The Rookie Scouting Portfolio blog has gained enough of a following that I’ve learned there are folks who come here and don’t realize that – oh by the way –  I also write for Footballguys.com. If you play fantasy football and you haven’t checked out our draft app, you can see more from Cory Jones at Mandatory.com.

Thanks

My summer schedule has been whack since . . . well, spring. I have a final push of Footballguys.com assignments I want to finish this weekend and next and you’ll begin to see more substantive football content about the 2014 college class, goings-on in the NFL, and perhaps more experiments with podcasts.

If you’re new to the blog, Friday is when I post links to content from around the web. I also thank you for visiting and encourage you to do yourself a favor and buy the 2013 Rookie Scouting Portfolio. This is a pre-draft and post-draft publication devoted to the rookies at the skill positions. Here’s information to learn more:

• What is the RSP?
• Why Buy the RSP?
• Sample Reports
• Players in the 2013 RSP

If you just need the basic facts, here they are: It’s the most comprehensive work you’ll find of its kind. You get over 1300 pages of material that’s well-organized and in-depth for $19.95 (past issues from 2006-2012 are $9.95). And 10 percent of each sale is donated to the organization Darkness to Light to help them fight sexual abuse.  You can download the RSP here.

Random Football Thoughts

• I’m not concerned about Josh Gordon. He makes football look easy. He always has. It’s a quality that I remember seeing from Randy Moss. I will gladly take Gordon in fantasy drafts and wait three weeks for him to return.  
• Broncos running back C.J. Anderson, an undrafted rookie free agent from Cal, injured his knee just as he was earning second-team reps in practice and will miss six weeks. Anderson has the ability to develop into a contributor in a starting lineup. He’s excellent at making the first defender miss, has quick feet, and finishes strong. This injury may ruin his momentum to cut into Montee Ball’s reps, but I think he makes the team and if he keeps working at his craft I wouldn’t be surprised if he clouds the Broncos’ running back picture in 2014.
• Bears rookie lineman Kyle Long looked terrific against the Chargers. He and Jermon Bushrod are two big reasons why I continue to be bullish on Matt Forte this year.
• About three months ago I was on the Thursday Night Audible talking about players to watch during the preseason who you won’t normally see when the regular season begins. One of the players I mentioned – over the “don’t do it” chants from Bloom and Lammey – was Falcons tight end Chase Coffman. All three of us like Coffman at Missouri but at the time the Bengals drafted him, Coffman was gangling athlete. However, last year I got to see Coffman on the field in Atlanta and he looked to have gained enough muscle that he was able to move around the field with a level of athletic grace I had not seen from him before. He looked like a different player in this respect. What was the same was his excellent hands and skill in zone coverage. Remember Coffman this year, because he has earned his share of first-team reps in the preseason and has looked solid. If Tony Gonzalez gets hurt, Coffman has the hands to contribute as a zone receiver. Fantasy owners, think Dennis Pitta in style but not the high-end production.

Listens 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOz4qMZLW-U&feature=share&list=PLX1Nx57UJgZklFIdjOTGR0wdc3n-c417Y]

Stevie Ray Vaughan used to sit in with Albert King as a kid and if you couldn’t tell by King’s playing, Vaughan cited King as a major influence.

Football Reads

• Randy Moss: Most Interesting Man In The NFL – Like him or not, he’s a compelling character of borderline folklore proportions.
• Terrell Davis: Peak vs. Longevity – Scott Kacsmar debuts at Football Outsiders with this informative look at a popular debate about NFL careers.
• The NFL Bans Customized Facemasks Because Football Isn’t supposed to Be Fun – But you can wear these bad boys if you have already sustained an injury – just not to prevent one. S-T-U-P-I-D.
• Draft Mecca – A new site by Eric Stoner and Andrew Parsons. See that 100-point grading scale in their scouting reports? Hat-tip to the RSP – I like it.

Views

I saved this for over a week. Since then, my friend Joe Bryant posted it on his blog, but it’s such an important thing to watch that I’m hoping I catch some of you who saw it, but didn’t bother to look.  As someone whose care was rear-ended four times in one month and at least two of them were clearly due to people texting, I urge you to watch.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/_BqFkRwdFZ0]

Listens II – Tinariwen

[youtube=http://youtu.be/r0AyA6-rKf8]

You can hear the blues in this, too.

Non-Football Reads

• How America’s ‘Culture of Hustling’ Is Dark and Empty – I can’t wait to see how many of you even click on this one.  It was a great read.
• What Me Do Something Impossible In Three Totally Easy Steps – Neurological traps with pen and paper.
• Elon Musk Explains the Hyperloop, The Solar-Powered High-Speed Future of Inter-City Transportation – I hope I live to try it. Then again, maybe I don’t. Yeah . . . I think do.
• After Guantanamo, Another Injustice  – John Grisham’s novels may not be your thing, but if you love your country this should outrage you.
• Haunting Lesson of Nazi Olympics – A disturbing dynamic in Russia.
• The Strange Sexual Quirk of Filipino Seafarers – The first do-it-yourself male enhancement? As funny as that statement may sound, it’s a fascinating story.
• “Err on the Side of Kindness” – Thanks to Adam MacDonald for sendign this along. A fine commencement speech from George Saunders.
• Writers And Their Day Jobs – While writing can sometimes seem like a full-time job, it often doesn’t pay the bills. Enter the day job.

Views II

[youtube=http://youtu.be/zuBSRC1zpHw]

I like this video because in less than five minutes, Kutcher does his best to be real about work, pop culture, and self-worth.