Posts tagged RSP

Fantasy Football Magazine of the Future

July 9, 2013 0 Comments read Reads Listens Views

Last week, I compared joining the staff of Footballguys to being the new kid in a neighborhood pickup game. If that’s the case, then veteran staff writer Jason Wood is that kid in the group who is friendly, but isn’t taking everything he sees at face value. All your new-found friends may have bought into the what you showed them on the sand lot in the first game, but Wood’s going to need a few games before he gives his take.

Although he doesn’t have to be the leader, he’s more than capable. He’s the valuable teammate who will give it to you straight if you ask, but he’ll do what’s best for the group. It also means he’s not prone to empty praise and he’s a good barometer for gauging whether people, ideas, and projects are going to cut it.

So when he wrote this email to our staff this morning about the Footballguys Magazine Draft Kit App, I decided it was worth sharing with more than just our internal staff email.

Guys,

Most of you know I’m not generally prone to hyperbole, so please understand that when I say I am FLOORED by the magazine, I mean it. It’s astoundingly impressive. In looking through it this morning, it gave me the same sense of wonderment and excitement I got the first time I cracked open the FF Index magazine back in the day and KNEW that I had an edge over most of my league. It’s the same sense of elation I got the first time I discovered the Mr. Football site or stumbled into our old old old school message boards and struck up intense debates with folks…KNOWING that this was going to make me a better fantasy owner.

Such an impressive effort. It will be an absolute shame if this isn’t THE talk of this fantasy football season.

Awesome efforts on the tech front, and also well done to all my fellow writers who pulled together such fantastic content.

Woodrow

I have to agree with him. Here’s a taste of what to expect from this magazine with content that will stay updated throughout the preseason. In fact, look at the screen shot at the top of the post and you’ll see content that’s from around the web. Yes, we aggregate what’s worth reading outside the confines of Footballguys.com.

You like rankings? How about ADP? What about VBD? It’s all conveniently formatted above with great color-coded team abbreviations and a way to add specific players of note to a personal watch list on the app. How awesome is that?

Do you want to track your drafts? You can do this in the magazine. Nothing like an all-in-one information source and draft day tool kit.

Filter rankings according to your preferred Footballguys staff. View depth charts, top 300 lists and explore our player database.

Just like the Rookie Scouting Portfolio, what you get from the Footballguys Magazine Draft Kit far exceeds its value (just $4.99). If you aren’t a Footballguys subscriber and want taste of what the site has to offer you as a fantasy owner, this is a great way to start.

I love magazines and holding printed material in my hands, but if you want content that doesn’t die as the pages fade or dog-eared, this is the way to go. You can download it here.

Small Frame, Big Game: Kansas State RB John Hubert

July 4, 2013 0 Comments read Players, Running Back

Bill Snyder has earned the moniker "The White Wizard" of college football and RB John Hubert is another one of his small frame, big game minions. Photo by JMR_Photography. — Bill Snyder has earned the moniker “The White Wizard” of college football and RB John Hubert is another one of his small frame, big game minions. Photo by JMR_Photography.

What drives you crazy more: getting whooped or losing a close battle to someone who you think you should have dominated? For me it’s the latter choice because it’s one thing to believe you gave your all and weren’t ready to compete at the same level, but an entirely different story when you think you left your A-game at home to a B-game opponent.

But what if turns out that B-game opponent is a deceptive, A-game player whose skill is making you feel like a underachiever?

For me, the jury is still out when it comes to assessing whether Kansas State RB John Hubert has an A-game worthy of the NFL, but there’s no doubt that if I were a Big-12 defender who just spent an afternoon chasing him around a football field I’d probably need a half-hour date with a heavy bag after the game. Listed at 5’7″, 191 pounds, I’d probably bet someone lunch that he’s not a shade over 185 and I think I’m being generous.

The native of Waco, Texas broke LaDainian Tomlinson’s high school record, but hometown Baylor didn’t even sniff in his direction. Enter Kansas State coach Bill Snyder, a man who knows a thing or two about small backs who play big. As I mentioned the other night on Twitter, the more I watch Kansas State’s offense the greater the admiration I have for Snyder.

The K-State legend’s offense is one that coach Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops – a former Snyder assistant – says is like playing three different systems in the same game. What I especially like is the choice and timing of the constraint plays that K-State calls – often using the running game.

Back to Hubert. The diminutive runner got my attention for his 23-carry, 130-yard, 1-touchdown performance in a 24-19 upset of the Sooners in Oklahoma last years. Don’t tell me how bad the Sooners’ defense was; instead, pay attention to how good Hubert was at defeating angles and slipping tackles.

By my count, Hubert broke nine tackles and generated seven first downs on 24 touches. He got a lot of help from the play calls and execution of his teammates, but there are several attempts in this game where Hubert does something small that makes a big difference.

Whether or not this will translate to the NFL is a question I’m glad I have more time to answer. Still, it was too much fun to watch Hubert and not share what I saw. If you enjoy the nuance of play calling and admire a player who knows how to play to his assets, some of these highlights are worth examining.

Cut Block

One of K-State’s bread-and-butter plays is a power sweep from a spread formation. This is a staple of shotgun football, especially mobile quarterbacks in the college game. However, I like the approach the Wildcats take with a 3×1, 10 personnel set because it’s not formation one expects to see a power sweep.

The beginning of the play looks more like a zone read quarterback option. The left tackle slants inside and leaves the defensive end unblocked as the quarterback fakes the exchange with the running back. This draws the end to the middle of the field and puts him harm’s way with pulling right guard. Meanwhile the left tackle is working to the second level to take out the middle linebacker.

Hubert doesn’t get the ball on this play, but his contribution is to work down the line and help seal the edge by either blocking backside pursuit for the safety over the top. It is an illustration of the type of smart player that is comfortable with physical play that Synder seeks.

This alignment creates a 6-5 scenario in favor of the offense on the left side of the field against defensive personnel playing in a dime, which also lends an edge to the man-to-man match-ups between offense and defense. The next photo is a good illustration of this match-up advantage. of having the best athletes at the line of scrimmage making the key blocks to set up this run.

With a lot of runs, we’re watching wide receivers or tight ends taking on ends and linebackers. In this case, K-State has both tackles sealing the inside while the design of the alignment gives the single receiver a one-on-one with a cornerback split wide from the formation. This should provide a wide alley for the quarterback to run through with his running back serving as a lead, giving K-State a 2-1 match-up in open space.

Conceptually this is a winning play because it maximizes personnel strengths against a defensive alignment naturally weaker against the run and it’s set up with enough misdirection that even if the defensive end is thinking a step ahead (zone read to quarterback or running back) he’s being duped to get into position where the pulling tackle gets a clean shot. There are several plays like this ins K-State’s playbook that maximizes personnel numbers and match-ups, but with far different looks.

As Hubert leads quarterback Collin Klein around the corner, we see the right tackle (No.78) sealing the defensive end to the backside and the left tackle working the middle linebacker down field at the 35. Barring a slip, it’s next to impossible for Hubert to do anything wrong to prevent Klein from getting another five yards for a first down.

But Hubert does more than the minimum as he gauges the angle of the safety and executes a good cut block. His head is not up as he makes the play, but he does work across the body of the defender and aims above the knee. These two points make all the difference for Klein to get a clean dip inside the block and work behind the left tackle to earn another 12 yards on the play. Here’s the play from start to finish (starting at 0:09 if you have to click off the ad and replay it).

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwI48hn3JcE?start=09&w=560&h=315]

Hubert’s cut block achieves its purpose: crumple the opponent at the point of contact. If a cut block gives the opponent room to fall beyond the point of contact then the blocker’s effort was only partially effective, at best. This was Hubert’s first and best block of the night. He had eight attempts as a run or pass protector and was effective or partially effective five times. He’s good at diagnosing blitzes and green dog blitzes and decent at the cut block, but he’s reckless with his form as a stand-up blocker and tends to throw his body around rather than deliver a controlled punch. I think he’s trying to compensate for his size.

However, I also like that Hubert plays with smarts. He’s the lead blocker once again on a 2nd-and-eight sweep to left end from a 2×1 receiver, 11 personnel shotgun set with 5:57 in the first quarter, but his left tackle is late getting to the edge. It allows the inside linebacker to get down hill with a strong angle to the quarterback.

Hubert is forced to chip the inside linebacker and it delays his angle to the free safety. This allows the free safety to come down hill, get outside Hubert and tackle the quarterback for a loss of a yard. But you can’t blame Hubert unless you preferred the runner to ignore the linebacker because the defender is not his assignment on paper. If that’s the case, the quarterback is probably dropped for a four-yard loss. At least Hubert’s adjustment gave his ball carrier another chance to succeed by making the safety miss.

Here’s a touchdown on a similar play in the second half where Hubert has to delay his angle to check the linebacker before taking out another defender to clear the edge for his quarterback.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwI48hn3JcE?start=241&w=560&h=315]

Once again, Hubert makes sure the first defender doesn’t get through before worrying about his own man and it’s this decision-making that leads to K-State earning the advantage.

It’s these types of small adjustments that Hubert makes as a blocker, receiver, and runner that defines his game.

Good Footwork, Strong Short-Area Quickness, But No Third Gear

One of the things that limits Hubert’s game is his lack of game-breaking speed. Here’s another terrific play that results in a 36-yard gain. However, I believe if a back with Bryce Brown’s top-end speed gets this carry, it’s a 79-yard touchdown. This time K-State uses the spread, but creates misdirection against a defense with run-stopping personnel to generate a mismatch on the perimeter.

This is a 1st-and-10 from the K-State 21 with 8:13 in the half from a 1×2 receiver, 11 personnel shotgun set. Hubert flanks the quarterback’s strong side versus a 43 defensive look with the strong side linebacker play between the tight end and the slot, which gives this two-deep safety look a nickel feel but with 43 personnel.

With 7-8 defenders stationed from the middle to right side of the field – the strong side of the formation – K-State baits the Oklahoma defense by making the play look like it’s going to the strong side when in fact it’s setting up a weak side run to left end where the defense still has the numbers advantage but they have to recover from heading the wrong direction (any player still inside or moving into the orange box) and have more ground to cover in order to make a play on the ball carrier.

If the play is executed as designed – and it is – Hubert earns a one-on-one in the open field with a cornerback. Advantage: Wildcats.

K-State pulls the guards to the strong side and the left tackle allows the defensive end to move past, hoping the defender will crash down the line as backside pursuit when he sees the guards pulling to the strong side. This opens left end and gives Hubert the choice of a one-on-one with the corner or an alley between the left tackle and the slot receiver. Where Hubert shines is that he takes neither options I presented with the arrows.

Instead, Hubert presses the alley inside the slot receiver by making a sharp cut around the defensive end at the edge and this forces the cornerback to bend his hips, stop his momentum, and work towards the wide receiver. Hubert wants both defensive backs to work inside so he can bounce it behind his wide receiver and this press and cut works to perfect.

He follows up with a stutter to get outside the wide receiver’s push of the safety inside and is still quick enough to squeeze under the flat-footed corner at the 26.

Hubert dips under the corner and hops away from the wrap to his ankles. His footwork to change direction in tight spots and avoid wraps to his lower legs is one of Hubert’s greatest strengths as a runner. Some backs have great speed, strength, and size, but wrap them at the angles or knees and they’re done. Hubert lacks all three of these characteristics but he’s tough for defenders to grasp.

Here’s the play from beginning to end.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwI48hn3JcE?start=91&w=560&h=315]

The one thing lacking that the NFL expects from smaller backs is game-breaking speed. Hubert fails to beat the backside safety coming across the field to make the play. There’s a lot of opportunity for him to outrun this angle, but despite the quicks to operate in tight spaces he lacks that final gear to blow by defenders when given the room to open his stride.

Still, the change of direction, the press and cut concepts that he also displays as an interior runner, and the footwork to turn good tackle angles into bad ones are all impressive.

Turning Good Defensive Angles Into Bad Ones: Why He Frustrates Opponents

This fourth-quarter play from a 2×2 receiver, 10 personnel set versus a dime look at the Oklahoma 19 is another good example the qualities I just described above. This play is a trap, but the crease behind the right guard is closed shut before Hubert approaches the line of scrimmage because of penetration from the defensive tackle over left guard who crosses the face of the center and blows up the design of the play.

Hubert takes it all in stride. He approaches the line, looks to where the defensive tackle was before the snap and find a wide gap between left tackle and left guard and bends the run away from right side of the line that has been blown up by the Oklahoma defensive line.

As he crosses the line of scrimmage the backside tackle gets a bead on Hubert, but is unable to wrap the runner thanks to a quick stiff arm and turn of Hubert’s pads away from the linemen.

Hubert runs through the early attempt at this wrap and continues down hill for another four yards where the safety wraps and drags the runner three yards later to the eight.

Watch the video to see it all put together. While the defensive tackle “should have” tackled Hubert, you have to credit the runner for being the first to get his hands on the defender and follow up with evasive action.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwI48hn3JcE?start=235&w=560&h=315]

This is why vision, leverage, and footwork in a running back can be as effective as brute strength. It’s the kind of short area skill that Warrick Dunn had at the pro level. The difference between Dunn and Hubert is speed. If Hubert can improve his speed and prove that his shifty style can get the job done against the highest tier of defensive talent, he has the makings of a contributor.

While I’m skeptical, I’m looking forward to seeing more from Hubert and K-State’s offensive schemes as I gather more information.

For analysis of skill players in this year’s draft class, download the 2013 Rookie Scouting Portfolio.The 2014 RSP will available April 1 and if you pre-order before February 10, you get a 10 percent discount. Better yet, if you’re a fantasy owner the 56-page Post-Draft Add-on comes with the 2012 – 2014 RSPs at no additional charge and available for download within a week after the NFL Draft. Best, yet, 10 percent of every sale is donated to Darkness to Light to combat sexual abuse. You can purchase past editions of the Rookie Scouting Portfolio for just $9.95 apiece.

RSO Monthly Update: Off Season Grinding

July 4, 2013 0 Comments read Matt Waldman

If you acquire Victor Cruz before he became a starter, you're probably a grinder. See below. Photo by Football Schedule. — If you acquired Victor Cruz before he became a starter, you’re probably a grinder. See below. Photo by Football Schedule.

Once a month, I’ll be writing about the Reality Sports Online Keeper Salary Cap League that I started with 13 other football writers. If you’re seeking a great GM experience that offers the complexities of realistic contract negotiations and salary cap ramifications in an easy-to-use league management system that does all the work for you, join an RSO league. Use the promotion code RSP20%OFF to earn a 20 percent discount.

When I was a kid nothing ruled my free time more than pickup games of football. The setting for those games was dictated by your age and neighborhood. When you’re a six year-old living in an apartment complex, it means your games are restricted to whatever kids you could round-up within a two-block radius of the complex.

At eight, your territory expanded to the entire complex and the adjoining neighborhood to include the friends you made at school. By the time you’re 12, your pool of competition and settings for games spanned a five-mile radius of your home.

If your family moved during your childhood, then you know that it adds another dynamic to neighborhood pickup games. I moved three times as a kid and always to an apartment complex, so I’m familiar with being the new guy.

As the new guy if you want to make friends fast you want to maintain that delicate balance of proving that you’re neither the chump nor the bully. Pickup football games were the best way to do it. The first thing I always tried to do before the game started was to show something before we picked teams.

The two easiest ways to heighten your neighborhood draft stock was the vertical game. I always made sure I brought a football with me to the game. Just before the group chose captains I either got someone to throw me a deep pass or I had someone go deep. Do one of those two things and your draft stock jumped from dead-last to at least the middle of the pack.

But the best way to skyrocket your neighborhood draft stock and scout much of your competition at the same time was to initiate a pre-game warm-up of ‘Gator’. If you’re not familiar with the name, you probably played the game. It was essentially a kick return drill. The object was to catch the ball and run through the field of players to the end zone.

As a kid who wore a size 10 shoe by the time he was 9, I was generally big enough to compete with guys 2-3 years older than me. I made sure I did one of three things: caught the kick and ran over someone; knocked the biggest guy down with a block where I had to outrun others to get there; or run through someone on the way to tackling the ball carrier.

The immediate goal wasn’t to try to show everyone you were the best guy on the field. You might not be and that was alright. You wanted everyone to know that you weren’t the chump of the group.

Likewise you always noted the guys who could catch, tackle, and break tackles. But I always tried to spot the kid with the grinder mentality. There was always at least one kid in every neighborhood game who did the little things that made a team good that most didn’t notice. Having one or two stars was important, but you needed quality, capable worker bees to build a winning team.

Alfred Morris, the Grinder's grinder. Photo by Keith Allison. — Alfred Morris, the Grinder’s grinder. Photo by Keith Allison.

You can see the same elements at play with fantasy football owners. While I competed with all-star fantasy writers like David Dodds, Sigmund Bloom, Gregg Rosenthal, Scott Pianowski, and Bob Harris while writing for FFToday.com, becoming part of Footballguys staff in 2009 was like expanding the neighborhood territory for more pickup games.

Invitations to re-draft, dynasty, and IDP leagues came from all directions – especially from Footballguys staff. And this is one of those neighborhoods with a concentration of all-stars in their own right. Bob Henry, Jason Wood, John Norton, and Maurile Tremblay are just a few of the names I could mention.

However, there were Footballguys not as well-known to me at the time, but they had plenty of game. There are about six I want to mention, but two at the top of the list are Aaron Rudnicki and Jeff Tefertiller. “Ruds” couldn’t make the draft date of the RSO league start-up, but you best believe that until he quits playing fantasy football I’m sending him an invitation to compete in any league I ever run because he’s adept at IDP, re-draft, and dynasty formats and he’s a master pick-sniper on draft day.

Tefertiller isn’t an IDP guy, but I enjoy competing with him because he’s a grinder. In dynasty formats, off-season grinding can build you a winner. Here’s a list of players I’ve added – and sadly, sometimes dropped – while doing the off-season grinding on the waiver wire to enhance the back-end of my dynasty rosters:

Victor Cruz
Alfred Morris
Dennis Pitta
Lance Moore
Brandon Lloyd
Chris Ivory
Andre Brown
Brian Hartline
LaGarrette Blount
Greg Hardy
Vontaze Burfict
Dannell Ellerbe
Thomas DeCoud

Tefertiller is one of the more active dynasty grinders I compete against. So it came as no surprise he’s the most active owner on the RSO waiver wire during the slowest months of the football year and only a month removed from our free agent auction.

Not including RSO co-founder Matt Papson, who took over a team where the original owner had to abandon the auction half way through the process and has made seven transactions and numerous trades since late-May to salvage this team, Tefertiller and I have been the most active off-season grinders, but I only have four transactions to Tefertiller’s 14.

Here’s Tefertiller’s roster with the added players in bold:

Quarterback	Running Back	Wide Receiver
Zac Dysert (DEN) R	Lance Dunbar (DAL) R	DeAndre Hopkins (HOU) R
Brock Osweiler (DEN) R	Michael Turner (ATL)	Jarrett Boykin (GB) R
Robert Griffin III (WAS)	Cedric Benson (GB) R	Deonte Thompson (BAL) R
Shaun Hill (DET) R	Ray Rice (BAL)	Terrance Williams (DAL) R
Kyle Orton (DAL) R	Beanie Wells (ARI) R	Patrick Edwards (DET) R
		Josh Boyce (NE) R
		Brandon Marshall (CHI)
		Pierre Garcon (WAS)
		Julio Jones (ATL)
		Torrey Smith (BAL)

Tight End	Kicker	Defense
Chris Gragg (BUF) R	Shayne Graham (CLE) R	CIN Team Defense (CIN) R
Jeff Cumberland (NYJ) R	Garrett Hartley (NO)	SD Team Defense (SD)
Marcedes Lewis (JAC)		NYG Team Defense (NYG) R
Delanie Walker (TEN) R		JAC Team Defense (JAC) R

Tefertiller has also cycled through this list of players:

Chiefs QB Tyler Bray
Packers QB B.J. Coleman
Packers QB Graham Harrell
Saints RB Travis Cadet
Jets RB Joe McKnight
Browns WR Travis Benjamin

If you pay attention to OTA news then you can see the pattern with the players added and dropped from his roster. It should also be obvious to you that Tefertiller has a good crew of receivers, an RB1 in Ray Rice, and a potential superstar in Robert Griffin. This team may have a hole at RB2 and lack a quality backup at QB, but he has also built this roster to have room to fill these holes through free agency and trades as the preseason heats up.

Cumberland is a serviceable addition at tight end and Thompson, Dunbar, and Boykin all are an injury away from getting a chance to prove themselves as at least rotational contributors. While some owners may have chosen to spend more energy acquiring running backs at this point, wide receiver is the most liquid of positions to trade and he’s building on his strength so he can use this position as a bargaining chip rather than attempting to win the lottery with an unknown back.

Beanie Wells, Michael Turner, or Cedric Benson may not see an NFL field this year, but at this point it’s worth holding onto them to see if a team acquires their services when a starter gets hurt. NFL roster management accounts for finances so backups on a depth chart might be the No.2 or No.3 back in name, but some may only hold those roles because they are cheaper and have growth potential.

Greg Hardy is waiver wire fodder turned double-digit sack monster. Photo by Parker Anderson.

However, a team that sees its starter lost for the season due to injury may decide that a one-year deal at a larger salary for an established veteran is a better option than what’s on the depth chart – especially when these three players have sat at home long enough for it to sink in that a multi-year deal with a guaranteed starting role is a thing of the past.

Quarterback	Yrs	$	Running Back	Yrs	$	Wide Receiver	Yrs	$
Jay Cutler (CHI)	1	4.0	Arian Foster (HOU)	2	51.0	Calvin Johnson (DET)	2	69.5
Carson Palmer (ARI) R	1	3.0	Steven Jackson (ATL)	1	16.5	Cecil Shorts (JAC)	4	18.5
Alex Smith (KC) R	2	2.5	Ryan Williams (ARI) R	1	2.5	DeSean Jackson (PHI)	3	10.5
Sean Renfree (ATL) R	3	R	Ben Tate (HOU) R	3	7.5	Keenan Allen (SD)	3	R
			Alex Green (GB) R	1	0.5	LaVon Brazill (IND) R	1	0.5
			Shaun Draughn (KC) R	1	0.5	Marvin Jones (CIN) R	1	1.0
			Miguel Maysonet (CLE) R	1	0.5	Domenik Hixon (CAR) R	1	0.5
			Bobby Rainey (BAL)	1	0.5	Earl Bennett (CHI) R	1	0.5
						Marquess Wilson (CHI) R	3	R
						Da’Rick Rogers (BUF) R	3	R
						Kenbrell Thompkins (NE) R	1	0.5

Tight End	Yrs	$	Kicker	Yrs	$	Defense	Yrs	$
Vernon Davis (SF)	1	8	Sebastian Janikowski (OAK)	1	0.5	Seattle	1	3
Dwayne Allen (IND) R	1	2.5	Robbie Gould (CHI) R	1	0.5
Luke Willson (SEA) R	3	R
Julius Thomas (DEN)	1	0.5
Zach Sudfeld (NE) R	1	0.1

Like Tefertiller, I continued to add to a strength by acquiring Julius Thomas and Zach Sudfeld after hearing good news from OTAs. If I hit on three tight ends from this group of five, I have bargaining chips to trade for picks, cap room, or depth. In addition to this pair of tight ends, I dropped Cedric Peerman for Miguel Maysonet just until we learn more about the Cleveland depth chart and Richardson’s shin issues.

I also dropped Bobby Rainey today and added Travis Benjamin, who has a good shot to start two games to begin the year. The move also might afford me time to sit on LaVon Brazill to see if he can keep his roster spot as a Colt or find a job elsewhere.

I also traded away Alex Smith to Papson for a third-round pick last month. Cutler and Palmer are enough depth to pull the trigger to give away a player I never meant to acquire.

None of this grinding may help either Tefertiller or my team – in fact, there’s a chance we dropped players who might have helped us more – but I don’t believe it. I think the consistent tinkering and movement of the bottom end of a roster lends credence to that idea that part of skill is creating your own good luck.

Try RSO for your next league. Use the promotion code RSP20%OFF to earn a 20 percent discount.

The Jadeveon Clowney RSP Contest

July 2, 2013 0 Comments read RSP Publication

I think this would be a good tattoo for Jadeveon Clowney. Photo by ToteMoon.

I can’t think of a better tone setter for the college football season/2014 NFL Draft season than a piece on South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. I’m writing a piece on him for the fall and I want you to help me come up with clever names for what happens on this play below. The five-best entries will win a copy of the 2013 Rookie Scouting Portfolio or a past copy of their choice. Details below.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/gC44nP7ClxM]

Post your entry in the form below. You may enter as many times as you wish. I have a feeling that the fewer the words (four or less) used, the better. However, if you have a longer phrase to describe what Clowney does to Vincent Smith on this play by all means give it a shot.

As tempting (and entertaining for me) as it might be, entries with curse words will be disqualified from consideration. If I use more than one of your entries in the publication the prize remains your choice of one publication. I also reserve the right to deem you among the winners but not use the phrase in the article (although I hope to include the best five).

The contest ends in 10 days (Friday, July 12). Winners will be announced a week after the contest end date (Friday, July 19).

Ready?

[contact-form][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Location’ type=’text’/][contact-field label=’Comment’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]

Mirror Images: Vernon Davis and Patrick Willis

June 29, 2013 0 Comments read Players, Tight End

Patrick Willis and Vernon Davis mirror images? Easily. Photo by Jason Ku.

I can’t think of an easier Mirror Images tandem than teammates. Cian Fahey profiled Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu. I’m following suit with a pair of 49ers with freakish athleticism and great versatility.

It’s only natural to me that two of the best all-around athletes with great scheme versatility – Vernon Davis and Patrick Willis – are mirror images. The fact that they have sometimes been limited by system changes and happen to be teammates only reinforces my point.

If I were feeling particularly wild I could throw Navarro Bowman into the equation and create a three-way, fun house mirror. But I don’t want to disorient anyone.

Let’s address one point right away: The interaction between an inside linebacker and tight end isn’t as frequent as say an outside linebacker or tight end or a safety and a tight end, but the comparison works from a pre snap perspective. The offense is accounting for the middle linebacker and the defense is accounting for the tight end. So these two positions might not face each other, but they are the positions their teammates have to account for every down.

When a team has a tight end or inside linebacker with the versatility to excel in every facet of the game, it places tremendous pressure on their opponents during the pre snap phase of a play. Because both players present mismatches, it’s not just a matter of getting into the best possible alignment to neutralize them. Individual players still have to execute against them and as we know, it’s easier said than done to win snap-to-snap battles with Davis or Willis.

I’ve said this before, but I think Vernon Davis is the best tight end in football. Rob Gronkowski is the more popular choice and as an athlete at the tight end position he’s in the conversation with the Davis. However, I think the Patriots have been the best in the NFL at showcasing the tight end position as a primary statistical weapon. It may not be a popular opinion, but I think Davis or Jason Witten could have thrived as much as Gronkowski if Bill Belichick and company somehow acquired either one.

Davis makes these two teammates look good a lot more than you think. Photo by Football Schedule.

Davis has 4.3-speed, receiver’s hands, and the body control of a vertical threat and can get open as an in-line tight end, H-back, slot man, or split wide from the formation. He also possesses the acceleration, strength, and agility to make life miserable for the back-seven of a defense as a ball carrier. You may not see Davis hurdling opponents in the open field, but that’s because he’s quick and agile enough to defeat defensive angles without resorting to these tactics.

Willis mirrors Davis’ athletic prowess on defense because of his terrific sideline-to-sideline range. He can stop plays up the middle or on the perimeter. Just like Davis, Willis has the explosive strength and quickness to disengage from opponents early and find the open area to make the play. Willis is also just as adept as a 3-4 inside linebacker as he is a 4-3 middle linebacker. Although he hasn’t had to do so, I think Willis could be a fine outside linebacker if called upon.

The reason is that the 49ers linebacker also has the athleticism, field awareness, and skill to blitz the quarterback. Willis has shown in the past that he’s a most disruptive presence when the team has opted to employ interior perimeter pressure with an inside linebacker. We don’t see this often from Willis, because his skills in coverage are in greater demand for the schemes used in San Francisco.

At times during his career in San Francisco, Davis also been limited by scheme. Mike Martz did not employ an offense that minimized the receiving skills of the tight position and it meant the team’s best weapon – apologies to Isaac Bruce during that time – was used in pass protection. Davis is a fine run and pass blocker, but you don’t ask a thoroughbred to be a plow horse if you have a stable of capable plow horses that can’t run.

Even if Davis and Willis aren’t always posting the box score stats that match their potential, both players are integral parts of the 49ers’ success because their presence makes life easier on teammates to excel. When called upon, they can also dominate an opponent with game-changing plays.

Whereas Roethilsberger and Polamalu are the ultimate improvisers that require schemes to bend to their will in order to maximize their prowess, Davis and Willis have become great team players who fit anywhere and everywhere. The scary thing is that I still don’t think the 49ers have exploited their full potential.

Walk on The Wildside: Hernandez, Deen, Paulette, and Orcas

June 27, 2013 0 Comments read Walk on the Wild Side

Author’s Note: This is not safe for work.

I’m not a preacher, a politician, or an executive. I don’t say all the right things. It definitely applies here.

Let’s start with Aaron Hernandez’s arrest on first-degree murder chargers? Do you really need to read a Hallmark card from a people-pleasing columnist who dresses in a suit and writes (in boxers) to tell you the obvious?

We should all pray for the Lloyd family for their loss. We should hope that if Hernandez is found guilty that justice is served. And we should praise the New England Patriots organization for taking a tough stance on their former player regardless of the outcome of the trial because his numerous brushes with the law were a distraction and bad influence for the team.

Did you really need me to write all that? Would you have not felt that way if Suit Man didn’t say it? Do you need instructions on how to live like a human being? Does it make you feel better?

It doesn’t do jack for me, but we all know folks who need some operating instructions. While it depresses me that this is the case, I’m sure there are plenty of people who see my ignorance on display in other aspects of life and grow more despondent.

I guess we’re all in the same boat.

The most selfish reason I’m sad about Hernandez is that we’re watching a human being put his special talent in jeopardy. Hernandez has the skills to lead the NFL in receiving as a tight end. If the conditions were right for him to get fed the ball as the primary option in New England, he could have had 100-plus receptions, 1200-plus yards, and 10-plus touchdowns.

Every football man with a clue that I’ve read, listened to, or interviewed loved Rob Gronkowski, but they lit up when talking about what Hernandez brought to the Patriots. Most prominent among them were Greg Cosell and Bill Parcells. Other than Hernandez, I’ve never seen a tight end who could play running back and get the perimeter, run through a linebacker or safety, get separation against a press corner, and then juke him to jelly after the catch.

One of the most beautiful things to witness in life is to watch a human being perform at his best. It’s why wasted talent angers me. I’m not including the person with great talent who opts not to use it because he or she doesn’t love the field where this talent is applied. That’s a reasonable choice.

There’s still an arraignment ahead for Hernandez and likely a trial. There’s a lot more to learn about the Lloyd murder and Hernandez’s involvement. But there’s another thing tangential to this case that saddens me and it got me thinking of a variety of seemingly disparate news items that share a common link .

We’re going to see another tatted-up professional football player of color on camera 24/7 about something that has nothing to do with the NFL or the color of his skin, but many in this country will make it so. You don’t think so? You’re probably seeing things from a guileless and ignorant perspective.

We're ready to go deeper than the Cliff's Notes when it comes to the race discussion. Photo by Jen Waller. — We’re ready to go deeper than the Cliff’s Notes when it comes to the race discussion. Photo by Jen Waller.

Let’s talk Paula Deen.

I’ve lived in Georgia for 33 years. I’ve been to Savannah numerous times. I grew up in Atlanta while it was transforming from a southern city to a northern city located in the south. It hasn’t completed the transition just yet, but just know that if you think you’ve been to the south because you’ve visited Atlanta then I need to tell you that what you got was the Cliff’s Notes version with key pages torn out.

But this isn’t just about the south. I remember the first time I heard the word nigger and it wasn’t from some stars and bars-waving, tobacco-chewing, southern Baptist. It was from a Genesse-drinking, stars and stripes-waving navy veteran, and blue-collar Jew from Cleveland, Ohio.

In fact, I heard the word nigger a lot more in Cleveland, Ohio before I was 10 years-old than I did my next 10 years in Atlanta. Hell, take some areas of Pennsylvania, New York, or Boston and have the people trade clothes and accents with your favorite, hateful southern stereotypes and you’d never be able to tell them apart.

We could have a game show. Dick Clark would have been the perfect host.

This scene from Gran Torino was as true to life of my experience growing up in the north as anything I’ve ever read or seen in fiction or film [Idiot-Proof Warning: This scene is not safe for work viewing]

[youtube=http://youtu.be/VXD8yOxIPB0]

This kind of racism is not a regional thing. But there is a desire by many to always point to the south as the only place in our country where we have a race problem. If that’s what you think, you don’t truly know a person of color or you’re walking around with your hands shielding your eyes.

“The difference between the north and the south,” as one of my teachers told me over 25 years ago, “is that you can see the ignorance and hatred coming from a greater distance. I’d rather live where I can see my enemies coming.”

I didn’t want to believe him, but my time in the south has taught me that this region is often guileless about racism. Deen’s description of her great-grandfather’s reaction to his slaves being set free and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ analysis of the situation is spot-on:

Perhaps it expects that they will be savvy enough to not propose Sambo burgers or plantation themed weddings. But this is an embarrassment at airs, not the actual truth. When you watch the video above, note the people cheering and laughing. For those without video, here is what was said:

“Between the death of his son and losing all the workers, he went out into his barn and shot himself because he couldn’t deal with those kind of changes,” Deen said at a New York Times event. Deen, owner of a restaurant empire, asserted the owner-slave relationship was more kinship than cruelty

“Back then, black folk were such an integral part of our lives,” said Deen. “They were like our family, and for that reason we didn’t see ourselves as prejudiced.”

She also called up an employee to join her onstage, noting that Hollis Johnson was “as black as this board” — pointing to the dark backdrop behind her. “We can’t see you standing in front of that dark board!” Deen quipped, drawing laughter from the audience.

At the same event, Deen at one point described race relations in the South as “pretty good.” “We’re all prejudiced against one thing or another,” she added. “I think black people feel the same prejudice that white people feel.”

Here is everything from Civil War hokum to black friend apologia to blatant racism. And people at a New York Times event are laughing along with it.

This morning, I showed this video to my wife. My wife is dark-skinned. My wife is from Chicago by way of Covington, Tennessee. The remark sent her right back to childhood. I suspect that the laughter in the crowd was a mix of discomfort, shock and ignorance. The ignorance is willful. We know what we want to know, and forget what discomfits us.

There is a secret at the core of our nation. And those who dare expose it must be condemned, must be shamed, must be driven from polite society. But the truth stalks us like bad credit. Paula Deen knows who you were last summer. And the summer before that.

Such a tough subject. Deen’s behavior infuriates me, but I don’t think the response by her employers is the best one for our society. I agree with Al Sharpton, Bill Maher, and Pastor Gregory Tyson, Deen should not have been fired from her TV jobs for her remarks.

Most corporations with an employee who displays this behavior are sent to sensitivity training. I think Deen should have been offered the same opportunity as a condition for employment. Suspend her, require her to undergo training, and give her an opportunity to develop greater understanding about the world rather than her insulated ideas about people of color.

Don’t take her job. Years ago, this might have been the brave thing for a corporation to do. Now, I think it’s the easiest.

[Updated Thought]: Now that I’ve seen the full extent of the charges against Deen and her brother, I’m more ambivalent about the reaction of her media employers.

Paula Deen, while planning her brother’s wedding in 2007, was asked what look the wedding should have. She replied, “I want a true southern plantation-style wedding.” When asked what type of uniforms the servers should wear, Paula stated, “well what I would really like is a bunch of little n*ggers to wear long-sleeve white shirts, black shorts and black bow ties, you know in the Shirley Temple days, they used to tap dance around;

Black staff had to use the back entrance to enter and leave restaurant;

Black staff could only use one bathroom;

Black staff couldn’t work the front of the restaurants;

Brother Bubba stated his wishes: “ I wish I could put all those n*ggers in the kitchen on a boat to Africa”;

Bubba asked a black driver and security guard “don’t you wish you could rub all the black off you and be like me? You just look dirty; I bet you wish you could.” The guy told Bubba he was fine as is;

Bubba on President Obama: they should send him to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, so he could n*gger-rig it;

He shook an employee (Black again) and said” F your civil rights…you work for me and my sister Paula Deen;

Paula’s son Jaime’s best friend managed the Lady & Sons restaurant. He threatened to fire all the ‘Monkeys’ in the kitchen. When Paula found out…she slapped him on the wrist and suggested that the employee visited Paula’s $13,000,000 mansion so he felt special and could be massaged.
– See more at: http://www.blacklegalissues.com/Article_Details.aspx?artclid=7dfdbe0461#sthash.aXj8rwFV.dpuf

If I heard that an employee engaged in this type of behavior, he would have been subject to far more discipline and training than what Deen did with her employees because I know that the entire company would be liable for this behavior if I didn’t. More over, preventing this behavior in the future for the benefit of employees and customers is the most important thing.

However, it doesn’t change my perspective that some of this behavior can have been handled in a more proactive constructive way before they evolve into situations like these where ignorance is not only unchecked but encouraged. If Bubba Deen’s behavior is truly a reflection of Paula Deen’s viewpoint then she deserved her firing – especially if their rules violated the civil rights employees.

Still, there an aspect of cowardice with how our society has gotten to a point where we have a much more open environment to address the subtlety of these issues but we still overreact with broad strokes. It’s one of the things that liberals are the most guilty of doing and I think corporations succumb to this pressure because it’s about short-term revenue.

It also further alienates the person for his or her ignorance when we need to embrace them and give them a chance to learn things they truly didn’t realize.

Ignorance is the root of hate, but one can be ignorant and have good intentions. But there’s so much shame with the word “racist” that we fail to address the bigger problem ahead for our society: How to alleviate the pervasive ignorance of racism without shaming them as hateful people.

It’s an ingrained problem with our society and where the north and south may differ is that there seems to be more guileless racism down here.

Two years ago my wife, a dark-skinned woman whom Jene Bramel has nicknamed “Paulette” – worked for a global firm with branches in Athens and another in Gainesville. She had this conversation during a business lunch with colleagues from both branches – both white women. “B” is the white woman from Gainesville who never met my wife. “A” is my wife’s white co-worker from Athens. “C” is another black woman mentioned during the conversation:

B (Gainesville employee speaking to my wife): After speaking with you on the phone I was surprised when A told me you were black because you sounded like you were white. We could tell you were raised right. I mean really there are black people and there are niggers.

P (My wife): I completely agree with you and in the spirit of team alignment, let me give you some advice. Do not ever in life ever make that statement to another black person, ever. You are correct about my upbringing, which is why I have not kicked your ass.

B (Slack-jawed): What do you mean? I’m just saying you and C (another black employee) are different.

P: No. Your perception of black people is what’s different. C and I are normal black people. Because you don’t know that, you’re the only nigger at this table.

B: What? I’m white . . .

P: Nigger means ignorant, love.

B: I’m gonna look that up (looking it up on her iPhone) . . . Damn, it does!

P: It’s ok, I’m still going to have lunch with you even though you’re a nigger, because you’re different.

These women weren’t hateful; they were ignorant. And as much as I’d like to label them as such, they aren’t the gap-toothed, redneck, southern stereotypes, either. I’ve had similar conversations about the word nigger with people equally ignorant as these Georgians and they lived in Cleveland, Denver, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston.

Unfortunately, when these guileless racists see people of color who they can relate to, they see them as exceptions to the subconscious rules that they have learned from mass media and older generations of family and friends – people who had limited or no exposure to black people. If they had regular interactions it wasn’t beyond the accepted social interactions of the Pre Civil Rights Era where it was dangerous for most people of color to act anything less than subservient around white people for fear of the impunity with which white people could respond.

If you’re a minority in the U.S., odds are you’ve had to develop a level of awareness of how to deal with this ignorance. It becomes attuned to a degree where you can sense an awkward, inappropriate, or even dangerous situation brewing. If you’re not a person of color; a Jew or Muslim; or a homosexual, then it’s probably more difficult to understand because you didn’t have to read the subtleties of this behavior and respond. Of course, if you were raised with an alcoholic, you probably learned to read the signs of something bad brewing. It’s a similar thing.

White people have this danger-response mechanism, but I think our white-majority society has warped the collective mechanism. My wife often jokes that white society is often so out of tune with the danger-response mechanism that it extends to how they approach wild animals – especially those in zoos and aquariums. She shares a story about a trip to Sea World:

I took Chandler and her friend to see Shamu. One of the tricks featured the whale swimming around the pool for a lap or two and then emerged from the water and landed on a platform near the front row. He then “smiled at the audience.” He did that once and then the trainer tried to get Shamu to go to the next trick. Shamu jumped into the water and swam off. The trainer joked that Shamu wanted the trainer to chase him. The trainer tried to corral the Shamu and the killer whale continued to swim away from him and hop back on the platform and smile while slapping his tail into the water.

The first time it happened, I thought it was part of the show. The second time, the trainer looked a little bit concerned. The third time, Shamu jumped into the water the opposite direction of the trainer and it was clear he was not listening to the trainer at all.

I looked at the girls and said, “Shamu is not doing okay today. It’s time to go.” We were sitting in the front row and I was not in the mood to have a killer whale that was off his medication land on my head because he was tired of his trainer. When I dragged the kids out of there, I looked behind me and noticed two other black couples had done the exact same thing. We exchanged a nod of acknowledgement kept it moving.

What we’ve since learned about Orcas in captivity is that it’s a lot like being locked up in a Supermax prison. They go crazy.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/8OEjYquyjcg]

But race has often warped everyone’s danger-response mechanism. Just as some white people see a black teen in baggy jeans and an over-sized t-shirt and sense danger, my wife gets on edge when she sees a white teen in an Abercrombie t-shirt carrying a backpack.

It’s white kids from privileged backgrounds that make me nervous! If a black kid has an anger problem and his mom pisses him off, he’s probably going after his momma. If a white kid with an anger problem has his momma piss him off, he blows up a school or a movie theater!

My wife and daughter encountered three white kids dressed like this at the mall a couple of years ago as they all entered an elevator. One of the kids was holding a backpack with both hands in front of him. Without saying a word, my wife and daughter got off the elevator before the doors closed and left the mall. Is this any different from the white woman who suddenly locks her car door in the parking lot of a grocery store after she sees a black teen walking across her path?

What about caramel-skinned NFL player with tattoos like Colin Kaepernick? I have to think the Hernandez trial will reinforce the guileless ignorance that the 49ers QB was on the receiving end of this summer.

I was that white boy. She was that black girl. For reasons good, bad, or otherwise, we’re all warped by race in this country. The question is how do we have the conversation without hatred or shame?

The good thing is that more and more of us are managing to do so.

Vonta Leach and Red Bryant: My Amish Electricians

June 27, 2013 0 Comments read Players

Bryant brings a lot of horsepower to his unsung role. Photo by JC Winkler.

By Cian Fahey, Pre Snap Reads

Editor’s Note: A game I’ve been playing in my head in recent months is to take an offensive player and find his mirror image on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage. For example, Joey Galloway and Darrell Green were stylistically mirror images of each other. Both had amazing speed that sometimes overshadowed their underrated displays of craft at their respective positions over the course of lengthy and productive careers. Now I’m putting it on the blog and having some of my friends play.

It’s no secret that everyone loves superstars. Even as kids we’re brought up to worship the superstars on our father’s favorite team. Instead of getting jerseys with the name of the long-snapper or the punter, we get the quarterback or running back’s jersey. Our eyes naturally follow the football, so it makes sense that we would naturally follow the guys who are carrying it.

More than maybe any other sport, football emphasizes the importance of those without the ball. Everyone has some level of association with the ball or puck in soccer, baseball, hockey and basketball, but in football there is a different breed of talent on the field from week-to-week. In football, some of the most important players on each snap are players who don’t touch the ball. There are even some who will never touch it even once during careers that span more than a decade, yet those same players can make it to the hall-of-fame.

Often, it’s those guys who are actually more interesting than the superstars. Although, that may be just because there is a certain niche to appreciating what a guy like Vonta Leach or Red Bryant does from play to play.

Leach you will likely know. He was recently released by the Baltimore Ravens after a few seasons of excellent lead blocking for Ray Rice. Leach is by far the best run-blocking fullback in the NFL and his consistency playing to an elite level is simply outstanding.

Yet, he was just released? Released by one of the most well-respected general managers in the NFL? That doesn’t really make sense on the onset. Leach is the Aaron Rodgers of fullbacks, him being released is the fullback equivalent of the Green Bay Packers releasing their star quarterback?

This is the negative side of being a superstar. The shadow it casts over the reputations of those who don’t get the same headlines. Being a superstar isn’t really about being a good player, it’s more about your reputation. That’s not to say that Aaron Rodgers isn’t both elite and a superstar, but rather to point out that Vonta Leach can still be elite and not a superstar.

Imagine Leach as the Madden Cover model. If you truly can he's a superstar. If you can't but know he's excellent then he's just an elite player. Photo by Jeffery Beall. — Imagine Leach as the Madden Cover model. If you truly can he’s a superstar. If you can’t but know he’s excellent then he’s just an elite player. Photo by Jeffery Beall.

Leach was released, primarily for financial reasons and because they like one of their younger players who is also cheaper. However, Leach being released is more about the positional value of the role he plays. He and Red Bryant aren’t superstars because of the era they play football in. Both are elite pieces either for or against the running game. As I’ve already said Leach is the best run-blocker in the NFL, he punishes tacklers and keeps them away from the back he is chauffeuring, but Bryant is there to counter that by swallowing up offensive linemen.

Bryant is the rare run-stuffing 4-3 defensive end specialist who is still a starter. Unlike a Demarcus Ware or Von Miller, Bryant doesn’t get sacks, he has two in his whole career, he doesn’t fit the mold of your expectations for an orthodox edge-defender in today’s game(a Jason Pierre-Paul or Aldon Smith type). Instead, Bryant is a former defensive tackle who didn’t look to lose weight when he moved from the interior of the offensive line to the edge.

You see, Bryant and Demarcus Ware actually have a lot more in common than one would think. They are polar opposites, but both are specialists in their crafts. While Ware is racking up sacks, Bryant is shutting down rushing attempts to his side of the field on almost every single snap. Both beat double teams, but for different reasons and both are elite players, even though only one is a superstar.

Leach and Bryant are decidedly unsexy. At least, according to the accepted definition of sexy they are. Yet, there is nothing sexier than winning and both players contribute massively to their team’s success with their outstanding levels of play. Not to mention, both players have that intimidating level of toughness that helps them create an aura of leadership on the field.

Because this is an era of football when passing records are falling faster than the quarterbacks of the 2012 rookie class, Vonta Leach can be cut by a Super Bowl winning team and Red Bryant will never get the credit he deserves from the mainstream media despite the growing clout of his Seahawks. In a way, both must feel like Amish electricians, they can be as talented as they like, but job security and mass appreciation is always going to be a pipe-dream.

You won’t see many fans in Red Bryant or Vonta Leach jerseys off the field, but you won’t see many players who play in their style or to their level of class on the field either.

Mirror Images: Ben Roethlisberger-Troy Polamalu

June 18, 2013 0 Comments read Matt Waldman

All Pittsburgh, all the time for the former Browns scout Matt Williamson. Photo by Alex Abboud. — Big risks yield big plays – and big mistakes. Photo by Alex Abboud.

By Cian Fahey, Pre Snap Reads

Probably the saddest and most disturbing story of this off-season has been that of young Titus Young. I shouldn’t really call the wide receiver “young”, because he’s actually older than I am. But I feel there is a certain level of empathy that everyone can feel with the troubled star and his issues aren’t a reflection of youth, experience, or anything like that. For whatever reason, Young embarked on a misguided journey full of reckless actions this off-season, reckless actions that ultimately landed him in prison and out of the league.

For the moment at least, Young’s recklessness will force him to focus on fixing his life rather than concentrating on reclaiming his career. Plenty of players have proven that they can rebound from personal struggles to build a successful career. What Young has done isn’t impossible to recover from.

However, this story is not about Young. It’s about the character trait of recklessness.

Young was reckless with his decision-making both as a football player and a citizen. It’s the on-field perception of the term that interests me. Being reckless isn’t something that is supposed to be celebrated unless it’s the affable rogue in some adventure film. In today’s league it is typically associated with off-the-field decisions like Young’s or the much-maligned head shots defensive backs deliver in the passing game.

Still, there are reckless players who we celebrate. It’s the first quality that comes to mind with Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ teammates have many positive traits that are often celebrated first. Both have two Super Bowl rings, and nearly earned another. Both have a plethora of Pro Bowl trips under their belts and both have been considered amongst the best in the league at their positions for most of their careers.

Both are great individual players, but have special skills as improvisers that make fitting into a team’s structure a difficult balance for bringing out the best in these star players while maintaining team efficiency.

No season shows off the similarities between Roethlisberger and Polamalu more than the 2008 trip to the Super Bowl.

Bruce Arians and Dick LeBeau had built their offensive and defensive schemes around their two superstar players. Roethlisberger was given free rein while working under Arians. He wasn’t asked to win games in the same way Peyton Manning or Tom Brady were. He didn’t lead a high-powered offense based on precise timing that comes from spotting flaws in the game film and pitch-perfect technique.

Instead he was asked to produce a handful of big plays and clutch scoring drives when the team needed him most – often doing it in the moment.

Fewer timing routes. Less reliance on an internal clock set to unload the ball when the pocket got hot. Roethlisberger was not only allowed to extend plays and endure the punishment of the opposing defense, he was encouraged to play “backyard football”. Arians called plays, but some of the team’s most important plays throughout the season were whatever Roethlisberger and his receivers were going to create on the fly. He broke all the rules of pocket-passing and disregarded any consideration for his health behind an already questionable offensive line.

On the other side of the ball, Lebeau’s defense didn’t just allow Polamalu to freelance. He made the safety’s improvisational skill a crucial part of their overall setup. From snap-to-snap, Polamalu would either be jumping over the line of scrimmage to sack the quarterback, intercepting a pass in a position where he never should have been in the first place, or making a massive hit in the open field to prevent a big play.

Just like Roethlisberger’s (in)famous touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes Baltimore, Polamalu’s signature play came against the Ravens when he intercepted Joe Flacco for a game-sealing touchdown, sending the Steelers to the Super Bowl.

Even though Roethlisberger threw 15 interceptions to 17 touchdowns, the 2008 season was a success because the team embraced the a risk-reward philosophy that embraced the idea that they could make big mistakes if they were consistently aggressive. This approach lowers overall consistency, but demonstrated that a team could ride the ebbs and flows to a championship.

When Roethlisberger extends plays he exposes himself to more hits, stresses his offensive line. and tires out his receivers. He also increases the potential for turnovers. When Polamalu freelances, he stresses Ryan Clark’s ability to cover for him. His aggressive approach to tackling also yields some big misses. Since the 2008 season, Polamalu has missed close to 40 tackles despite missing the bulk of two seasons.

Roethlisberger and Polamalu are players who live on their physical prowess, natural football ability, and most importantly, game-changing plays. Without those game-changing plays, they quickly lose their luster and both players have shortened their careers with their approach to the game. Roethlisberger is just 31, but has taken the punishment of a player who is 35-36. Polamalu has missed 22 regular season starts in the past four years.

Both will go down as great players for a franchise that has more great players in its history than an egg-timer has grains of sand. Both will have strong cases for the NFL Hall of Fame even if neither actually makes it. And both have signature moments that will forever be chronicled and replayed as the years go by.

Roethlisberger and Polamalu epitomize the positive side of reckless.

Mirror Images: Dez Bryant-Patrick Peterson (A New Series)

June 12, 2013 0 Comments read Matt Waldman

Dez Bryant by A.J. Guel — Dez Bryant. Photo by A.J. Guel.

A game I’ve been playing in my head in recent months is to take an offensive player and find his mirror image on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage. For example, Joey Galloway and Darrell Green were stylistically mirror images of each other. Both had amazing speed that sometimes overshadowed their underrated displays of craft at their respective positions over the course of lengthy and productive careers. Now I’m putting it on the blog and having some of my friends play.

Intro

When Cian Fahey asked me to contribute a couple of paragraphs about cornerback Patrick Peterson for a collaborative piece he’s writing with the likes of Eric Stoner, Chris Burke, Allen Dumonjic, and Joe Goodberry, I pulled this idea of describing Peterson through the lens Dez Bryant – a player he’s trained to face – and typed it on the page. It got me thinking pairing offensive and defensive players as mirror images would be a fun way to pass the time as my fellow writers and I wait for the car trip of our football writing lives to get to its preseason destination.

I posed the idea to Fahey and Stoner and added Ryan Riddle and Jene Bramel to the mix. There are no grand designs here; we’re just passing time and I’m keeping it a free-form process. If you disagree with the takes, have a take of your own, or want to build on the idea, post a comment or email me (mattwaldmanrsp@gmail.com).

Patrick Peterson and Dez Bryant

Fear has a variety of forms. There’s the sense of dread that something is about to go wrong, but you can’t see it. Or, an immediate blinding terror where you’re watching events unfold as if you’re not in your body (I hope most of you haven’t experienced it).

And then there’s fear of a more seductive quality. Imagine walking through a field and emerging from the woods is a panther – graceful, powerful, and transfixing. You know you’re five seconds from pissing your pants, but you’re compelled to stand there and admire one of nature’s perfect specimens from a rare (and dangerous) vantage point.

I think a panther emerging from the brush can’t be much different from seeing Peterson or Bryant emerging from the tunnel.

Both players have the grace of a large cat. They seem to possess and innate understanding of how to uncoil in the air and attack the ball. As ball carriers, they’re balls of muscle gliding across the turf. Glancing blows fly off them like sparks exploding off steel.

Put either one on the opposite end of the field of the punter and there’s a chance they make 11 guys look like elementary school kids losing at ‘Gator’.

Just as Bryant has the strength to open the ground game with his blocking, Peterson is a disruptive tackler at the line of scrimmage. The Cardinals cornerback can ruin a receiver’s timing on short timing routes the way the Cowboys receiver makes life miserable if he’s the first to get his hands on a defender.

Where they have to improve is the diagnostic aspects of the game. Their feel for the game is strong, but they’re learning that they cannot lean on this anymore and remain great at the NFL level. When they master the mental side of the game, they’re capable of dominant seasons.

Right now they just dominate games. It’s the difference between fear and terror.

McFadden-Murray Disciple: RB Charles Sims – The Film

June 12, 2013 0 Comments read Matt Waldman, Players, Running Back

Charles Sims is a disciple of the McFadden-Murray school of running back. Today I’m going to show you why.

If I were an unabashed opportunist, I’d claim that Darren McFadden’s disappointing career validated my pre-draft concerns about the Raiders back. But I’m not about being right for the wrong reasons. I still believe I missed on vital parts of McFadden’s game – aspects that make him a viable NFL talent. Recognizing the error of my ways helped me make a stronger assessment of Demarco Murray.

While not identical, McFadden and Murray in the same school of running back style. Soon-to-be-former Houston running back Charles Sims reminds me of these two runners. I have more to see before I can compare his athleticism to these two NFL starters, but it’s good enough for Sims to follow suit.

This 2012 contest against UAB is a good illustration of what makes Sims a good prospect as well as the lingering concerns that make staying in school a wise choice for 2013.

Sims’ Running Style

At 6’1″, 213 pounds, Sims is a taller back. It’s these dimensions and his gait that make him a similar type of runner as McFadden and Murray.

McFadden’s ability to bend runs at high speeds was something I downplayed in my pre-draft assessment. So were his suddenness and aggression in a gap scheme. Although I think Murray is a good zone runner with skill to change direction with sharper cuts, Murray and McFadden both tend to “bend runs” rather than make sharp cuts.

There is also a similarity in their pad level although I think Murray has always been more consistent with his. After seeing McFadden illustrate his style could work, it helped me see that Murray’s gait would work just fine in the NFL. I didn’t worry about his balance the way some of my peers did.

When I watch Sims, I see a blend of both players. All three players are versatile, three-down options with big-play ability. While they are nightmares for defenses if they get their pads square and a head of steam, their styles limit some of their creativity at the line of scrimmage compared to runners like Maurice Jones Drew, LeSean McCoy, Jamaal Charles, or even Ahmad Bradshaw.

But that’s the beauty of the position; there is not just one successful style.

Speed and Acceleration

The game I’m using to illustrate Sims’ skill is a 29-touch 171-yard performance against UAB. Despite the impressive box score, I’m often more fond of seeing plays where the player in question encounters difficulty. It’s why I don’t shy away from poor box score performances if the touch-count is high enough.

Sims’ first carry is a good example of the tough sledding he had early in the contest: A two-yard gain from an uptempo play on 2nd and 3 with 12:34 in the first quarter. Houston runs an outside zone to the right and the blocking scheme fails.

The backside blocks fail to stop the pursuit and the right tackle is not fast enough to contain the edge defender. As Sims reaches the right hash, it becomes a footrace with the edge defender penetrating two yards into the backfield untouched. Because of the cornerback and linebacker free behind the edge defender, there’s no room for a cutback.

There are five defenders in this picture with an angle on Sims and only one lineman on his feet. Even that lineman has been beat. Yet Sims still manages to outrun the defensive end , turn the corner, and gain two yards.

This play should have been a loss if not for Sims’ speed, which earns the Cougars a manageable 3rd-and-one.

Like McFadden and Murray, Sims is a dangerous player in space because of his acceleration and it doesn’t take much green grass for him to turn on the turbo boosters. Here is an eight-yard gain on a 2nd-and-eight swing-screen from a 3×1 receiver, 10 personnel shotgun with 6:30 in the first half.

Sims flanks the trips side of the QB. The play is a quick-developing outside screen pass with two wide receivers blocking in the flat as the middle trips receiver motions across the formation as misdirection to fool the defense into taking steps away from the actual flow of the play.

Sims swings to the flat, catches the ball over his inside shoulder with his hands and does a good job of tucking under his outside arm as he makes a fast, down-hill cut about three yards behind the line of scrimmage.

Sims accelerates well and splits the defensive back in the slot getting ahead of the defensive end working down the line of scrimmage. These are two strong angles by defenders and the Cougars runner manages to beat them both.

Although the end wraps Sims from behind, the burst is good enough for the back to earn eight yards and the first down.

Sims’ acceleration can catch opponents off guard. This 36-yard streak up the right sideline with 4:35 in the half is a great example. The play is a 2nd-and-10 pass at the UAB 41 with Sims beginning the play flanking the quarterback to the opposite side of a quads set.

Sims motions from the backfield to the right side where he is the single receiver and draws a cornerback playing single coverage. At the snap, Sims demonstrates good footwork to dip inside-out and earns strong separation on the corner by the time he’s 15 yards down field.

There’s even a nice use of his hands to swipe past the corner to get outside without a jam.

The runner makes the grab at the 15, turning back to the football and waiting on it just long enough to give the defender time to recover. The beaten corner wraps Sims at the 10 and drags the runner to the ground inside the 5. A better throw and this is an easy touchdown.

Good Ball Security Form, But Execution Needs Improvement

Sims typically carries the ball high and tight, but he’s experiencing lapses of concentration when it comes to his ball security at various stages of runs. Here is a 2nd-and-10 run from the Houston 25 with 6:20 in the first quarter. The play begins in a 3×1 receiver, 10 personnel pistol versus two safeties deep and a four-man front.

This is an inside zone play with Sims taking the ball towards the left guard and center who are double-teaming the left defensive tackle. Sims takes a strong approach towards the outside shoulder of the left guard. As he reaches the left hash he cuts back to the inside shoulder of the center.

This press and cut forces the weak side linebacker to move a step wider of the left guard and sets up the block. Sims then hits the crease inside the center at the line of scrimmage, bursts up the middle, and earns five yards.

This weak side linebacker spins away from the guard and pursues Sims as the Houston runner dips outside the oncoming safety six yards past the line of scrimmage. The defender reaches Sims a yard later, wraps the runner high, and spins the back to the ground as the backside pursuit punches the ball free.

Sims initially has the ball high to his chest, but it’s never tight enough to his body. The spin and contact exacerbates the looseness of his elbow from his body. Upon contact from the defender, the ball slips free and turns a nine-yard gain into a turnover.

While Sims’ ball security is decent for much of the run, his pad level is high enough for the linebacker to come backside and get his arm into the runner’s chest. Lower pad level prevents this type of exposure to the ball.

We’ll see instances where Sims’ pad level is lower when he finishes runs, but his height is a critical factor with his lapses with ball security. There are plays where Sims demonstrates a more conscious effort to lower his pads, but his overall running style is unlikely to change. It means the best ways for him to improve his ball security will be to get stronger and maintain concentration on squeezing the ball throughout the play.

Two touches later – a 2nd and 5 with 4:16 in the first quarter – Sims almost loses the ball again at the UAB 7. It was a common occurrence for the defense to earn penetration into the backfield early in this game and disrupt the flow of the running game. On this play, the middle linebacker and defensive end converge on Sims a yard deep in the backfield.

I like that Sims hits the crease hard and drags the end a yard after bouncing off the contact of the linebacker. He does a good job of keeping his feet moving and even demonstrates some body lean. However, the UAB defender rips at the ball and Sims has to make a juggling attempt to secure it with his left arm while falling to the ground.

The pad level is again an issue. The blue arrow is Sim’s actual pad level, but the ideal pad level is closer to the orange arrow. It’s clear to see how much Sims exposes the ball with his pads high. As he approaches the defense his pad level never changes.

Setting Up Defenders

I like that Sims adjusts to what defenders are doing in the game. UAB was successful getting early penetration into the backfield and converging on Sims for minimal gains. The Houston running back does a good job of turning this advantage against his opponents on a nine-yard gain on a 1st and 10 run with 5:31 in the half.

He did an excellent job pressing to the left side to bait he penetration up the middle and then spin inside the defender to reach the line of scrimmage.

The spin and burst from Sims opens a strong lane and I especially like the pad level that Sims display as he’s midway through the crease.

Note the pad level below. This is what Sims has to demonstrate earlier in runs.

Sims’ pads don’t have to be this low at the beginning his runs, but this play is an illustration that his pad level issues area about two things: a high running style due his height and the lack of bend in his hips and knee and inconsistency of effort to correct it. Sims’s pad level can get away from him early in runs if he doesn’t make a conscious effort early in the play.

Promising Pass Protector

Here is an excellent cut block on a corner blitz from the left side of the formation on 2nd and 10 with 5:46 in the half.

Sims crosses the formation from a 2×2 receiver, 10 personnel shotgun set and takes out the slot corner with an excellent block across the body of the cornerback.

The result is an 11-yard gain to the right flat for a first down . Note the way Sims works across the body of the defender and cuts high enough at the waist to force the defender to crumple to the ground at the point of the collision.

Run Bender With Cutting Ability

On the following play, Sims gains six yards on 3rd-and-three from the UAB 24 with 12:55 in the half from a 30 personnel 1×1 receiver pistol with a diamond look. They motion the left fullback to the right and then run a play where Sims follows the two lead blockers right and cuts back to the left on this outside zone play.

Sims does a nice job spotting the cutback lane, planting and changing direction with burst to beat the backside defenders through the crease to reach the line of scrimmage.

The burst from this cut is also impressive. Check out the space he generates 3-4 steps after the cut. Three defenders that were ahead of Sims are now in the rear view mirror.

Sims runs through a wrap to his leg a couple of yards down field and dips further to the backside to avoid the safety just enough to run through a wrap to his leg at the first down marker. He then drags two defenders hitting him from behind for another three yards. When he gets downhill he’s tough to tackle.

If Sims makes the unlikely decision to enter the 2013 NFL Supplemental Draft, I think he is worth a second or third-round pick. Depending on the team fit, he’d fall in a tier that separates Johnathan Franklin and Montee Ball. Perhaps even with Mike Gillislee if the fit isn’t optimal.

Since Sims is likely to transfer to a college program, I think the experience could increase his stock, which should increase his odds to contribute early in the NFL. If Sims remains a college athlete, keep an eye on his speed – both the long sprints and the short area burst. It’s what I’ll be watching closely to determine where he fits on the McFadden-Murray spectrum.

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By Cian Fahey, Pre Snap Reads

By Cian Fahey, Pre Snap Reads