Earlier, prior to the draft, I said of Mark Herzlich that I thought he was a Jekyll and Hyde type player; good against the pass, not so good against the run. I later reaffirmed this statement after the draft.
But out of interest, just filling time on a slow Friday night/Saturday morning, I went back and had another, deeper look. And now I am happy to admit that I'm a little ashamed of that analysis.
Herzlich should have been drafted. By someone. Anyone. I've seen way more run snaps now and I'm a lot more convinced. Herzlich really does have quite a complete game and in a running theme lately I'm surprised by my initial statements on him.
I'm still convinced his utility against the pass is greater than that against the run, but not by such a huge gulf as I had previously thought. I also still believe he lacks some ability in pass rushing, but I don't think that should detract from the overall quality of his game.
I think I got this one very wrong first time around and that's why I'm posting this to correct that mistake, and to formally and publicly apologise to Mark Herzlich. You should have been drafted kid.
Also of note, if you want a good tip for the 2013/2014 draft(s), depending on when he comes out, look out for Herzlich's former team mate and fellow linebacker Luke Kuechly. If he keeps this up, that kid is going to be insane.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
I've been trying to put this one off for a while. Because (I know) I really don't like the Cowboys draft. It's boring and for the most part they might as well not have bothered.
First round pick; offensive tackle Tyron Smith from USC. Now, the Cowboys could have put every other offensive tackle in the draft into a hat, thrown the names up in the air and just picked one off the ground at random and probably ended up with a better player.
Smith is terrible. I've often said before that judging players is a matter of subjectivity. Certain people like certain players for whatever their personal reasons are. But there are some players who you just watch and you ask yourself how, how in the fucking name of the NFL did you anyone convince themselves that this player was a first round pick.
Tyron Smith is a great example. The guy is terrible. He's not even a seventh round pick. He's no pick. He's not even an offensive tackle, because by definition an offensive tackle is someone who blocks defenders but Smith doesn't even do that. He just flaps around ineffectually while making up the numbers on the line.
If you want to know why the Cowboys are in the state they are, this is why. You don't spank a first round pick on a guy like Tyron Smith. You bring him in to training camp as a rookie free agent and with the lowest expectations possible. You're essentially bringing him along in the hope that maybe, by some miracle, he'll start playing really well.
Of course that's a fools hope and that is basically what the Cowboys have signed up to here. This is just... astounding. On no planet, on no draft board, should Tyron Smith ever be even talked about as a first rounder. Or a second rounder. Or any rounder. Enjoy Dallas.
Next pick, Bruce Carter, LB, North Carolina. For some reason everyone loves Carter. I don't get it. What I've seen has been distinctly average/below average and no where near approaching second round pick status. Another wasted pick.
Round three. Running back, DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma.
Better. I like Murray. He has strength and drive. Vision is sometimes a little questionable as he tries to pick his way through the defense and sometimes runs into trouble when he should be running away from it. But overall a good back.
My problem is this. The Cowboys have Marion Barber, Tashard Choice and Felix Jones, three really good backs. And they don't even use those guys. They get maybe 11 carries between them per game. Now you've picked up ANOTHER back to just sit on the sidelines and watch? Nice going Jerry, you old, saggy faced, miserable clown.
Actually, why am I complaining? I hate the Cowboys..... Go Jerry! Go Jerry!
Fourth round; David Arkin, guard, Missouri State. No film, no idea. Given the record so far I'm going to take a punt and say he's bad. There you go.
Fifth round. Josh Thomas, corner, Buffalo. This is what I know about him, he's about 3 feet tall and he played for Buffalo. There you go. He's not anthony Gaitor and yet he was taken in the fifth. This annoys me.
Sixth round. Dwayne Harris, wide receiver, East Carolina. Now, Harris I can live with. He's not bursting with speed on the field and I'm not convinced by his route running, but he does have some good after the catch skills. His balance is good and he has a good eye for cutting behind defenders. Overall? Might make a handy slot receiver for the Cowboys.
Seventh round; Shaun Chapas, fullback, Georgia. Conveniently not starting on any of the Georgia film I have. Let's put it this way though, I had a pretty exhaustive list of players to look at pre-draft and if you didn't even make the list, chances are you're not worth bothering about.
Finally; Bill Nagy, C, Wisconsin. I love this pick. You know why? Because of mind numbingly dumb it is. Nagy started like two games in his entire senior year. Yet of all the players left on draft day, including probably 4 or 5 guards who were not only starters, but better players, the Cowboys went for this guy.
Normally at this point I would round the whole thing off with a summary, then I would spellcheck and grammar check, then add labels. I'm not going to. I want this to be a half finished piece that lacks polish, because that's all the Cowboys draft deserves.
Maybe one day Jerrah!! will admit that he knows about as much about drafting as Oprah Winfrey and hire himself a proper GM. Or maybe he won't and we can just carry on laughing at him and his shitty Cowgirls.
First round pick; offensive tackle Tyron Smith from USC. Now, the Cowboys could have put every other offensive tackle in the draft into a hat, thrown the names up in the air and just picked one off the ground at random and probably ended up with a better player.
Smith is terrible. I've often said before that judging players is a matter of subjectivity. Certain people like certain players for whatever their personal reasons are. But there are some players who you just watch and you ask yourself how, how in the fucking name of the NFL did you anyone convince themselves that this player was a first round pick.
Tyron Smith is a great example. The guy is terrible. He's not even a seventh round pick. He's no pick. He's not even an offensive tackle, because by definition an offensive tackle is someone who blocks defenders but Smith doesn't even do that. He just flaps around ineffectually while making up the numbers on the line.
If you want to know why the Cowboys are in the state they are, this is why. You don't spank a first round pick on a guy like Tyron Smith. You bring him in to training camp as a rookie free agent and with the lowest expectations possible. You're essentially bringing him along in the hope that maybe, by some miracle, he'll start playing really well.
Of course that's a fools hope and that is basically what the Cowboys have signed up to here. This is just... astounding. On no planet, on no draft board, should Tyron Smith ever be even talked about as a first rounder. Or a second rounder. Or any rounder. Enjoy Dallas.
Next pick, Bruce Carter, LB, North Carolina. For some reason everyone loves Carter. I don't get it. What I've seen has been distinctly average/below average and no where near approaching second round pick status. Another wasted pick.
Round three. Running back, DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma.
Better. I like Murray. He has strength and drive. Vision is sometimes a little questionable as he tries to pick his way through the defense and sometimes runs into trouble when he should be running away from it. But overall a good back.
My problem is this. The Cowboys have Marion Barber, Tashard Choice and Felix Jones, three really good backs. And they don't even use those guys. They get maybe 11 carries between them per game. Now you've picked up ANOTHER back to just sit on the sidelines and watch? Nice going Jerry, you old, saggy faced, miserable clown.
Actually, why am I complaining? I hate the Cowboys..... Go Jerry! Go Jerry!
Fourth round; David Arkin, guard, Missouri State. No film, no idea. Given the record so far I'm going to take a punt and say he's bad. There you go.
Fifth round. Josh Thomas, corner, Buffalo. This is what I know about him, he's about 3 feet tall and he played for Buffalo. There you go. He's not anthony Gaitor and yet he was taken in the fifth. This annoys me.
Sixth round. Dwayne Harris, wide receiver, East Carolina. Now, Harris I can live with. He's not bursting with speed on the field and I'm not convinced by his route running, but he does have some good after the catch skills. His balance is good and he has a good eye for cutting behind defenders. Overall? Might make a handy slot receiver for the Cowboys.
Seventh round; Shaun Chapas, fullback, Georgia. Conveniently not starting on any of the Georgia film I have. Let's put it this way though, I had a pretty exhaustive list of players to look at pre-draft and if you didn't even make the list, chances are you're not worth bothering about.
Finally; Bill Nagy, C, Wisconsin. I love this pick. You know why? Because of mind numbingly dumb it is. Nagy started like two games in his entire senior year. Yet of all the players left on draft day, including probably 4 or 5 guards who were not only starters, but better players, the Cowboys went for this guy.
Normally at this point I would round the whole thing off with a summary, then I would spellcheck and grammar check, then add labels. I'm not going to. I want this to be a half finished piece that lacks polish, because that's all the Cowboys draft deserves.
Maybe one day Jerrah!! will admit that he knows about as much about drafting as Oprah Winfrey and hire himself a proper GM. Or maybe he won't and we can just carry on laughing at him and his shitty Cowgirls.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
A word on Terrelle Pryor
So Ohio State Buckeye quarterback Terrelle Pryor has decided to forgo his senior year in college in order to enter the NFL. He hopes. And we think.
There is still the prickly question of whether the NFL will hold a supplemental draft or not. The league believes that the last CBA gave it permission to do so this year, while the players don't. And if the players don't then they could potentially throw that into their anti-trust lawsuit. Assuming that a deal hasn't been done by then.
Because (I know) there are various reports that suggest a new CBA could be a done deal as early as this weekend, while others claim it could be a month away but is very near completion. And all that needs to be fixed is the money. You know, that tiny bit of the agreement that has caused 99% of the problems so far.
My perspective is that I'll believe it when I see it and I'll wait for it to be announced as a official before I give any credence to any reports, i.e. I'm not really listening to anything in the various media because most of it is just pure guesswork that seems to be based as much on hard facts as the tooth fairy and Father Christmas.
Forgetting all that then, what about Pryor? Who is he and where might he end up?
Pryor the person is an odd one. Coming out of high school he was probably the most hotly recruited player since time began and expected to be a star in college. Having been highly successful at both basketball and football during his high school days, along with his 6 feet 6 inch frame and 4.4 second forty yard dash time it was believed that Pryor would be an outstanding athlete at the next level.
His career at Ohio State was good, but perhaps a little less magic than some might have thought. It's come in fits and spurts, including a Rose Bowl win and the MVP honor. But that's basically been the sole highlight. He certainly didn't achieve Tebow-esque levels of success.
And then in December the wheels fell off the cart.
Pryor, along with four other team mates, was informed that he would be suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season due to a sanction related to selling signed merchandise. There have also been numerous claims, and an investigation is underway, regarding inappropriate dealings with a car dealer.
For example the NCAA would very much like to know how a college student like Pryor was able to afford the Nissan 350Z that he once drove to a team meeting and practice session in. There are also issues regarding an alleged expired driving license.
So with that amount of off the field baggage trailing behind him there was only one place that Pryor could turn as he headed towards the NFL; agent Drew Rosenhaus. Rosenhaus has since claimed that Pryor will be a number one pick in the supplemental draft, when and if it goes ahead.
This, at least to me, sounds laughable. Then I remember that the Panthers used the first overall pick on Cam Newton.
I've had a look at Pryor now and basically my opinion is thus; he's slower than Newton in pads, less agile, throws worse, makes worse reads and handles the pressure from rushing defenders worse. In summary, I wouldn't even bother offering him a place in camp.
I just can't see what all the fuss is about. Pryor didn't strike me as overly athletic even at the college level. Not against half decent defenses at least. His throwing mechanics are hideous. And yes, I know Brett Favre got away with it but that's because Favre's mechanics at least outwardly resemble - at first glance - in low light - if you squint a little - what a quarterback should look like.
Pryor permanently looks like he's throwing a halfback option pass.
He just has nothing, not a single thing that I would say remotely suggests he will be of any use as a quarterback at the next level. He may just make JaMarcus Russell and Ryan Leaf look good. That's how bad it is.
There is still the prickly question of whether the NFL will hold a supplemental draft or not. The league believes that the last CBA gave it permission to do so this year, while the players don't. And if the players don't then they could potentially throw that into their anti-trust lawsuit. Assuming that a deal hasn't been done by then.
Because (I know) there are various reports that suggest a new CBA could be a done deal as early as this weekend, while others claim it could be a month away but is very near completion. And all that needs to be fixed is the money. You know, that tiny bit of the agreement that has caused 99% of the problems so far.
My perspective is that I'll believe it when I see it and I'll wait for it to be announced as a official before I give any credence to any reports, i.e. I'm not really listening to anything in the various media because most of it is just pure guesswork that seems to be based as much on hard facts as the tooth fairy and Father Christmas.
Forgetting all that then, what about Pryor? Who is he and where might he end up?
Pryor the person is an odd one. Coming out of high school he was probably the most hotly recruited player since time began and expected to be a star in college. Having been highly successful at both basketball and football during his high school days, along with his 6 feet 6 inch frame and 4.4 second forty yard dash time it was believed that Pryor would be an outstanding athlete at the next level.
His career at Ohio State was good, but perhaps a little less magic than some might have thought. It's come in fits and spurts, including a Rose Bowl win and the MVP honor. But that's basically been the sole highlight. He certainly didn't achieve Tebow-esque levels of success.
And then in December the wheels fell off the cart.
Pryor, along with four other team mates, was informed that he would be suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season due to a sanction related to selling signed merchandise. There have also been numerous claims, and an investigation is underway, regarding inappropriate dealings with a car dealer.
For example the NCAA would very much like to know how a college student like Pryor was able to afford the Nissan 350Z that he once drove to a team meeting and practice session in. There are also issues regarding an alleged expired driving license.
So with that amount of off the field baggage trailing behind him there was only one place that Pryor could turn as he headed towards the NFL; agent Drew Rosenhaus. Rosenhaus has since claimed that Pryor will be a number one pick in the supplemental draft, when and if it goes ahead.
This, at least to me, sounds laughable. Then I remember that the Panthers used the first overall pick on Cam Newton.
I've had a look at Pryor now and basically my opinion is thus; he's slower than Newton in pads, less agile, throws worse, makes worse reads and handles the pressure from rushing defenders worse. In summary, I wouldn't even bother offering him a place in camp.
I just can't see what all the fuss is about. Pryor didn't strike me as overly athletic even at the college level. Not against half decent defenses at least. His throwing mechanics are hideous. And yes, I know Brett Favre got away with it but that's because Favre's mechanics at least outwardly resemble - at first glance - in low light - if you squint a little - what a quarterback should look like.
Pryor permanently looks like he's throwing a halfback option pass.
He just has nothing, not a single thing that I would say remotely suggests he will be of any use as a quarterback at the next level. He may just make JaMarcus Russell and Ryan Leaf look good. That's how bad it is.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
2011 NFL Draft: Minnesota Vikings
So. The Minnesota Vikings huh? What happened to those guys. One minute they were one or two plays away from winning the NFC Championship. Then suddenly they chucked it all down the drain. Then they came back next year and absolutely stunk the place out.
Well, that's perhaps being a little harsh and indeed injuries played their part, but the hope that the Vikings might build on a very successful 2009 season turned out to be just that; hope. Poor, misguided hope. And with the vampire that is Brett Favre finally back in his coffin, at least for now, the Vikings had a tough decision to make headed into 2011. Stick with Tavaris Jackson? Or go fishing for the next big thing?
They went fishing.
In round one of the draft, with the 12th overall pick (their first of ten) the Minnesota Vikings select... Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State!
About an hour or so after the first round had finished I thought I heard the wind picking up. It turns out this was just the arrival of the sound of the collective people of the state of Minnesota booing the Christian Ponder pick.
At the time I thought it was harsh. The Vikings needed a QB and that's what they got. Ponder was pretty good I thought. Why boo that pick? Then gradually it occurred to me that maybe people weren't necessarily against Ponder, it was just that he was taken early.
No, turns out everyone hates Ponder.
But if I thought that was harsh at the time, I'm even more critical of Vikings fans for booing now. Because (I know) the more I watch Ponder, the more I'm inclined to believe he should have been considered a legitimate first round talent from pre-draft, and that there is even a significant case that he should have been number one overall.
See, for me there are four main "pro ready" quarterbacks from the 2011 draft; Ryan Mallett, Christian Ponder, Ricky Stanzi and Nathan Enderle. I had perhaps Mallett or Stanzi pegged first. It has a tendency to shift depending on whose film you watched last. Well, now I'm getting ready to throw some serious weight behind Ponder.
Here's why;
- Footwork. Is generally very, very good, with a fluidity and balance that you would expect from a high level QB. At times he can lack the required "push" from under center, that is to say that he doesn't drive back hard and fast enough sometimes. But that's not a common issue and it's something he'll soon learn to fix when he starts running away from guys like Ndamukong Suh.
- Accuracy. Is excellent. Yes, he did throw a lot of short passes and screens in college. For the record I want to point out that I'm not talking about completion percentage, which is a terrible way to measure Quarterbacks. I'm talking about sitting there and actually watching whereabouts the ball goes when he throws it. Naturally this falls off a little at deep ranges, but newsflash, so does Peyton Mannings.
In general though his throwing is very precise, right into the receivers hands with enough lead when necessary. He can throw well under pressure and does push the ball down the field much more than someone like Blaine Gabbert.
Those for me are two really key things. When you tie in his lack of off field issues and the fact that the system he played in at Florida State had a number of "pro style" aspects to it, it really does set Ponder up perhaps better than any other QB in this draft to be a number one overall pick.
As it stands he went 12th, but I personally think time is going to prove that the Carolina Panthers were incredibly dumb for taking Newton instead of this kid. Which is good, because I hate the Panthers.
On to round two and the Vikings went with tight end Kyle Rudolph from Notre Dame. Who I hate with a passion. Well, I say I hate him but that's not strictly true. I hate what Rudolph has been made out to be by the media e.g. the number one tight end overall in this years draft.
That's rubbish in my opinion. Utter junk. If Rudolph is the top tight end in the 2011 draft then when might as well give up trying to analyse players and instead just draw names out of a hat at random. Not only did Rudolph miss three games in his sophomore season through injury, but he then ended up playing just six games in 2010 due to a hamstring injury.
So how does he stack up as a receiver? Not bad, but not really number one tight end quality. He probably drops passes at a 1:4 ratio with catches, often dropping nice easy throws. After further study, his route running is not exactly what you would call polished either. Yes, he did make some nice catches for good yards, but his ability to get additional yards after the catch is very questionable.
Simply put, there are better tight ends in this years draft; Lance Kendricks, Colin Cochart and Daniel Hardy for example.
Moving on then and the Vikings skip round three before landing again in round four with another Christian, (not Tim Tebow but) Christian Ballard, defensive linemen, Iowa. I say defensive linemen because he moved around a bit in college, switching from tackle to end on a per play basis. It is expected the Vikings will use him at end.
Now Ballard is an interesting little cookie for many reasons. Firstly, he was expected to go much higher but dropped due to allegedly testing positive for marijuana at the combine. Then comes the question of on field talent and it's for this reason that Ballard is intriguing to me in particular.
I have said recently that going back and studying each of these players in turn is causing me to question severely some of the original analysis I made of them. So far I've put this down largely to the time pressure that existed to get all of my reports out before the draft, which was compounded by my own stupidity when I believed the draft was being held a week before it actually was.
As a result I kind of raced through a lot of the studies, often not watching enough film and not taking the time to sit down and really look at each player. Ballard is a great example of this (along with Iowa team mate Adrian Clayborn). I had him pegged pre-draft as being a very good linemen and I'm semi willing to stand by that claim.
Semi willing. At times, Ballard shows great talent. At times he uses a strong push upfield and a good swim or rip move to beat an offensive tackle and get into the backfield. Sometimes he will be involved in a stunt or twist with the defensive linemen next to him and will use his speed and hustle to get into the backfield again. Sometimes he gets kicked inside as a tackle where he shows the ability to hold off blockers and make the run stop.
But much more common is for Ballard to play conservatively at the end position, which is a serious issue when you're a defensive end in a 4-3. Predominantly those ends are required to get after the quarterback, preferably now rather than later.
Ballard's normal approach though is to run right at the right tackle, put his hands in the guys chest and slowly drive him back, with varying degrees of success. That, to me at least, basically seems to be the result of trying to put a man with the mentality of a defensive tackle at defensive end. It's not that he can't play end, he just gets stuck in the run-stopping-first mindset of a tackle.
So how will he fare with the Vikings? I'm still going to give him a thumbs up and say he'll be good. Why? Because (I know) if they decide to play him inside as a tackle he'll be right at home and should just straight up be successful in that regard. If they move him to end and he tries playing the way he did in college he will get a right bollocking from his position coach and be told to start getting after the QB.
That should snap him out of his "tackle funk" and get him using his size, speed and technique to do what he really does best and that's to make offensive linemen look silly. I think he can do it. I've seen him do it when he plays the end position properly. With additional coaching he could be just the ticket that the Vikings are looking for to replace a possibly outgoing Ray Edwards.
Round five next and just the one pick here, Brandon Burton, cornerback, Utah. Burton is another one of these "now I've had a proper second look" type guys. Initially I came away very impressed by him, but now I think you have to split it into a some good, some bad, type dynamic.
The good is that he; closes quickly once the ball is in the air, he actually turns and looks for the ball, he's not afraid to get stuck in (he's a knee-capper) and generally he plays with good positioning deep down the field.
The bad is that he; doesn't tackle properly which can be an issue at times, he gets bowled over in the running game laughably easily, he struggles in press coverage (playing close to the receiver at the snap) and he often gives receivers too much of a cushion when he plays off the receiver.
Given the nature of the Vikings defense, a predominantly zone style scheme that won't really let Burton play so deep and so far off his man, I can see problems. I just think this is a case of the players skill set not meshing all that well with the teams system, as opposed to him being a bad corner per se.
Right, round six now and the Vikings have four picks, three of them in the top seven. The first was offensive tackle DeMarcus Love, Arkansas. Not a huge amount to say about Love. Pass blocking is ok, run blocking is a little suspect. He has a tendency to pull his arms back to "wind up" and then let rip with a punch. As you can probably imagine this leads to him missing a lot and ending up flat on his face. Footwork is also highly suspect at times.
Two picks after Love was safety Mistral Raymond from South Florida. Having had a good look at him, all I can say is "meh". He's not Mike Person bad, but he's no Troy Polamalu either. Seems to lack any real range as a deep safety and isn't really strong enough to play strong safety. A training camp victim probably.
Two picks after Raymond came Brandon Fusco, center, Slippery Rock. And I can honestly say, your guess is as good as mine. Haven't seen a second. He did well in the drills at the combine and that's about all I can tell you for certain.
Lastly in the sixth round was compensatory selection Ross Homan, linebacker, Ohio State. Homan falls into a distinct group of prospects whom I watch now, then look at my previous notes, then check to make sure I'm watching the right team, then check my notes again, then watch again, then finally hold my hands up and just say "fuck it".
I don't know what I was talking about when I said Homan "reacts quickly to what he sees". I swear in this case I must have just genuinely got him confused with someone else, because Homan's film can best be described with the word "ass". As in "your ass just got blocked again, idiot". There really is nothing more to say. He's epically non-existent, if that makes any sense. Again, I look at Homan, then think about Anthony Gaitor drafted in the 7th by Tampa and say to myself "How? How do you fuck up your draft like that?".
Maybe Minnesota will have more luck in the Seventh round, with two more picks to go?
Not with the first of those unfortunately, defensive end D'Aundre Reed from Arizona. Simply put, Reed automatically reacts to a tackle putting his hands on him by taking a step back and to the outside. You pretty much can't do anything worse than that as a defensive end in that situation.
If you watch guys like Reed's new team mate Jared Allen, they make contact with the offensive tackle and then use their hands to try and work their way around the top to get to the quarterback. It's tough, and when you break the numbers down a DE might get 60 snaps to get after the QB and yet only get to him once or twice in a game, but that's just how it is.
Some other players have different techniques like Dwight Freeney and his spin move etc, but ultimately defensive end is one of those positions where you work your butt off for the entire game for maybe one or two plays worth of reward. But those plays can often be critical in shutting down a drive in a tight game.
I just can't see Reed doing it. He shows no real natural talent for rushing the quarterback and that is quite a serious issue to have when you play the position he does.
Finally then it comes down to West Texas A&M wide receiver Stephen Burton. And the bad news (or maybe good news because now I can now go to bed) is that I don't have a clue about Burton. Not seen a single snap I'm afraid.
So in conclusion, how was the Vikings draft? I think a lot of it rests on Christian Ponder and that's why I'm inclined to give Minnesota a lot of credit because they went with the guy they felt comfortable with, rolled the dice and I think it's going to payoff.
I like Ponder and I think he might be able to inject some much needed youth into their QB situation, along with a healthy dose of talent. I can see him being good enough for them to build around over the coming years. Of course, they already have Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin, Sidney Rice etc, so maybe that offense is ready to bounce back as soon as this year?
On defense I like the Christian Ballard pick. As a 4-3 defense they need to stay young, fresh and talented at the defensive end spot which is what I think they've achieved with this pick. As for the rest of those guys...
On balance this probably wasn't Minnesota's greatest draft. Ponder and Ballard may well go on to be great players but you have to think that with no less than ten choices the Vikings could have come up with something better. Those other eight picks are more than a team normally gets pre-trades/compensatory, and I think they wasted a fantastic opportunity to get younger and better at a lot of spots.
That's the NFC North done with then. Next it's the NFC East, starting with D for the team everyone loves to hate; the Dallas Cowboys.
Well, that's perhaps being a little harsh and indeed injuries played their part, but the hope that the Vikings might build on a very successful 2009 season turned out to be just that; hope. Poor, misguided hope. And with the vampire that is Brett Favre finally back in his coffin, at least for now, the Vikings had a tough decision to make headed into 2011. Stick with Tavaris Jackson? Or go fishing for the next big thing?
They went fishing.
In round one of the draft, with the 12th overall pick (their first of ten) the Minnesota Vikings select... Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State!
About an hour or so after the first round had finished I thought I heard the wind picking up. It turns out this was just the arrival of the sound of the collective people of the state of Minnesota booing the Christian Ponder pick.
At the time I thought it was harsh. The Vikings needed a QB and that's what they got. Ponder was pretty good I thought. Why boo that pick? Then gradually it occurred to me that maybe people weren't necessarily against Ponder, it was just that he was taken early.
No, turns out everyone hates Ponder.
But if I thought that was harsh at the time, I'm even more critical of Vikings fans for booing now. Because (I know) the more I watch Ponder, the more I'm inclined to believe he should have been considered a legitimate first round talent from pre-draft, and that there is even a significant case that he should have been number one overall.
See, for me there are four main "pro ready" quarterbacks from the 2011 draft; Ryan Mallett, Christian Ponder, Ricky Stanzi and Nathan Enderle. I had perhaps Mallett or Stanzi pegged first. It has a tendency to shift depending on whose film you watched last. Well, now I'm getting ready to throw some serious weight behind Ponder.
Here's why;
- Footwork. Is generally very, very good, with a fluidity and balance that you would expect from a high level QB. At times he can lack the required "push" from under center, that is to say that he doesn't drive back hard and fast enough sometimes. But that's not a common issue and it's something he'll soon learn to fix when he starts running away from guys like Ndamukong Suh.
- Accuracy. Is excellent. Yes, he did throw a lot of short passes and screens in college. For the record I want to point out that I'm not talking about completion percentage, which is a terrible way to measure Quarterbacks. I'm talking about sitting there and actually watching whereabouts the ball goes when he throws it. Naturally this falls off a little at deep ranges, but newsflash, so does Peyton Mannings.
In general though his throwing is very precise, right into the receivers hands with enough lead when necessary. He can throw well under pressure and does push the ball down the field much more than someone like Blaine Gabbert.
Those for me are two really key things. When you tie in his lack of off field issues and the fact that the system he played in at Florida State had a number of "pro style" aspects to it, it really does set Ponder up perhaps better than any other QB in this draft to be a number one overall pick.
As it stands he went 12th, but I personally think time is going to prove that the Carolina Panthers were incredibly dumb for taking Newton instead of this kid. Which is good, because I hate the Panthers.
On to round two and the Vikings went with tight end Kyle Rudolph from Notre Dame. Who I hate with a passion. Well, I say I hate him but that's not strictly true. I hate what Rudolph has been made out to be by the media e.g. the number one tight end overall in this years draft.
That's rubbish in my opinion. Utter junk. If Rudolph is the top tight end in the 2011 draft then when might as well give up trying to analyse players and instead just draw names out of a hat at random. Not only did Rudolph miss three games in his sophomore season through injury, but he then ended up playing just six games in 2010 due to a hamstring injury.
So how does he stack up as a receiver? Not bad, but not really number one tight end quality. He probably drops passes at a 1:4 ratio with catches, often dropping nice easy throws. After further study, his route running is not exactly what you would call polished either. Yes, he did make some nice catches for good yards, but his ability to get additional yards after the catch is very questionable.
Simply put, there are better tight ends in this years draft; Lance Kendricks, Colin Cochart and Daniel Hardy for example.
Moving on then and the Vikings skip round three before landing again in round four with another Christian, (not Tim Tebow but) Christian Ballard, defensive linemen, Iowa. I say defensive linemen because he moved around a bit in college, switching from tackle to end on a per play basis. It is expected the Vikings will use him at end.
Now Ballard is an interesting little cookie for many reasons. Firstly, he was expected to go much higher but dropped due to allegedly testing positive for marijuana at the combine. Then comes the question of on field talent and it's for this reason that Ballard is intriguing to me in particular.
I have said recently that going back and studying each of these players in turn is causing me to question severely some of the original analysis I made of them. So far I've put this down largely to the time pressure that existed to get all of my reports out before the draft, which was compounded by my own stupidity when I believed the draft was being held a week before it actually was.
As a result I kind of raced through a lot of the studies, often not watching enough film and not taking the time to sit down and really look at each player. Ballard is a great example of this (along with Iowa team mate Adrian Clayborn). I had him pegged pre-draft as being a very good linemen and I'm semi willing to stand by that claim.
Semi willing. At times, Ballard shows great talent. At times he uses a strong push upfield and a good swim or rip move to beat an offensive tackle and get into the backfield. Sometimes he will be involved in a stunt or twist with the defensive linemen next to him and will use his speed and hustle to get into the backfield again. Sometimes he gets kicked inside as a tackle where he shows the ability to hold off blockers and make the run stop.
But much more common is for Ballard to play conservatively at the end position, which is a serious issue when you're a defensive end in a 4-3. Predominantly those ends are required to get after the quarterback, preferably now rather than later.
Ballard's normal approach though is to run right at the right tackle, put his hands in the guys chest and slowly drive him back, with varying degrees of success. That, to me at least, basically seems to be the result of trying to put a man with the mentality of a defensive tackle at defensive end. It's not that he can't play end, he just gets stuck in the run-stopping-first mindset of a tackle.
So how will he fare with the Vikings? I'm still going to give him a thumbs up and say he'll be good. Why? Because (I know) if they decide to play him inside as a tackle he'll be right at home and should just straight up be successful in that regard. If they move him to end and he tries playing the way he did in college he will get a right bollocking from his position coach and be told to start getting after the QB.
That should snap him out of his "tackle funk" and get him using his size, speed and technique to do what he really does best and that's to make offensive linemen look silly. I think he can do it. I've seen him do it when he plays the end position properly. With additional coaching he could be just the ticket that the Vikings are looking for to replace a possibly outgoing Ray Edwards.
Round five next and just the one pick here, Brandon Burton, cornerback, Utah. Burton is another one of these "now I've had a proper second look" type guys. Initially I came away very impressed by him, but now I think you have to split it into a some good, some bad, type dynamic.
The good is that he; closes quickly once the ball is in the air, he actually turns and looks for the ball, he's not afraid to get stuck in (he's a knee-capper) and generally he plays with good positioning deep down the field.
The bad is that he; doesn't tackle properly which can be an issue at times, he gets bowled over in the running game laughably easily, he struggles in press coverage (playing close to the receiver at the snap) and he often gives receivers too much of a cushion when he plays off the receiver.
Given the nature of the Vikings defense, a predominantly zone style scheme that won't really let Burton play so deep and so far off his man, I can see problems. I just think this is a case of the players skill set not meshing all that well with the teams system, as opposed to him being a bad corner per se.
Right, round six now and the Vikings have four picks, three of them in the top seven. The first was offensive tackle DeMarcus Love, Arkansas. Not a huge amount to say about Love. Pass blocking is ok, run blocking is a little suspect. He has a tendency to pull his arms back to "wind up" and then let rip with a punch. As you can probably imagine this leads to him missing a lot and ending up flat on his face. Footwork is also highly suspect at times.
Two picks after Love was safety Mistral Raymond from South Florida. Having had a good look at him, all I can say is "meh". He's not Mike Person bad, but he's no Troy Polamalu either. Seems to lack any real range as a deep safety and isn't really strong enough to play strong safety. A training camp victim probably.
Two picks after Raymond came Brandon Fusco, center, Slippery Rock. And I can honestly say, your guess is as good as mine. Haven't seen a second. He did well in the drills at the combine and that's about all I can tell you for certain.
Lastly in the sixth round was compensatory selection Ross Homan, linebacker, Ohio State. Homan falls into a distinct group of prospects whom I watch now, then look at my previous notes, then check to make sure I'm watching the right team, then check my notes again, then watch again, then finally hold my hands up and just say "fuck it".
I don't know what I was talking about when I said Homan "reacts quickly to what he sees". I swear in this case I must have just genuinely got him confused with someone else, because Homan's film can best be described with the word "ass". As in "your ass just got blocked again, idiot". There really is nothing more to say. He's epically non-existent, if that makes any sense. Again, I look at Homan, then think about Anthony Gaitor drafted in the 7th by Tampa and say to myself "How? How do you fuck up your draft like that?".
Maybe Minnesota will have more luck in the Seventh round, with two more picks to go?
Not with the first of those unfortunately, defensive end D'Aundre Reed from Arizona. Simply put, Reed automatically reacts to a tackle putting his hands on him by taking a step back and to the outside. You pretty much can't do anything worse than that as a defensive end in that situation.
If you watch guys like Reed's new team mate Jared Allen, they make contact with the offensive tackle and then use their hands to try and work their way around the top to get to the quarterback. It's tough, and when you break the numbers down a DE might get 60 snaps to get after the QB and yet only get to him once or twice in a game, but that's just how it is.
Some other players have different techniques like Dwight Freeney and his spin move etc, but ultimately defensive end is one of those positions where you work your butt off for the entire game for maybe one or two plays worth of reward. But those plays can often be critical in shutting down a drive in a tight game.
I just can't see Reed doing it. He shows no real natural talent for rushing the quarterback and that is quite a serious issue to have when you play the position he does.
Finally then it comes down to West Texas A&M wide receiver Stephen Burton. And the bad news (or maybe good news because now I can now go to bed) is that I don't have a clue about Burton. Not seen a single snap I'm afraid.
So in conclusion, how was the Vikings draft? I think a lot of it rests on Christian Ponder and that's why I'm inclined to give Minnesota a lot of credit because they went with the guy they felt comfortable with, rolled the dice and I think it's going to payoff.
I like Ponder and I think he might be able to inject some much needed youth into their QB situation, along with a healthy dose of talent. I can see him being good enough for them to build around over the coming years. Of course, they already have Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin, Sidney Rice etc, so maybe that offense is ready to bounce back as soon as this year?
On defense I like the Christian Ballard pick. As a 4-3 defense they need to stay young, fresh and talented at the defensive end spot which is what I think they've achieved with this pick. As for the rest of those guys...
On balance this probably wasn't Minnesota's greatest draft. Ponder and Ballard may well go on to be great players but you have to think that with no less than ten choices the Vikings could have come up with something better. Those other eight picks are more than a team normally gets pre-trades/compensatory, and I think they wasted a fantastic opportunity to get younger and better at a lot of spots.
That's the NFC North done with then. Next it's the NFC East, starting with D for the team everyone loves to hate; the Dallas Cowboys.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
2011 NFL Draft: Green Bay Packers
Inevitably every year when the draft comes around people like me, along with those entirely more qualified to talk about the subject, start talking about how the bad teams should be looking to trade down to get extra picks by exploiting teams like Atlanta and Miami who currently believe (rightly or wrongly) that they are on the cusp of greatness and just need one more pick to make it all happen.
People like me, and also the said more qualified individuals, tend to think that most good teams will try and stick to their guns with regards to their picks, looking to add more quality rather than more quantity to their teams.
Of course these theories usually collapse in the face of the reality of a General Manager/Owner breathing down your neck telling you how you must win now/turn things around/work miracles/fix my years of bad drafting/etc, or the next scouting task you'll be doing will be for one of the TV networks or one of the BCS colleges.
Then of course there's Bill Belichick who is essentially a law unto himself. About the only two things you can almost guarantee is that 1) he will accumulate extra picks at some point, 2) he will draft a tight end at some point.
Then we have the 2011 Green Bay Packers, who decided that having just won a Super Bowl their team was pretty handy as it is thank you very much and that they were going to follow the pick accumulating path this time around. In the end they tallied up 10 picks in total.
The first of those was Derek Sherrod, offensive tackle, from Mississippi State.
I have to say right off the bat; love me a bit of Derek Sherrod. Good player, nice footwork, use of the hands is good, use of leverage is good. If I had to gripe and pick holes it would be that there is more run film of him than pass, so it could be argued that it's a little harder to make a good assessment of how he will play on a pass first team like the Packers.
Also, occasionally he misses pass rushers from the outside but that seems to be a function more of the pass protection scheme than his own mistake, as if he didn't block the person that he did there would be no one else to do it. That made sense in my head at least, if not on (electronic) paper. Just trust me, it wasn't his fault.
Overall I think Sherrod is a good offensive tackle with a lot of potential. If Green Bay decides to go young this year and throw Sherrod straight into the mix then I see him starting at the right tackle spot, where his run-first past will be of more use, with the excellent Bryan Bulaga kicked over to left tackle. Certainly I think Sherrod has the talent to give it a bloody good shot.
Next up, in round two now, was wide receiver Randall Cobb from Kentucky. Now I've been a Cobb fan for a while. I think he mixes well the traits of speed, agility and route adjustments. By that last bit, I mean he reads the defense on the fly and makes subtle changes to his routes to help him get open, especially over the middle in traffic.
In addition Cobb has shown a talent for running a Wildcat type, single wing offensive package in college so he might be of some use bringing that to the table for the Packers. I'm not sure if that's really where they want to go though (it's tough to justify taking Aaron Rodgers off the field). I haven't seen any special teams snaps for Cobb but I'd be interested to see how he would get on as a returner. His speed and elusiveness in the open field might be just the ticket for that.
All in all, not a bad little pick, especially given the Packers offensive style. How many nickelbacks in the NFL can really stay with someone like Cobb for the entire game? I have a feeling we'll find out soon enough.
Next, third round running back Alex Green from Hawaii.
There is a lot to like about Alex Green. Speed is very good. Cutting ability is very good. Vision on the run is very good, winding a path through the defense. Toughness is good. Pass blocking is actually quite good as well. The list of positives begin to mount up quite quickly, so it's surprising that I hadn't really heard a thing about him pre-draft.
There is one down side though that I can see. The nature of the offense that Green played in for Hawaii (a run and shoot style system) means that there was lots of running room up the middle of the field. With Hawaii using predominantly four wide receiver sets it has a tendency to pull the defense out across the field, stretching them horizontally. They also either remove most of their linebackers and replace them with extra defensive backs, or at the very least end up with their linebackers split away from the center of the defense.
That opens the door for a rather unique phenomenon as far as football is concerned, whereby any run that successfully breaches the first line of defense (the D-line) is often destined to go for at least 10 yards. The effect this can have is to grossly inflate a backs yards per carry statistics, as he is not called on to run much, usually only when the QB sees a favourable front and decides to audible to a run play. When he does he routinely ends up busting those plays for big yardage.
So there is a question as to how will Green cope with more crowded boxes at the next level? Granted the Packers spend a lot of time in 3 wide receiver sets, but they also run their fair share of I formation stuff and that bizarre diamond backfield/inverted wishbone thing that seems to be gradually spreading around the upper levels as an occasional set.
If Green can get the hang of reading the slightly more complicated defense's then he has the potential to go a long way. He is genuinely very talented physically, now it all comes down to getting his mind to work in perfect harmony with his body, like some kind of Zen Buddhist running back/monk. If you see what I mean.
On to round four and corner Davon House from New Mexico State. House is one of these weird ones where I can't really figure out what made me originally give him good praise. Initially I was quite taken with House but the more I sit down and watch him, the more that little thought creeps into my mind that says "average corner".
His tackling is poor, despite me previously describing it in April as, quote "tackles well". Again I'm not really sure what prompted me to say that because House quite clearly lacks the requisite strength to make decent form tackles. He can chuck himself at someones knees but that's about it.
Against the pass he has some desirable traits, such as the fact that he actually turns around and looks for the ball which is a dying art among corners. But in general his speed and change of direction is sloppy and he has trouble staying with the better receivers in college, which basically doesn't bode very well for the next level.
Maybe more luck for Green Bay as we enter round five, with tight end D.J. Williams from Arkansas. I really like Williams. He reminds me a lot of the Antonio Gates/Vernon Davis/Dallas Clark type tight ends, who may not be the strongest in the world but are still adequate blockers and most importantly have speed down field and good hands.
It's a tough combination to stop, as Williams has shown the ability both to pass and run block to a sufficient level, while also possessing very solid hands. I didn't see him drop one ball in three games. If the ball was in range then he got it. He also has good moves in the open field with the ball in his hands and promises to be another good addition to an already very dangerous offense.
Next up, into round six now and guard Caleb Schlauderaff from Utah. Honestly, I hope you know who he is because I don't and I have no Utah tape so I probably never will.
Pressing on then and now it's linebacker D.J. Smith from Appalachian state.
Smith is a difficult one to judge. Some linebackers get all the sexy jobs. They get called on blitzes often or have entire defenses built around their skill sets. Smith isn't one of these guys. He is strong and he is keen to get involved. There is no doubt about the fact that he never shies away from contact.
But getting a handle on his overall skills is tough because he mainly just does his job, regardless of how boring that may appear on film. Against the run he will hold the edge and try to spill everything inside if he's the outside man, which is exactly what he's supposed to do. On film it looks like he's not getting involved but he is.
He does his job and he does it damn well. In pass coverage he often ends up on a running back and I like in particular the way he gives himself enough of a cushion. If the throw is made to the back he could still get there in time and make the tackle. But if the pass goes inside or behind him, he has enough depth to get on the case ASAP.
It's not a sexy job like I said, but someone has to do it, so credit it to him for that. The trouble is judging how well this will transfer to the NFL. At the minute I'm inclined to say he'll do ok, but I'm not sure as he'll be a major impact player if that's what people are hoping for.
Last from round six is Ricky Elmore, defensive end, Arizona.
Elmore was a true DE in college, but I imagine for the Packers he will stand up and rush the QB from the outside linebacker spot. In that regard, I'm very interested in what Elmore can bring. He has raw potential but he'll need some tweaking and that means taking lessons from Clay Matthews. Not a bad tutor I suppose.
The main advantage that Elmore has is speed. He races off the line like a lightning bolt and gets deep. From there onwards it starts to go a bit downhill. Literally. He will rush almost straight up the field, beating the tackle with speed, then turn and come back to the quarterback. It's not a bad approach, but it is a little predictable and requires the QB to hold the ball long enough for him to have time to pull it off.
Elmore does have other plus points though. He plays well against the run. He has shown on film that when he gets blocked and stood up, he has the ability to keep working and shed his blocker to get inside. He is generally quite strong and his basic technique will see him through the early days, but he does need to get his head down eventually and work hard to develop a full pass rushing move set.
Generally though, pretty good I think.
On to round seven and the Packers had two picks starting with tight end Ryan Taylor from North Carolina. Taylor is someone I hadn't seen before, so it was off to North Carolina to take a peek. Not literally of course. Anyway.
Not a huge fan of Taylor. His run blocking is ok, pass blocking not so good. Doesn't really seem to have the speed to break free and his route running is pretty sloppy. When he breaks on some routes the transition from the vertical to the horizontal part of the route is slow and a little lazy.
Last but not least then, that brings us to Lawrence Guy, defensive tackle, Arizona State. Another player who I hadn't seen prior to the draft so I stick in Arizona and have a look. Annnnnndd I don't get it. Maybe you can give Guy the benefit of the doubt because he spent a lot of time being double teamed, but other than being very fat, Guy appears to have no useful skills to bring to the table (hey, it worked for Terrence Cody).
No use of the hands, no real technique. He just seems to be reliant entirely on power to get the job done, and even then he is often found wanting. I think it's going to take a huge amount of coaching to bring Guy up to a sufficient level before he has a chance of making it on the Packers D-line.
So, overall thoughts then? I really like some of the picks. I think the Packers might have picked up perhaps five guys that could conceivably start for the team in the next two to three seasons. By any measure that has to be considered a good draft.
They really had the luxury this year of just taking whomever was the best player available according to their board and I think that strategy might reap dividends with this draft class. Probably one of the better overall drafts out there this year.
Well, apology's that it took so long, but my schedule was pretty busy last week. This week I have a bit more time and I'm looking to accelerate this series a little given that there is increasing optimism that a new labor deal will get done, with some people expecting a new CBA to arrive as soon as the next two weeks.
I wont hold my breath.
The Vikings are up next.
People like me, and also the said more qualified individuals, tend to think that most good teams will try and stick to their guns with regards to their picks, looking to add more quality rather than more quantity to their teams.
Of course these theories usually collapse in the face of the reality of a General Manager/Owner breathing down your neck telling you how you must win now/turn things around/work miracles/fix my years of bad drafting/etc, or the next scouting task you'll be doing will be for one of the TV networks or one of the BCS colleges.
Then of course there's Bill Belichick who is essentially a law unto himself. About the only two things you can almost guarantee is that 1) he will accumulate extra picks at some point, 2) he will draft a tight end at some point.
Then we have the 2011 Green Bay Packers, who decided that having just won a Super Bowl their team was pretty handy as it is thank you very much and that they were going to follow the pick accumulating path this time around. In the end they tallied up 10 picks in total.
The first of those was Derek Sherrod, offensive tackle, from Mississippi State.
I have to say right off the bat; love me a bit of Derek Sherrod. Good player, nice footwork, use of the hands is good, use of leverage is good. If I had to gripe and pick holes it would be that there is more run film of him than pass, so it could be argued that it's a little harder to make a good assessment of how he will play on a pass first team like the Packers.
Also, occasionally he misses pass rushers from the outside but that seems to be a function more of the pass protection scheme than his own mistake, as if he didn't block the person that he did there would be no one else to do it. That made sense in my head at least, if not on (electronic) paper. Just trust me, it wasn't his fault.
Overall I think Sherrod is a good offensive tackle with a lot of potential. If Green Bay decides to go young this year and throw Sherrod straight into the mix then I see him starting at the right tackle spot, where his run-first past will be of more use, with the excellent Bryan Bulaga kicked over to left tackle. Certainly I think Sherrod has the talent to give it a bloody good shot.
Next up, in round two now, was wide receiver Randall Cobb from Kentucky. Now I've been a Cobb fan for a while. I think he mixes well the traits of speed, agility and route adjustments. By that last bit, I mean he reads the defense on the fly and makes subtle changes to his routes to help him get open, especially over the middle in traffic.
In addition Cobb has shown a talent for running a Wildcat type, single wing offensive package in college so he might be of some use bringing that to the table for the Packers. I'm not sure if that's really where they want to go though (it's tough to justify taking Aaron Rodgers off the field). I haven't seen any special teams snaps for Cobb but I'd be interested to see how he would get on as a returner. His speed and elusiveness in the open field might be just the ticket for that.
All in all, not a bad little pick, especially given the Packers offensive style. How many nickelbacks in the NFL can really stay with someone like Cobb for the entire game? I have a feeling we'll find out soon enough.
Next, third round running back Alex Green from Hawaii.
There is a lot to like about Alex Green. Speed is very good. Cutting ability is very good. Vision on the run is very good, winding a path through the defense. Toughness is good. Pass blocking is actually quite good as well. The list of positives begin to mount up quite quickly, so it's surprising that I hadn't really heard a thing about him pre-draft.
There is one down side though that I can see. The nature of the offense that Green played in for Hawaii (a run and shoot style system) means that there was lots of running room up the middle of the field. With Hawaii using predominantly four wide receiver sets it has a tendency to pull the defense out across the field, stretching them horizontally. They also either remove most of their linebackers and replace them with extra defensive backs, or at the very least end up with their linebackers split away from the center of the defense.
That opens the door for a rather unique phenomenon as far as football is concerned, whereby any run that successfully breaches the first line of defense (the D-line) is often destined to go for at least 10 yards. The effect this can have is to grossly inflate a backs yards per carry statistics, as he is not called on to run much, usually only when the QB sees a favourable front and decides to audible to a run play. When he does he routinely ends up busting those plays for big yardage.
So there is a question as to how will Green cope with more crowded boxes at the next level? Granted the Packers spend a lot of time in 3 wide receiver sets, but they also run their fair share of I formation stuff and that bizarre diamond backfield/inverted wishbone thing that seems to be gradually spreading around the upper levels as an occasional set.
If Green can get the hang of reading the slightly more complicated defense's then he has the potential to go a long way. He is genuinely very talented physically, now it all comes down to getting his mind to work in perfect harmony with his body, like some kind of Zen Buddhist running back/monk. If you see what I mean.
On to round four and corner Davon House from New Mexico State. House is one of these weird ones where I can't really figure out what made me originally give him good praise. Initially I was quite taken with House but the more I sit down and watch him, the more that little thought creeps into my mind that says "average corner".
His tackling is poor, despite me previously describing it in April as, quote "tackles well". Again I'm not really sure what prompted me to say that because House quite clearly lacks the requisite strength to make decent form tackles. He can chuck himself at someones knees but that's about it.
Against the pass he has some desirable traits, such as the fact that he actually turns around and looks for the ball which is a dying art among corners. But in general his speed and change of direction is sloppy and he has trouble staying with the better receivers in college, which basically doesn't bode very well for the next level.
Maybe more luck for Green Bay as we enter round five, with tight end D.J. Williams from Arkansas. I really like Williams. He reminds me a lot of the Antonio Gates/Vernon Davis/Dallas Clark type tight ends, who may not be the strongest in the world but are still adequate blockers and most importantly have speed down field and good hands.
It's a tough combination to stop, as Williams has shown the ability both to pass and run block to a sufficient level, while also possessing very solid hands. I didn't see him drop one ball in three games. If the ball was in range then he got it. He also has good moves in the open field with the ball in his hands and promises to be another good addition to an already very dangerous offense.
Next up, into round six now and guard Caleb Schlauderaff from Utah. Honestly, I hope you know who he is because I don't and I have no Utah tape so I probably never will.
Pressing on then and now it's linebacker D.J. Smith from Appalachian state.
Smith is a difficult one to judge. Some linebackers get all the sexy jobs. They get called on blitzes often or have entire defenses built around their skill sets. Smith isn't one of these guys. He is strong and he is keen to get involved. There is no doubt about the fact that he never shies away from contact.
But getting a handle on his overall skills is tough because he mainly just does his job, regardless of how boring that may appear on film. Against the run he will hold the edge and try to spill everything inside if he's the outside man, which is exactly what he's supposed to do. On film it looks like he's not getting involved but he is.
He does his job and he does it damn well. In pass coverage he often ends up on a running back and I like in particular the way he gives himself enough of a cushion. If the throw is made to the back he could still get there in time and make the tackle. But if the pass goes inside or behind him, he has enough depth to get on the case ASAP.
It's not a sexy job like I said, but someone has to do it, so credit it to him for that. The trouble is judging how well this will transfer to the NFL. At the minute I'm inclined to say he'll do ok, but I'm not sure as he'll be a major impact player if that's what people are hoping for.
Last from round six is Ricky Elmore, defensive end, Arizona.
Elmore was a true DE in college, but I imagine for the Packers he will stand up and rush the QB from the outside linebacker spot. In that regard, I'm very interested in what Elmore can bring. He has raw potential but he'll need some tweaking and that means taking lessons from Clay Matthews. Not a bad tutor I suppose.
The main advantage that Elmore has is speed. He races off the line like a lightning bolt and gets deep. From there onwards it starts to go a bit downhill. Literally. He will rush almost straight up the field, beating the tackle with speed, then turn and come back to the quarterback. It's not a bad approach, but it is a little predictable and requires the QB to hold the ball long enough for him to have time to pull it off.
Elmore does have other plus points though. He plays well against the run. He has shown on film that when he gets blocked and stood up, he has the ability to keep working and shed his blocker to get inside. He is generally quite strong and his basic technique will see him through the early days, but he does need to get his head down eventually and work hard to develop a full pass rushing move set.
Generally though, pretty good I think.
On to round seven and the Packers had two picks starting with tight end Ryan Taylor from North Carolina. Taylor is someone I hadn't seen before, so it was off to North Carolina to take a peek. Not literally of course. Anyway.
Not a huge fan of Taylor. His run blocking is ok, pass blocking not so good. Doesn't really seem to have the speed to break free and his route running is pretty sloppy. When he breaks on some routes the transition from the vertical to the horizontal part of the route is slow and a little lazy.
Last but not least then, that brings us to Lawrence Guy, defensive tackle, Arizona State. Another player who I hadn't seen prior to the draft so I stick in Arizona and have a look. Annnnnndd I don't get it. Maybe you can give Guy the benefit of the doubt because he spent a lot of time being double teamed, but other than being very fat, Guy appears to have no useful skills to bring to the table (hey, it worked for Terrence Cody).
No use of the hands, no real technique. He just seems to be reliant entirely on power to get the job done, and even then he is often found wanting. I think it's going to take a huge amount of coaching to bring Guy up to a sufficient level before he has a chance of making it on the Packers D-line.
So, overall thoughts then? I really like some of the picks. I think the Packers might have picked up perhaps five guys that could conceivably start for the team in the next two to three seasons. By any measure that has to be considered a good draft.
They really had the luxury this year of just taking whomever was the best player available according to their board and I think that strategy might reap dividends with this draft class. Probably one of the better overall drafts out there this year.
Well, apology's that it took so long, but my schedule was pretty busy last week. This week I have a bit more time and I'm looking to accelerate this series a little given that there is increasing optimism that a new labor deal will get done, with some people expecting a new CBA to arrive as soon as the next two weeks.
I wont hold my breath.
The Vikings are up next.
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Keeping you updated 06/09/11
Green Bay Packers is up next. Will be ready probably Friday or Saturday night, barring any serious problems.
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
2011 Draft: Detroit Lions
Should be a quick one today, with only five players taken by the Lions.
Starting in round one with Nick Fairley, defensive tackle, Auburn. And of course the big question surrounding Fairley, some might even say plaguing him, has been whether Fairley is a one hit wonder or not. Having put on a great performance in 2010, will that carry over to the NFL or did he just luck out for that one year?
I'm pretty convinced by Fairley to be honest. Pick a game, almost any game from last year, and what you'll see is Nick Fairley causing havoc against some of the best teams in the country. He is a real danger man in the middle. To shut him up teams often had to resort to using two and sometimes three people to block him.
Blocking Fairley one on one was a risk. You might get away with it for a few snaps, but eventually you had to know that he was going to beat your guard or your center in a single block and make it deep into the backfield. And boy, did he ever spend some time in peoples backfields.
Ok, that sounded wrong.
Anyway, Fairley has a lot of strength. His initial move off the snap is incredibly fast and powerful. He uses his hands ok, but he'll need a bit of work in that regard at the next level. It tends to not matter so much though because his burst off the line is critical. If he can catch a guard on the shoulder as opposed to head on, then he often has the raw strength and speed to work his way into the backfield regardless of what the guard has to say about the matter.
Once in the backfield his speed over short distances often prevails, getting in the quarterbacks face or wrapping up the running back before he has a chance to really get going. If Fairley does have one major fault it's that his short range speed seems to drain the "desire" tank quite quickly. If the play spills to the edge, Fairley often is one of the last in pursuit.
But despite that minor setback, his raw talent makes him incredibly attractive as a prospect for the Lions. Teamed up in the middle with Ndamukong Suh, with Kyle Vanden Bosch on one side and Cliff Avril on the other, that Lions D-line just became a really tough proposition for their opponents this year. The thinking is likely along the lines that pressure generated up front will make it a little easier on the secondary this year.
If Fairley can help what was already a well developing D-line to start getting to the quarterback on a more regular basis (and quicker) it will force quarterbacks to hurry and get the ball out of their hands early, hopefully throwing off their accuracy a little. With any luck (for Lions fans at least) that'll provide their pass defense with a chance to actually make some plays.
Next up, the first of two second round picks was Titus Young, wide receiver, Boise State. Now originally I was a bit of a Titus Young fan. But lately that opinion is starting to slide. It's not the fact that he comes across as a cocky little bastard, although he does. That in itself is not always a bad thing (only when cockiness becomes complacency).
Rather the issue is one related to hands, route technique and work rate. I'll pick up the last one first (with me?) because it's something that really bugs me. You can tell when Boise is about to run a play where Young is not the number one or two guy, because he literally jogs off the line. I'm not even joking, or exaggerating. In fact, "jogging" might be giving Young too much credit. Perhaps slowly trundling off the line might do it more justice.
That really annoys me. You have to make the defense think on every play that you are a danger to them. You have to make the corner, the nearest linebacker and the safety to your side all think that at any second you might make a break and speed on by them. Otherwise you're just making their decision making cycle so much easier.
That safety who might otherwise have come all the way across to the sideline to cover you can now turn and take an angle across the field to go and chase down that running play which is headed in the opposite direction. What might have been a touchdown now becomes a 40 yard gain. That can make all the difference in a tight game in the NFL.
Related to the effort problem is his blocking, both on run plays and screen plays. Simply put, Young doesn't block. He kind of shields. It's more like watching a defender in basketball as opposed to a committed NFL blocker. There was even a screen play where he let a defender run right by him, while he just stared at the guy. What he didn't realise was that the ball carrier was dancing around behind him and having beaten one man was then promptly tackled from behind by the guy that Young was supposed to block.
Now, route technique. Or as I like to call it, lack of route technique. He doesn't have much awareness of the defender and the leverage the defender is using against him (inside vs. outside etc). His adjustments to the coverage are sloppy at best and he has a really nasty tendency to false step at the start of his route. He has speed, but he doesn't make the most of it with his breaks, which are often slow and highly telegraphed.
Have you guessed yet which group I coached last?
Finally we have hands. Previously I'd seen a lot of good in Young. There are certainly some great catches on tape, including one handers. But having taken a more extensive and laborious look there are some worrying points to pick up. There are quite a lot of drops. Quite a lot. His use of the hands is generally ok when the ball is coming over his head except that he sometimes has the reverse problem to Braylon Edwards, in that Edwards has a tendency to hold his hands too close to his face, while Young tends to hold them too far away from his body.
When catching flatter passes, ones that come at him more at head height and that he's looking straight at, he has a tendency to open his hands too much. Typically you want the tips of your thumbs and the tips of your fingers to be almost touching, but Young prefers the approach of keeping his hands wide and trying to time the catch perfectly. There is a good reason why not many people do this, namely that it's bloody difficult to pull off on a consistent basis.
Honestly speaking, I don't know what I saw in Young first time round. Yes, he does sometimes have those highlight reel catches. Yes, he does sometimes display great agility with the ball in his hands. But personally I think I'd rather have Austin Pettis from Boise, which is saying something (though Pettis is growing on me the more I watch Boise).
Next up up in round two was Mikel Leshoure, running back, Illinois. I was a little surprised by this, given that Detroit traded up last year to get their hands on Jahvid Best, but I guess two backs are better than one so there we go.
And Leshoure is a good back. He's sometimes is a little indecisive in short yardage, probably as a function of wanting to look for the big play, but other than that he usually has a good feel and vision for holes around the line. He has quick feet and is pretty strong for a back. Normally when Leshoure meets a defender he drops his shoulder and gives as good as gets, driving his feet all the way through for extra yards, which is such an under rated skill.
In the passing game he has pretty good hands and his route running is about average. He blocks well when called upon. In fact, Leshoure is one of the few backs (including the NFL) who can block "properly", that is to say that he stands up and uses technique to defeat his man, instead of constantly trying to dive at the guys feet and cut him.
Overall Leshoure is one of the better backs in the draft this year. Will he be another Chris Johnson? No. He's not really what you would call home run hitter, mainly because he lacks a bit of speed in the open field. But his quality throughout every phase of his game is very useful and you can see him being a solid contributor for many years on this Lions team. He should compliment the speed and explosiveness of Best well, being more of a head on, tough style runner who can give you consistent yards and occasionally big plays.
Next the Lions had to wait until the fifth round, where they took Doug Hogue, Linebacker, from Syracuse. Otherwise known as "Doug ho-God do I have to watch anymore of this?"
He has flashes of speed which sometimes find him in the backfield making the tackle, but you really have to work hard to notice when Hogue actually makes a difference to a game. He just doesn't do a lot. Occasionally he fills in the running game, but overall he's a spectator not a play maker. Might have a future as a weak linebacker in the Lions 4-3, but don't count on it. Could be gone by the end of camp.
After Hogue, Lions fans had to wait with unbearable anticipation until the seventh round to see who their team would take next, and it was..... Johnny Culbreath, offensive tackle, South Carolina state. The question you're probably asking is; who? And the answer is; I have no idea! Seriously. I haven't seen so much as a second on Culbreath and so I can't say a thing I'm afraid.
In conclusion then, the Lions draft was... ok. I remember it being better, largely because I remember Young being better than what I've seen recently. I think everyone is hoping that he'll be the perfect partner to Calvin Johnson, but I'm really not sure. I just think he'll lack the consistency to really take that kind of role. Add on the Hogue and Culbreath picks and it doesn't pan out all that well.
But then Nick Fairley and Mikel Leshoure offer hope. Fairley might just have been the player with the most legitimate claim to have been the number one overall pick, so I think the Lions got a great deal at 13th overall. Leshoure will add a measure of stability to that offense and may even be able to help better at keeping Matthew Stafford upright this year.
So positives and negatives. I think if the Lions are going to make a splash this year though, it'll be their veterans who'll have to dig deep and make it happen. Suh needs to have another good year. And Stafford needs to stay healthy for more than about 3 games.
Next year I can see an O-line blitz coming for the Lions.
Starting in round one with Nick Fairley, defensive tackle, Auburn. And of course the big question surrounding Fairley, some might even say plaguing him, has been whether Fairley is a one hit wonder or not. Having put on a great performance in 2010, will that carry over to the NFL or did he just luck out for that one year?
I'm pretty convinced by Fairley to be honest. Pick a game, almost any game from last year, and what you'll see is Nick Fairley causing havoc against some of the best teams in the country. He is a real danger man in the middle. To shut him up teams often had to resort to using two and sometimes three people to block him.
Blocking Fairley one on one was a risk. You might get away with it for a few snaps, but eventually you had to know that he was going to beat your guard or your center in a single block and make it deep into the backfield. And boy, did he ever spend some time in peoples backfields.
Ok, that sounded wrong.
Anyway, Fairley has a lot of strength. His initial move off the snap is incredibly fast and powerful. He uses his hands ok, but he'll need a bit of work in that regard at the next level. It tends to not matter so much though because his burst off the line is critical. If he can catch a guard on the shoulder as opposed to head on, then he often has the raw strength and speed to work his way into the backfield regardless of what the guard has to say about the matter.
Once in the backfield his speed over short distances often prevails, getting in the quarterbacks face or wrapping up the running back before he has a chance to really get going. If Fairley does have one major fault it's that his short range speed seems to drain the "desire" tank quite quickly. If the play spills to the edge, Fairley often is one of the last in pursuit.
But despite that minor setback, his raw talent makes him incredibly attractive as a prospect for the Lions. Teamed up in the middle with Ndamukong Suh, with Kyle Vanden Bosch on one side and Cliff Avril on the other, that Lions D-line just became a really tough proposition for their opponents this year. The thinking is likely along the lines that pressure generated up front will make it a little easier on the secondary this year.
If Fairley can help what was already a well developing D-line to start getting to the quarterback on a more regular basis (and quicker) it will force quarterbacks to hurry and get the ball out of their hands early, hopefully throwing off their accuracy a little. With any luck (for Lions fans at least) that'll provide their pass defense with a chance to actually make some plays.
Next up, the first of two second round picks was Titus Young, wide receiver, Boise State. Now originally I was a bit of a Titus Young fan. But lately that opinion is starting to slide. It's not the fact that he comes across as a cocky little bastard, although he does. That in itself is not always a bad thing (only when cockiness becomes complacency).
Rather the issue is one related to hands, route technique and work rate. I'll pick up the last one first (with me?) because it's something that really bugs me. You can tell when Boise is about to run a play where Young is not the number one or two guy, because he literally jogs off the line. I'm not even joking, or exaggerating. In fact, "jogging" might be giving Young too much credit. Perhaps slowly trundling off the line might do it more justice.
That really annoys me. You have to make the defense think on every play that you are a danger to them. You have to make the corner, the nearest linebacker and the safety to your side all think that at any second you might make a break and speed on by them. Otherwise you're just making their decision making cycle so much easier.
That safety who might otherwise have come all the way across to the sideline to cover you can now turn and take an angle across the field to go and chase down that running play which is headed in the opposite direction. What might have been a touchdown now becomes a 40 yard gain. That can make all the difference in a tight game in the NFL.
Related to the effort problem is his blocking, both on run plays and screen plays. Simply put, Young doesn't block. He kind of shields. It's more like watching a defender in basketball as opposed to a committed NFL blocker. There was even a screen play where he let a defender run right by him, while he just stared at the guy. What he didn't realise was that the ball carrier was dancing around behind him and having beaten one man was then promptly tackled from behind by the guy that Young was supposed to block.
Now, route technique. Or as I like to call it, lack of route technique. He doesn't have much awareness of the defender and the leverage the defender is using against him (inside vs. outside etc). His adjustments to the coverage are sloppy at best and he has a really nasty tendency to false step at the start of his route. He has speed, but he doesn't make the most of it with his breaks, which are often slow and highly telegraphed.
Have you guessed yet which group I coached last?
Finally we have hands. Previously I'd seen a lot of good in Young. There are certainly some great catches on tape, including one handers. But having taken a more extensive and laborious look there are some worrying points to pick up. There are quite a lot of drops. Quite a lot. His use of the hands is generally ok when the ball is coming over his head except that he sometimes has the reverse problem to Braylon Edwards, in that Edwards has a tendency to hold his hands too close to his face, while Young tends to hold them too far away from his body.
When catching flatter passes, ones that come at him more at head height and that he's looking straight at, he has a tendency to open his hands too much. Typically you want the tips of your thumbs and the tips of your fingers to be almost touching, but Young prefers the approach of keeping his hands wide and trying to time the catch perfectly. There is a good reason why not many people do this, namely that it's bloody difficult to pull off on a consistent basis.
Honestly speaking, I don't know what I saw in Young first time round. Yes, he does sometimes have those highlight reel catches. Yes, he does sometimes display great agility with the ball in his hands. But personally I think I'd rather have Austin Pettis from Boise, which is saying something (though Pettis is growing on me the more I watch Boise).
Next up up in round two was Mikel Leshoure, running back, Illinois. I was a little surprised by this, given that Detroit traded up last year to get their hands on Jahvid Best, but I guess two backs are better than one so there we go.
And Leshoure is a good back. He's sometimes is a little indecisive in short yardage, probably as a function of wanting to look for the big play, but other than that he usually has a good feel and vision for holes around the line. He has quick feet and is pretty strong for a back. Normally when Leshoure meets a defender he drops his shoulder and gives as good as gets, driving his feet all the way through for extra yards, which is such an under rated skill.
In the passing game he has pretty good hands and his route running is about average. He blocks well when called upon. In fact, Leshoure is one of the few backs (including the NFL) who can block "properly", that is to say that he stands up and uses technique to defeat his man, instead of constantly trying to dive at the guys feet and cut him.
Overall Leshoure is one of the better backs in the draft this year. Will he be another Chris Johnson? No. He's not really what you would call home run hitter, mainly because he lacks a bit of speed in the open field. But his quality throughout every phase of his game is very useful and you can see him being a solid contributor for many years on this Lions team. He should compliment the speed and explosiveness of Best well, being more of a head on, tough style runner who can give you consistent yards and occasionally big plays.
Next the Lions had to wait until the fifth round, where they took Doug Hogue, Linebacker, from Syracuse. Otherwise known as "Doug ho-God do I have to watch anymore of this?"
He has flashes of speed which sometimes find him in the backfield making the tackle, but you really have to work hard to notice when Hogue actually makes a difference to a game. He just doesn't do a lot. Occasionally he fills in the running game, but overall he's a spectator not a play maker. Might have a future as a weak linebacker in the Lions 4-3, but don't count on it. Could be gone by the end of camp.
After Hogue, Lions fans had to wait with unbearable anticipation until the seventh round to see who their team would take next, and it was..... Johnny Culbreath, offensive tackle, South Carolina state. The question you're probably asking is; who? And the answer is; I have no idea! Seriously. I haven't seen so much as a second on Culbreath and so I can't say a thing I'm afraid.
In conclusion then, the Lions draft was... ok. I remember it being better, largely because I remember Young being better than what I've seen recently. I think everyone is hoping that he'll be the perfect partner to Calvin Johnson, but I'm really not sure. I just think he'll lack the consistency to really take that kind of role. Add on the Hogue and Culbreath picks and it doesn't pan out all that well.
But then Nick Fairley and Mikel Leshoure offer hope. Fairley might just have been the player with the most legitimate claim to have been the number one overall pick, so I think the Lions got a great deal at 13th overall. Leshoure will add a measure of stability to that offense and may even be able to help better at keeping Matthew Stafford upright this year.
So positives and negatives. I think if the Lions are going to make a splash this year though, it'll be their veterans who'll have to dig deep and make it happen. Suh needs to have another good year. And Stafford needs to stay healthy for more than about 3 games.
Next year I can see an O-line blitz coming for the Lions.
Saturday, June 04, 2011
2011 NFL Lock out
No, not a post on the Detroit Lions draft class. That will be along in a few days. Instead I have something much more intriguing to deal with (no offense meant to the Lions).
Because (I know) I was perusing the interwebs for more data on whom the fans blame for the lockout. ProFootballTalk.com did a poll which had over 30,000 respondents. They seemed to favour either "both to blame" or "the players". There have been a number of much, much smaller polls (mostly >1000 people) which have shown a tendency to blame the owners, but their sample size is dwarfed by the PFT poll.
I was only curious because a number of people post in the comments at PFT claiming that the owners and their shills are deliberately placing pro-owner comments on the site and voting them up, while voting down pro-player posts. They claim this doesn't represent the mood elsewhere; even though most other major sites I've visited seem to also have a decidedly pro-owner leanings among their commenter's.
But this is not the intriguing thing that I came across. No.
Instead I stumbled upon NFLLockout.com, which is apparently the site that you're redirected to when you try and access the old NFLPA site. It's basically the players propaganda outlet. The owners have their own too - NFLLabor.com.
What I want to highlight are some of the frankly idiotic statements on the players site. We'll go through them in order and there's a fair few:
If there is not a football season in 2011, the owners’ costs will drastically decrease.
- As will, you know, their revenue.
They are willing to sacrifice the sport of football in this country in order to have less cost, less work, and more revenue for themselves.
- Yes, this is the owners new grand strategy for making money; to go out of business. If an entire season of football is lost the owners would still have to pay all of their rents, utilities, taxes and debt service. Any money from the so-called "Lockout Insurance" would serve only to soften the blow of their costs. It would leave very little in the way of profit.
The owners have not been willing to give proof that they have taken a financial loss, therefore needing more money back from players.
- Nor do they need to. That's why they're called owners, because it's their business and they own it. They manage the finances and in every other part of the world outside of the NFLPA's fairyland, the private owner of a business is not required to divulge his accounts to his employees. I don't ask my boss to show me his accounts so I can work out what my share of the cash should be. If he cuts my wages that's his prerogative. I can put up with or I can find a new job. That is my prerogative.
The average NFL career is only 3.6 years. It takes 3 accredited years to get just 5 years of post career healthcare.
- An average that is unduly weighted to the bottom due to the high number of rookies that get cut from training camps never to return. Teams have a 53 man roster plus 8 spots for practice squad players leaving a total of 61 spots. Teams typically take as many as 80 players into camp, leaving 19 disappointed young men as the seasons starts. Their short careers (if that even counts as a career) are pulling the figures down below what would be a more realistic assessment (say 5-8 years).
The addition of 2 more games would hinder a player’s ability to get post career healthcare
- Although I don't agree with the 18 game proposal, actually it offers players an increased chance to gain access to healthcare. Marginal/backup players would have more opportunities to get games in and earn an accredited season, especially as it is expected that there will be more "garbage" games in an 18 games season.
Some of the things players have fought for include: clean socks and jocks, free agency, former player benefits etc
- Sorry, clean socks and jocks? Huh? Does this mean the players fought to have their socks and jocks laundered by the teams? Could they not just, like everyone else, clean their own socks? Jesus.
The players have stated many times they’re content with the current system and revenue split… NFL owners and players each split roughly 50 percent of the revenue pie.
- Well of course they are. They make more money this way. I just love the way the players are trumpeting this as some kind of plus point, like they're being incredibly fair and noble.
In 2008, however, NFL owners voted to opt out of the 2006 CBA extension, thereby terminating the agreement in March of 2011—two years early.
- So the question then becomes, why did you agree to the opt out? You signed up knowing it was in there, so what's your point? You had to know there was a chance they would use it if they thought it was a bad deal.
Did you know that if NFL owners choose to lock out players in 2011, they will receive $4.5 billion from their TV contracts EVEN if there is no football games played next season?
- Shouldn't this be taken down now, as we know the league will not get any revenue from the TV companies.
Did you know that NFL owners receive a credit of slightly more than $1 billion for operating and investment expenses off the top of the revenue pool ($8.8 billion) BEFORE the remainder of the money is divided with players?
- Yes I did. It's a widely used practice in business often referred to as retained income. Essentially it is money that is fed back into the business. It is NOT profit, paid to the owners. It is money used for things like contributing to new stadiums, refurbishing current stadiums, organising the International Series games etc. These are all things designed to increase future revenues, or in other words, make more money for the players and owners in the years to come. Speculate to accumulate.
Did you know that while NFL owners complain about financial risks, players contributed $800 million to the new Meadowlands Stadium for the owners of the New York Giants and Jets, and contributed $300 million to the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium?
- Sorry, hold the fuck up a second. Say that first bit again...
Did you know that while NFL owners complain about financial risks, players contributed $800 million to the new Meadowlands Stadium for the owners of the New York Giants and Jets...
- That is complete, utter, total and unmitigated bullshit. The NFL teams (not players) contributed $300 million to the project (remember that retained income?). The Jets and the Giants were then both asked to cough up $650 million a piece. The Giants raised their money from two investment banks; Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers. The Jets raised theirs from Citicorp and the Royal Bank of Scotland. So unless the players own $800 million of shares in those companies, then they should take what is a blatantly untrue statement down.
What they actually did was to appease the other owners in the league, in particular those from small market teams, who were worried that increased revenues from the new stadium would increase their expenses by pushing up the minimum salary thresh hold. So the NFLPA agreed to reduce the salary cap obligations for the league by the tune of $800 million over a 15 year period (roughly $53 million per year, or $1.66 million per team, per year), something Union officials were more than happy to agree to knowing that they would claw back all of that money and more from the additional revenues in due course.
That's a heck of a difference compared to claiming that you contributed a large, upfront capital sum to fund a stadium. And they didn't do it for the benefit of the Jets and Giants owners either.
Did you know that NFL owners have rejected the union’s request that players get ownership stakes in return for assuming financial risk?
- Yes, because it would essentially allow the players to "double dip", taking a guaranteed salary off the team while also taking a portion of team revenue.
So there you have it, my rant for the day. I'm not saying the owners are squeaky clean in all this. When they negotiated the last round of TV deals it's been shown that they did indeed sacrifice the opportunity to maximise total revenues in return for "lockout insurance", against the good faith bargaining terms that they had agreed with the players. There is no excuse for that.
So the owners are no saints. But right now I have to believe that the players are a little further from heaven than the owners.
Because (I know) I was perusing the interwebs for more data on whom the fans blame for the lockout. ProFootballTalk.com did a poll which had over 30,000 respondents. They seemed to favour either "both to blame" or "the players". There have been a number of much, much smaller polls (mostly >1000 people) which have shown a tendency to blame the owners, but their sample size is dwarfed by the PFT poll.
I was only curious because a number of people post in the comments at PFT claiming that the owners and their shills are deliberately placing pro-owner comments on the site and voting them up, while voting down pro-player posts. They claim this doesn't represent the mood elsewhere; even though most other major sites I've visited seem to also have a decidedly pro-owner leanings among their commenter's.
But this is not the intriguing thing that I came across. No.
Instead I stumbled upon NFLLockout.com, which is apparently the site that you're redirected to when you try and access the old NFLPA site. It's basically the players propaganda outlet. The owners have their own too - NFLLabor.com.
What I want to highlight are some of the frankly idiotic statements on the players site. We'll go through them in order and there's a fair few:
If there is not a football season in 2011, the owners’ costs will drastically decrease.
- As will, you know, their revenue.
They are willing to sacrifice the sport of football in this country in order to have less cost, less work, and more revenue for themselves.
- Yes, this is the owners new grand strategy for making money; to go out of business. If an entire season of football is lost the owners would still have to pay all of their rents, utilities, taxes and debt service. Any money from the so-called "Lockout Insurance" would serve only to soften the blow of their costs. It would leave very little in the way of profit.
The owners have not been willing to give proof that they have taken a financial loss, therefore needing more money back from players.
- Nor do they need to. That's why they're called owners, because it's their business and they own it. They manage the finances and in every other part of the world outside of the NFLPA's fairyland, the private owner of a business is not required to divulge his accounts to his employees. I don't ask my boss to show me his accounts so I can work out what my share of the cash should be. If he cuts my wages that's his prerogative. I can put up with or I can find a new job. That is my prerogative.
The average NFL career is only 3.6 years. It takes 3 accredited years to get just 5 years of post career healthcare.
- An average that is unduly weighted to the bottom due to the high number of rookies that get cut from training camps never to return. Teams have a 53 man roster plus 8 spots for practice squad players leaving a total of 61 spots. Teams typically take as many as 80 players into camp, leaving 19 disappointed young men as the seasons starts. Their short careers (if that even counts as a career) are pulling the figures down below what would be a more realistic assessment (say 5-8 years).
The addition of 2 more games would hinder a player’s ability to get post career healthcare
- Although I don't agree with the 18 game proposal, actually it offers players an increased chance to gain access to healthcare. Marginal/backup players would have more opportunities to get games in and earn an accredited season, especially as it is expected that there will be more "garbage" games in an 18 games season.
Some of the things players have fought for include: clean socks and jocks, free agency, former player benefits etc
- Sorry, clean socks and jocks? Huh? Does this mean the players fought to have their socks and jocks laundered by the teams? Could they not just, like everyone else, clean their own socks? Jesus.
The players have stated many times they’re content with the current system and revenue split… NFL owners and players each split roughly 50 percent of the revenue pie.
- Well of course they are. They make more money this way. I just love the way the players are trumpeting this as some kind of plus point, like they're being incredibly fair and noble.
In 2008, however, NFL owners voted to opt out of the 2006 CBA extension, thereby terminating the agreement in March of 2011—two years early.
- So the question then becomes, why did you agree to the opt out? You signed up knowing it was in there, so what's your point? You had to know there was a chance they would use it if they thought it was a bad deal.
Did you know that if NFL owners choose to lock out players in 2011, they will receive $4.5 billion from their TV contracts EVEN if there is no football games played next season?
- Shouldn't this be taken down now, as we know the league will not get any revenue from the TV companies.
Did you know that NFL owners receive a credit of slightly more than $1 billion for operating and investment expenses off the top of the revenue pool ($8.8 billion) BEFORE the remainder of the money is divided with players?
- Yes I did. It's a widely used practice in business often referred to as retained income. Essentially it is money that is fed back into the business. It is NOT profit, paid to the owners. It is money used for things like contributing to new stadiums, refurbishing current stadiums, organising the International Series games etc. These are all things designed to increase future revenues, or in other words, make more money for the players and owners in the years to come. Speculate to accumulate.
Did you know that while NFL owners complain about financial risks, players contributed $800 million to the new Meadowlands Stadium for the owners of the New York Giants and Jets, and contributed $300 million to the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium?
- Sorry, hold the fuck up a second. Say that first bit again...
Did you know that while NFL owners complain about financial risks, players contributed $800 million to the new Meadowlands Stadium for the owners of the New York Giants and Jets...
- That is complete, utter, total and unmitigated bullshit. The NFL teams (not players) contributed $300 million to the project (remember that retained income?). The Jets and the Giants were then both asked to cough up $650 million a piece. The Giants raised their money from two investment banks; Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers. The Jets raised theirs from Citicorp and the Royal Bank of Scotland. So unless the players own $800 million of shares in those companies, then they should take what is a blatantly untrue statement down.
What they actually did was to appease the other owners in the league, in particular those from small market teams, who were worried that increased revenues from the new stadium would increase their expenses by pushing up the minimum salary thresh hold. So the NFLPA agreed to reduce the salary cap obligations for the league by the tune of $800 million over a 15 year period (roughly $53 million per year, or $1.66 million per team, per year), something Union officials were more than happy to agree to knowing that they would claw back all of that money and more from the additional revenues in due course.
That's a heck of a difference compared to claiming that you contributed a large, upfront capital sum to fund a stadium. And they didn't do it for the benefit of the Jets and Giants owners either.
Did you know that NFL owners have rejected the union’s request that players get ownership stakes in return for assuming financial risk?
- Yes, because it would essentially allow the players to "double dip", taking a guaranteed salary off the team while also taking a portion of team revenue.
So there you have it, my rant for the day. I'm not saying the owners are squeaky clean in all this. When they negotiated the last round of TV deals it's been shown that they did indeed sacrifice the opportunity to maximise total revenues in return for "lockout insurance", against the good faith bargaining terms that they had agreed with the players. There is no excuse for that.
So the owners are no saints. But right now I have to believe that the players are a little further from heaven than the owners.
Friday, June 03, 2011
2011 NFL Draft; Chicago Bears
So, here we are, finally having gotten around to looking at the Bears draft class.
Now admittedly I've been trying to string these posts out to last us with some football-ish news through the dark days of this lockout. But recently it would appear I've been taking the piss with this Bears post, given that its taken so long to produce.
But there is a good reason. Or at least I think it is.
On April 7th I covered some of the defensive linemen ahead of the draft. One of those players was defensive tackle Stephen Paea, from Oregon State. Paea was taken in the second round by the Bears and this is what I originially wrote about him on April 7th:
"The strength he displayed at the combine (I think it was 49 reps of 225 lbs) is for real. Sometimes he'll just barely get a hand on a running back and yet bring them crashing to the ground. Quick and has pretty good technique. All that helps him to shed blocks. Might slip down because people think he's just a workout warrior, but that's a big mistake. I'm going to put my neck on the line and say he's a worthy first round talent."
So what's the problem then?
The answer is; I have no idea now what made me write that. As part of this series I've been going back and studying each individual player much closer. A good example of this was Colin Kaepernick of the 49ers, who I now feel I didn't give enough credit to before the draft.
And now I'm really beginning to wonder about some of the other evaluations I put up. For example, I've been back and looked at a number of defensive linemen. Nick Fairley is just how I remember him. But reading my review of Corey Liuget and then watching the film, you wouldn't recognise the player I was talking about.
I think on reflection I might also have given too much credit to Adrian Clayborn, and not enough to the likes of J.J. Watt and Ryan Kerrigan. It's odd. I'm having trouble explaining it but it's a very unsettling feeling. I just don't understand how the evaluations I was so sure of a few months ago could change so significantly. It's not like there is a well of new evidence for me to draw on. I'm watching the exact same games that I did back in March/April.
It's roughly the same with story with Paea.
Now, having painted a picture of doom and gloom I should actually point out that there are some things from that original evaluation that I stand by. He is very strong. What you saw at the combine was no fiddle; he really does have an immensely strong upper body. He also does indeed have some good technique.
He comes off at the snap keeping his back low, using those powerful arms and chest muscles to jack the offensive linemen backwards. He has shown at times the ability to literally throw offensive linemen off of their block.
But...
He seems to lack explosion in his legs. If he doesn't rock the offensive guard back with his punch, then he often struggles to get any movement using his leg power alone. His tackling is about average. His awareness of the play is also not great. Other than his "power shrug" for want of a better term, his pass rush moves can be quite limited.
All in all what you end up with is some great raw strength, but not really a lot of polish. I described him previously as a first rounder but looking back now, I'm not so sure I'd use a second rounder on him. A third? Maybe, maybe not, depending on the board. I see him now much more as a development prospect as opposed to a "plug and play" type of guy.
So what caused this switch around? Well, as described earlier the film hasn't changed. It's all the same plays, same games etc. So the problem has to be related to me as an individual. My best guess is this; prior to the draft I had left it quite late before doing the full evaluations and had a ton of players to get through. I even mistakenly thought at one point that the draft was being held a week earlier than it actually was.
So I'm surmising from this is basically just an error of rushing through all the players to get it done, instead of assessing each player on a much closer, more deliberate level. This is something that I'm rectifying now and I should point out it's a process that I've been doing for all of these recaps. So in case you were wondering, yes, I do still think Mark Legree and Anthony Gaitor are unsung, unrecognised gems.
If anything, when I went back and watched those two I came away even more impressed than I had been before.
But we're getting off track. In fact, we've actually jumped ahead of ourselves (I blame you personally). Because in my haste to get to Paea and explain why this has all taken so long I missed Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin. You know, that guy that the Bears took with their first pick and all that.
So what do I think of Carimi? Generally Carimi is strong and pretty sound from a technical perspective. However, originally I compared him to Bryan Bulaga of the Packers. Now? I'm not quite sure he's at that level. One thing I've noticed is that due to Wisconsin being reasonably run heavy, there is a lot more snaps of him to watch in the run game than in the passing game, so that has been something of a hindrance.
As far as run blocking goes I have no real problems with Carimi. He does pretty much everything that is asked of him and he does it consistently, snap after snap. Yet we all know though that you don't sign a left tackle for his run blocking ability, you sign them for their ability to protect your quarterbacks butt.
In that regard Carimi is still good, but putting on my GM hat for a moment I have to think to myself that there are players out there who you've seen much more of when it comes to the passing game. More snaps, more difficult opponents in terms of pass rushers and against defenses that were more geared and ready to stop the pass as opposed to the run. Some of those players showed excellent abilities in pass blocking.
That for me makes the choice of Carimi now seem a little illogical. There were other candidates on the board, all of whom were equally as good, if not better. Critically, decision makers would have seen lots more of them on film and had a much better idea about their consistency from down to down against the pass.
Still, Carimi is a good tackle. Slot him in at the right spot and it'll be interesting to see how he copes with likes of Clay Matthews, Cliff Avril and Ray Edwards twice a year. If nothing else it will force him into a quick learning curve and if he can hang in there and survive against those guys then it'll set him up for a productive career. There is of course one x factor in particular working in his favour; the Bears O-line sucks as it is, so it can't get much worse.
On to round 3 and the Bears took Chris Conte, safety, California. I remember Conte being really good at the combine, but that is of course only a marginally useful tool as far as evaluations go. What I needed to see was on the field action and prior to the draft I hadn't seen a thing, so it was interesting for me to sit down and get a good luck at him finally.
Not least because it rammed home emphatically the sheer pointlessness of the combine, pro days and any other form of evaluation that involves shorts related activities. Conte was a whizz at the combine. He had quick feet, he looked balanced and under control at all times, he cut well in the drills and he seemed to be working really hard.
His film is practically the opposite. Maybe it is some subtle nuance of the Cal Bears defensive scheme, but for a safety Conte seems to acutely lack any understanding of the word "depth", as in, "get depth in coverage because you're the bloody safety man!"
He kept getting drawn in by crossing routes in front of him, even when one of his corners had that covered. As you can probably imagine that left numerous plays where there was a gaping chasm behind him, into which you can expect to see pro level offenses sending their deep receivers, exploiting Conte using various combinations of post routes with either intermediate or deep "in" routes underneath.
He also seems to be less enthusiastic about charging in to make a tackle than he was about flying around the artificial turf in Indianapolis. All in all, wouldn't put much faith in Conte. There really wasn't anything there worth watching and the fact that he was a third round pick is nothing short of astounding.
Again, I understand when teams and analysts look at a group of good players and have varying opinions on how valuable they are. One mans first rounder is another mans third. But then we have players like Chris Conte. I defy any scout, coach, general manager or TV analyst to give me a list of 5 good reasons why Conte should have been taken over guys like Mark Legree. Or even over anybody else in the draft.
Or anyone that went undrafted.
He just does nothing. At all. Not a thing. Watching Conte play is like watching paint dry. There is practically zero evidence to suggest that Conte will amount to anything other than a water boy. Just... I give up. Let's move on.
Skipping the fourth round as the Bears don't have a pick in it (or the seventh), we find ourselves in round five and it's Nathan Enderle, quarterback, Idaho. Now we're talking!
I've been raving about Enderle for a while now and I still am. He played behind a pretty bad O-line in college and at times his wide receivers really let him down, as he hit them in the hands time after time. Those points are important for me because it shrouds the true story behind his completion percentage and also gives us a good look at how he copes under pressure.
One of the key aspects for me though is the variety of routes that Enderle threw to in college. Post routes, corners, deep ins and outs, dump offs, intermediate passes. Enderle has thrown just about every type of route he'll be asked to in the pros. He's run an offense similar in nature to the one he'll be introduced to in Chicago. He's made the type of reads he'll be asked to by Mike Martz against the types of defenses that he'll face on a weekly basis.
To cap it all off, he did all of these things very well, despite the troubles that his offense as a whole had. If I had any criticism of Enderle it would be that sometimes he's a little too inclined to throw over the middle when perhaps there are better options outside. That's not a huge deal though and with time and a bit of patience, practice and diligence in the film room he'll work out of that habit.
Overall I think Enderle is a really good pick and I think he's a great fit for what the Bears do, as well as how their team is set up right now, e.g. they too have a shitty O-line. It will be like being back at Idaho when Enderle steps out onto the field. And that may be sooner than anyone thinks, or hopes. Yes, I'm talking about Jay Cutler.
We'll leave that particular thread hanging for now though and progress to the sixth round where we find J.T. Thomas, linebacker, West Virginia.
The main issue that Thomas has to overcome is adaptation, shifting from a largely 3-4 scheme in college to a 4-3 team in the NFL. Quite where Thomas fits into that equation is also up in the air right now. But he should find a home, if not this year then next.
He's pretty quick. Tackling can sometimes be a little so-so, but generally good. He plays well in pass coverage, has an nose for sniffing out screen passes early and has enough mobility to get around the field and pursue the play. He also has an upside in the form of his special teams experience, which is always a valuable asset for a young guy to bring to the table.
As an overall package I really like Thomas. I think he has a lot of the skills that you want to see from a versatile linebacker, with the ability to contribute to some degree from day one. As a sixth round pick that's really good value for the Bears.
And that is it for the Bears draft class. To be fair, looking at the broad spectrum of picks the Bears did pretty well. Enderle and Thomas are big highlights for me, Carimi pretty good, Paea.. meh, for now. We'll have to wait and see how he pans out.
Chris Conte?
Chris Conte meet Mike Person. Mike Person meet Chris Conte. Enjoy each others terrible film.
Next up, the Detroit Lions.
Now admittedly I've been trying to string these posts out to last us with some football-ish news through the dark days of this lockout. But recently it would appear I've been taking the piss with this Bears post, given that its taken so long to produce.
But there is a good reason. Or at least I think it is.
On April 7th I covered some of the defensive linemen ahead of the draft. One of those players was defensive tackle Stephen Paea, from Oregon State. Paea was taken in the second round by the Bears and this is what I originially wrote about him on April 7th:
"The strength he displayed at the combine (I think it was 49 reps of 225 lbs) is for real. Sometimes he'll just barely get a hand on a running back and yet bring them crashing to the ground. Quick and has pretty good technique. All that helps him to shed blocks. Might slip down because people think he's just a workout warrior, but that's a big mistake. I'm going to put my neck on the line and say he's a worthy first round talent."
So what's the problem then?
The answer is; I have no idea now what made me write that. As part of this series I've been going back and studying each individual player much closer. A good example of this was Colin Kaepernick of the 49ers, who I now feel I didn't give enough credit to before the draft.
And now I'm really beginning to wonder about some of the other evaluations I put up. For example, I've been back and looked at a number of defensive linemen. Nick Fairley is just how I remember him. But reading my review of Corey Liuget and then watching the film, you wouldn't recognise the player I was talking about.
I think on reflection I might also have given too much credit to Adrian Clayborn, and not enough to the likes of J.J. Watt and Ryan Kerrigan. It's odd. I'm having trouble explaining it but it's a very unsettling feeling. I just don't understand how the evaluations I was so sure of a few months ago could change so significantly. It's not like there is a well of new evidence for me to draw on. I'm watching the exact same games that I did back in March/April.
It's roughly the same with story with Paea.
Now, having painted a picture of doom and gloom I should actually point out that there are some things from that original evaluation that I stand by. He is very strong. What you saw at the combine was no fiddle; he really does have an immensely strong upper body. He also does indeed have some good technique.
He comes off at the snap keeping his back low, using those powerful arms and chest muscles to jack the offensive linemen backwards. He has shown at times the ability to literally throw offensive linemen off of their block.
But...
He seems to lack explosion in his legs. If he doesn't rock the offensive guard back with his punch, then he often struggles to get any movement using his leg power alone. His tackling is about average. His awareness of the play is also not great. Other than his "power shrug" for want of a better term, his pass rush moves can be quite limited.
All in all what you end up with is some great raw strength, but not really a lot of polish. I described him previously as a first rounder but looking back now, I'm not so sure I'd use a second rounder on him. A third? Maybe, maybe not, depending on the board. I see him now much more as a development prospect as opposed to a "plug and play" type of guy.
So what caused this switch around? Well, as described earlier the film hasn't changed. It's all the same plays, same games etc. So the problem has to be related to me as an individual. My best guess is this; prior to the draft I had left it quite late before doing the full evaluations and had a ton of players to get through. I even mistakenly thought at one point that the draft was being held a week earlier than it actually was.
So I'm surmising from this is basically just an error of rushing through all the players to get it done, instead of assessing each player on a much closer, more deliberate level. This is something that I'm rectifying now and I should point out it's a process that I've been doing for all of these recaps. So in case you were wondering, yes, I do still think Mark Legree and Anthony Gaitor are unsung, unrecognised gems.
If anything, when I went back and watched those two I came away even more impressed than I had been before.
But we're getting off track. In fact, we've actually jumped ahead of ourselves (I blame you personally). Because in my haste to get to Paea and explain why this has all taken so long I missed Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin. You know, that guy that the Bears took with their first pick and all that.
So what do I think of Carimi? Generally Carimi is strong and pretty sound from a technical perspective. However, originally I compared him to Bryan Bulaga of the Packers. Now? I'm not quite sure he's at that level. One thing I've noticed is that due to Wisconsin being reasonably run heavy, there is a lot more snaps of him to watch in the run game than in the passing game, so that has been something of a hindrance.
As far as run blocking goes I have no real problems with Carimi. He does pretty much everything that is asked of him and he does it consistently, snap after snap. Yet we all know though that you don't sign a left tackle for his run blocking ability, you sign them for their ability to protect your quarterbacks butt.
In that regard Carimi is still good, but putting on my GM hat for a moment I have to think to myself that there are players out there who you've seen much more of when it comes to the passing game. More snaps, more difficult opponents in terms of pass rushers and against defenses that were more geared and ready to stop the pass as opposed to the run. Some of those players showed excellent abilities in pass blocking.
That for me makes the choice of Carimi now seem a little illogical. There were other candidates on the board, all of whom were equally as good, if not better. Critically, decision makers would have seen lots more of them on film and had a much better idea about their consistency from down to down against the pass.
Still, Carimi is a good tackle. Slot him in at the right spot and it'll be interesting to see how he copes with likes of Clay Matthews, Cliff Avril and Ray Edwards twice a year. If nothing else it will force him into a quick learning curve and if he can hang in there and survive against those guys then it'll set him up for a productive career. There is of course one x factor in particular working in his favour; the Bears O-line sucks as it is, so it can't get much worse.
On to round 3 and the Bears took Chris Conte, safety, California. I remember Conte being really good at the combine, but that is of course only a marginally useful tool as far as evaluations go. What I needed to see was on the field action and prior to the draft I hadn't seen a thing, so it was interesting for me to sit down and get a good luck at him finally.
Not least because it rammed home emphatically the sheer pointlessness of the combine, pro days and any other form of evaluation that involves shorts related activities. Conte was a whizz at the combine. He had quick feet, he looked balanced and under control at all times, he cut well in the drills and he seemed to be working really hard.
His film is practically the opposite. Maybe it is some subtle nuance of the Cal Bears defensive scheme, but for a safety Conte seems to acutely lack any understanding of the word "depth", as in, "get depth in coverage because you're the bloody safety man!"
He kept getting drawn in by crossing routes in front of him, even when one of his corners had that covered. As you can probably imagine that left numerous plays where there was a gaping chasm behind him, into which you can expect to see pro level offenses sending their deep receivers, exploiting Conte using various combinations of post routes with either intermediate or deep "in" routes underneath.
He also seems to be less enthusiastic about charging in to make a tackle than he was about flying around the artificial turf in Indianapolis. All in all, wouldn't put much faith in Conte. There really wasn't anything there worth watching and the fact that he was a third round pick is nothing short of astounding.
Again, I understand when teams and analysts look at a group of good players and have varying opinions on how valuable they are. One mans first rounder is another mans third. But then we have players like Chris Conte. I defy any scout, coach, general manager or TV analyst to give me a list of 5 good reasons why Conte should have been taken over guys like Mark Legree. Or even over anybody else in the draft.
Or anyone that went undrafted.
He just does nothing. At all. Not a thing. Watching Conte play is like watching paint dry. There is practically zero evidence to suggest that Conte will amount to anything other than a water boy. Just... I give up. Let's move on.
Skipping the fourth round as the Bears don't have a pick in it (or the seventh), we find ourselves in round five and it's Nathan Enderle, quarterback, Idaho. Now we're talking!
I've been raving about Enderle for a while now and I still am. He played behind a pretty bad O-line in college and at times his wide receivers really let him down, as he hit them in the hands time after time. Those points are important for me because it shrouds the true story behind his completion percentage and also gives us a good look at how he copes under pressure.
One of the key aspects for me though is the variety of routes that Enderle threw to in college. Post routes, corners, deep ins and outs, dump offs, intermediate passes. Enderle has thrown just about every type of route he'll be asked to in the pros. He's run an offense similar in nature to the one he'll be introduced to in Chicago. He's made the type of reads he'll be asked to by Mike Martz against the types of defenses that he'll face on a weekly basis.
To cap it all off, he did all of these things very well, despite the troubles that his offense as a whole had. If I had any criticism of Enderle it would be that sometimes he's a little too inclined to throw over the middle when perhaps there are better options outside. That's not a huge deal though and with time and a bit of patience, practice and diligence in the film room he'll work out of that habit.
Overall I think Enderle is a really good pick and I think he's a great fit for what the Bears do, as well as how their team is set up right now, e.g. they too have a shitty O-line. It will be like being back at Idaho when Enderle steps out onto the field. And that may be sooner than anyone thinks, or hopes. Yes, I'm talking about Jay Cutler.
We'll leave that particular thread hanging for now though and progress to the sixth round where we find J.T. Thomas, linebacker, West Virginia.
The main issue that Thomas has to overcome is adaptation, shifting from a largely 3-4 scheme in college to a 4-3 team in the NFL. Quite where Thomas fits into that equation is also up in the air right now. But he should find a home, if not this year then next.
He's pretty quick. Tackling can sometimes be a little so-so, but generally good. He plays well in pass coverage, has an nose for sniffing out screen passes early and has enough mobility to get around the field and pursue the play. He also has an upside in the form of his special teams experience, which is always a valuable asset for a young guy to bring to the table.
As an overall package I really like Thomas. I think he has a lot of the skills that you want to see from a versatile linebacker, with the ability to contribute to some degree from day one. As a sixth round pick that's really good value for the Bears.
And that is it for the Bears draft class. To be fair, looking at the broad spectrum of picks the Bears did pretty well. Enderle and Thomas are big highlights for me, Carimi pretty good, Paea.. meh, for now. We'll have to wait and see how he pans out.
Chris Conte?
Chris Conte meet Mike Person. Mike Person meet Chris Conte. Enjoy each others terrible film.
Next up, the Detroit Lions.
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Keeping you Posted 06/02/11
Work is underway on the review of the Chicago Bears draft class. But as you're going to see, it's not all going as planned....
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