Posts tagged RSP

Greg Cosell Part V: Class in Session

0 Comments read Matt Waldman
NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell shares his takes about the game and its players this week. Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo was one of Cosell's favorite rookies when we first spoke in 2008. Photo by Patriotsworld

Entering my third year of studying film for The Rookie Scouting Portfolio, I had just finished a year of film study that included one of  the bigger lessons I had encountered in Arkansas running back Darren McFadden. The highly coveted prospect had some raving fans, but I wasn’t one of them. I didn’t see what others thought even after studying a half-dozen games.

It was how I became acquainted with NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell. I read his 2008 Sporting News piece  on Darren McFadden. I was surprised to learn that we had similar takes on the runner. I sent him my analysis on McFadden and this fueled a longer conversation over the telephone.  Parts I, II, and III were a recent conversation. Part IV and this conversation about what goes into evaluating certain positions on the football field are from 2008. Continue reading →

Greg Cosell Part IV: The Craft of Evaluation

0 Comments read Matt Waldman
Greg Cosell and I became acquainted because of our shared take of Raiders RB Darren McFadden in 2008. Photo by TipsterHog.

Entering my third year of studying film for The Rookie Scouting Portfolio, I had just finished a year of film study that included a player who continues to be one of  the bigger lessons I have encountered, Arkansas running back Darren McFadden. The highly coveted prospect had some raving fans, but I wasn’t one of them.

I didn’t see what others thought even after studying a half-dozen games. And despite a strong 2010 campaign, I’m still not convinced he’ll be a consistent 1000-yard rusher as an every down back.  I’m looking forward to seeing something from his game that will change my mind.

My initial take on Darren McFadden in 2008 was how I became acquainted with NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell. I read his Sporting News piece  on McFadden and I was surprised to learn that we had similar takes on the runner. I sent Cosell my RSP analysis on McFadden and this fueled a longer conversation over the telephone.  While Parts I, II, and III were from a recent conversation. Part IV is a conversation from 2008. Continue reading →

Greg Cosell Part III: The All-Timer Game

0 Comments read Matt Waldman
Who would you rather have Larry Fitzgerald or Michael Irvin? NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell is forced to pick among greats past and present. Photo by Photogeek21.

I’m a kid in a candy store this week. I get to share with you my conversations with NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell. One of the few people who not only has access to coaching tape, but also a guy who can call up a coach and talk shop. In Part I of our phone conversation from Cosell’s office at NFL Films headquarters in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, Cosell allowed me to toss what seemed like an endlessly random array of player names for him to give his takes. In Part II, Cosell participates in a more standard Q&A. In Part III, he agrees once again to indulge my inner football child.

Waldman: Let’s play another game. I name two players Continue reading →

Greg Cosell Part II:The Pats TE Duo and Rookies

0 Comments read Matt Waldman
Patriots TE/H-Back/WR Aaron Hernandez is a prospect Greg Cosell really liked on film. Read how Cosell views the second-year TE’s role in the offense as well as his takes about the 2011 rookie class. Photo by Patriotworld.

Greg Cosell is the co-author of The Games That Changed the Game with former Eagles quarterback and ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski. The senior producer has watched decades of NFL coaches tape – the all-22 angle that very few people gain consistent access. In Part I of this conversation, Cosell graciously undergoes a voir dire of his knowledge of nearly two-dozen current players. In this portion of our conversation, Cosell supplies his take on the Patriots duo of second-year tight ends, quarterbacking in different eras of the pro game, and his thoughts on several rookies from the 2011 Draft class. Continue reading →

NFL Films’ Greg Cosell Part I: Personnel Interrogation

0 Comments read Matt Waldman
NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell indulges my interrogation of his knowledge of league personnel. Giants DE Justin Tuck is one of many suspects. Photo by Chris Pusateri.

It might be a dream job, but NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell understands what work is. The process of studying the game of football is a methodical one. Doing it well requires the attention and the appreciation of the minute detail, patience, and a large dose of humility.

Entering his third decade with NFL Films, Cosell has been studying football with this intense level of scrutiny longer than the average person reading this blog has been an adult. If football knowledge were gold then Raiders offensive coordinator Al Saunders’ appraisal of Cosell in a recent New York Times feature places the man behind the long-running ESPN program Edge NFL Matchup  on par with Fort Knox:

“Greg is just a brilliant man when it comes to” the strategic and personnel facets of the league, Raiders offensive coordinator Al Saunders said. “Tremendous insight, a tremendous knowledge of personnel, a great command of the intricacies of the game from a strategic standpoint.”

This week I will be featuring a recent conversation with Cosell Continue reading →

Quick Announcement 8/25

0 Comments read Reads Listens Views

I’ve had the pleasure to speak with NFL Films producer Greg Cosell a few times over the years. If you aren’t familiar with his work, read this excellent feature in the New York Times. Beginning Sunday, I will be posting Q&A’s I’ve had with Greg on two different occasions. A 45-minute conversation from three years go and an hour-long conversation we had this afternoon that was just awesome.

I felt a little bit like a kid in a candy store asking him about some of the things you’ll be seeing this week:

  • Offensive and defensive schemes and systems he likes in the NFL.
  • Takes on various rookies.
  • Takes on nearly 20 different veterans from every position.
  • He willingly played the game where I asked him to choose between several sets of players that I posed to him just to get him to share his historical knowledge of the game (Ray Lewis vs. Dick Butkus or Bo Jackson vs. Eric Dickerson).
  • The role of Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski in the Patriots offense.
  • A great anecdote about Michael Irvin paying a visit to NFL Films.
  • Past thoughts on players like Jerod Mayo, Vince Young, Tyrell Johnson, and Darren McFadden.
  • Emerging players.

So stay tuned. It was a lot of fun to pick Cosell’s brain. I think you’re going to enjoy his generosity.

M

RSP Flashback: RB Jamaal Charles

0 Comments read Players, Running Back
Jamaal Charles could captivate one play and frustrate the next.

He was going to make the school forget Adrian Peterson. That’s what Jamaal Charles told the media when he arrived at the University of Texas after Peterson had spurned the Longhorns for Oklahoma. Bold stuff, but Charles did enough to back it up that at times, you at least had a momentary lapse of memory if you were a fan.

I grew to appreciate Charles’ confidence when I watched him perform at Texas. In fact, there were decisions he made at the line of scrimmage that cold only be described as bold arrogance. He didn’t just challenge defenses, he was challenging himself. Kind of a personal competition to see if he could get to that huge cutback lane all the way across the formation even when it wasn’t the wisest decision.

As a teammate this would probably frustrate me. As a fan, I got the feeling Charles sometimes got bored with taking what was in front of him. He wanted to stretch himself and take what he could see. Charles is now one of the most exciting runners in the NFL, but for the first couple of years it was far from a guarantee that it was going to happen. Here’s one of the evaluations I did on Charles when I evaluated him for the Rookie Scouting Portfolio. For additional samples of player evaluations go to this page on this blog.

Game Stats vs. Arizona State 12/27/2007 Continue reading →

Five Bold NFL Predictions

0 Comments read Reads Listens Views
Stop by and grab a cold one, I feel like making some bold predictions (BTW-best use of office supplies ever!). Photo by Muteboy.

I don’t get a chance to sit at the local bar and talk football very often because I’m always writing about it. At the moment I’m feeling like having a long neck on a stool. Since I can’t, I’m at least going to imagine what I would be talking about with a friend of mine if the subject of the NFL came up during our conversation. Pull up a stool and order a drink. Continue reading →

Who is Phillip Tanner?

0 Comments read Players, Running Back

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

If you watched the Cowboys-Chargers preseason game last night then you saw a rookie running back putting on a display of what Cecil Lammey likes to call, “running hot.” There were probably 4-5 running backs in this game that ran hot. However, if I were to provide a photo next to Lammey’s definition in the yet-to-be-written football dictionary the image of Cowboys rookie Phillip Tanner running helmet-less through the Chargers secondary would be my first choice.

Who is Phillip Tanner? Was last night a fluke? Does he have a shot to stick to a roster? Let’s consult the 2011 Rookie Scouting Portfolio for some insight.

Players like Tanner, Denarius Moore, or other camp surprises who aren’t rated as high as their abilities in preseason have shown are one of my favorite topics of discussion, because they get to the core of what scouting is and what it isn’t. Most players graded have NFL talent. If you look at the history of the NFL draft, there were twice as many rounds at one time than there are now. Some of the greatest players in this game where drafted in rounds that don’t even exist today:

  • Deacon Jones was a 14th round pick.
  • Johnny Unitas was a 9th round pick.
  • Bart Starr was a 17th round pick.

I could list several others, but you get the point that a player registering on the collective Richter Scale of NFL scouts has the talent to develop into a contributor. These are young men capable of learning a lot in the span of a few years and their games can improve significantly in a short period of time. In addition a college system or surrounding talent can hinder a player’s ability to show his true potential. This is why teams will still value height, weight, speed, strength, agility, and conditioning over great technique. Sometimes teams err too far on that side, but there are always players who validate the notion that drafting a great athlete who didn’t consistently show great positional skills with his college team might yield gold.

Phillip Tanner is a free agent from Middle Tennessee State. In some respects he was overshadowed Continue reading →