Posts tagged Rookie Scouting Portfolio

New Cap for the RSP Writers Project

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Ndamukong Suh, it was nice to have you on my team for all of a few days… Photo by beatboxbadhabit.

After looking at two rosters and consulting with a few more writers, I’m cutting the salary cap and asking the writers to start over. It’s not enough of a challenge. Even when I limit myself to prospects at skill positions, my offensive line and defensive line are too good. There’s no way I should have offensive and defensive lines this good or be able to field Victor Cruz, Miles Austin, and A.J. Green on the same squad with passable (or good) units in other phases of the game.

I don’t want this to be fantasy football in that sense.

I want to make the writers work at this and $160 million is just a fun time diversion for a few days. I’ve enjoyed it immensely, but I want to force everyone to really think about what they are submitting and agonize. I’m mean in that way.

So I’m dropping the cap from $160 million at least by $20 million, maybe more. I’ve informed the writers. They all groaned, but also laughed because many of them had teams they really liked and readily admitted it wasn’t realistic.

So if you still want to play the $160 million version, I’ll keep the spreadsheet up here. However, I’ll be out with a revised, writers version in a few days.

And I was so loving my Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse defensive line. I was dreaming up the poster of those guys riding Harley’s, dressed in black cloaks…

My First Draft RSP Writers Team – Offensive Line

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I have to protect this guy and give my runners every chance to succeed. I think my RSP Writers Project offensive line accomplishes that objective – and that’s an understatement. Photo by Angie Six

The Rookie Scouting Portfolio Football Writers Project is an all-star cast of football writers, former scouts, and draft analysts on the Internet. Their mission is to take a month to build a 53-man roster with a $160 million salary cap and present the team here. You can use the same information to build your own team (see the bottom of this post).

Last night, I unveiled the skill positions of a first-draft team. Today, I’m unveiling my offensive line. Remember, this is an initial draft and I will probably take a month to truly build my squad. However, I think it is valuable and entertaining to display a thought process behind building a team. Readers will hopefully gain this insight when I display other writer’s teams, but they won’t get the same process as I can offer leading to the final product.

I am already working on a second draft of the team I’m unveiling this week and there will be some major changes. However, I still think it is fun to show my initial version because it reveals a lot about building NFL teams. Why certain ideas are ingrained in the culture of coaches, general managers, scouts, and players.

If you didn’t read the skill position unveiling yesterday, Continue reading →

Reads Listens Views 6/11/2012

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Film Study is a Dangerous Job

My life has been a whirlwind these past two months. In addition to writing the 2012 Rookie Scouting Portfolio here’s the rest of the past eight weeks:

Of course this list doesn’t include the more personal elements of my life that make life a fun (sometimes) challenge.  Continue reading →

How to (and how not to) Throw the Bomb

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A bomb is a bomb is a bomb? It all depends on your point of view. Photo by Delta Mike

This is one of my favorite posts in a while, because it is two very different angles of one play. The first angle will leave you shaking your head at the wide receiver. The second angle will provide a more sympathetic feeling towards him and less so for the quarterback.  Continue reading →

Emerging Talents: Hybrid James Casey

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[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 →

Emerging Talents: NE RB Shane Vereen

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Photo by John Martinez Pavliga.
Photo by John Martinez Pavliga.

This week the news broke in Patriots camp that second-year runner Shane Vereen was working in OTAs as the No.1 runner on the depth chart. Stevan Ridley was the projected lead back after the rookie from LSU had the better season in 2011. Of course, it’s easy to have the more impressive performance when the competition for that role missed much of training camp and the season dealing with a leg injury.

I wrote in 2011’s Rookie Scouting Portfolio that Shane Vereen has enough physical skill and talent to have a better career than former Cal teammate Jahvid Best. That might seem like an easy task considering that Best has incurred multiple concussions and his long-term career seems more questionable than when he entered the league a top-flight rookie prospect with skills and stylistic similarities that I think is a nice a blend of Marshall Faulk, Reggie Bush and Walter Payton.

Those a big names and I don’t expect Hall of Fame level production. However, I do expect big plays. Today I’m going to show you what I like about Shane Vereen and if he stays healthy, why he’ll have a significant impact for the Patriots in 2012. The links below will take you to the specific points of the highlight package I’m referencing throughout the article. 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 →

RSP Football Writers Project: July 23rd

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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 →

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 →