If you’ve only been following this blog recently, you might have missed my post on John Beck. The Redskins quarterback was named the starter this morning. If you want to learn more about him check out my take. It has been my belief that one of the reasons Mike Shanahan opted for Rex Grossman to open the season was that it would give Beck a longer leash to grow into the starting role if Grossman failed to do the job first. If he had gone with Beck and the inexperienced pro QB struggled, his team and the fans would have been more impatient and demanded to get Grossman on the field.
Posts tagged Matt Waldman
Quick Post: Cam Newton shades of Steve McNair
Watching Cam Newton this weekend move around the pocket with poise, deliver lasers off balance, and run with the speed of a tailback and the toughness of a fullback reminded me of my all-time favorite NFL player, Steve McNair. The similarities are striking to me. I just hope Newton is willing to work and deal with adversity on the field the way McNair did. If so, there’s no reason he can’t match some of McNair’s accomplishments.
If you never saw McNair play when he was still a young and healthy quarterback, or you simply forgot what he looked like before his numerous surgeries had its cumulative effect, check out these videos. Give McNair the receivers and running game that Michael Vick has now and there wouldn’t need be a desperation week against the Redskins. Put McNair in Indianapolis and the Colts would at least be .500. If the Bears had McNair on Monday night versus the Lions, Chicago wins.
Okay, maybe all that isn’t true but indulge a fan on his blog, will ya?
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Behind the Blue Curtain – Part II: A Glimpse at Colts Training Camp With RB Chad Spann
Former Northern Illinois RB Chad Spann led college football with 22 touchdowns in 2010, but it didn’t get him drafted. No matter, Spann was a local star in Indianapolis and no team offered him a scholarship at his position and that didn’t deter him from finding a team that would give him a chance to prove his ability. This is exactly what the rookie free agent did this summer with his home town Colts, earning a spot with his play despite suffering a grade three hamstring tear that led to an injury settlement. To those uninitiated with the nuances of roster management, Spann simplifies the situation and states he’s been placed on Injured Reserve until he’s available. However, most football fans familiar with IR know that this designation wipes out a player’s entire season.
An injury settlement allows the Colts to keep Spann on the team without going through the step of cutting him and then potentially losing him to another team before they can sign him to the practice squad. Spann is scheduled to be ready to rejoin the team in Week 8. If the Colts decide to cut him there are nearly a half-dozen teams that have indicated interest in signing him.
Spann is one of those players I have the rare opportunity to speak with that is the complete package of skills, smarts, and toughness. There are first-round picks at his position who lack the self-assured confidence that Spann exudes without even trying, but it’s also mixed with a grounded sense of humor and generosity that makes him an enjoyable personality to talk to.
After creating an interview series this summer where Spann and I watched one of his games together and he tutored me on the nuances of his position, Spann agreed to discuss his training camp and preseason experiences with the Colts. Part I details the differences between college football training camp and NFL training camp. Part II addresses the complexity of the Colts pass protection schemes, working with two other rookies at his position while also competing with them, and why what fans see on the field and what coaches see are often completely different.
Waldman: What kinds of things did you learn about your position that were Continue reading
Sunday Mailbag 10/16
Lucious528: Hey Matt, heard Spann got signed by TB? Any news?
Matt: Spann tweeted me to say he was visiting Tampa yesterday Continue reading
Quick Announcement 10/15/2010
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
Quarterback Techniques Part II (Not Safe for Work)
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
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
Best of the Q&A Mail Bag
Questions came this morning on Twitter and the names in parenthesis are Twitter accounts.
Q (Dave Larkin): Is this the day Mark Ingram breaks out?
A: I think this five-week stretch with Carolina, Tampa (twice), Indianapolis, and Saint Louis is the time that Mark Ingram is going to either build steam or become a wait-til-next year guy. Either way, I don’t think Mark Ingram has shown anything counter to his standing as a top-tier draft prospect at his position. Carolina has the best chance to maintain a points pace with the Saints offense, but the next four opponents will struggle offensively and I think Ingram will then see more game-sealing opportunities.
Q(Haydn239): How close are Landry Jones and Andrew Luck in talent?
A: I think it’s Luck and not even close. Cam Newton might have a better statistical year this year than Luck next year because Newton has the great athleticism combined with smarts and an offensive system that really has been tailored well for him, but I think Luck’s demonstration of how to change plays at the line of scrimmage and manage a game is rare.
Luck runs a west coast offense that is very close to what we see in the NFL and his ability to manipulate a defense before the snap is very much like Manning or Brady. I just watched him against UCLA last week on a 99-yard drive where he consistently moved around his personnel to the optimal run or pass play after getting the defense to reveal its base shell. This isn’t something that we see very often with college football quarterbacks and it is not that noticeably impressive to the casual fan because it doesn’t involve athleticism.
Landry Jones is a nice physical talent with the type of skills to have been a top-tier guy in other drafts. He still is a top-tier QB prospect. However, Luck is in another realm because he is given the conceptual keys to the offense that few quarterbacks his age are.
Q(Baxinpin): Thoughts on Jahvid Best the rest of the way?
A: Best is a terrific receiver from the backfield and I think the Lions are a smart enough group to make offensive adjustments to exploit defensive weaknesses that will generate big plays in the next 6-8 weeks. However, I don’t think the Lions have enough evidence to change their minds about Best and use him as a 15-20 carry back.
I think it will take injuries to other offensive pieces in the passing game and Best to show he can handle a higher workload to prove to the Lions that he can be more of a Marshall Faulk or a Tiki Barber in terms of role. It might evolve for Best over a course of years. However, I don’t think we’ll see it this year. Maybe some big runs this year, but the Lions are a pass-first team and the addition of Mikel LeShoure in the draft was an attempt to develop a power running game that they lack.
12th Round
If you want evidence that the talent gap among NFL prospects is extremely small, consider that just 19 years ago there were 12 rounds in the NFL Draft. We’re talking about nearly twice the draft pool than the present day. Some may argue that fewer starters emerge from the late rounds and free agency than those drafted during the first day.
That is only a theory that hasn’t been proven in a pseudo-scientific manner. I have another theory. The talent gap is small, but how an organization handles these early round picks compared to its late round picks artificially induces a wider gap than what should be there. The reason is the heavy financial subsidization of early picks. It exerts an indirect, but strong pressure on coaches to give these high-paid players more opportunities than its late-round picks and free agents. Continue reading