhere, probably lost in the vast expanse that is the library of NFL film, of the Minnesota Vikings motioning a TE across the front prior to a run play. It ends up taking not one, not two, but three defenders out of the play. He blocks one guy and influences two others away from the point of attack. That's pretty special. There's plenty of examples to go around of this stuff. Lining up in a standard I formation and sending the flanker across to the single receiver side, forcing the defense to bump it's coverage across and now leaving a relatively weaker tackler in the shape of a CB playing force on the TE side (not to mention the Linebackers shifting over). And of course, we can't forget the old classic two tight end set. Replacing a gangly WR with a powerful run blocker, the two tight end set is not to be underestimated. -- Play Variation: The tendency among modern teams is to build a playbook that contains more pass plays than a man could possibly hope to learn in one year, coupled with just enough of a running game to keep the defense busy. This, for me, is a serious miscalculation. Defenses watch film. They can recognise run plays in their early stages just as well as a QB can spot a blitz or detect a safety slowly cheating pre-snap to help get into his coverage assignment. So there has to be versatility. I formation, split backs, Wing-T style far/near formations. Running to the strong and weak sides. Running up the middle, running to the outside. Isolation plays, sweeps, counters, reverses. Handing the ball to the Fullback and having the Halfback lead block for a change. Versatility is the name of the game gentlemen. Don't forget that many defenses read the Fullback for their cue as to where the run is going, so have the fullback run out and take on a DE while the HB goes up the middle or the other direction entirely. Keep the defense reacting, not acting. -- Wide Receivers: This seems like an odd thing to mention in an article about the run, but Wide Receivers play a very important role. Generally I think the O-line gets you the first four or five yards. The receivers will get you the next five. Their blocks, on Corners, safeties or even cracking back on a linebacker, are vital for big gains in the rushing attack. Of course we know most receivers are about as interested in blocking as they are in the utilization of Marxist economic policy in the developing world. The key is how to solve that problem and the answer is a pincer movement. On the one hand the threat of not being allowed to play unless they commit to run blocking. On the other, the idea of revenge. Revenge for all the times the corner has held them up at the Line of Scrimmage. Revenge for all the times that safety has helped play double coverage against them in order to stop the QB throwing the ball their way. Revenge for all the times that linebacker has dropped into a passing lane and forced the QB to look elsewhere with the ball. And of course, revenge for all the times that said players have tackled, shunted, slammed, tripped, hit and generally caused misery for the Wide receiving corps. It's payback time, and paybacks a b****! -- Running back: Reality check time. You wouldn't send a dumpy receiver flying on a go pattern for the simple reason that he wont get very far and even if he does come up with the catch, he'll be closed down by the defense quicker than you can say "look out for the safety!". Thus, it must be understood that for a running game to really find it's feet you need a scat back, aka Chris Johnson or the Bills new pickup C.J. Spiller. You need a runner, a cutter, a speed guy who can force safeties to miss open field tackles. Of course, you also need a banger, the kind of back who can run up the middle, bust through an arm tackle and get you five or six solid yards. At the high school level may I recommend putting the Fullback in the Halfback spot and bringing in a back up guard or tight end to take on lead blocking duties. But the point is, you need someone who can get you tough yards, and you need someone who can turn a 6 yard run into a 20 yard gain (example will follow later). -- Fullback: I love fullbacks. One of my favourite players of all time is Tom Rathman, fullback for the 49ers and now their running backs coach. Rathman was a hitter. He loved contact and he would do whatever you asked of him. If you needed him to catch (and you will) then he would run the pattern with everything he had. But in modern times it seems the fullback is a dying breed, falling at the wayside in favour of third receivers and so called "H-backs" tight ends who are neither a tight end, nor a fullback, nor a receiver. They are just pieces. Personally, I advocate the return of the fullback. As already mentioned, when defenses begin to key off the fullback you can use that to your advantage with a bit of misdirection. But the proper place for the fullback is leading the halfback through the hole, sweeping linebackers and safeties to one side to allow the runner to get into the open field. Bring it on. -- Quarterback: An odd person to talk about in the running game, but what is more odd is the following statement; this player is the single most important man in your rushing attack. Hmm, not convinced? I'm gonna show you a clip later that hopefully will persuade you, but for now just recognise that on any given running play, two players cannot be blocked. The reason for this is pretty obvious, as the QB and the ball carrier can't block (obviously the QB can, but it depends how much you value him). What a QB can do though is run in the opposite direction on a bootleg, the threat of which helps to alleviate pursuit of a run from the backside. The extension of this is obviously play action. The setting up of the QB behind the play is a threat to throw, a threat that must be honored by the safeties. This, more than anything is the key to making the run game work. Play action passing, and the threat of it. A QB rolling out the backside of a play is a threat to run or pass and must be respected. When that threat is ignored, it must be punished repeatedly until indecision sets in amongst the defense. On top of that, the dropback passing game must be utilised to punish the defense for playing with 8 men in the box. Ultimately, even on a rushing team, the Quarterback is still the most valuable player. As long as he is a threat with his feet and his arm, to make first downs at the very least, the QB can keep the pressure off the rushing attack. So, onto video. First up are two videos of the Euless Trinity High Trojans from Texas. What I want you to pay close attention to are: - the solid blocks technique wise from the O-line, - the ability of the Running back to find space, cut and defeat open field challenges, combined with great downfield hustle by all concerned, - the use of lots of tight formations that according to the spread crowd should make it harder/impossible to run the ball, - the effect of the QB's actions on holding certain players such as the defensive ends, coupled with the often acres of open space for him to exploit on bootlegs. Part one: http://gsn.gridironsource.com/_2009-TEXAS-STATE-5A-CHAMP-EULESS-TRINITY-MEAT-GRINDER-OFFENSE-FEATURING-RB-TERRENCE-TUSAN-PT-1/VIDEO/987438/32256.html Part Two: http://gsn.gridironsource.com/_2009-TEXAS-STATE-5A-1-CHAMP-EULESS-TRINITY-MEAT-GRINDER-OFFENSE-FEATURING-RB-TERRENCE-TUSAN-PT-2/video/987436/32256.html The second video I want to share with you comes from the forbidden world of TV punditry. I say this because there seems to be a tendency among coaches to believe that anyone who has a job as a TV analyst is automatically inferior when it comes to football knowledge. Now I admit that some guys know more than others (e.g. Fran Charles, and here in the UK Mike Carlson), some have great moments and bad moments (e.g. Jamie Dukes, Mike Mayock) and some appear to have no idea what the hell they're talking about (e.g. Charley Casserly). This clip comes from the Big Ten Network, and was posted on YouTube. I present it to you as a great demonstration of the use of the QB in exploiting over pursuit of the run by the defense. And of course, having mentioned Tom Rathman earlier, I couldn't possibly leave you without showing this clip that I found: That is all, hope it was of some use and interest and I'll see you all tomorrow. Have a great day everyone.

Ka-Ching!

-- Quick news update, and it appears Darrelle Revis may be on his way to becoming the highest paid Defensive Back in the league, with numbers being batted around that seem to fall in the region of a 6 year deal worth anything between $10-12 million dollars per year. New York Real estate agents are said to be delighted with the progress.... -- The Jaguars and the Lions will both forfeit their final two mini camps after becoming the latest teams to fall foul of the rules regarding the type and intensity of workout permitted. OTAs are performed in shorts, shirts and helmets, no pads, and must not involve serious contact. This is getting to be quite the epidemic though. At first I attributed it to players moaning, but the amount of cases so far suggests that teams are just being very lax about the application of the rules. It just amazes me that with certain rules in place and clearly stated for all teams to abide by, how these kind of incidents can happen is getting beyond a joke. Anyway, I have an article about running the football to write. So until then, have a great day everyone.

Feed me!!

So today was going to be about running the football, but it's late, I need sleep and some news worthy news has actually come in. -- Domenik Hixon, WR extraordinaire for the Giants has torn his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (I'm reliably informed it's as painful as it sounds). He'll have surgery in the coming weeks and is expected to miss the entire season, which is a huge blow for a Giants team that I already didn't fancy much. Bad news for the Blue half of New York. -- Redskins DT Albert Haynesworth has formally requested a trade. The Redskins are none too pleased of course, having recently paid out some big money in order to fulfil some of the guaranteed part of Haynesworth's contract. So where do they go from here? No choice really. Haynesworth has made it clear that he wont play as a Nose Tackle in a 3-4 scheme so they might as well grab a pick for the guy. Many people are talking about the Titans, but Expect Jim Schwartz of the Lions to be interested and expect Washington to be more than happy to send Haynesworth to a team they feel is much less likely to give him a Superbowl ring as punishment. -- I have a grumble to make with NFL.com. Not long ago (at least in my head) they switched to providing all their videos in High Definition using Akamai. Now, I don't even have a high definition monitor, but even if I did, do I really need it to see guys in suits sitting around talking about football? Obvious answer: no. It wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that the new videos take longer to load, they often glitch out and stop for a few seconds for no apparent reason, and every time you click back (say, if you're trying to break down a play you've seen), the damn thing has to stop and then reload the whole section of film that you've already watched. Sort it out NFL network!! -- Last but not least, the NFL has been chatting with the players union (the NFLPA) about a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Hoping to smooth things over, the league entered with... a plan to extend the regular season by two games. Yeah, nice way to smooth things down. Actually it's being called an 'Enhanced Season' because it would strip off two pre-season games in favour of two regular season games, not actually extend the playing schedule. Now, apparently everyone hates the pre-season, and I kind of do to. But, and it's a big but, I do see the value. I see back ups getting reps. I see players off the radar trying to get on it. I see a chance to refine the wrinkles of some of the playbook. And (I think I've given up on good grammar) of course, we get the chance to see rivals play each other on a frequent basis, something they wouldn't normally (like the 49ers and the Raiders). There is however, no point in complaining. If there's one thing I've learnt, it's that when Commissioner Goodell says he likes something, that's it. It's a done deal. The London games, the New York Superbowl, the new overtime rules. If the league is thinking about it, it's over. The players of course are worried about injuries and how the injured reserve system will work, to which the league has suggested a revision back to the old system, where you can put a guy on injured reserve and he has to sit at least 6 games, but then you get him back. The players are also concerned about roster size to which the league has said they'll consider a roster increase. Why, I have no idea? You gonna tell me that after 16 games teams are going to start pulling all their starters etc? Forget it, no need. The Players are also concerned, of course, with the finance issue. Their theory is that because they get paid the bulk of their money as "game checks" that they should be paid more. The reality is they will still be playing 20 games including the preseason and they still have to show up to practice. This argument, in my opinion, doesn't hold water. A more telling question is how to set up the additional two games. As it stands, each team plays their divisional opponents twice (home and away), they play all the teams in a division in the same conference once (two home, two away, division rotates annually), they play all the teams in a division in the opposite conference once (two home, two away, division rotates annually) and then they play the other two teams in their conference who finished in the same position as them within their respective divisions (e.g. 4th place plays 4th place)(one home, one away). At a guess, I'd say you just play those last two teams again, but it also opens up the realms for playing two "Rivalry" matches, with one home, one away, rotating on an annual basis. I think I like the Rivalry idea best, make those extra two games worth it. As for time scales, none of this would come into effect until 2012. But just remember, it's not an extended season, it's an "enhanced season". Which makes all the difference ;) -- Ok, so it wasn't quite the last thing. There was also talk of a feeder league, similar to the NFL Europe experiment. The twist this time is that it would take place within the confines of the USA. I don't know why, but everything about it sounds like it's going to be terrible. Now while resurrection of NFL Europe may not sound all that great either, I can firmly tell you that NFL in the UK has come along big time now. Every year the Wembley game has sold out. On TV now, you can switch on the satellite and get three live games per Sunday on SkySports, as well as the choice of alternate games if you like through the red button, and you get Monday Night Football as well (all, I might add, in one single price sports package on one channel, he he he!!). The game is taking off in the UK big time and as the Soccer season in the UK runs from late August to around May, leaving a giant sporting gap which needs to be filled right in the middle, which just happens to coincide with the NFL off season. I say, bring the feeder league to the UK. But that's not because I'm bias or anything..... (can we have a team in Colchester please?). Anyway, I promise I will post the run game article tomorrow, even if it has to go up way early to make room and make sure it's done. Till then, have a great day everyone.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Everyone just relax

Well, as far as transitions go, this one hasn't exactly gone smoothly. I didn't realise that blogger would shift my entire blog to this new address without leaving anything at the old one except for a note to say that blog address does not exist anymore. Needless to say I'm a little worried that people might think I've been wiped off the face of the Earth (must be those nefarious private followers striking already). And (yes I know) my move wasn't the only thing that hasn't been going smoothly of late. Vincent Jackson of the Chargers, along with team mate Marcus McNeil, may be headed for a very long sit down. Sources close to the situation have told the San Diego Union Tribune that they expect Jackson and McNeil to sit out as far as week 10 if necessary. So can I just be one of the first to say that would be the dumbest thing Vincent Jackson could possibly do. It would rank up there - stupidity wise - with Favres interception throw in the dying seconds of the NFC Championship game last season. Why miss out on the guaranteed cash (you don't get paid to sit at home)? More to the point, why take yourself out of the spotlight after having had such a great year last year(s)? I just don't get it. Guys have some good times and then suddenly it all goes to their head. Jackson could have signed a tender worth something like $3 million, but now he'll be lucky to get a fifth of that, and only if he plays all the games. Stupid as hell. There is hope for Jackson though; the NFLPA is holding talks this week with the league about the new CBA, so maybe the players are in for a bumper payday next year!! Don't count on it. The NFLPA has blundered through these negotiations like a village idiot in a giant hamster wheel. No wonder commissioner Goodell always looks so happy. He knows the house always wins, he's just waiting to see how long he can keep the NFLPA putting down the chips. At this rate they're going to clean out the kids college fund trying to get one up on the league and I just can't see the league buckling. This thing is probably going to get a whole lot uglier before it gets prettier. Just watch out for the "Kevin Mawae hasn't been signed because of being President of the NFLPA" thing to rear it's head again. That should kick off the negotiations in the right tone. Other than that, not much excitement about. I hear Chad Ochocinco is back at practice, as is Marshawn Lynch, who told BuffaloBills.com the reason for his absence from OTAs: “I was just enjoying what they call the off season, just enjoying that and kicking back at home, but still getting the necessary work for me to come back in here and produce.” Well in that case, all is well. Though it's lucky the Bills didn't finish bottom of the division last year, or go something stupid like 6-10, otherwise people might look harshly on Lynch's relaxed attitude.... Anyway, I'm shattered and tomorrow I have a study of the run game lined up for you. Lucky you. Have a great day everyone.

So what else is new?

So what's going down in the NFL neighbourhood today? The answer; jack s*%$. -- Vince Young is expecting the dreaded phone call from commissioner Roger Goodell about his conduct this weekend, but other than a meeting to receive a ticking off, no further action is likely. -- There's still some players holding out on signing their tenders, but if they have any sense (or indeed their agents do) then expect to see those signings come flooding in over the next few days. -- NFL.com needs to invest in a spell checker, as Darrelle Revis found one of the R's cut from his name. But that's about it. So what's new with this blog? Actually quite a bit. Ish. If you look over to the right under that first, shiny vertical advertising board, you should see a thingy for following my blog. If you click on 'Follow' it will add my blog to your reading list, which you can access on your blogger home page. If you choose to follow publicly then your profile picture (providing you have one) will appear in the box (space permitting) as a sign of your support. Or you can choose to follow privately, still getting updates on your reading list but not appearing in the box (so you can hide in the shadows and nefariously plot my down fall in peace). You can also now e-mail me. There's a link on my profile page now for that, or you can simply head over to your e-mail provider and tap in: keepingthechainsmoving@live.co.uk to ask questions, leave suggestions, feedback, abuse etc, as the mood takes you. And on a final note, I'm currently trying to shift the blog over to www.keepingthechainsmoving.blogspot.com . This may or may not be successful. If it is, then this is the last post you'll see at this address and if you have me stored in your favourites, you'll need to head over to the address above in order to find me again. Those who are following the blog through blogger should be automatically taken there. If my plan for world domination (or even just domain name domination) fails, then I imagine I'll be staying here. That just leaves me to say, have a great day everyone!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Picking on, well, picks.

-- Before we begin today's talk about interceptions, I've just stumbled across the news that Vince Young has allegedly been involved in an incident in Dallas, with Young apparently being considered as the primary suspect in an assault at a "gentlemen's club". Funny, because I thought Vince Young had told the press his clubbing days were over so he could focus on his career and his family? Idiot. -- So, Interceptions. Basically I'm going to go out on a limb here. This year we've seen plenty of picks and heard lots about great defensive plays by the backs. But I'm a little skeptical. See, the one thing I've noticed as a fairly common theme running through a lot of interceptions is just bad ball placement. That's not to say that all interceptions are luck. Some do involve genuinely great plays. In the case of bad ball placement you still have to give credit to the defender for keeping position with the receiver. But I just wonder if this isn't symptomatic of the way we view football in general. A guy gets 9 picks in one year and we're bowing at his feet instead of looking at the circumstances and actually asking ourselves what he did on that play. This reminds me of last year, dissecting so many of NFL Networks 'anatomy of a play' segments, where the resulting touchdowns were often thanks to nothing more spectacular than a blown assignment or a missed tackle. Despite the fancy coating, it was the defense failing to do something that made it happen, not the offense pulling some magic play out of the bag. "But Chris, where's the evidence?" I'm glad you ask (clever you, never take an argument at face value). If the wonders of modern technology and my ability to manipulate it come together in perfect harmony, I should be able to show you a clip of Darrelle Revis picking off a pass by Carson Palmer to Chad Ochocinco (who can now officially file a complaint against my blog for harassment over the last few days). What I want you to look at on the replay is the placement of the ball behind the receiver... right into the hands of Mr. Revis. If the ball is thrown a little deeper downfield, then Revis doesn't touch it. And as for the "it was supposed to be a back shoulder throw" comment by the, erm, commentator, I think I remember reading somewhere that you don't throw to the back shoulder WHEN A DEFENSIVE BACK IS STANDING RIGHT THERE!! Have a look: ... fail. Ok, you'll have to look at the link yourself: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d8159cf2d/Revis-interception This is typical of the kind of stuff I'm talking about. At the end of the year I think we are all guilty of making the mistake of looking at a guys numbers and just purely saying "oh, didn't that guy do well" etc, without really thinking about what they've done. To prove a point, I'm going to provide you with the link to the Darrelle Revis 2009 highlights. I want you to keep an eye out for his interceptions and remember that he grabbed six in 2009. http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-pro-bowl/09000d5d815af5c7/2009-Best-of-Darrelle-Revis What you quickly notice is that really only two of those picks are, in my opinion, legitimately down to the individual talents of Revis (the two being the picks against New England and Oakland). Now again, I'm not saying Revis is a bad corner. I think he had something like 31 passes defended to his name last year. But the reality is that 4 of those 6 were, to me, just the result of poor throws. That's not Revis's fault, but I think we do have to look a little harder at how we assess players, especially defenders. Oddly enough, Revis might actually be a good example. Maybe passes defended - something Revis excelled at - would prove to be a superior measure of the quality of a defensive back. Maybe interceptions are something we should treat with a little more skepticism in terms of singling out who the best corners and safeties are. But then, maybe I'm just going mad in the off season. Anyway, I've found some fun interceptions for you to watch. The first is Troy Polamalu (probably my favourite player in the league right now) making a great grab off a slightly under thrown ball. As for the second, all I can say is "BIG MAN WITH FOOTBALL!!" Here they are:

I'd also like to point you once again in the direction of www.brophyfootball.blogspot.com, where Coach Hoover continues his great analysis of one of my pet hates; fumbles

Have a great day everyone.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Hail the conquering hero...

-- To start, someone left a comment (hey Coach Hoover) about the possibility of Chad Ochocinco or Terrell Owens organising their own "Terrell Owens Day" or "Chad Ochocinco Day" as a possible get out clause for training camp. If this is the case, then keep an eye out as well for "Brett Favre Month" next season... -- And (yes I know, grammar,) speaking of the one million year old man himself, I was watching the 2001 Packers @ Rams divisional game (which you can watch here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5EI7oUfa88 ) and I noticed something about Favre that might help to explain why Donovan McNabb was successful in the West Coast Offense, without ever truly pushing over the edge (e.g. winning a Superbowl). It's two fold and both things relate to arm strength (or to put it better, arm, chest, abdominal & leg strength). The first was the tendency to try and make plays that weren't there, leading to interceptions. Both McNabb and Favre have a habit of trying to throw the ball to an outlet despite the fact that they're being wrestled to the ground by two or three defensive linemen, relying on pure power to make it work. The common result of this is to throw a bad pass and give up a pick. The solution? Take the sack. Live to fight another play. The second thing that might help to explain their joint difficulties at times, is their inability to throw very catchable short balls. Bill Walsh once commented that one of Joe Montana's great assets was his ability to throw a soft, catchable ball to the short routes. Favre and McNabb meanwhile do the opposite. They hurl the rock as hard as possible, even on quick routes, subsequently making the ball difficult to catch. When you're relying on short passes to make a lot of your yards and to largely supplement your run game (or as it's known in Philadelphia, your entire run game) dropped passes like that are killers. Just food for thought and possibly hope for Eagles fans as Kolb doesn't really have the arm to throw rocket shots over short distances. Tomorrow, I want to share a theory about interceptions. Defensive backs look away. Till then, have a great day everyone.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Reality check

-- Today, football takes a back seat. Kind of. The Atlanta Falcons have stepped up with one of the best non-football related programs I've heard of in a long while. Around 30 players - including QB Matt Ryan - attended a 2-day business seminar with talks by some of the most respected business people in the nation. Players were given advice on setting up businesses, as well as leadership & management. This, this right here is what the NFL needs more of. Sound advice given to players to help them look after their millions, especially after they retire. Good on the Falcons. -- Adrian Peterson will miss a mandatory workout with the Vikings to attend the 4th annual "Adrian Peterson Day" held in his honor in his hometown of Palestine, Texas. Seriously... WTF? That's how bad it is. It reduced me to Internet shorthand. If I was on the Vikings roster, I'd be all kinds of pissed off with Adrian missing practice for this. Coming off a tough loss in the NFC Championship game last season and with a great shot at making the 'bowl this season, the Vikings players need to get real and get to grips. This is a shot you can't just pass up on a whim. It also begs the question of how truly committed this team is to winning. Have a great day everyone.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Roll VT

Earlier I mentioned I was hoping to watch the '75 Superbowl between the Steelers and the Cowboys. Well it turns out the video series I was watching (the link I gave you) is in the wrong order, so you get to video 7 and magically jump to the last 10 minutes of the game. A better link can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRuC0BZ40Ug Thank god for YouTube and the fair use of copyright. Have a great day (game?) everyone.

Uh Oh, Ocho

-- Not much going in NFL land right now. There's a lot of attention being directed towards Saints RB Reggie Bush and Bill Walsh look-a-like Pete Carroll, after the NCAA heaped punishment on USC due to revelations about Bush accepting certain gifts while playing for the Trojans. But let's face it, it doesn't affect the league, so who here cares? What about the latest on holdouts then? Oh surprise, surprise, now that we're inching closer to the land of mandatory camps, all the "holdouts" are coming to an end. Didn't see that coming. Which is probably how Chad Ochocinco feels about the latest comments from Bengals QB Carson Palmer regarding Ochocincos absence from OTAs. It's not unusual for Chad to be missing in action. He prefers to work away from the team, and for all his off season activities away from the field, Chad is still well known for keeping himself in good shape. But the cutting comment from Palmer came about the Bengals possibly looking for a new number 1 guy to base their offense around. Not that it matters as, in my opinion, who cares if you're number one or two? You're either on the field or you're on the sideline. Providing you're on the field and you're open, you'll get the ball thrown to you. In theory at least. NFL Total access tackled the issue with Fran Charles and Jamie Dukes scoffing at the notion that anyone on the Bengals roster could replace Chad. But I wouldn't be so dismissive about the issue. Chad hasn't exactly been rocking anybodies world lately. Free agent acquisition Antonio Bryant on the other hand has spent the last couple of seasons making a living out of tough - and often spectacular - catches (I think he was a steal in Free agency, though a little touch over priced in the contract). Meanwhile, third year Wideout Andre Caldwell has been earning a well deserved reputation in Cincinnati as Mr. Clutch when it comes to third downs and last minute plays. Throw in under rated rookie Jordan Shipley and I think Chad has way more to look over his shoulder and worry about than many might think. Will Chad be knocked from his perch this year? Maybe not. But it'll be interesting to see if he's in camp for OTAs next year as the Bengals receiving corps begins seriously nibbling at his heels. Mr. Ochocinco, you have been warned... Now, I fancy brewing up a coffee and spending the early hours of the morning watching the 1975 Superbowl (10) between the Steelers and the Cowboys. Link here if you're interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-1xORGuIkg&feature=related Have a great day everyone.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

"Waaagh, he pushed me..."

-- The Raiders will miss their last OTA due to a complaint from the NFLPA about the nature of the practices. Great, more players bitching. Honestly, I don't get it. Where else can you get paid $millions a year for doing a physically demanding job, then complain because someone asked you to push a little harder in practice? Pathetic. -- The 49ers are on for a new stadium after voters in Santa Clara approved plans for the construction of a 68,000+ seater stadium. I'd rather the 49ers stayed in San Francisco but the reality is we need a new stadium and this is the best shot. Good on the people of Santa Clara. -- The NFLPA has filed a complaint over the terms of the NFLs TV deals for 2011, the main point of contention being that they are concerned that around $4 billion will be paid even if there is no football. The fact that the players get a share of this money, and that if there is no football then the league will ultimately have to pay that money back seems to have slipped the minds of the NFLPA representatives. Honestly, if I was a player, I'd be calling for some heads to roll. This has to be one of the worst labour negotiations in history. Right now in the UK, British Airways cabin crews are holding a series of strikes over perks and the company is not budging an inch. The reality is that people need to work to earn money and someone will always work. Players in the Arena League and the Canadian league are probably all gleefully rubbing their hands together at the thought of a work stoppage. If things continue on this path it's not going to end well for the current NFL players. -- Listening to Josh Cribbs being interviewed by Rich Essien, you get the impression that Cribbs is the kind of player every coach would love to have. He doesn't care what you ask him to do, he just seems to cherish the opportunity he's been given to play football at a high level. Good on you Josh. Have a great day everyone.

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

We're watching you!!

-- So ages I talked about Adrian Peterson's issues with fumbles. We're talking last year here. I mentioned that Peterson fumbles so much because he waves his arm away from his body when he runs, losing the five points of contact (tip, forearm, elbow, bicep, chest). I made the point that if someone would just teach him that, he'd be fine. Then recently Brophy (http://www.brophyfootball.blogspot.com/ , he's currently running a great series of audios from defensive coaching clinics) had a guest article that talked about the same thing, including excellent photos and a mention of Tiki Barber and how he fixed his fumbling problems with the Giants. Then today, NFL Total Access brings up the same issue. What's even more astounding is that they mention Tiki Barber and show some film of him, while talking about the 5 points of contact (though not specifically naming them as such). Coincidence? Maybe. It does raise some important questions though: 1) are staff from the NFL Network reading Brophy's and/or my blog? 2) If both of us saw the problem a long time ago, and the professional players from the show (Jamie Dukes & Fran Charles) both agree on our solution, while knocking the Vikings approach to the problem, does this make us better RB coaches than those at the NFL level? At a guess I would say no & no. But then you never know. Know what I mean? Right, I'm off to watch the 1983 NFC title game between the 49ers @ Redskins (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b8IbaOFxl8). And yes, I'm well aware that my team is not going to come off well in this one. Till tomorrow, have a great day everyone.

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Returning to the flock

-- Issac Bruce is back with the Rams after a token trade from the 49ers. Bruce served as a member of the Rams "Greatest Show on Turf" along with Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk, under the direction of Mike Martz (what happened Mike?). It's always nice to see players getting the chance to return to the place where they made their name so they can retire. Good luck to Issac Bruce. -- The Ravens have been forced to cancel their remaining OTAs after violating the rules for conducting such practices. The NFLPA filed a complaint to the league regarding the "intensity and tempo" of drills, as well as concerns over how long players were at the Ravens facility during OTAs. The Ravens had an OTA scheduled for June 14-18 which has now been cancelled and cannot be re-scheduled. -- It's not all bad news for the Ravens though. OT Jared Gaither has signed his first round tender which will seal his place with the Ravens for another year at least. I'm a big fan of linemen on both sides of the ball and think their role in being successful is often wildly under estimated. Thus, this signing could potentially have had a huge impact on the Ravens future this year. Things are looking good in Baltimore... Now If you'll excuse me, I'm caught up in a very interesting game of chess (which it looks like I will probably lose). Have a great day everyone.

Monday, June 07, 2010

The Lord giveth.... and occasionally the Lord playeth silly buggers

-- I'm tired and covered in mud. God - in all his wisdom - decided to pour on the sunshine in the afternoon while I was out cutting trees. As a result I spent the best part of 7 hours drowning in my own sweat. Then with the hard physical work done and a bonfire on the go to dispose of the cuttings, he decided to open up the heavens and pour on the rain and thunder. It took a lot of creative placement of the cuttings and plenty of tendering to keep the fire going and get the job done. As a reward I anticipated coming home to find that the NFL off season had suddenly exploded in activity. I was sorely disappointed. Some holdouts in Indianapolis and Terrell Owens on the set of NFL Total Access basically constituted this weekends news. Honestly, I'm not that interested in the holdouts, but Terrell Owens does raise some eyebrows. Owens is one of those annoying people that manages to look 26 despite being 10 years older (the exact reverse of me). He attributes his physique and conditioning to his personal trainer (don't we all?) and although he's pretty old for a receiver, Owens can still run. I don't buy the whole "he's lost a step" argument. A 'step slower' Terrell Owens is still faster than many players in the league. He has height, strength and good route technique. His catching ability is still superior to many in the NFL and he's even cleaned up his act in terms of his supposed reputation to cause disruption. This is probably the biggest moan I have about TO critics. If TO is causing trouble in the huddle etc, then it's the job of the coaches and - in particular - the quarterback, to slap him down. Part of being a QB is leading the team. That means enforcing the rules of the huddle and telling receivers in no uncertain terms why they're not getting the ball. If you have to shout at the guy, so be it. The QB is king (or should be) and has to exert that authority. It's not Owens's fault that teams and their quarterbacks have been insufficiently strong to correct Owens when he's in the wrong. Of course we also have the last season in Buffalo. There are many complaints about how TO performed in 2009. For that there is a simple answer: he was playing in Buffalo!! Let's not sugar coat things. Buffalo last year were terrible all over the field. Expecting Owens to come in and be a one man season changing player is unrealistic. He's a good player, but just like everyone else in the league he is a piece in the grand puzzle, not the guide that shows you where all the pieces go. And judging by the quality of some of the passes thrown to him last year, no wonder things went bad. Larry Fitzgerald would have struggled in that offense. There is one point I will cede to the anti-Owens camp: He's not a number one receiver and should not be paid number one money. Any deal Owens gets should find itself falling well short of the Antonio Bryant deal in Cincinnati (reportedly $7 million a year for four years). That's just the reality. He's 36 and he's essentially just a number 2 receiver. $5 million a year is not realistic. As long as Owens can appreciate that fact, there is no reason he shouldn't have a team to call home by the start of the 2010 season. If I was a head coach, I'd give him a roster spot. Gladly. Well, I'm off to bed for a very much deserved kip, even if I do say so myself. But rest assured I'll have my thinking cap on all the time, trying to find a subject worthy of discussion in these dark days of the off season. Till then, have a great day everyone.

Saturday, June 05, 2010

I came, I saw, I threw

-- So my eyes are hurting through tiredness and tomorrow I'm off to go and cut down the trees in my sisters backyard. It would appear her and her boyfriend - both in their 30s - are incapable of this task. So off I go, the only one in the family deemed safe enough to be allowed to pick up a saw... Which means that I'll be missing out on all the action and excitement of this Saturday in the NFL. And by that of course, I mean I'll be missing nothing. Not a thing. Unless Brett Favre returns to Vikings OTAs (I jest of course. It's not even August yet). What might be mildly exciting is the opportunity this weekend to (once the trees are down of course) take my good ol' Wilson out into the ample room of my sisters yard and have a go at tweaking a new throwing technique. Heaven forbid I should actually be able to get it on film for a change. If I can, I'll post it (After I've edited the video to air brush yours truly till he shines like a ripe apple. Or even some other analogy that makes more sense). Till next time, have a great day everyone.

Friday, June 04, 2010

Da dum. Daaa dum, da dum. Dum-dum dum-dum....

-- Like the eponymous shark from Jaws (Not strictly true but you get the gist), there is a dangerous force lurking in the waters of the NFL. It is the dreaded, the beastly, the unforgiving..... Holdout. Yes, the pampered superstars of everyones favourite game (except baseball fans, basketball fans, etc...) are on the warpath. They have pools that need to be built and summer vacation homes that need to be purchased. Their last Ferrari is already a year old and needs to be replaced with the latest model. Enter, the holdout zone!! First off, we're talking holdouts from mandatory mini camps. This is where then men are sifted from the boys, where we separate the posers from the players. So who are the latest wanderers in this void of pointlessness? Reggie Wayne, Robert Mathis, Albert Haynesworth and Darrelle Revis. It's believed that all of the above will holdout from mandatory mini camps scheduled for later this year. Haynesworth might as well not bother. Granted his is the only potential holdout not motivated by money, but more by a disaffection with scheme. But given the large amounts of cash handed over by the Redskins already, it's unlikely Haynesworth is going anywhere but the bench. Which is a shame. I like Haynesworth and I'm a 4-3 defense fan myself, so if I was out there in the coaching world of the NFL I'd be after him. And I kind of understand his perspective. He came to Washington mainly for money, but also to be a tackle in a 4-3. Had he been told about the potential move to Nose Tackle, it's certainly possible he would have just taken a hefty deal from somewhere else. Regardless, Albert will be a Redskin this season. Next is Robert Mathis. Uhm, sorry Mathis, but you're not Dwight Freeney, so you wont be getting paid like him either. Next! Reggie Wayne. Give me a break Reg. Take a look around the Colts locker room and what do you see? Lots of things I know, but one of them is Wide Receivers. Lots of wide receivers. Lots of good wide receivers. Pierre Garcon announced his presence to the world in style last year. Oh and then there's Anthony Gonzalez to come back from injury and Austin Collie who caused a lot of eyebrows to raise in admiration. Reggie will probably not get a huge pay rise, if he gets one at all. This is a definite case of over estimating your value. Unlike Darrelle Revis. Revis was without doubt on of the best defensive players last year. There are not many (read: none) other corners who can be left in single coverage against the likes of Andre Johnson and Randy Moss all game. "Revis Island" got the job done last year and he does have a legitimate claim to a pay rise, especially when you look at some of the better paid defensive backs in the league like Nnamdi Asomugha (try spelling that in a drunk, 3am text message) who apparently earns way above what Revis does. How much of a pay rise would Revis get? I imagine quite a bit. Personally I'd be quite tight. I'm very much a believer that when you sign a contract, that's that. Unless the contract is being breached or you were forced into signing it, there's nothing to really complain about. This is why I hate holdouts. Don't wanna be in the NFL? Don't sign up. No part of any contract says "we will pay you $X million per year, unless of course you have an outstanding season in which case your value rises to $Y million". Maybe I'm just a scrooge, but I don't believe the teams are helping themselves with the way they go about prematurely negotiating contracts. Enough of that though. I'm off to watch the 1988 NFC Playoff game between the Vikings and the 49ers that someone kindly posted on YouTube. Link is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqbK-gOu7Fg I'll probably be around tomorrow night, but Saturday Night is up in the air right now as it's likely I'll be away from my computer, chopping down trees. Yes, chopping down trees. Don't ask. Have a great day everyone.

Thursday, June 03, 2010

The Whole Ten Years

-- So, after the Welker update earlier, what's new? Erm, nothing. All the talk around the web and TV at the moment seems to be about whether the Patriots are on their way out, or whether they have another Superbowl left in them. Personally, I think with Brady, Welker and Moss on that team, you have to respect the Patriots. Belichick will be taking over play calling again on the defense this year and I expect the Patriots to be in with a shout at another Lombardi trophy in the next year or two. Providing Belichick stays. I say this because the supposed shelf life of a coach is about ten years (Nearly Belichicks time then). The theory is that after this period he becomes tired of the grind, tired of the same old routine and the enthusiasm for coaching that ball club diminishes. Supposedly it then takes a year or two out of the game for the coach to get his hunger back. I'm not entirely sure how much I buy that, but it was something that Bill Walsh believed in and if we know one thing about Belichick, it's that he respected the opinion of 'The Genius' very highly. I hope Belichick stays, not least because he gives us all a panto bad guy to complain about and to point the finger at. Have a great day everyone.

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

What a Welker

-- Just a quick update. I've just found out that Wes Welker is back on the practice field for OTAs with the Patriots. I mention this only because it could shoot my AFC East prediction in the foot. Damn you Welker.

The Moss is growing

-- So another day into the off season... and still nothings happened. Patrick Crayton is "holding out" from VOLUNTARY mini camps in protest at the receiver situation in Dallas. Big Ben is back in Pittsburgh for the largely pointless exercise of getting reps with the first team, otherwise known as stealing reps from the Quarterbacks who will actually be working with them for at least the first third of the season. And Randy Moss is looking for a new agent. Whoopsy do. Who really cares? So in the interim I've continuing to quench my thirst for football by watching the 1989 NFC Championship game between the Rams @ 49ers. There are lots of little things to be noted in this game (including John Madden on fine form, creating the entirely new position of "Nose Blocker") but three in particular stood out: 1) Roger Craig suffers a concussion, then returns to the game about 10-15 minutes later. How things have changed. 2) Tom Rathman. I've got a bit of a soft spot for proper Fullbacks, and Rathman has to lead that group. Running, catching, blocking. He did it all and he did it with grit, determination and a distinct appearance of loving every minute of it. Fine example of a true football player. 3) Despite the fact the 49ers ran away with this one and it was a reasonably high score from their perspective, something in me found this game incredibly boring compared to the 9-0 Rams @ Bucs game. I can't really put my finger on it. Maybe it was the tighter score, or maybe it was just the more physical nature of the '79 clash, the chess match between co-ordinators, running backs and linebackers. I dunno. Anyway, till tomorrow, have a great day everyone.

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Those Bucking Broncos

-- So the talk of the town is Denver and an impending QB controversy. Personally, I don't get it. McDaniels has said Orton is the guy. Orton did well last year, ish, and will be coming into his second season in this system. It makes zero sense to change Quarterbacks now. Brady Quinn? Please. Don't kid yourself if you believe Quinn is going to walk on to the field and suddenly become the messiah. He's in no better shape to start than Tebow. Personally I'd like to see Orton start for the next year or two while Tebow develops. Yes he was a first round pick, but this is a pick that needs to be developed, matured, in order to obtain its true value. Denver are in the luxurious position of having a competent guy at the number 1 slot who can hold the position down while Tebow becomes accustomed to life in the pros. As for Tebows throwing motion, watching the scarce footage that is available of the Broncos recent OTA's it appears Tebow is still doing exactly what I said he would do after watching clips of his "new" throwing motion prior to the draft. He's not dipping the ball so low anymore, but he is still pausing, hanging the ball out there behind him. Why? It's just his natural rhythm. It's the clock in his head saying "hold on a sec... now release". The same clock he's had probably all through high school and College. Is it fixable? Yes. Providing of course that someone on the Broncos coaching staff notices it and they make real strides to try and fix it. Otherwise, all they've done is moved his carry point, moved his release point, but not actually made his motion quicker. I hate to say it, and I'm by no means a QB expert but, I told you so. Instead of gloating however, I'm off to watch the 1979 NFC Championship game between the Rams @ Buccaneers. And (sorry grammar people) yes, the Buc's are wearing those hideous orangy, "what the hell happened to our uniforms" uniforms. Nice. If you wanna watch the game as well, link is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb56ede13UY&feature=related Have a great day everyone.