Date Archives October 2011

The RSP Blog’s Top 20 RBs (2006-2011) Pt II

0 Comments read Players, Running Back
Study this photo of Reggie Bush, becuase this talent that made him feared in college football has often reduced him to a pedestrian player in the NFL. Photo by JSnell.

The idea of compiling a rankings analysis across several years of Rookie Scouting Portfolio publications has been a popular request by readers for years, but something I have resisted doing. For a complete explanation why please read Part I. If you want to know how my ranking of these players differs from the actual process I use for the RSP publication please read Part I. And if you want to know why I view this exercise as an entertainment piece and not a more serious analysis please read Part I.

Moreover, if you want to see players 11-20, you know what to do. See, I didn’t even need to say it.

Continue reading →

The RSP Blog’s Top 20 RB Prospects (2006-2011) Part I

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Ahmad Bradshaw easily made my top 20 RB prospects for the RSP. His performance on an undermanned team against superior opposition transcended his stats. Photo by Ted Kerwin.

One of the most frequent requests I’ve heard from readers over the years is to rank players at their position across several draft classes. It’s an entertaining thing to read, but I’ve always been reticent about doing it. There are a lot of approaches I could take with the ranking process and I’m not sure if any of them will feel good enough to stand behind.

I could rank by checklist scores, but I don’t believe in ranking players solely by the quantitative criteria I used to derive a score in the Rookie Scouting Portfolio publication. This is only half of the analysis that I perform. The other half is providing a detailed context behind the scoring that often fills in the gaps that the data leaves behind. Even then, there is a factor I call “The Great Emotional Divide,” which separates productive NFL players from massively talented NFL prospects. Another valid question is whether I should judge these players based on what I’ve seen from them in the NFL. If so then am I doing justice to the rookies from the 2011 class?

None of this makes me feel like I’m on solid ground. I don’t like rankings because they are highly fluid thoughts frozen during a brief period in time. Some readers may believe my business as author of the Rookie Scouting Portfolio is ranking players, but they’re mistaken.

My primary goal with the RSP is to profile these players and analyze their games. The ranking is perhaps the least important part of the analysis. It’s the conversation starter. The attention-getter. The marketing schtick. It’s the cocktail party, three-sentence summation of a complex subject that you need to learn or you come across as rude or socially awkward. As much as I value Twitter for attracting readers like you to the work I do, I’m not much on cocktail party chatter. Nothing wrong with it if that’s your thing, it’s just not mine if I can avoid it.

Ultimately, I only ranked players I studied during my time authoring the RSP (2006-2011). I decided to rank these players according to the potential I saw in them before they went pro. I don’t define potential by where I ranked them in the past, but what I think they could have (or did) become based on these factors:

Continue reading →

Quick Announcement: New Series

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As an actual NFL player Laurence Mauroney was a bust, but he was a great prospect. How great? Find out in the coming days if he makes my RB list in a new series where I rank the top 10 prospects during my tenure of researching the Rookie Scouting Portfolio (2006-2011). Photo by Sean O'Brien.

Tom Moore, one of my Twitter followers, asked me to rank Alabama’s Trent Richardson within the scope of the top RB prospects during the last 10 years of drafts. I thought it was a good idea, but I simply haven’t finished my due diligence on the 2012 draft class to feel comfortable compiling that kind of ranking. However I can do a series where I rank the top 10 prospects at each skill position for the duration I’ve been writing the Rookie Scouting Portfolio.

Expect this series to begin at the end of the week.

I’m still determining whether I will rank my players based on the potential I saw in them or a combo of potential and hindsight analysis based on their actual pro performance, but I hope this will be an entertaining series. It’s going to be fun to write, that’s for sure.

I’m also hoping to land an interview with Chris Brown and/or former Scout Dave Razzano for you guys, but I’ve had some trouble getting them to respond after initially expressing interest. Maybe those of you on Twitter can give them a nudge and tell them that you’d be interested in reading about them in a Q&A at the Rookie Scouting Portfolio (you know, “Power to the People” and all that good stuff).

If not, that’s okay. I’m good buddies with this certain S.O.B. who I’ve been waiting to interview, but biding my time to make the request of him. I think he’ll make time though.

 

Let’s “Throwdown!”

0 Comments read Matt Waldman
I might be a loser at Fantasy Throwdown this week, but this site is a winner. Click image for close up of the agony of my defeat.

I don’t know about you, but my favorite part of fantasy football is the draft. Now you can draft every day and have new match ups at any time at FantasyThrowdown.com . I actually received  an email from reader last week who thanked me for tipping him to the site. He said it was like giving cookies to a sugar addict.

We actually saw a lot of people try Fantasy Throwdown last week and the feedback was tremendous. If you didn’t try this strategic and addictive one-on-one fantasy football game last week, then you need need to challenge me to a draft. Just go the site, create a login, and enter my email (thegutcheck@gmail.com) when you create a private challenge. If you need a few more directions, see below.

How to Play

Starting a challenge is easy and the draft is really flexible. If you want to draft in minutes with a friend, you can do that online together. If you don’t have a lot of time in one sitting you can start a challenge on Monday and slowly pick a starting lineup before the first kick off on Sunday.

Some folks are playing dozens of times per week and telling me drafts take as little as 10-15 minutes when both parties are online. Others tell me they enjoy knowing they can draft over the course of a week if they don’t have the time to finish a game in one sitting.

Here’s how it works: Continue reading →

RSP Flashback: DeMarco Murray Q&A and Analysis

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DeMarco Murray (left), pictured with Landry Jones (center) had a debut as an NFL starter that most players could only dream about. Photo by E.A. Sanabria.

 

DeMarco Murray’s 25-carry, 253-yard debut as the Cowboys starter bested Emmitt Smith’s single game rushing record for the team. As with most accomplishments of this kind, the performance tends to be the product of a confluence of factors: a weakened defense, a big lead, and talent allowed to get into a rhythm. With Sam Bradford on the bench nursing an ankle sprain and the Rams defense consistently folding early in contests, St. Louis was clearly a big part of the equation. But let’s not forget that Cowboys starter Felix Jones had only one game this year where he exceeded 60 yards rushing and the Rams defense’s worst performances against the run came at the legs of LeSean McCoy and Ryan Torain. If you combine the totals of these two backs, they only bested Murray’s output by four yards.

Murray may not go on a streak that Corey Dillon did over a decade ago during his rookie year or like Jerome Harrison’s 2009 stint with the Browns, but the third-round pick of the Cowboys is not a fluke. He was my No.4 runner in the 2011 Rookie Scouting Portfolio and a runner I saw up close at the Senior Bowl practices. He was the best back on the North squad and I heard two former running backs-turned running back coaches label Murray as a potential thoroughbred.

In a Q&A that I conducted with Murray at the Senior Bowl for the New York Times Fifth Down, I was impressed with Murray’s mature approach to the game and desire to hone his tools to become a better athlete and football player. He was one of those few players where his words and intentions matched his growth on the field.

One of the most revealing performances I witnessed during Murray’s college career came during his junior year Continue reading →

Sunday Mailbag 10/23

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Sunday's mailbag always has some good variety. Photo by KLMircea.

Rob McClean: Now that San Diego and Indianapolis have released running backs Jordan Todman and Darren Evans, do either get a shot with the Detroit Lions after the voided Ronnie Brown trade?

Waldman: On the surface it would make sense that the Lions would take a look at this pair of rookies, but after a little more thought I don’t think it’s going to happen. The Lions are a young team, but they are a young team on the rise. I don’t believe they want to work with backs that are unproven in pass protection. This is the reason they sought Ronnie Brown and valued him over Jerome Harrison. Brown has veteran skills as a pass protector that Harrison lacked. The former Washington State runner is actually a player I would have preferred as a ball carrier to Brown, but pass protection is one of the reasons he’s bounced around the league and never earned a full-time gig as a starter.

Harrison would have been a situational reserve for the Eagles who knew the offense, but they didn’t need to rely on him due to the play of LeSean McCoy and rookie Dion Lewis. I believe that Philadelphia’s use of the shotgun passing game was a big reason the Lions targeted Brown and subsequently former Eagle Eldra Buckley. Matt Stafford is the franchise and they can’t take too many chances with backfield protection.

Todman, a rookie from the University of Connecticut, has some promise. Continue reading →

Reads Listens Views 10/21

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[youtube=http://youtu.be/BuHPCsH1EBQ]

Check out Walter Payton’s 75-yard reception.

It’s been a great week at the RSP blog. Chad Spann not only provided great information for an enlightening interview series about his training camp experience with Indianapolis, but he’s now a part of the Buccaneers practice squad and in London for the team’s match up with the Chicago Bears. Jay Cutler gave us a rare, “take this job and shove it,” moment on Sunday night. And Jene Bramel writes a fantastic piece where he dissects a play from an angle that gives us a different conclusion than what television commentators saw at first glance.

The only downer was Skype failing me when I was going to deliver my “And Justice For All” defense parody of John Beck on The Audible Roundtable. Google Phone, we’re pals for now. Don’t let me down…

If you’re new to this blog, thank you for checking out the digs. Even more thanks if you liked enough of what you’ve seen to subscribe. Continue reading →

Jene Bramel: What the TV Angles Don’t Show You

0 Comments read Matt Waldman
Jene Bramel gives us a dynamite piece on the value of All-22 angles from coaches tape using a touchdown from the Ravens-Texans game in Week 6 as an example. Photo by Ario_

By Jene Bramel

Television makes football look and sound amazing.  They give us HD video and surround sound, on-field suspended cameras, and parabolic microphones.  But the TV production crews – including many of the color broadcasters and their spotters – still miss showing us crucial chapters of the game story.

Thankfully, football geeks can get a glimpse behind the scenes every week with the Game Rewind service on NFL.com, which provides the coaches film for a few selected plays.  It’s a great way to see if something went down as the television angles and the announcers said it did on Sunday.  Sometimes, the two stories are as different as what my seven year-old and four year-old tell me after I find that half the Halloween candy has been eaten two weeks before they’ve put they’re costumes on. Continue reading →

Walk on the Wild Side Exposed: Rex Grossman is impersonating Cecil Lammey!

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Author’s Note: This was my planned defense for John Beck in our Fantasy Court segment scheduled for the October 20 broadcast of The Audible Roundtable. Unfortunately, we have suspicions that Rex Grossman tampered with my phone line so he could continue to impersonate our beloved host Cecil Lammey for the entire two hours and persecute (not prosecute) John Beck. Second, more serious note: Rex Grossman deserves credit for having the skill to even warrant consideration as an NFL starter and perform as well as he has at times. I’m piling on to an unfortunate situation for him, but I’m using him more as a character than the person he is.

Waldman: Your honor, the Audible jury, football fans – especially the victims in this case, the Redskins fans.  I’ve reviewed the evidence. So have a panel of preeminent expert witnesses I will call before you. Among them are Steve Young, Ron Jaworski, Greg Cosell, Dave Razzano, Dan Shonka, and a host of others who agree that Beck has the arm talent, mobility, poise, accuracy, and anticipation to develop into a good NFL starter. What has prevented Beck from doing so was a lack of a real opportunity.

There is no justice in the NFL. Life isn’t fair and John Beck didn’t cry about it. He didn’t cry when Bill Parcells never gave him a chance after the Miami Dolphins under Cam Cameron attempted, and failed to impersonate a football team. No, instead Parcells opted for one of of his patented big-armed, two-cent savvy Robo-QBs. Guys who might shout loud enough get Lammey’s attention, but can only look at one quadrant of the field at a time.

Beck didn’t cry when the Ravens let him go to Washington although we have written testimony that some Ravens players did, which we have also entered into evidence with this court.

And he didn’t cry when Mike Shanahan opted to give Rex Grossman the first chance to reveal his true colors.

But let’s get back to justice. What is justice. What is the intention of justice. The intention of justice is to see that the guilty people are proven guilty and that the innocent are freed. Simple isn’t it. Only it’s not that simple. However, it is the defense counselor’s duty to protect the rights of the individual as it is the prosecutions duty to uphold and defend the laws of fantasy football. But we want to win. We want to win regardless of the truth. We want to win regardless of justice. REGARDLESS! of who is guilty or innocent. WINNING…is everything.

And ladies and gentlemen of the Audible jury of listeners, the prosecution is not going to get John Beck TODAY! No…because I’M GONNA GET THE PROSECUTION! OUR PLAINTIFF!!! THE HONORABLE MOTORBOATING SON OF A BITCH CECIL “BIG-MEX” LAMMEY HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED AND IMPERSONATED BY DEPOSED REDSKINS QUARTERBACK REX GROSSMAN.

I HAVE VISUAL PROOF!

GROSSMAN, WHO WE DISCOVERED JUST MINUTES AGO HAS HIRED MATT JONES, THE ROCK N’ ROLL CLOWN,  TO DOPE LAMMEY AND CONFINE HIM IN THE MEN’S ROOM STALL OF AN IHOP IN ARVADA, Colorado SHOULD GO STRAIGHT TO THE WASHINGTON BENCH! THE SONOFABITCH IS GUILTY! THAT MAN IS GUILTY!

THAT MAN THERE!

THAT MAN THERE IS A SLIME!

HE IS A SLIME.

IF HE’S ALLOWED TO GO FREE  then something REEAAAALLLY wrong is goin’ on here!

Judge Bloom: Mr. Waldman you are out of order!
Waldman: YOUR’E OUT OF ORDER! YOU’RE OUT OF ORDER! THE WHOLE TRIAL IS OUT OF ORDA! THEY’RE OUT OF ORDA!  THAT MAN! THAT SICK, CRAZY, DEPRAVED MAN, THREW FOUR INTERCEPTIONS IN ONE GAME AND IT WASN’T EVEN CLOSE TO HIS WORST GAME AS AN NFL QUARTERBACK AND HE’D LIKE TO DO IT AGAIN! HE TOLD ME SO! IT’S JUST A SHOW!

IT’S  LET’S MAKE A DEAL! LET’S MAKE A DEAL!

HEY SIGMUND, YOU WANNA “MAKE A DEAL!” I GOT AN INSANE NFL QUARTERBACK WHO LIKES TO MAKE CRAZY THROWS, KILL OFFENSES, AND IMPERSONATE OUR AUDIBLE HOST!

WHADDYA GIMMEE SIGMUND, 3 WEEKS PROBATION?

I HEAR YOU OVER THERE GROSSMAN, YOU’VE BEEN EXPOSED. YOU JUST WISH YOU COULD STRAP ON THAT BIB AND MOTORBOAT RYAN TORAIN, BUT CECIL WOULD NEVER DO THAT! HE’D ONLY DO IT TO STEPHEN DAVIS OR JOHN RIGGINS!

Waldman: [to Grossman] You, you sonofabitch, you! You’re supposed to *hit the target!* You’re supposed to protect a lead! But instead you murder it!
[dragged out of court by bailiffs]
Waldman: You killed the Redskins! You killed them! Hold it! Hold it! I just completed my opening statement!

Challenge me to a Game of one-on-one Fantasy Football

0 Comments read Matt Waldman
Play me or your friends in free games of one-on-one fantasy football.

If you follow me on Twitter then you might have seen that I was looking for people to play me in a game of one-on-one fantasy football. The game is FantasyThrowdown. It’s a one-on-one fantasy football game that is simple, but strategic and addictive. Drafts can take as little as 5-10 minutes and you can play as much as you like each week.

Here’s how it works:

  • Challenge anyone online – public challenges on the site or private challenges to friends with a valid email address.
  • You and your opponent choose the draft order and select the three games for the week to determine the players you’ll draft. Choose wisely, because your opponent can remove one player from the draft pool that you can’t use.
  • Then draft either in a live draft room or slow draft with email notifications throughout the week. Just finish the draft before the 1pm (EST) kickoff.

Fantasy Throwdown offers traditional offense + team defense or offense + IDP options as well as PPR and Non-PPR scoring.

The site is still in testing (BETA) mode, but I’ve participated in numerous drafts and it works well. Go to the site and create a login, accept (or create) a public challenge, or send me a private challenge by using my email: thegutcheck@gmail.com. Send me any feedback about the game as well.

“Throw down” with me and let’s see what you got.