Date Archives September 2012

Reads Listens Views 9/28/2012

0 Comments read Reads Listens Views
Do you understand this? Can you write about it? Can you diagram it over a photo of an actual game? Do you want to write about stuff like it here? Keep reading. Photo by Avinnash Kunnath.

Seeking Writers

Unlike my pals Cecil Lammey and Sigmund Bloom, I have a a day job that does not involve football. It means that I have to cut back on some of my football writing at certain points of the year. One of those difficult choices involved saying good bye to my in-season version of my Weekly Gut Check columns (I’m still writing the column from May through late August) and it has meant fewer posts with this blog – the two football vehicles I love the most.

It won’t always be like this, but in life one has to bob and weave with the times and even a stubborn guy like me learns the ropes at some point. One of these moves is having a guy like Nick Whalen provide his analysis at the blog. I’m looking for more writers to do the same. Continue reading →

What is Wrong With Jay Cutler?

0 Comments read Players, Quarterback
Jay Cutler cursing out Mike Martz on the field? Dare I say awesome? I should say no, but..HECK YEAH! Jay Cutler awesome on the field? I should say yeah, but HECK NO! Photo by Mike Shadle.

By Nick Whalen

Nick Whalen is a former high school quarterback with experience as an assistant student coach with Drake University, Carthage College, and Montana State. He also spent two years as an assistant student coach with Western Kentucky. He has been a quarterback, wide receiver, and defensive back coach for three different high school teams. Whalen is a writer at Dynasty Rogues. Here’s his RSP Writer’s Team and Q&A. He’s sharing an enlightening take on my favorite quarterback anti-hero, Jay Cutler.

Special moments in life are associated with where you were when they happened. First kiss. 9/11. Hearing about the death of someone close.  But a new one for me happened on April 2nd 2009: The day the Chicago Bears traded for Jay Cutler.

I had just finished watching film from spring practice when I turned on ESPN.com and experienced instant euphoria.  As a Bears fan living in Wisconsin, my lifelong pain of watching Cade McNown, Henry Burris, Rick Mirer, Chad Hutchinson, Shane Mathews, Jim Miller, and Kordell Stewart was over.  The Bears had finally acquired a quarterback capable of leading the team and not simply “managing” the game.

Or so I thought.

During Jay Cutler’s first three years, I found myself making excuses for his play.  His offensive line is bad. His weapons aren’t talented. His offensive coaches aren’t playing to his strengths. No more excuses. I decided to break down Jay Cutler’s game versus Green Bay to illustrate what he needs to fix. Continue reading →

Big Bad Utah War Daddy Star Lotulelei

0 Comments read Players
Is Star Lotulelei the next impact DT along the lines of Ndamukong Suh? Find out at Football Outsiders. Photo by Jeffery Beall.

War Daddies. Chris Brown introduces this coach’s term of endearment for big, bad defensive tackles that man the middle of a defensive front in his ode to the position at Grantland. Brown, the author of the always excellent Smart Football, explains that when it comes to prioritizing the factors that make a good defensive tackle, size is only a fundamental consideration.

What separates a defensive tackle who earns an invitation to compete for a roster spot from a defensive tackle that has an integral role for an NFL team is fluid athleticism and a good football IQ. It might be important to have (Read the rest at Football Outsiders)

A Message From The Overlook

0 Comments read Reads Listens Views

All work and no play makes Matt a dull boy. All work and no play makes Matt a dull boy. All work        no play                    a dull boy.              and              makes Matt               .      All work and             makes Matt a        boy. All work and no play makes Matt a dull boy. All         and no                    Matt a dull       .      work and      play            Matt a dull boy.

I’ll be back in a couple of weeks. I’m busy vomiting words. Thanks for your patience. I miss this place.

Matt

All work and no play makes Matt a dull boy. All work and no play makes Matt a dull boy.
All work and no play makes Matt a dull boy. All work and no play makes Matt a dull boy.
.yob llud a ttaM sekam yalp on dna krow llA  .yob llud a ttaM sekam yalp on dna krow llA
.yob llud a ttaM sekam yalp on dna krow llA  .yob llud a ttaM sekam yalp on dna krow llA

 

Futures: Georgia LB Alec Ogletree

0 Comments read Players
Now here’s a room of equipment my former trainer would have been proud of. I share my Jenny Craig Moment for Guys below to give you context about Georgia ILB Alec Ogletree in my latest Futures at Football Outsiders. Photo by Lars Hammar.

Six years ago, I met an athletic trainer for the University of Georgia football team. I joined a local gym and wanted to begin a weight training program. I was leery of the bells and whistles that “athletic clubs” have in their facilities and even more skeptical of the trainers who seem to be more about sales than fitness. I also wanted a workout that incorporated a lot of body weight exercises and the supervision of an experienced, educated, trainer. The gym management got my drift and recommended one guy.

The only appointment that this trainer had available in his schedule was 5:00 a.m. three times a week. The idea of studying a football game at 5:00 a.m. was one thing, an intense workout seemed like masochism. But as bleary-eyed as I was that first morning, I knew I’d made the right decision when this trainer walked us right past the the sea of Nautilus equipment and other gadgets.

“You see all of this here? This sells gym memberships. We’ll use maybe three of these machines. Let’s do some real work.”

And within two months, I lost 20 pounds and 10 percent body fat with a workout that consisted of free weights, sprints, jump rope, and medicine ball workouts.

 I’m sharing this Jenny Craig moment for guys because, as I got to know my trainer, I learned a lot about the Georgia football team. My trainer wasn’t a 23 year-old whose career prior to graduate school was that of a glorified towel boy. Besides working as a professional trainer for a number of years in Major League Baseball, he came from a rich football background. He was a second-string safety at Florida State, and his grandfather was a former head coach and scout in the NFL

Among the several great nuggets of information that he eventually shared with me about Georgia football was the school’s preference to Read the rest at Football Outsiders

Reads Listens Views 9/14/2012

0 Comments read Reads Listens Views

[youtube=http://youtu.be/0stjkvvdZV4]

Chris Potter and Marcus Strickland, two of the better saxophonists of my generation playing with a great group that includes the fantastic Benny Green on piano, Martin Wind on bass, and Matt Wilson on drums.

Reads

From the “isn’t that charming and hip, but completely stupid file,” The USB Typewriter. If someone rigged any of my devices with this hipster pile of garbage as a gift, I’d deck them. Or at least I’d be imagining how I’d dismember them as I do the polite thing. Of course, I think the polite thing to do in the long term is throw a hay maker so they never do something like that to a writer’s helper ever again. If you want to pretend you’re Hemingway go ahead. Try writing a piece to deadline with that contraption and you’ll have killed yourself decades earlier than For Whom The Bell Tolls.

Back to School: How Mike Shanahan is Using RG3’s College Offense with the Redskins by Chris Brown

Futures: Tyler Wilson by Matt Waldman

Why Fathers Really Matter by Judith Shulevitz. A fascinating article touching upon epigenetics – or how your environment triggers your genes to change.

iPhone 5? Yawn. What Will the ‘Phone’ of 2022 Look Like by Alexis C. Madrigal. What will it look like? Most likely, none of the things in this article.

Listens

Superego – The Superego podcast is a great mix of old-school radio drama techniques, stream-of-consciousness, existential-style humor, and just plain funny. Set against the format of “case studies” of varying psychological profiles, the skits and sketches range from the absurd to the thought-provoking. Highly recommended (thanks Interlocuter, whomever you are on iTunes, for the description).

Views

Optical Illusion Photography

28 Mind Bending Examples of Optical Illusion Photography

Thanks

I mean it. And you probably know why. I’m just slammed with work like nobody’s business right now to go into detail.

On The Couch With Sigmund Bloom Podcast

0 Comments read Matt Waldman
A little mood imagery for On The Couch listening.

This Week’s On The Couch with Sigmund Bloom stars OFBG (original Footballguy) Jason Wood and yours truly as we have a quality football hang:

  • Alfred Morris and Washington’s RB situation
  • Chris Johnson’s trade value
  • Robert Griffin’s fantasy value
  • Wes Welker moving forward
  • Joe Flacco
  • What’s under the cushions of Sigmund’s couch
  • Michael Vick

Frank’s Flops Week Two: A Caravan of Panic

0 Comments read Reads Listens Views

Frank’s Flops Week 2: The Caravan of Panic

Will the Saints go 0-2? My buddy Frank who went 14-6 with this player-specific predictions last week thinks so. Photo by eschipul.


What a week! The Packers lose, the Saints lose, the Giants lose, the Jets scored, and Frank went 14-6! Hell, Roger Goodell even lost! What’s next, panic in the streets?

There might have been if the commish took the stand and testified that he put the hammer down on ole Jonathan Vilma and the Bayou Sinners Sam Jackson style:

“Yes, their careers deserved to die and I hope they burn in hell! Respect my authority…”

Yes, Rog, even you’re a loser. My buddy Matt Waldman is hoping there’s a line in Vegas where he put down a c-note that you’ll have to hand the Saints and Jonathan Vilma the Lombardi. He thinks its just too strange not to come true. Frank is inclined to agree.

The two normal things last week were the Raiders and Browns doing what they do best: Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Here’s how Frank fared on his picks:

Hits

  • Dez Bryant plays like a college boy who says he’s “backed up.”
  • The Irsay-You Say Ponies defense.
  • Matt Forte saying, “I told you so.”
  • Dwayne Bowe medium rare.
  • Brandon Weeden needing rubber diapers.
  • Cortland Finnegan pissing off the Simbas.
  • Jake Locker giving up on Jared Cook by the second quarter.
  • Ryan Fitzpatrick getting his pipe shoved up his Harvard hind parts.
  • Ryan Tannehill earning a big Frank Flops welcome courtesy of the Houston Secessionists.
  • Late Night Larry Fitzgerald slipped a dose of Ambien.
  • Deangelo Williams robbed of chance to shine in Tampa.
  • Jermaine Gresham performs like a pussy (cat).
  • Denarius Moore not showing up to play – literally.
  • Ix-Nay on any back with a Bolt on his helmet.

Misses

  • Miles Austin blowing a tire.
  • Santana Moss out-playing the Haitian Waiter.
  • Football Santa Claus doesn’t exist. Proof came that Nick is actually a Purple Viking. Leave a cookie for Peterson lest you want to get trucked.
  • Fred Jackson thriving and C.J. Spiller barely surviving.
  • Jermichael Finley jilting Matt Williamson at the altar.
  • Demaryius Thomas getting slobber knocked.

Week 2 Flops

 Bears vs. Packers

The Windy City Bear Claws get flown west to Wisconsin with the hopes they don’t get shrink wrapped into a box by the Green Bay Warehouse Foremen. Don’t flop on Randall Cobb this week. He’s getting the Darren Sproles treatment. However, expect Devin Hester to wish someone would get the clue that he should have been Darren Sproles five years ago.

Chiefs vs. Bills

The KC Pitt Masters are traveling to Buffalo for some bison barbecue on Sunday, but they are gonna be disappointed because that meat is lean. Frank doesn’t want any part of C.J. Spiller after that Clemson Tiger ripped a hole through the Jets fuselage. However, give this hack predictor a slab of Jonathan Baldwin with a side of Tony Moeaki. Neither of these Pioli specials are gonna chow down in the Niagara Neighborhood.

Saints vs. Panthers

The Treme Sinners had a post-Vilma hangover thanks to too many shots of RG3 with an Alfred Morris chaser. Frank thinks that pain will persist when they make a road trip to Cackalacky to face Sir Isaac Newton’s freak show science project and a bunch of pissed off Appalachian Lions. Drew Brees will play pretty as usual, but this offense will be leading a second line Nawlins funeral march that ends in sadness. Frank isn’t expecting Brandon LaFell to repeat his performance from last weekend. Don’t get stuck with him this weekend unless you want the Rebirth Brass Band playing a second line in your honor.

Browns vs. Bengals

The Red-headed Rifle got swarmed by a flock of Never Mores in Charm City last Monday. He could have the same problem when they host the Polluted Lake Elves in River City. Frank needs to take a risk this week and that bold pick is Joe Haden blanketing A.J. Green. Wait a minute. Haden is suspended? Forget that. Green is going to make up for a mediocre outing last weak where he dropped two passes. Frank will go back to picking on Brandon Weeden, who is going to get a big taste of Geno Atkins and have nothing but putrid water to wash it from his mouth. Clamoring for Colt? Nope. Trippin’ for Thaddeus? Maybe.  Frank will again bet against Jermaine Gresham. He’s one of those big, bad-lookin’ softies that curl up and quiver when they get trucked. He’s the most overrated young gun at tight end in the NFL.

Vikings vs. Colts

Frank is definitely leaving a cookie for Saint Adrian Peterson every week without fail. Frank may be naughty, but he doesn’t want to get trucked. On the other hand, this looks like a game where Percy Harvin gets a day off, and it won’t be for a migraine. St. Peterson’s Purple Henchmen say they want to be careful about Big Daddy’s knee, but they’re not in charge.

The rest will be available later this week at Fantasy Throwdown.com

Scouting Report on Redskins RB Alfred Morris

0 Comments read Players, Running Back

The analysis on Alfred Morris comes from the 2012 Rookie Scouting Portfolio. He was my 20th-ranked runner prior to the draft. You can find the rest of my scouting reports  at every skill position by purchasing the Rookie Scouting Portfolio. Order the 2012 RSP and buy past RSPs (2006-2011) here.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/J7PIvsSRkEw]

For three pages of analysis on this likely starter for the Redskins, download this free sample play-by-play analysis and grade report of Alfred Morris

20. Alfred Morris, Florida Atlantic (5-10, 219)
Morris is a big, strong back with good power and second effort. He’s a player that needs to be hit and wrapped for a defender to bring him to the ground. He has a good burst and pretty good feet for a man his size, which allows him to change direction in the hole and
find a secondary lane. In fact, he has enough burst to get the corner on designed runs to the edge of the defense.

That said, he lacks the long speed to generate breakaway runs unless behind a top NFL line and only when the blocks are there at the second level. He has enough patience to allow his blocks to set up, but he isn’t a hesitant runner. He has the decisiveness to find
the secondary lane up the middle or bounce a run outside if a lane doesn’t come available. He catches the ball well with his hands and can adjust to poor passes, especially
low throws.

Morris has good intensity as a blocker. He delivers a hard shot with good pad level and force. He also flashes some capability to deliver a punch with his hands as a stand up
blocker. His cut blocks are a little low at times, but there’s potential there for him to improve because I’ve seen him deliver some at good enough height to be effective. Morris’ blocking needs refinement because there are times he will throw his body around recklessly to deliver a hard shot and this makes his approach somewhat out of control and liable to miss his angles.

He might surprise at the NFL level. I’d say conservatively he reminds me a little bit of a cross between Sammy Morris and Joique Bell.