Category Players

Quarterback Techniques Part II (Not Safe for Work)

0 Comments read Players, Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers is the total package and a standard setter when it comes to the arm quality of a quarterback. Photo by Elvis Kennedy. Not to be confused with Malcolm Gaye

Warning: This blog post isn’t for the corporate mindset. It’s safe to read at work except for the first link you come across. However, if you’re the kind of idiot (and I use the term affectionately – we all act like idiots from time to time. It’s part of the human condition) that feels the need to share everything with co-workers because you think you know their sense of humor better than you actually do, then it’s not safe for work. In fact, if you’re that kind of idiot don’t read this post until you get home.

If you get canned it’s because your listening skills suck. Continue reading →

RSP Flashback: Bills WR Naaman Roosevelt

0 Comments read Players, Quarterback
University of Kansas head coach and former Nebraska QB Turner Gill played some good poker with two prospects he recruited at the University of Bufalo because there were no losers. Photo by GoingStuckey.

Buffalo wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt lost a bet that eventually earned him a job. When Turner Gil arrived at the University of Buffalo he recruited two terrific athletes who played quarterback and wanted to remain quarterbacks. Gil made a deal with them. Win the starting job and remain a quarterback. Lose the job and change positions to help the team win.

Roosevelt’s competition: James Starks and Drew Willy. Continue reading →

Maryland RB Davin Meggett

0 Comments read Players, Running Back
Davin Meggett (No.8) comes from good NFL bloodlines. But does he have NFL game? Photo by John Martinez Pavliga.

I finished studying Maryland RB Davin Meggett’s performance against the Miami Hurricanes and I discovered that someone posted all of Meggett’s touches from this game. So I’m providing my analysis of Meggett’s performance with these highlights.

When it comes to the son of the former New York Giants star, four things stand out:

  1. Meggett has enough burst to generate positive plays as a runner.
  2. Change of direction is a talent this runner uses to a fault.
  3. He has the makings of a sound pass protector.
  4. What holds him back the most is his lack of maturity with his decision-making at the end of runs.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/OuUX4QwgAFw]

0:05 – Meggett’s first target came on this 1st and 10 with 14:40 in the first quarter as the single back flanking the QB’s left in the shotgun Continue reading →

RSP Flashback-NFL Fastforward: QB Mike Kafka

0 Comments read Players, Quarterback
What is QB Mike Kafka's game about? Find out below. Photo by MikeFive.

Marty Mornhinweg said 2010 rookie quarterback Mike Kafka is the best first-year passer he’s seen pick up an offense in over 15 years. In training camp this year, the only question about Kafka has been his arm strength. Last Sunday when Mike Vick collided with his own lineman and suffered a concussion and Vince Young was unable to go with a bad hamstring, Kafka was put into the lineup. The second-year quarterback went 7 for 9 for 72 yards and demonstrated good poise and decision-making.

Who is Mike Kafka and is he just a warm body or another Brian Hoyer-Matt Flynn with a Matt Schaub-like future?

I think Kafka has to flash the arm strength and accuracy in the intermediate and deep passing game to warrant the Hoyer-Flynn comparisons. At the same time, the rest of his game shows a lot of promise. Based on my college analysis of Kafka, I think it makes complete sense that he’s in an Andy Reid style offense.

If he starts in Vick’s place I think we’re going to see a lot of plays that fit Kafka’s strengths:

  • Crossing routes and wide receiver screens
  • Play action on early downs
  • Boot legs

Think of Reid and Mornhingweg taking the “Jeff Garcia” chapter from their play book.

Below is my analysis of Mike Kafka against the Ohio State Buckeyes from the 2010 Rookie Scouting Portfolio. Continue reading →

Discerning Errors From Deficiencies: A WR’s Hands

0 Comments read Players, Wide Receiver
This is the third time I've used this photo, but it so underscores the point I'll be making in this post about good hands technique (and you know you like it). Photo by Tennessee Journalist Wade Rackley.

No prospect is perfect. Although I can hear some of you thinking Andrew Luck’s name (or maybe that’s the voice in my head and I just don’t want to admit it), this isn’t a post about the Stanford quarterback. It’s about learning to project a player’s potential by his errors.

Failures often reveal more about a prospect’s upside than his successes. Fans and evaluators alike (present company included) often fail to discern the difference between a correctable error and a deficiency that requires more serious work and may never improve. Based on my six years of extensive film study, I’m going to share with you lessons I’ve begun to learn that will help you develop a more critical eye. Continue reading →

Jokers

0 Comments read Players
It might not be obvious, but Reggie White's role on the defensive line was the football equivalent of slang. Photo by Keith Fujimoto.

One of the pervading themes in this blog has been discussion of  the hybridization of football players:

  • The zone blitz and the evolution of the 3-4 linebacker/defensive end ‘tweener capable of dropping into coverage and sticking his hand in the ground and rushing off the edge.
  • The safety/cornerback capable of covering slot receivers and supporting the run.
  • The tight end/wide receiver capable of playing at the line of scrimmage and  split from the formation.

When I asked my colleagues about a significant trend in the sport, hybridization was the first thing on their mental checklist.

Although hybridization might be a trend, history shows it’s not new. Continue reading →

A Case for Canton: William Andrews

0 Comments read Players, Running Back

[youtube=http://youtu.be/pg2iByaHvTU]

This isn’t the play versus Lott, but it was a lot like it.

William Andrews legendary run through Ronnie Lott was a part of a recent conversation I had with NFL Films producer Greg Cosell. When I listened to Cosell’s thoughts on Andrews and added that to the litany of fans who revered the Falcons runner’s skill it only validated the most obvious of thoughts: Why isn’t William Andrews enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Continue reading →

RSP Flashback: RB Jamaal Charles

0 Comments read Players, Running Back
Jamaal Charles could captivate one play and frustrate the next.

He was going to make the school forget Adrian Peterson. That’s what Jamaal Charles told the media when he arrived at the University of Texas after Peterson had spurned the Longhorns for Oklahoma. Bold stuff, but Charles did enough to back it up that at times, you at least had a momentary lapse of memory if you were a fan.

I grew to appreciate Charles’ confidence when I watched him perform at Texas. In fact, there were decisions he made at the line of scrimmage that cold only be described as bold arrogance. He didn’t just challenge defenses, he was challenging himself. Kind of a personal competition to see if he could get to that huge cutback lane all the way across the formation even when it wasn’t the wisest decision.

As a teammate this would probably frustrate me. As a fan, I got the feeling Charles sometimes got bored with taking what was in front of him. He wanted to stretch himself and take what he could see. Charles is now one of the most exciting runners in the NFL, but for the first couple of years it was far from a guarantee that it was going to happen. Here’s one of the evaluations I did on Charles when I evaluated him for the Rookie Scouting Portfolio. For additional samples of player evaluations go to this page on this blog.

Game Stats vs. Arizona State 12/27/2007 Continue reading →

Who is Phillip Tanner?

0 Comments read Players, Running Back

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

If you watched the Cowboys-Chargers preseason game last night then you saw a rookie running back putting on a display of what Cecil Lammey likes to call, “running hot.” There were probably 4-5 running backs in this game that ran hot. However, if I were to provide a photo next to Lammey’s definition in the yet-to-be-written football dictionary the image of Cowboys rookie Phillip Tanner running helmet-less through the Chargers secondary would be my first choice.

Who is Phillip Tanner? Was last night a fluke? Does he have a shot to stick to a roster? Let’s consult the 2011 Rookie Scouting Portfolio for some insight.

Players like Tanner, Denarius Moore, or other camp surprises who aren’t rated as high as their abilities in preseason have shown are one of my favorite topics of discussion, because they get to the core of what scouting is and what it isn’t. Most players graded have NFL talent. If you look at the history of the NFL draft, there were twice as many rounds at one time than there are now. Some of the greatest players in this game where drafted in rounds that don’t even exist today:

  • Deacon Jones was a 14th round pick.
  • Johnny Unitas was a 9th round pick.
  • Bart Starr was a 17th round pick.

I could list several others, but you get the point that a player registering on the collective Richter Scale of NFL scouts has the talent to develop into a contributor. These are young men capable of learning a lot in the span of a few years and their games can improve significantly in a short period of time. In addition a college system or surrounding talent can hinder a player’s ability to show his true potential. This is why teams will still value height, weight, speed, strength, agility, and conditioning over great technique. Sometimes teams err too far on that side, but there are always players who validate the notion that drafting a great athlete who didn’t consistently show great positional skills with his college team might yield gold.

Phillip Tanner is a free agent from Middle Tennessee State. In some respects he was overshadowed Continue reading →