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Quick Announcement 10/15/2010

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Chad Spann began his career as a walk-on and ended it the MAC MVP.

If you’re not familiar with running back Chad Spann or you are relatively new to this blog then you might not have seen the film study series that the 2010 college football touchdowns leader did with me. Beginning Monday, I’ll be posting the first of a three-part series where Spann provides RSP readers a glimpse into the Indianapolis Colts training camp and preseason. It’s an enlightening look into the small, but highly regarded (despite the Colts current record) corner of professional football.

Reads, Listens, Views 10/14/11

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1973 Week 7 Chargers vs. Browns

A lot has been going on behind the scenes for me. Illness, additional work requirements (and new opportunities), and my home office PC on its last legs have all contributed to fewer posts than the dog days of August. However, I offer a sincerest thanks for the continued support from my Rookie Scouting Portfolio readers during a hectic September that has bled into mid-October.

If you’re new to this blog, thank you for checking out the digs. Even more thanks if you liked enough of what you’ve seen to subscribe.

The reasons I provide this content are simple.  Continue reading →

New Blog-Article Menu

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Continuous improvement is an ingrained part of what I try to do here at the Rookie Scouting Portfolio. Although I haven’t been adding new posts for the last week I have been creating a new menu to find my 99 other posts from the last four months. Many of you are new to the blog and a lot of what I write isn’t just about news that becomes old after a day or a week. You can find this Blog-Article Menu along the top menu bar of the site and it should provide a drop down menu to view articles grouped into these categories.

Scouts and Scouting – Here you can find essays on a variety of aspects about the player evaluation process and interviews of former scouts and current talent evaluators including NFL Films executive producer Greg Cosell, ESPN blogger and former Cleveland Browns scout Matt Williamson, NFL Draft Scout’s Chad Reuter, and National Football Post’s Wes Bunting.

Technique and X’s and O’s – Learn more about the technique behind what makes a good NFL skill player. This includes instructional analysis with video and even a film study interview series with the leading touchdown producer in the FBS in 2010. There are also essays and interviews about specific offensive schemes and personnel trends.

Reads, Listens, Views –  Check out my weekly recommendations when it comes to online reading for football, fantasy football,  and non-football. This section also includes my Audible segments A Walk on the Wild Side and miscellaneous football opinion pieces.


Gone Fishing…

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Hey Folks,

I’ve been ill for the past week and I was in Baltimore the week before on a family trip. I’ve only had enough energy to direct to the paid gigs. However, beginning next week I will be posting with greater frequency.

Best,

Matt

Reads, Listens, Views 9/23

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Greg Pruitt – there’s a lot of Pruitt in the best of Reggie Bush. I doubt there was a fine on the Chargers defender in`73.

I’ve been under the weather this week, so my regular posting schedule has been disrupted somewhat. However, a sincere thank you to those of you who continue to the make the Rookie Scouting Portfolio Blog a part of your regular reading schedule. Continue reading →

Suggested Reading

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If this blog hit you out of nowhere the way Denarius Moore was a welcome surprise to you, read on for suggested links. Photo by Wade Rackley.

In recent weeks there have been a lot of new readers to the Rookie Scouting Portfolio. This site is constantly evolving and one of the things I intend to do during the next few weeks is to add a page that categorizes links to every article on the blog for easier navigation.

Whether you’re new to the site and haven’t had a chance to delve into it or you’ve been returning for a while, I thought it would be a good idea to provide some suggested reading:

Interviews

If you became acquainted with the RSP blog from the Greg Cosell or Dan Shonka conversations, I highly recommend checking out these posts.

Conversation with NFL Draft Scout’s Chad Reuter: This is the first part of a series of conversations I did with Reuter. It was pleasure to engage in football talk with a dedicated, intelligent evaluator of talent who uses his economics and player evaluation skills to present research information to NFL teams.

Conversation with National Football Post’s Wes Bunting: Just like Reuter, Bunting does the work. I should know, their processes sound eerily familiar to my early mornings. A very interesting read.

Film Study

Chad Spann is currently on the Colts' IR. He's a long-term sleeper to monitor. Learn more about his mind for the game below.

Grinding Tape: Chad Spann – Stiff arms and Green Dogs: How often do you get to read an interview where the interviewer and the subject are studying football together? This excerpt from a 2-hour study session (Just search “Chad Spann” for more) includes play diagrams and explanations of what the NCAA’s 2010 touchdown leader was thinking about with each play.

Walk on The Wild Side

The Unwritten Rules of Football and Life: These are transcriptions of podcast editorials I occasionally deliver at The Audible’s Thursday Night Roundtable with Sigmund Bloom and Cecil Lammey.

I’ll suggest other pieces each week until I create the navigation page. I hope these are enjoyable reading for you.

Reads, Listens, Views 9/15

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Gene Upshaw at his best. 

Thank you to those of you who are making the Rookie Scouting Portfolio Blog a part of your regular reading schedule. As I’ve been saying weekly, if you like what you’ve seen thus far, please consider these three acts of kindness: 

  1. Subscribe to this blog. It’s free.
  2. Share this blog with your friends.
  3. Send me feedback.

And then consider performing one special act of kindness to yourself: Get my publication The Rookie Scouting Portfolio. Those who buy it love it.

The RSP is a 120-150 page rookie report loaded withanalysis, rankings, and player comparisons of over 150 offensive skill position prospects. And unlike any publication remotely of its type, I also show the reader my work with an appendix containing hundreds of pages of game study notes as well as my position-specific scoring checklists adopted from best-practice methods for performance evaluation.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be posting more prospect analysis that you’ll likely see in the 2012 Rookie Scouting Portfolio, which will be available here for purchase in the early spring.

Back issues of the RSP (2006-2010) are available for purchase by emailing me.

Reads, Listens, Views

It’s this time of the week where I share what I’ve been reading, listening, and viewing each week – football, fantasy football, and non-football.

Football – Two Links from writer Alen Dumonjic, who does an excellent job of analyzing the game. 

Goal-Line Stand – This is a part of the website The Score. I strongly recommend Alen’s contributions. He does a fantastic job with X’s and O’s and explaining football technique.

Inside the matchup: Patriots vs. Dolphins by Alen Dumonjic courtesy of Boston.com – I know this is last week’s game but the analysis is insightful and explains concepts that go beyond this game.

Non-Football

Sewing her way out of poverty By Nicholas D. Kristof – The inspiring story of a married mother in Kenya who resorted to prostitution to support her children after they pushed out of her house by her husband who brought in a new wife. The mother learns to sew, creates a business, and with the help of a microsavings program earns enough to work her way out of poverty.

Super-Earth: Newly discovered planet could potentially support life  By Denise Chow

Tidal Turbines: New sparks of hope for green energy from beneath the waves by Colin Woodward – A town on the Maine coast is the Kitty Hawk for green energy.

A Photo Essay on the Great Depression

Entertainment

El Nino performed by the late, great Michael Brecker – perhaps the one saxophonist who built on what John Coltrane did (while also performing with the likes of Aerosmith, Cameo, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, and over 900 albums of music of every genre).

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Quick Announcement

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If you enjoyed my series with NFL Films’ senior producer Greg Cosell, you’re going to love next week’s conversation series with 16-year veteran scout and former college coach Dan Shonka of Ourlads’ NFL Scouting Services.

Shonka spent 7 years with National (National Football Scouting) and then another nine years with the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, and Kansas City Chiefs.

Shonka, who is featured in Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, gave me nearly two and a half hours of his time to talk shop.

While I won’t say this tops the Cosell series, I think it might be as good in a different vein.

Expect the first segment on Monday.

RSP Readers Poll: 2011 NFL Season

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With the 2011 NFL season approaching fast I want to know your takes. Photo by Matt McGee

I have great readers and I’m curious about your takes heading into the 2011 NFL season. Since I’ve spent all summer giving my takes on the NFL, now it’s your turn to share yours.  Below are 15 questions. Continue reading →