Date Archives September 2013

Flashes: Tajh Boyd Under Pressure

0 Comments read Players, Quarterback
Brent Musberger said he talked to scouts who compared Tajh Boyd to Russell Wilson. Let's have a look from the pocket. Photo by PDA.Photo.
Brent Musberger said he talked to scouts who compared Tajh Boyd to Russell Wilson. Let’s have a look from the pocket. Photo by PDA.Photo.

One of the more telling aspects of gauging a quarterback’s readiness for the NFL is how he manages pressure in the pocket. If the first response is to retreat, there’s work to be done.  It doesn’t matter if a quarterback has the athleticism to break loose of defensive ends and outrun cornerbacks, the passer still needs to harness his physical skills to meet the demands of the position. He may win some of these battles by tucking the ball and making a timely flight from the confines of the pocket, but he’ll ultimately lose the war.

Terrelle Pryor is a much better passer in 2013 than he was at Ohio State. His performance against the Colts on Sunday was entertaining and he’ll win some of these games. But until he can read the defense rather than try to exhaust it, he’ll ultimately lose. Say all you want about the state of the Raiders but as much as Pryor put his team into position to win, he was the biggest reason why they lost in the end.

Tajh Boyd is a winning college quarterback. CBS play-by-play commentator Brent Musberger told his audience during the Georgia-Clemson contest that some scouts he’s talked to say that Boyd reminds them of Russell Wilson. This is no more accurate than saying South Carolina and North Carolina are alike.  Just like the Cackalackies are in the same region, Boyd and Wilson are both mobile quarterbacks with some improvisational skill. This is where the comparison ends.

To the average viewer there’s little difference because both are mobile and can generate big plays when they escape the pocket. To elaborate on what Greg Cosell means when he talks about the importance of a quarterback winning from the pocket is that a top NFL quarterback must possess the skill to win from the pocket even if he’s not a strictly a pocket passer. Wilson was far better at managing the pocket than Boyd by his junior year. Although Wilson had his share of plays where he had to improvise, he was more consistent at maneuvering away from defenders with his feet in position to make accurate passes down field.

Boyd is in an offense where his best passing plays on the move are by design. When the pocket breaks down, the Clemson passer still has to improve his technique. He displays some good things under pressure – including basic footwork – but not enough to be a winning starter in the NFL early in his pro career.  Here are four plays from the Clemson-Georgia game that say a lot about the state of Boyd’s pocket game at this point of his career.

Good Feet – Good Improvisation

This is a 3rd-and-four pass with 11:22 in the first quarter. Clemson uses an 11 personnel, 2×1 receiver set and the primary option is Sammy Watkins who runs a slant-and-go coupled with Boyd’s pump fake off a quick play fake. However, the play breaks down fast. There are a lot of thinks happening fast on this play so you may have to watch the tape a few times.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/DVtwlQaLtR4]

Boyd fakes the ball to the runner, who drifts to the left edge to block the outside pressure. The quarterback sets his feet and delivers a quick shoulder fake as the pump fake on this first half of Watkins’ double move – the slant. As Boyd sets his feet, he sees the edge rusher begin with an inside path. The Clemson quarterback makes the appropriate reaction begins to move outside the defender’s path. However, the defender only fakes inside and dips outside the runner.

Boyd does a fine job of switching his feet the way coaches teach quarterbacks in drills. This switch orients Boyd so he can climb inside the pressure. He escapes to the left flat, turns his shoulder to the target and delivers the ball with a sidearm release on the run to his receiver Watkins, who does an excellent job reading the situation and working back to the quarterback.

This is a strong adjustment and a good example of quality footwork. However, the difference between Body and a quarterback like Wilson is that Wilson has illustrated that he will often wait a split-second longer for the edge rusher to declare his position and then react. If Boyd does the same, he either draws the defender inside and has a better path to the edge with a roll-out or the defender takes the outside path, Boyd never makes that initial move to the outside and he has an easier time climbing the pocket to deliver the ball in a spot where Watkins may not have to work back to a spot.

It’s a small detail, but it’s details that reduce errors and generate big plays. It’s why in college football Terrelle Pyror and Russell Wilson are both “stars” but one is far ahead of the other at the NFL level and it has nothing to do with the quality of surrounding talent.

Sometimes the option isn’t to move. 

There are times where a quarterback has to recognize that he must stand in the pocket and deliver the ball fast or miss an opportunity for a positive play. Boyd’s second touchdown of the night is a good example. This is an 11-yard slant thrown with a sidearm release and behind Watkins from a 2×1 receiver, 11 personnel set with 9:10 in the first quarter. Georgia is playing a 3-4 defense with both safeties deep and the cornerbacks playing off the outside receivers.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/3BnbLIC5yyM]

Boyd begins the play with a thorough play fake on the zone read action, getting the ball in and out of the belly of the runner. The pressure doesn’t buy the fake and constricts the edges of the pocket. It’s a quick reaction by Boyd to deliver the ball. Note that he doesn’t move his feet between the time he retracts the ball from the belly of the back through the release of the ball. This is fluid play-making.

While Watkins work at the catch point and after the catch is the attention-getter, the fact that Boyd reacts this fast and isn’t robotic about his form at the cost of missing this play is a good thing. I like that Boyd can process this fast in the short game. If he can demonstrate this skill with greater consistency in the deep intermediate and deep game and throw receivers open, he’ll be on his way to becoming a good pro prospect. Check out the section of this article on Russell Wilson where he throws open his receiver against a double A-gap blitz from Virginia Tech as an example. 

Interior Pressure

Here is an attempt to the running back Rodrick McDowell on a 3rd-and-5 check-down with 13:50 in the first quarter. Once again, Clemson is operating from a 2×1 receiver, 11 personnel pistol.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/SV3SYMr-970]

The linebacker does a solid job of disguising the pressure, but Boyd still has time to react. This is also true of the defensive lineman whose helmet is to the inside shoulder of his blocker on the same side of the blitz. Boyd needs to read these two defenders and climb the pocket to the opposite side. If he steps up and delivers the ball with his feet under him to the runner in the flat, it’s likely a completion.

Boyd’s reaction is to retreat. He slides to the right while backing away and throws the ball off his back foot with the defender wrapping him. The pass is too high for the receiver. Tough play, but good pro quarterbacks make this tough play look easy. Interior pressure is difficult for every quarterback, but with this much lead time and the position of these defenders, a good pro handles it.

Quick Decisions Need to become more consistent 

Boyd has to become more decisive and use it to harness his athleticism into a weapon that doesn’t self-destruct. This is a 3rd-and-8 pass with 2:36 in the first quarter from a 2×2 receiver, 10 personnel pistol. There’s press coverage on this play and outside linebackers threatening pressure off the edge. No.84 is running a twist with the defensive end at the bottom of the screen.

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

This twist distracts the right side of the Clemson line from the defensive end getting a free rush from the edge. Boyd looks left as this is happening and has his running back open in the flat. However, Boyd either didn’t read the threat of pressure off that edge or he’s too confident in his ability to avoid it.

The result is that Boyd holds onto the ball too long while in position to deliver an easy check down to the runner in the flat who has space to run because the defenders on the two outside receivers before the snap drop into coverage. Boyd opts to deal with the defensive end instead, but underestimates the athleticism of his opponent and has to throw the ball away – coming dangerous close to an intentional grounding call.

This is an error in judgement not just with the opponent, but situational football. Take the safe completion on 3rd-and-eight and allow the receiver to do the work after the catch in open space. The running back should be able to make one man miss. That’s his job. If it doesn’t work, it’s still the first quarter in a close game; don’t take unnecessary risks.

I still have more to study of Boyd’s game, but at this point these four plays are an illustration of a player with some feel for the pocket and room to grow, but not enough skill under pressure  that I’d compare him with the best prospects of recent quarterback classes.

For analysis of skill players in this year’s draft class, download the 2013 Rookie Scouting Portfolio.The 2014 RSP will available April 1 and if you pre-order before February 10, you get a 10 percent discount. Better yet, if you’re a fantasy owner the 56-page Post-Draft Add-on comes with the 2012 – 2014 RSPs at no additional charge and available for download within a week after the NFL Draft. Best, yet, 10 percent of every sale is donated to Darkness to Light to combat sexual abuse. You can purchase past editions of the Rookie Scouting Portfolio for just $9.95 apiece.

Futures: Clemson WR Sammy Watkins

0 Comments read 2014 NFL Draft, Players, Wide Receiver
Watkins has the upside to lap the field of some fine receiver prospects when it comes to NFL potential. Photo by PDA.Photo.
Watkins has the upside to lap the field of some fine receiver prospects when it comes to NFL potential. Photo by PDA.Photo.

It seems ridiculous to label a wide receiver with an 82-catch, 1219-yard, 12-touchdown debut as “unsung,” but consider the company Sammy Watkins kept his freshman year. The Clemson wide receiver is one of only four players in the history of college football to earn First Team All-America honors as a true freshman. The other three were Herschel Walker, Marshall Faulk, and Adrian Peterson.

A semester later, Watkins was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. This led to a two-game suspension and he missed two other contests with injuries. The result was an underwhelming sophomore effort of 57 catches, 708 yards, and 3 touchdowns. It’s what happens when a first-year college receiver ditches Walker, Faulk, and Peterson for the company of Vyvanse, Adderall, and Mary Jane.

By all means laud the talents of Marqise Lee, Mike Evans, Amari Cooper, Donte Moncrief and Jordan Mathews. They’ve all earned it. But Watkins at his best laps this field of potent contenders for the crown of top receiver in college football. (I purposely left one receiver off this list, because I’ll be writing about him another week.)

Watkins has done the best job of these players at integrating his physical, conceptual, and technical skill sets at the position at this stage of his career. And as polished as he is, there is room for him to get better. If Watkins were a creation of real-life Dr. Frankenstein, the mad scientist would have spliced the genetic material of Percy Harvin’s rugged, explosive athleticism and Brandon Lloyd’s route savvy and mind-bending body control without the migraines or mood swings.

Read the rest at Football Outsiders

Reads Listens Views 9/6/2013

0 Comments read Reads Listens Views
He'll be back . . .
Hawaii, he’ll be back . . .

Views I: The One Specific Type of Play Where Speed Impresses

[youtube=http://youtu.be/7DhkdDl41WU]

As studly as this play is, without his skills that account for 95% of his talent I wouldn’t have cared less. Still fun to see a 230-lb. back outpace a good angle by a defensive back. By the way stay tuned for my analysis on Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who in my opinion has the ability to lap the field of every college wide receiver playing – except for one. I’ll be writing about that guy, too.

Tom Melton, I see you.

Listens I:

[youtube=http://youtu.be/OFj19M9RqT0]

Thanks to Bryan Zukowski, who is often my go-to guy for quality vids. He knows a kickin’ drummer when he hears one.

Thanks

copy-inverted-2013-rsp.png

If you’re new to the RSP, thanks for reading. I post 3-5 times a week and one of those posts is this Friday ritual where I link to material I’m consuming around the web: football articles, non-football articles, music, videos, spoken word, photos, you name it. It’s also where I thank you for supporting this blog as a reader and most important, downloading the Rookie Scouting Portfolio publication.

Why Buy The RSP? Because you not only learn the ins and outs of the rookies who get drafted, but you get the low-down on UDFAs and small-school projects. Kenbrell Thompkins, Zach Sudfeld, Marlon Brown, and Benny Cunningham are good examples from this year alone.

For $19.95 you get a 1200-page pre-draft publication that is one-part 200-page draft magazine bookmarked for easy reading and other-part 1000-page tome that shows all the work to make the front half insightful: grading checklists for each player according to his position, a glossary that defines the grading system and each thing I score, and all my play-by-play notes on each player. I show my math for even the most diehard, nut-job – and I have plenty of them (they’re my kind of people).

You also get another 150-200 page post-draft document that updates rankings based on player fit with his new team, tiered dynasty rankings, and draft value analysis based on dynasty drafts. This RSP will help you this year, next year, and often times the year after in you dynasty drafts, re-drafts, and the waiver wire. Knowledge is power and you’ll be able to see the signs a little sooner when a player is poised for a breakout.

Past issues (2006-2012) are available for $9.95 apiece and I donate 10 percent of every RSP sale to Darkness To Light, a non-profit whose mission is to prevent and address sexual abuse in communities through training people to be aware of the dynamics, the stats, and how to help victims of this crime. As football fans who send our children to school, sports camps, churches-synagogues-mosques, it’s important that adults understand how to address this issue so they aren’t negligent (legally or morally) due to ignorance.

Download the 2013 RSP Today

Views II: I Don’t Hate Big Business, But I Do Have Contempt For Their Methodology To Keep Customers Who Don’t Want Them

[youtube=http://youtu.be/xh1qCf-ohOQ]

Football Reads

Views III: Twerking + Vanity = You’re On Fire (Literally)

[youtube=http://youtu.be/863wwm28f4Y]

Non Football Reads

Listens II: Marcus Miller – “Jean Pierre”

[youtube=http://youtu.be/G7Q8Ual3coM]

My favorite electric bassist alive today.

On Scouting Wide Receivers

0 Comments read 2011 NFL Draft, 2012 NFL Draft, 2013 NFL Draft, 2014 NFL Draft, Players, Wide Receiver
If you're trying to find the next Dez Bryant, then data has a vital place but if you take the approach that tries to reverse engineer a process that is unintentionally based on the idea that all productive receivers are like Dez Bryant, it's misguided. Photo by A.J. Guel.
If you’re trying to find the next Dez Bryant, then data has a vital place but if you take the approach that tries to reverse engineer a process that is unintentionally based on the idea that all productive receivers are like Dez Bryant, it’s misguided. Photo by A.J. Guel.

I believe analytics have value, but the grading of wide receivers based heavily on speed, vertical skill, and production is an ambitious, but misguided idea. Further the application is the torturing of data to fit it into a preconceived idea and making it sound objective and scientific due to the use of quantitative data.  Unless the data is getting into some Nate Silver-like probability analysis, analytics is going to arrive at conclusions that are safe based on the past, but lack game-changing predictive value.

Some of my colleagues and friends at Football Outsiders, Pro Football Focus, and RotoViz will disagree.  And many of you will too, because you’ve bought the idea that what’s being studied is objective and scientific. There is often an air of certainty and black-and-white finality to the communication of this “quantitative” information that readers find more palatable than if “qualitative” information is delivered with the same tone. Numbers make people sound more powerful and intellectual even if the quality of the information isn’t well designed.

I can tell you that I write because I put words together in a pattern that you can read. It doesn’t mean that I’m writing well. The NFL has bought into analytics for reasons that are both sound and naive. Analytics should only get better over time and I believe in its future. I just don’t buy into it lock, stock, and barrel.  I think in this area of study with wide receivers, analytics needs to raise its standard and find another way.

The NFL will realize this about some methods of analytics sooner than later. Many teams are seeking a magic pill without fully understanding the manufacturing process that goes into it. Since they have been able to get this information for a modest fee and oftentimes at no charge in the early days (and we’re just emerging from the earliest of days in the era of analytics)  because these individuals and companies found the payment of notoriety an acceptable alternative to money.

It only makes sense that “quants” figured they could make the money off readers later if they couldn’t earn it from teams now. This dynamic is also changing, but it’s worth understanding the nature behind their relationship with the league. Fortunately for both parties, they will continue to work together and only deliver better products on and off the field.

I’m trying to do the same from a different vantage point. The more I watch wide receivers, the less I care about 40 times, vertical results, or broad jumps. Once a player meets the acceptable baselines for physical skills, the rest is about hands, technique, understanding defenses, consistency, and the capacity to improve.

I liked Kenbrell Thompkins, Marlon Brown, Austin Collie, (retired) Steve Smith, several other receivers lacking the headlining “analytical” formulas that use a variety of physical measurements and production to find “viable” prospects. What these players share is some evidence of “craft”. They weren’t perfect technicians at the college level or early in their NFL careers, but you could see evidence of a meticulous attention to detail that continued to get better.

This video does an excellent job of explaining why speed is the most overrated part of a wide receiver’s game. Speed should be seen as the icing and not the cake. Technique is the cake. It’s a great instructional guide on route releases and breaks, how they differ on the NFL level. Check it out. I continue to on a regular basis.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/ZLjgZc0sYIc]

For analysis of skill players in this year’s draft class, download the 2013 Rookie Scouting Portfolio available now. Better yet, if you’re a fantasy owner the 56-page Post-Draft Add-on comes with the 2013 RSP at no additional charge and available for download within a week after the NFL Draft. Best, yet, 10 percent of every sale is donated to Darkness to Light to combat sexual abuse. You can purchase past editions of the Rookie Scouting Portfolio for just $9.95 apiece.

Flashes: WR Allen Hurns, Miami

0 Comments read 2014 NFL Draft, Players, Wide Receiver
Receptions verus contact heighten my attention to a player's potential. Photo of Victor Cruz by Kat Vitulano
Receptions verus contact heighten my attention to a player’s potential. Photo of Victor Cruz by Kat Vitulano

Long-time college and NFL coach Dave Wannestedt told an ESPN crew that he awarded Dion Lewis a full ride to Pitt after watching just one play of the Browns running back’s high school tape. Sounds foolish, but I won’t lie: There are some plays impressive enough that you realize you’ve seen much of what you need to see. These are rare moments and other than Adrian Peterson, I can’t remember the last time I experienced that feeling about a player after witnessing one play.

While no magic pill, there is a type of play for wide receivers that is guaranteed to heighten my interest in a player. I call it the Money Catch. Give me a receiver who can make these consistently and I’m less concerned about his height, weight, 40-time, bench press, or stats. A receiver who demonstrates this skill may not become an NFL starter, but there are few quality NFL starters who lack this ability.

University of Miami wide receiver Allen Hurns flashes this skill. The 6’3″, 195-pound prospect also provides a good illustration of a technique flaw I’ve heard many pro receivers discuss: Leaving one’s feet to catch a target that doesn’t require it. I still have more to watch of Hurns’ game, but here are three clear examples of good technique and a habit that needs curbing.

Money Catch

[youtube=http://youtu.be/JT5gkKPpWiw]

This is a 3rd-and-16 pass from a 1×2 receiver, 11 personnel shotgun set from a 3-3-5 look. Quarterback Stephen Morris’ makes a fine throw for Hurns to have an opportunity to make the reception. Still, it’s the wide receiver on this pitch and catch who does the dirty work. Hurns finds the opening in the zone under one safety and inside another on this post route after getting an inside release on the corner in shallow zone.

One of the tougher aspects of a catch with impending contact is when a player gets “ping-ponged” or hit in succession in different directions so one hit ricochets him into another from the opposite direction. Hurns does a fine job of protecting the football on this target.

If I were to nitpick, the hand position to catch the football could be a little better. Ideal hand position would be for Hurns’ index fingers angled upward but point towards each other rather than at 12 o’clock. The hands should look a spider web. This technique reduces the likelihood of the ball sliding through the fingers.

Overall, a strong play.

Leaving Feet – Part I

[youtube=http://youtu.be/yjAR_4CS_6Y]

This target is a 3rd-and-7 pass for a 10-yard gain from the UM 31 with 2:38 in the half. Hurns is the single receiver from a 11 personnel, 1×2 shotgun set. He is lined outside the numbers in the right flat with two safeties split towards the hashes.

The CB on Hurns is playing seven yards off and bails early, leaving a cushion for Hurns to break his route at the first down marker. He makes the catch with his hands, but if you look closely, just as his hands make contact with the ball he leaves his feet. He’s already trying to get into position to run.

The idea is a good one, but this is where the habit of leaping to catch a ball when not required can create a lapse of concentration. Hurns fails to secure the ball with the initial touch and fights the ball into his body during his turn. While not conclusive, I believe his adjustment disorients him just enough that he takes the wrong path down field towards three defenders rather than running up the sideline.

I like that Hurns gains three yards after the catch and bounces off contact with a good finish, but if he catches the ball with his feet on the ground, turns and takes an outside path towards the cornerback in a one-on-one situation, I think he gains a lot more than three yards.

Leaving Feet – Part II

[youtube=http://youtu.be/3-lAJwFkXSQ]

This is a 2nd and goal from the six with 6:11 in the third quarter from another three-receiver, 11 personnel shotgun. Hurns runs the slant and drops the ball after an initial juggle of the target. Watch the two replays after the first airing and you’ll see where Hurns takes a long step to gather his body for a jump. Because the pass is a little late and to the back shoulder, Hurns cannot make a strong adjustment to the ball after this elongated step forces him to leave his feet.

The throw could have been better, but Hurns’ habit of going airborne – even if it’s not a jump with any height – not only diminishes Hurns’ ability to focus on looking the ball into his hands, but also creates situations where he commits to a direction before the target arrives.

For analysis of skill players in this year’s draft class, download the 2013 Rookie Scouting Portfolio.The 2014 RSP will available April 1 and if you pre-order before February 10, you get a 10 percent discount. Better yet, if you’re a fantasy owner the 56-page Post-Draft Add-on comes with the 2012 – 2014 RSPs at no additional charge and available for download within a week after the NFL Draft. Best, yet, 10 percent of every sale is donated to Darkness to Light to combat sexual abuse. You can purchase past editions of the Rookie Scouting Portfolio for just $9.95 apiece.

Fantasy Throwdown – Free Weekly Fantasy Football

0 Comments read Matt Waldman

Try Fantasy Throwdown – a free, simple, convenient and fast way to play every day that will keep you coming back for more.

Fantasy Throwdown is a game with one-on-one match ups allow you to challenge anyone, anytime. You can play 20 times in a week or you can play once a month – whatever fits your schedule. Lineups include PPR/non-PPR; Team Defense/IDP; and flex options – including 2QB leagues.Challenge friends or other users on the site.It’s easy to learn:

  • Challenge a friend or another person on the site.
  • You and your opponent determine the three games for that week that will comprise your player draft pool.
  • Pick your games wisely as well as your draft order, because you each get to block a player from the draft pool during the draft. If there’s only two good QBs from those games you selected, you can set it up to force your opponent to settle for a scrub.
  • Draft your team.

The draft room displays the summary of the challenges lineup requirements, scoring rules, and players each team has to pick.

Drafts take 10 minutes if you and your opponent are both online. Or you can stretch out the draft throughout the course of the week or even do predraft settings.

Challenge me to a game either by registering and looking me up on the Leaderboard in the Lobby (matt) or use my email address: thegutcheck@gmail.com.

Flashes: QB Chase Rettig, Boston College

0 Comments read 2014 NFL Draft, Players, Quarterback
Chase Rettig isn't Kurt Warner, but was Kurt Warner, "Kurt Warner" as a first-year starter as a senior at Northern Iowa. Photo by Photogeek21
Chase Rettig isn’t Kurt Warner, but was Kurt Warner, “Kurt Warner” as a first-year starter as a senior at Northern Iowa? Photo by Photogeek21

Playing quarterback at a high level requires a pairing of skill sets that at times seem paradoxical. Intense preparation and freewheeling improvisational skill. Finesse and grit. Control and abandon. An elephantine memory and selective amnesia.

It’s why it’s the toughest position to evaluate. Kurt Warner sat on the bench at Northern Iowa for three years. The fourth year, he was the Gateway Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.  We know the rest of the story. Johnny Unitas was cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Brett Favre might have drunk himself into a stupor if he stayed in Atlanta where then-Falcons’ head coach Jerry Glanville promised the only way Favre would get onto the field was a “plane crash“.

I wouldn’t bet my pocket change that Boston College senior Chase Rettig becomes a quality starter in the NFL. There are way too many factors to consider to draw a conclusion at this point. Yet there are qualities to his game that I like a lot that give him potential as a pocket passer. And yes, there are still pocket passers thriving in the NFL.

Rettig has played since his freshman year at Boston College and has the dubious distinction of working with five offensive coordinators in three years. Browns journeyman backup Jason Campbell can relate – and not just from his days with the Redskins. He had multiple offensive systems during his Auburn career.

Most don’t project Chase Rettig as a draft-worthy quarterback heading into the 2013 college season. However, Rettig plays well enough to earn consideration in early May even if his team continues its underwhelming play.

Arm Strength

[youtube=http://youtu.be/iPECd046PSU]

This is a 3rd-and-10 pass to his receiver, Alex Amidon on a deep out. Rettig faces Miami’s defense of freshmen and sophomores at the BC 32 versus a defense with two safeties high. This appears to be a Cover 2 look, especially as we see the pass arrive between two defenders. Rettig begins the play with a three-step drop, takes a hitch step to buy time, and then climbs the pocket away from the pressure coming from the edges.

The movement  has precision and Rettig maintains enough balance and position to deliver this deep out from the BC 25 to Amidon at the UM 47 just outside the numbers of the right flat and between the safety and linebacker. The fact he has to climb the pocket and still hits the receiver on time with good placement at helmet level is another indication that Rettig has fundamentally sound technique and a strong enough arm for NFL teams to work with.

Precision and Finesse

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

Rettig’s execution on this 1st-and-10 pass with 4:30 in the half at the UM 23 from a 1×2 receiver, 11 personnel set is a fine demonstration of precision on a few levels. He faces two safeties deep and a 4-3 front with man coverage on the outside. Rettig extends his arm on the play fake to the RB before finishing a five step drop and this forces the Miami linebackers to attend to the prospect of the run. Rettig finishes his drop and delivers a nice seam route behind the linebacker and safety after his back foot hits the ground.

Although the ball goes through the tight end’s arms, I thought it was a good display of touch and placement. The tight end was late to get his hands up and the receiver wasn’t precise with his hand placement. Target a starting tight end – or several backups – in the NFL and this is a touchdown.

Eye Discipline and Footwork

[youtube=http://youtu.be/Ou2u_5JIomw]

This six-yard completion with 12:42 in the third quarter doesn’t seem like much of a play, but there are some nice things happening here. Rettig’s receiver Amidon is the outside twin receiver outside the numbers. Rettig executes a play-action fake to the running back, hitches twice, and finds his receiver breaking back to the passer on the hook.

Going a little deeper, this throw is placed in a tight zone in a window optimal for the receiver. Rettig once again displays nice footwork to climb the pocket away from outside pressure and keep his eyes down field. Moreover, Rettig sets this up by beginning his drop with a long enough look to the middle of the field, which holds the linebackers in place and opens this zone for Amidon to work underneath.

Under Pressure

[youtube=http://youtu.be/5-uMbIslftA]

Here’s another small gain, but a nice play on a 3rd-and-four. Rettig’s target is Amidon, the receiver at the top of the screen. UM plays two safeties deep and rushes four. As you can see thus far, when Rettig has time to get that back foot into the ground he flashes arm strength and sometimes hyper-accuracy.

On this play, Rettig doesn’t get that time. Miami earns inside penetration off each tackle. Rettig looks to the middle, slides to the left, and makes a nice throw off his back foot with enough velocity to hit the receiver crossing from outside-inside into decent coverage. The receiver gets the first down and Rettig takes a hit after making the throw.

While the true test of a passer with physical gifts is to deliver a ball on-target and off-balance in the middle zone, this short-zone throw is still notable.

Awareness and Feel

[youtube=http://youtu.be/v8DXxz8q0nY]

Although this play doesn’t end well for the Eagles, Rettig placed the team in great position for a big-play on this 1st-and-10 with 12:32 in the game. Miami plays a single-high safety and decides to begin sending more than four men into the pocket. This is the first of several five-man pressure packages that come in the fourth quarter and they fail to sack Rettig once.

The play was designed for Rettig to find one of three receivers flooding the various zones on the left side of the field after a play-action boot in that direction. However, the safety forces the action early with his blitz. Rettig has a good feel for the location of his running back working the right flat on a bullet route as the backside receiver and is agile enough to pivot right and make an accurate throw with the defender in his face for a big gain that ends with a turnover.

While there’s nothing but good shown here, there are some things to note by nature of their absence.  Rettig never threw the ball away in this game and considering he is known for holding onto the ball too long and taking sacks, there was nothing in this game to dispel this behavior. Rettig also has a high touchdown-to-interception total. The BC quarterback tossed an interception in this game where he didn’t read the underneath coverage on a slant and he attempted a number of tight-window throws.

I’m more concerned about the mix of aggression and discipline with interceptions than holding onto the ball too long. If Rettig can actually play in the same offensive system for a few years, this tendency could diminish over time. However, high interceptions rates also a result of a team playing from behind and forcing a quarterback to take risks. I saw several of these attempts at the end of this game where the quarterback might have had smarter choices, but not the time left in the contest to act with care.

For analysis of skill players in this year’s draft class, download the 2013 Rookie Scouting Portfolio.The 2014 RSP will available April 1 and if you pre-order before February 10, you get a 10 percent discount. Better yet, if you’re a fantasy owner the 56-page Post-Draft Add-on comes with the 2012 – 2014 RSPs at no additional charge and available for download within a week after the NFL Draft. Best, yet, 10 percent of every sale is donated to Darkness to Light to combat sexual abuse. You can purchase past editions of the Rookie Scouting Portfolio for just $9.95 apiece.