Category Players

Futures: West Virginia WR Tavon Austin

October 20, 2012 0 Comments read Players, Wide Receiver

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Evaluating players is a long process. It doesn’t end when an analyst watches a few games of a prospect. I want you to keep this in mind as you read this take or any take that I provide of a player before his college career has ended. My methodology of evaluation is as detailed as any and I often find that the third, fourth, or fifth game I’ve watched of a player only validates what I saw in the first performance. Even so, there are times that my fundamental opinion of a player will change with additional viewings of games.

Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall comes to mind. I had initial concerns about his acceleration that eventually diminished after additional viewings of his performances. The more I watched him, the more I liked him. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the more I watched quarterback Matt Leinart the less confident I felt that he had the on-field makeup to become anything more than system player with fringe starter potential.

I share this because West Virginia receiver and return specialist Tavon Austin is one of those players where after my initial studies I have more questions than answers. Several draft analysts list Austin as one of the five best receiver prospects of the 2013 N.F.L. Draft class – including NFL Draft Scout and my buddy Josh Norris over at Rotoworld. I agree that the 5-9, 176-pound slot receiver and kick return specialist from West Virginia is among the most productive performers at his position in college football, but what I have seen of Austin continues to raise one question: Is there a slot receiver in pro football with the kind of marquee game that in hindsight would have deserved a first-day pick in April?

Read the rest at Football Outsiders

USC WR Marqise Lee

October 3, 2012 0 Comments read Players, Wide Receiver

6134909399_b8676e4f8d_b — Marqise Lee has the athleticism to become a terrific NFL receiver. Find out what he needs to do to keep his athleticism from getting the best of him. Photo by Neon Tommy.

Last year, there were two basic camps among talent analysts when it came to freshman receivers.Clemson wunderkind Sammy Watkins and USC stud Marqise Lee. Both camps appreciate the skills of of the other player, but each side seems vehement about “their guy.” This will undoubtedly change as the years pass and we watch these players develop into upperclassmen.

Thus far, I’m a Watkins guy and for two reasons: I’m a magnet for troublemakers and Watkins pot arrest once again validates my compass for dysfunction is in good working order. And secondly, as odd as this sounds following the first statement, I believe Watkins is a more focused, aware, and mature player than Lee once the two step on the field. Of course Michael Irvin was a sage on the field even if you never wanted to play barber shop with him off it. Continue reading →

What is Wrong With Jay Cutler?

September 26, 2012 0 Comments read Players, Quarterback

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 2^nd 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

September 22, 2012 0 Comments read Players

6313318837_9c23f6f708_b — 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)

Futures: Georgia LB Alec Ogletree

September 15, 2012 0 Comments read Players

Weights by Lars Hammar — 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

Scouting Report on Redskins RB Alfred Morris

September 9, 2012 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.

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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.

Pai Mei, Longtones, and Route Running: Lessons of Kung Fu, Jazz, and Football With Utah WR DeVonte Christopher

September 8, 2012 0 Comments read Players, Wide Receiver

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Football and music (and in this case, Kung Fu) continue to have a number of parallels for me. I played saxophone from the age of 8 until I stopped at 23.This is roughly the same career life span of most college football players. Those who continue playing beyond college and perform on the highest stage possess a mastery of fundamentals that require a willingness to enslave oneself to the development process: practice.

Practicing the craft of an instrument is the same as practicing the craft of playing a position. There are concepts of precision, timing, teamwork, and leadership that all musicians and football players have to learn about playing together. There are also things a player from both worlds has to refine on his own. Continue reading →

RB-OL Collisions: Reading the Road with Marcus Lattimore

September 3, 2012 0 Comments read Players, Running Back

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A criticism I read about a few college running backs this week was the tendency for some of them to run up the back of offensive linemen. Sometimes this is a fair criticism of a player. However, it’s also an observation that requires a strong frame of reference about the critic. It’s easy to evaluate a running back, see him run into a lineman’s back, and conclude that he lacks patience, agility, or good decision-making.

However, there are numerous examples of plays where a running back is not at fault for colliding with the backsides of his blockers. Considering the number of Tweets I saw this week where this conclusion was made about a back, I thought it might be helpful to provide examples of when this type of behavior is not the fault of the runner. I’m using South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore and his teammates as an example. Continue reading →

David Wilson

August 21, 2012 0 Comments read Players, Running Back

Many of you may remember that I did a series on David Wilson’s game at Virginia Tech and how it translates to the NFL. One of Wilson’s issues was the tendency to bounce runs outside to attempt the big play. I euphemistically call this “the corner store,” because it is fun to visit but few things are good for you there.

I just saw a promising David Wilson quote from Ralph Vacchiano’s Twitter feed that I think is worth reading.

Is rookie RB David Wilson ready for a bigger role? Yes, because he’s already learned a few lessons about the NFL…

“In my position in this league you can’t go out there and try to make the big play all the time,” he said. “At least I’m not comfortable to go out there and do it now. You can turn a bad play into a worse play by always trying to have the greatest play. I won’t say (I’ve) so much changed (my approach), but I know the playbook more, so I know what to expect a little bit. When I first got here I barely knew the playbook and the plays, and I just knew enough that the coaches would say ‘messing up’ and start screaming at me. When you get more into detail in the playbook and know what you are doing, you can become more of yourself.” #NYG

Whether he can do this on the field is a different story, but the fact he can verbalize it is half the battle.

Texas WR Marquise Goodwin: The Angles of Separation Part II

August 5, 2012 0 Comments read Players, Wide Receiver

Austin Collie by AngieSix — Austin Collie would lose a footrace to Marquis Goodwin every time, but at this point I’ll take Collie on a deep route over Goodwin every day. Learn why you would, too. Photo by Angie Six.

For more analysis of skill players like the post below, download the 2012 Rookie Scouting Portfolio. Better yet, if you’re a fantasy owner the 56-page Post-Draft Add-on comes with the 2012 RSP at no additional charge. Best, yet, 10 percent of every sale is donated to Darkness to Light to combat sexual abuse. Here’s an update on my pledge.

Texas Longhorns receiver Marquise Goodwin is a world-class long jumper with track star speed. Earlier this week, I broke down a play of Goodwin’s that shows how he had to do a better job of using his body to prevent a defender from gaining access to his hip pocket as the ball arrived. Here is the second of the two posts I promised. This is also from the December bowl game versus Cal and it underscores the importance of body position to maximize his speed. It also illustrates my oft-mentioned point that athleticism might be a game changer in college football, but it’s merely a baseline for the NFL. Continue reading →