Posts tagged 2012 RSP

Emerging Talents: Hybrid James Casey

0 Comments read Players, Tight End

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

“He’s going to play everywhere. He’s our starting fullback. He’s a starting (tight end) if we go to two tights. It’s still about versatility with James.”

– Gary Kubiak, head coach of the Houston Texans talking to Houston Chronicle reporter John McClain about James Casey in May 2012.

Based on what I’ve observed about James Casey, I’m willing to bet if he weren’t a professional football player he’s the type of guy that the Universe gives him a gift as it kicks him in the ass. If you’ve lived life, you know what I mean. If you don’t, imagine driving an 12 year-old beater that you’ve been holding together with prayers and duct tape to hang onto that job or get your kid to school and it breaks down and needs $500 in repairs just you won the $520 on a scratch-and-win lottery ticket the night before.

Casey the football player is ahead of his time, Continue reading →

Learning to “Drive” with Oklahoma QB Landry Jones

0 Comments read Players, Quarterback
Okahoma QB Landry Jones drives the Sooner Schooner pretty darned well, but to become a professional he has to develop a subtler understanding of his vehicle. Photo by elevenamx.

Spring is here, flowers are in bloom, and now’s the time to look at next year’s NFL Draft prospects. A player I didn’t see much of the past two years, but I intend to watch a great deal in 2012 is Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones.

Jones considered leaving school a year early to enter the 2012 NFL Draft, but wisely chose to stay for one more. Not that I have a definitive list of reasons why Jones made the right choice, but one of the things I would like to see him improve upon is his decision-making. This is true for most college quarterbacks heading to the NFL, but I think Jones could use another year to master the speed of the college game before he tackles the challenge of the pros.

Jones has the fundamental tools to develop into a good pocket passer in the NFL. However, like Tom Brady, he’s not going to wow anyone with his athleticism. This means his skill at finding the open man, manipulating the defense, and delivering the ball with uncanny accuracy will need to be top notch for Jones to maximize his potential. Continue reading →

A Route Lesson for Panthers WR Joe Adams From Wes Welker

0 Comments read Players, Wide Receiver
Whether he runs a 4.55, 4.42, or a 4.24, Joe Adams has the raw tools to get separation in the NFL. Wes Welker gives a lesson on technique that I’m sure he’ll be watching on cutups.

Carolina Panthers rookie receiver Joe Adams has dynamite skills after the catch. I also like his ability to catch the football. However, one thing I consistently saw at Senior Bowl practices was difficulty getting early separation against press coverage.

On at least five down field routes, I saw Adams still fighting for separation against the defensive back 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. On each of these routes he was at least a step shy of a well thrown pass. This had nothing to do with speed. Adams has plenty of it. But route running isn’t about straight-line speed. Continue reading →

Reads Listens Views 5/18/2012

0 Comments read Reads Listens Views
When I hear Freddie Hubbard play “Mr. Clean,” I think of Bruce Smith. The Bills great has that soulful, badass Mr. Clean vibe, doesn’t he? Photo by Michael Miller.

Friday News

It’s been a little quieter around here as May winds down, but that’s because I’m busy working on a lot of fantasy football material at Footballguys.com. We’re rolling out an iPad magazine that is going to be Continue reading →

More Parallels Between Music and Football

0 Comments read Matt Waldman
Michael Floyd is about to get some lessons from Larry Fitzgerald that parallel those that musician Russell Malone got from masters Jimmy Smith and Kenny Burrell. Photo by Photogeek21.

I have often broached the idea that quarterbacking or running between the tackles is similar to improvising with a rhythm section. There has to be an understanding of rhythm, interaction, and when to play outside the conventional boundaries of the structure. It should also be a given that a player has to have mastery over his fundamental technique.

You don’t have to be a fan of jazz improvisation to grasp what I’m saying. However, jazz performers tell some great stories that parallel the type of things that young pro football players learn in camp from veterans. One of the big lessons is, don’t bring that weak-ass shit here. Continue reading →

Lesson One of a Route Clinic From Wes Welker

0 Comments read Players, Wide Receiver
Video of Wes Welker running routes in practice is like the MGs giving a clinic on the Stax sound. Photo by Brian J. McDermott

I believe the best way to prepare to watch college players is to study the pros. The reason is that if I’m trying to project a prospect’s potential at the NFL level then I need to have good reference points of what works in the NFL. I also have to understand the differences between the college and NFL games when it comes to execution.

I can tell you that the process is ongoing and I’m still learning. This week, Coach Rob Paschall, PR director for the site Coach Huey, tweeted a link to a video titled, “Wide Receiver Technique Release Drills.” I expected an  instructional video.

However, if my eyes aren’t betraying me – and they might be – it was something a lot better. Continue reading →

RSP Football Writers Project: July 23rd

0 Comments read Uncategorized
Some of the top draft analysts, football writers, and former scouts are channeling their inner talent evaluator, coach, and GM to participate in the RSP Writers Project that will debut July 23.

With the NFL Draft over and mini camps underway, we’re getting close to that time of year where football writers can take a breather. That’s my rationale for delaying the RSP Writers Project a few months (if you’re new around here, I’m re-posting the original description of the project below). It’s a nice way of saying that those of us involved have been way too busy to set it up and deliver the information our owners need to build teams.

Good news! The project will be delivered to the writers on June 18 and they will have until July 20th to submit their teams and questionnaires. I’ll begin posting one team at a time beginning July 23rd.

Details (Original Post)

Secretly, we all want to build a football team. It’s why we’re passionate about every player recruited, drafted, traded, and signed. It’s why we play fantasy football. It’s why many of us are fanatical about the NFL draft. Continue reading →

Russell Wilson, Drew Brees, Prince, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and the Difficulty of Comparisons

0 Comments read Players, Quarterback
Russell Wilson is short by NFL QB standards but matched with the right offense, there is a place for him in the league. Photo by Seth Youngblood.

Russell Wilson to Compete for Seahawks Starting Gig Now

Apparently, I was wrong about Russell Wilson. I thought he’d compete for the starting job next year – not right now.

I’ve been talking about Wilson’s potential as a future starter before the draft at FootballOutsiders.com in my Futures column. Wilson had an off-the-charts Lewin Career Forecast score (highest ever as an indicator of potential success in the NFL), which my colleagues at Outsiders consequently labeled with an asterisk because history accurately demonstrated that quarterbacks with Wilson’s height aren’t drafted in the first three rounds as potential starters. I decided to take a bit of the different approach and “Study the Asterisk.” Click the link above and learn why Pete Carroll and the Seahawks saw Wilson as a future starter, why his game translates, and why the comparisons to Drew Brees aren’t silly.

The Nature of Player Comps

Speaking of player comparisons, I think it is important to talk about them. There are a lot of opinions about the value of comparisons. When done well, Continue reading →

RSP No-Huddle Series: Eagles RB Bryce Brown

0 Comments read Players, Running Back
Last we really saw Bryce Brown on the filed, he was a freshman with great promise. Can he make an impact in the NFL? Photo by Wade Rackley.

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.

Bryce Brown was the top-rated running back entering college football in 2009 – over Trent Richardson.The Eagles made him a seventh-round pick to ensure no other team could sign him. Ability-wise, Brown is nowhere near a seventh-round grade: he’s a big back with soft hands, good burst, long speed, and finishing power.

The reason he dropped so far in the draft is past history:he left the Tennessee Volunteers after one year, sat out a year to comply with NCAA rules, and then only carried the ball three times at Kansas State before leaving the team and then entering the NFL Draft. There’s very little to see with Brown in college action. However, what’s available is filled with impressive moments. Continue reading →