Category Players

Temple RB Bernard Pierce: All About The Angles

0 Comments read Players, Running Back
Nothing better than a power back behind an angle blocking line that gets the job done. Even then, a good runner like Bernard Pierce has to improvise.

Author’s Note: If you haven’t entered the RSP Guess the 40 Contest for a chance to win a free past issue of the Rookie Scouting Portfolio, details here. Alshon Jeffrey still hasn’t run, so there’s time.

Wednesday night, I Tweeted that there’s little better than watching a good angle blocking scheme in action. It’s like watching Joe Frazier walk right up to his opponent and deliver an uppercut that floors him. The adrenaline rush that comes from watching that kind of moment is similar to a runner and offensive line taking it to a defense.

Bernard Pierce and the Temple offensive line did just that in this year’s New Mexico Bowl. The Temple runner had a box score total to the tune of 25 carries, 100 yards, and 2 scores. Pierce is a no nonsense, down hill runner with just enough agility and burst to set up a block or a defender for a few extra yards.

Although nothing here is meant to provide a definitive evaluation of Pierce’s skill as a football player, I’m showing you two plays that I believe is salient analysis. As with the analysis I’ve been doing lately, all plays can be seen a little better if you click on the photo. Any laughter from the stills of Pierce in pass protection is meant to laugh with him, not at him. Continue reading →

N.C. State TE George Bryan: Great Hands

0 Comments read Players, Tight End
Great hands for a tight end means more than catching the football. N.C. State tight end George Bryan demonstrates below. Photo by Mark van Laere.

[Author’s Note: Click the photos and they will enlarge in a separate window.]

N.C. State tight end George Bryan was second in career touchdowns (17) among active FBS tight ends in 2011. If you’ve watched Bryan play you know that he’s an in-line tight end personified. Somewhere in the range of 6’4″, 265 pounds, Bryan is a plodder when it comes to foot speed and ball carrying agility.

But what he lacks in swiftness of foot he compensates with great hands. A skill that extends beyond the meaning that most people think. Continue reading →

Rueben Randle: Why The Sideline Arm Matters

0 Comments read Players, Wide Receiver
Reuben Randle has a lot of promise, but even top tier prospects have small issues with technique that can make a big difference. Photo by Evan Cranford.

The little things matter – especially in a sport known for being a game of inches. Most people think of those valuable inches as every blade of grass ahead of a runner or defender in a north south direction. East west inches matter, too. So do the small techniques that players often forsake. Techniques we know are important, but we generally ignore until something bad happens.

LSU receiver Rueben Randle made a terrific play against Florida on October 8, 2011 that culminated a 4-catch, 127-yard, 1-touchdown performance. However, there is a small technique that Randle – and many ball carriers – consistently don’t perform that can make a big difference in the outcome of a game. Randle never carries the football under his left arm.

This is a small technique that isn’t going to keep him from earning a starting job in the NFL. It won’t keep him from becoming a productive receiver for your fantasy team. And it won’t keep his team from winning . . . or will it? Continue reading →

Oklahoma State QB Brandon Weeden: Less Tarrantino, More Gump

0 Comments read Players, Quarterback
Forrest Gump doesn't inspire people to think "great quarterbacking," but 18 years wiser, I'm beginning to think every passer needs some Gump. Brandon Weeden against Baylor shows why. Photo by Loren Javier.

Jason Bailey of Flavorpill wrote a piece this month in Atlantic Online that bemoans the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences selection of Forrest Gump over Pulp Fiction for its Best Picture award in 1994. He characterizes the choice as one of the worst decisions in the history of the Academy Awards. I love Pulp Fiction, it’s a stylish and cooler story than Forrest Gump. But calling the decision a slam dunk injustice is foolish.

Pulp Fiction’s fragmented plot line, hip soundtrack, sparkling dialogue, and self-ware winks and nods to the audience elevates a specific genre of film making to postmodern art. Forrest Gump is a simple story of a tall tale. However, a great theme of Forrest Gump is that in life, wisdom trumps intelligence. Everything Gump accomplishes in life comes from a common sense deeply ingrained by his momma’s lessons and what I would call a genetic capacity for profound wisdom.

Many of you probably won’t agree with me about what I see in Gump, but I don’t blame you. We live in an a highly intellectualized society that values the bells and whistles of technique, theory, and gamesmanship over common sense, simplicity, and unadorned truth. The fact that an Internet writer from this generation would see Pulp Fiction as the vastly superior movie to Forrest Gump comes as no surprise.

Its symptomatic of how we value intellect over wisdom. Think I’m wrong? Atomic weapons, Continue reading →

Stacking Up To Jason Pierre-Paul

0 Comments read Players, Reads Listens Views
A good template for any aspiring, 4-3 NFL defensive end is Jason Pierre-Paul. Jene Bramel breaks it down as well as anyone. Photo by Mike Morbeck.

By Jene Bramel

Editor’s Note: Dr. Jene Bramel is a staff writer at Footballguys.com where he is among the best in the fantasy football business analyzing individual defensive players and player injuries. His top-notch work includes the columns “Reading the Defense,” “Second Opinion,” and his popular segments on The Audible podcasts. You can find more of his analysis of Quinton Coples against the run and the pass. Follow Jene on Twitter @JeneBramel.

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When asked at the Senior Bowl to compare his playing style to that of any current NFL defensive lineman, Quinton Coples chose Jason Pierre-Paul – the latest in a recent line of talented New York Giants’ defensive ends.

The comparison isn’t unreasonable. Both players are long and athletic and capable of stretches of dominant play. At times, when he uses his refined and preferred inside swim move or is able to get under his opponent’s pads and set a strong edge against the run, Coples’ play resembles that of Pierre-Paul.

Unlike Coples, Pierre-Paul has learned to play with a consistent pad level on every snap. In my last post, I highlighted two plays in which Coples quickly and cleanly beat the tackle off the ball but fail to finish the play due to poor technique. In this post, I’ll contrast Coples’ sloppy pad level, footwork and pass rush angles with those of the technically sound Pierre-Paul. Continue reading →

Quinton Coples Part II: Pad Level And The Pass Rush

0 Comments read Players
Quinton Coples will be watching and learning a little more than you might expect from a top draft pick if he doesn't improve his technique quickly. Photo by Jene Bramel.

Editor’s Note: Dr. Jene Bramel is a staff writer at Footballguys.com where he is among the best in the fantasy football business analyzing individual defensive players and player injuries. His top-notch work includes the columns “Reading the Defense,” “Second Opinion,” and his popular segments on The Audible podcasts. You can find the first part of his analysis of Quinton Coples’ performance against the run in this earlier post. Follow Jene on Twitter @JeneBramel.

By Jene Bramel

Many observers – myself included – have compared Quinton Coples to Julius Peppers. It’s hard to avoid the comparison. Both are tall, athletic all-around defensive end talents from North Carolina capable of dominant play.

Yet when asked which current NFL player he feels his game most resembles it isn’t Peppers that Coples mentions. It’s Jason Pierre-Paul.

I think Coples’ comparison is reasonable. Continue reading →

UNC DE Quinton Coples: The Importance of Pad Level

0 Comments read Players
Is UNC defensive end Quinton Coples the next Jason Pierre-Paul? Jene Bramel says the potential is there but like everything earned in life, he has to put in the work to hone his gifts. Photo by Jene Bramel.

By Jene Bramel

Editor’s Note: Dr. Jene Bramel is a staff writer at Footballguys.com where he is among the best in the fantasy football business analyzing individual defensive players and player injuries. His top-notch work includes the columns “Reading the Defense,” “Second Opinion,” and his popular segments on The Audible podcasts. Jene would never tell you these things himself, but since I get to play editor he just has to deal with the fact that he’s getting the praise he deserves. Whenever I get the chance I beg him (and on occasion, “throw” a basketball game or two), to contribute here at the RSP blog. Follow Jene on Twitter @JeneBramel.

UNC’s Quinton Coples has the frame and body type that makes scouts drool and defensive line coaches want to stand on a table. That’s not hard to do when a defensive end from an ACC school has the height (6’6″), weight (281 pounds), hands (10-plus inches), arm length (33-plus inches), and wingspan (in excess of 80 inches) that makes him a top-10 prospect in most drafts.

Although his frame and athleticism are NFL-ready, Coples has flaws in his technique that may keep him from reaching his vast potential during his rookie year. Coples isn’t alone in this regard. Continue reading →

Blocking Clinic: Clemson TE Dwayne Allen

0 Comments read Players, Tight End
This analysis has nothing to do with Dwayne Allen with the football. Although he's pretty good there, too. Photo by .PDA Photo

Note: The analysis you’ll find in this blog post and other posts on RB David Wilson, WR Kendall Wright, and Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill are merely snapshots of plays I have compiled from game study. These spotlights focus on a subset of the individual’s talents or deficiencies and are not an overall report on the player. My comprehensive analysis of the player will be available April 1 in the 2012 Rookie Scouting Portfolio – now in its seventh year of publication.

Funny what keeps you up at night. Saturday, I watched two backs in pass protection and their successes and failures got me so fired up that I discovered I had an offensive line coach inside me after all. I nearly burst a blood vessel yelling at the TV. The adrenaline kept me awake until 4 a.m.

The longer I study film the more I enjoy the skill of blocking. Yesterday, I watched Clemson tight end Dwayne Allen put on a blocking clinic. The fact that Allen has the physical skills and hands to become a productive move-tight end or hybrid player already places him atop most teams’ positional boards. The fact that he demonstrated the skill to execute a full complement of blocks gives him star potential.

Continue reading →

Managing the Pocket Part II: Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill

0 Comments read Players, Quarterback
Dolphins great Dan Marino holds two pocket management skills in high regard when evaluating players at the position. Ryan Tannehill demonstrates facility with both.

Note: The analysis you’ll find in blog posts on RB David Wilson, WR Kendall Wright, and my first post about Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill are merely snapshots of plays I have compiled from game study. These spotlights focus on a subset of the individual’s talents or deficiencies and are not an overall report on the player. My comprehensive analysis of the player will be available April 1 in the 2012 Rookie Scouting Portfolio – now in its seventh year of publication.

“If I worked out a quarterback for an NFL team, he’d have to show me 100 throws off his back foot.”

-Dan Marino

This is one of two statements about quarterbacking from Marino that football analyst Pat Kirwan shared in his book Take Your Eye Off The Ball that demonstrates the difference between the theory and practice of the NFL game for a pro passer. The second statement is about having a good internal clock – the awareness of the length of time a play should take, how long its actually taking, and what the defense is doing to add or subtract from that amount of time. Marino says a good internal clock “can be a quarterback’s most important asset.”

A player I’d like to watch with Dan Marino – alright, ONE of ANY player I’d like to watch with Dan Marino – is Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill. The 2012 NFL Draft prospect has good pocket presence for a college quarterback. In fact, against Oklahoma State in September, Tannehill put on a clinic of what defines good pocket presence. In the previous post of Managing the Pocket, I analyzed two plays of Tannehill’s that involved the subtleties of avoiding pressure. Today I’m featuring three plays that demonstrate two of Marino’s preferred traits of a quarterback and likely a third that I don’t have a quote from him about: managing adversity. Continue reading →

Managing the Pocket Part I: Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill

0 Comments read Players, Quarterback
When it comes to managing the pocket, Texas A&M Ryan Tannehill put on a clinic in the first half  versus Oklahoma State in September ’11. Photo by SD Dirk.

Note: The analysis you’ll find in blog posts on RB David Wilson, WR Kendall Wright, and today, Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill are merely snapshots of plays I have compiled from game study. These spotlights focus on a subset of the individual’s talents or deficiencies and are not an overall report on the player. My comprehensive analysis of the player will be available April 1 in the 2012 Rookie Scouting Portfolio – now in its seventh year of publication.

Former Jets coach and personnel manager Pat Kirwan noted in his book Take Your Eye Off The Ball, that the only scrambling quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl was Steve Young. Some may infer from that fact that scramblers are not the ideal style of quarterback for an NFL team. I think it’s probably more accurate to take this statement as a historic reflection, but not a basic truth about today’s NFL.

I’m nitpicking the point because Fran Tarkenton, Steve McNair, John Elway, Brett Favre, and Donovan McNabb could all scramble and they led their teams to the Super Bowl. I believe the spirit of Kirwan’s statement is Continue reading →