Category Matt Waldman

Conversation with Wes Bunting Part III

August 18, 2011 0 Comments read Matt Waldman

In Wes Bunting's wildest dreams he'd be a receiver in the mold of Fred Biletnikoff. Photo by Lambdachialpha.

National Football Post’s Wes Bunting has been a featured interview this week at the Rookie Scouting Portfolio Blog. Here are links to Parts I and II of his conversations.

In Part III, Bunting discusses rookies making a good impression, young players in good situations, and young players in difficult situations. Bunting also reveals the players he liked that surprised others as well as how NFL defenses are reacting to a specific offensive trend.

Waldman: Let’s go to dreamland for a moment. If you could play any position in the NFL and you had the skills to do it what would it be?

Bunting: I’d be a tough, gritty receiver. Continue reading →

Conversation with Wes Bunting – Part II

August 17, 2011 0 Comments read Matt Waldman

RaidersFonticulus — The Oakland Raiders were the gateway to Wes Bunting's love of pro football. Photo by Fonticulus.

Wes Bunting is a little like one of his mentors, former NFL offensive coordinator and current Montreal head coach Marc Trestman. Both got their start in the business early. Bunting earned his job as the National Football Post’s Director of College Scouting straight out of college after impressing Michael Lombardi as an intern. In Part I, Bunting discusses the role of stats and measurements in his evaluation process; a couple of teams that haven’t maximized its talent on the field; and a player who surprised him.

In this part of our conversation Bunting talks about his youth, how he fell in love with the game, and translated that passion into what he does now. He also reveals what he learned from Ravens director of college scouting Eric DeCosta and the differences between evaluating for a football team and as a member of the media.

Waldman: Tell me about your personal background. Where did you grow up? How did you develop an interest in football? How did that interest lead to scouting? What was your education in this field? What about your education in other endeavors? Continue reading →

Conversation with National Football Post’s Wes Bunting

August 15, 2011 0 Comments read Matt Waldman

Rivers by Janna McLaughin — The National Football Post's Wes Bunting believes Philip Rivers is the most underrated QB in the league, but he also thinks the San Diego Chargers have not maximized its talent. Photo by Janna McLaughin.

In this part of our conversation, Bunting discusses the role of stats and measurements in his evaluation process; a couple of teams that haven’t maximized its talent on the field; and a player who surprised him. I actually asked Wes Continue reading →

Conversation with Jene Bramel Part IV

August 11, 2011 0 Comments read Matt Waldman

Giants DE/LB Mathias Kiwanuka could prove to be a great loophole playher in IDP fantasy leagues because of his role in the Joker package that could emulate Charles Haley or Terrell Suggs. Photo by Alexa627

In the final part of our conversation, Footballguys IDP guru Jene Bramel discusses the possibilities for Mathias Kiwanuka’s role in New York, the roles of tiers in fantasy drafting, and what I believe is the absolute best scoring system to reflect the value of very position in an IDP/Offensive Player combo league. You have to see it.

Waldman: Tell me your thoughts about Mathias Kiwanuka and the Joker Package. He was off to a great start last year before the herniated disc. Do you think the Giants will surprise with this combo of Tuck, Pierre Paul, Kiwanuka, and Umenyiora.

Bramel: The Giants have a couple of things going on. They had that “Big” package last year where they took bigger linebackers and put them on the strong side. My first thought is it might be akin to what Terrell Suggs might be doing with the Ravens, but I’m not 100 percent positive on that. Kiawanuka is so versatile Continue reading →

Jene Bramel Part III

August 9, 2011 0 Comments read Matt Waldman

Jene Bramel (pictured to the right) grew up a Bengals fan. Cartoon by Bearman2007

If you’re an offensive-centric fan of the NFL or you play fantasy football the same way your older brother taught you then you need to read this interview with Jene Bramel.

The Footballguys.com staff writer is one of the best fantasy writers you don’t know about because he is recognized as one of the go-to guys for leagues featuring individual defensive players (IDP). Even if your leagues are strictly offensive players, his knowledge of defenses will make you a better decision maker with offensive talent.

In part III of our conversation, Jene and I use the phrase “crap shoot,” enough to think it’s a PG-13 summer movie, but I promise its only in the context of discussing fantasy football.

Waldman: Why are you such a fan of the defensive side of the football?

Bramel: I think that’s sort of what drew me to football in the first place. Continue reading →

Conversation with Jene Bramel Part II

August 8, 2011 0 Comments read Matt Waldman

DeSean Jackson is probably glad that Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will be a player he only faces in practice. If the free agent acquisition plays to his potential, Jene Bramel sees 1-2 more sacks per game for the Eagles defense. Photo by MPR529.

If you’re an offensive-centric fan of the NFL or you play fantasy football the same way your older brother taught you then you need to read this interview with Jene Bramel.

In part II of our conversation, Jene and I discussed 2011 free agency on the defenses that fared well or poorly in the open market for players. We also continue the conversation about the difficulty of evaluating safety talent, which NFL Draft Scout’s Chad Reuter broached in an earlier interview. And to wrap up this portion of our conversation, Jene and I discuss the roles of head coaches and coordintors and why he favors the zone blitz. Continue reading →

Conversation with Footballguys’ Jene Bramel

August 7, 2011 0 Comments read Matt Waldman

: Despite the excitement over the DT duo of Vince Wilfork and Albert Haynesworth, Footballguys.com Jene Bramel believes that Bill Belichick will need to be at his imaginative best to mask the vulnerabilities of this 4-3 unit. Photo by 0B1.

If you’re an offensive-centric fan of the NFL or you play fantasy football the same way your older brother taught you then you need to read this interview with Jene Bramel.

In the first part of this conversation, Bramel and I discuss how the new Patriots 4-3 alignment might be more vulnerable than people think despite the current excitement in training camp over the defensive tackle tandem of Albert Haynesworth and Vince Wilfork. Continue reading →

Sigmund Bloom Part III

August 3, 2011 0 Comments read Matt Waldman

Footballguys/Draftguys writer Sigmund Bloom mentions Cadillac Williams as an under appreciated NFL player - not fantasy player - NFL player. Bloom could see him as the 2000s version of Rocky Bleier. Photo by Sienc.

In this part of my conversation with Sigmund Bloom, Footballguys senior staff writer and Draftguys co-founder, we discuss under appreciated NFL players, emerging NFL players, the Bloom 100, what he’s watching when he’s evaluating players, and why he plays in 25-plus fantasy leagues .

Waldman: Aside from fantasy football, just as a fan of the game, tell me about some players you’ve seen as you watch all of these games who you feel are underappreciated to the average fan.

Bloom: Yeah. Wow. Of course, I’m going to start with the Pittsburgh Steelers. If you watch what they ask their players to do then you’ll understand why James Farrior is the guy that James Harrison, Lamar Woodley, and Lawrence Timmons get a lot more attention because of him. Posse is just there every game whether it’s coverage, whether it’s run-stuffing, whether it’s blitzing. This is the guy that has really been the unsung hero of that Steelers defense. And I really believe that because of the guys he plays with – Troy Polamalu – he is never going to be one of the first people mentioned in a discussion of great NFL linebackers but as a lifelong Steelers fan and someone who is passionate about the Steelers organization, he is one of those guys.

Some of the other players…somebody who has never gotten due is Cadillac Williams. He’s persevered through so many injuries. To come all the way back and then suffer another catastrophic injury twice…and he was clutch for Tampa Bay last year! Them becoming a winning team last year was a lot due to the offense and he did some amazing things on third down for this team. I’m honestly shocked that they aren’t trying to bring him back. I think whomever he goes to will find that he will be an important contributor and fan favorite. I can only hope that the Pittsburgh Steelers will be one of the teams that eventually gets in the running for him. We’re not going to talk about how great Williams is for fantasy football, but I do believe he is a player who has great value to a team.

Waldman: He could be the modern day version of Rocky Bleier.

Bloom: Yeah, without the shrapnel in his leg… Continue reading →

Sigmund Bloom Part II

August 2, 2011 0 Comments read Matt Waldman

McCluster by Tennessee Journalist Wade Rackley — The case of Chiefs RB/KR/WR Dexter McCluster may not seem as obvious, but he represents the ongoing trend with NFL strategy and personnel that draws parallels to smart phones in our society. Photo by Tennessee Journalist Wade Rackley.

In this part of my conversation with Sigmund Bloom, Footballguys senior staff writer and Draftguys co-founder, we discuss NFL trends, the appeal of the NFL Draft, and the value of the Game Recaps he does at Footballguys.com.

Waldman: Tell me about the more profound things you’ve learned about the game on the field because of your work as a fantasy football writer/analyst?

Bloom: I think that one of the things that is really fun to watch and has a massive impact on fantasy football is the natural intelligence of the game that evolves during a game. This happens when you have smart quarterbacks and smart coordinators. It’s the classic idea that if something is working then why go away from it? The game tells you which way to go. The game will guide smart coaches and quarterbacks to exploit something and continue to exploit it until the other team adjusts. Finding players who are smart enough and talented enough to do it is a big part of it. Seeing how in the course of the game that the first drive can tell you whether it’s going to be a big day for a player and it could be a player who hasn’t done much coming into the game, but because what the team knew about its opposition heading into the week it was going to be a big day. We try to perfect our ability to anticipate that on a weekly basis. Again that is where a lot of success in fantasy football comes from in-season.

Waldman: So tell me about some of the players or coaches that you see that are good at spotting a weakness and exploiting it until they are stopped.

Bloom: Of course Continue reading →

Zach Law’s Q&A of Matt Waldman

August 1, 2011 0 Comments read Matt Waldman

275505.1-lg — No, I did not promise Zach this car to get a Q&A in his blog. Wish I had one though.

Zach Law has been doing a series of interviews with fantasy football writers. He decided I should be one of them ($10 helps). Here’s the first part…

Interview