Uncategorized
Oklahoma/Texas
Spotlight #1: Oklahoma QB Landry Jones
Spotlight #2: Oklahoma OLB Travis Lewis
1st quarter
14:42: On the first play of the game from scrimmage, Jones goes deep and completes it to Broyles for 40 yards. Great run after the catch by Broyles too.
13:51: Jones completes it for 10.
13:28: Jones completes it for another 14. He’s really moving the ball well early, but he hasn’t made an amazing throws yet.
12:28: Jones on a 4 yard slant to Kenny Stills on 2nd and 13.
12:17: Jones throws an inaccurate fade to a well covered man. Not the best decision.
10:45: Lewis drops in coverage with a tight end and covers him well.
10:21: Lewis takes a bad angle on an outside run and doesn’t show a lot of effort after getting blocked.
9:26: Jones under pressure, takes a hit, and just throws the ball away. Good strength getting that one off.
9:20: Jones to Stills for a short gain, Stills is able to get a few more on a nice spin off. 3rd and 2 now.
8:46: Jones audibles, moves a man over the left and then hits him wide open on 3rd and 2 for the first.
8:22: Jones short to Stills, complete.
7:13: Jones flushed from the pocket under pressure and he has to throw it away, incomplete out of the back of the end zone. Oklahoma will settle for a field goal again.
7:02: Lewis covers a short man.
6:35: Lewis takes a good angle on an outside run and gets in on the tackle.
5:02: Lewis tackles a receiver on the outside after a big gain on a pass to the flat.
4:32: Lewis has a tackle broken. It wasn’t really poor tackling, but the running back is so strong.
1:59: Jones throws deep to a double teamed Ryan Broyles, who Texas is using bracket coverage on. Jones overthrew it anyway.
1:52: Jones goes short this time to an open man, who is able to get the first after the catch.
1:20: Jones fakes the handoff to the running back and then hits the running back open in space for a nice pickup and a first down.
0:11: Jones throws a touchdown, but it’s called back on an illegal formation.
2nd quarter
14:56: Jones pump fakes to a screen, defensive back bites just enough for a man to get wide open in the end zone and Jones hits him, touchdown.
13:52: Tony Jefferson with his 4th interception in just over a game. The sophomore is a future top safety prospect and playing like it.
12:41: Jones on 1st and 25 with a miscommunication with his receiver and an ugly incompletion.
12:37: Jones incomplete out of bounds.
12:33: Wow. Jones on 3rd and 25 throws a perfect spiral and he gets the first deep. This wasn’t a great play after catch by his receiver or anything, this was all throw by Jones on an NFL type play, 4 deep routes against man coverage.
11:48: Jones throws the fade to Kenny Stills, who catches it at its apex, but he’s not able to hang onto it. Tough catch, tough throw.
11:43: Jones redeems himself this time with a throw to Ryan Broyles in the front corner of the end zone. Broyles, another potential high pick, had great position and does a great job and going low for the ball and keeping it in the end zone.
9:24: Jones has a pass dropped by Stills and batted up in the air and almost intercepted. This should have been a catch.
9:17: Jones throws it short on first down.
8:59: Jones checks down to the back, who takes it for a fresh set of downs.
8:49: Jones under pressure, throws against his body off his back foot for a screen that goes for 20 yards.
8:32: Jones throws into tight coverage, hits the receiver in the hands, but the hit after catch knocks the ball out. Jones’ mechanics and accuracy are awesome.
8:28: Jones under pressure throws a very inaccurate ball out of bounds. It looked like he was trying to set up a check down, but panicked and completely overthrew him.
8:01: Jones under pressure, sacked, goes down very easily on this one.
6:13: Jones underthrows a guy on a medium to deep route.
4:53: Lewis with great closing speed on a tackle, but he isn’t able to bring him down himself. He does enough to slow him up for someone else to tackle him for a short gain on a play that could have been a lot more without Lewis’ speed.
2:29: Jones with a completion on a short slant. He throws a lot of short stuff, but he’s been impressive on intermediate and deep routes as well and he’s shown great accuracy and footwork.
1:08: Jones dumps off under pressure and the receiver is able to take the ball, make some moves, and get some big yards.
0:45: Jones deep to Ryan Broyles.
0:31: Jones to Stills on a fade in the corner of the end zone. Jones has 305 yards and it’s not even halftime. More importantly, he’s spreading the ball around. He’s got great receivers, but he’s making them look better and not locking onto targets.
3rd quarter
14:41: Lewis in on a tackle again.
13:35: Lewis with a quarterback pressure on a blitz on a play in which the quarterback fumbles for 6 points for Oklahoma.
11:48: Jones throws to the back in the flat, but it doesn’t go anywhere.
11:26: Jones not on the same page with Stills deep and it’s overthrown and closer to a Longhorn than anyone.
11:20: Jones on 3rd and 21, makes a nice completion, but it’s short of the sticks. Smart, safe move with a 41-10 lead.
1:39: Jones complete against the sideline to yet another new receiver. He’s completed passes to 9 different receivers tonight.
1:10: Jones complete underneath. They’re not holding back. They’re going to let him keep throwing.
0:46: Broyles with the completion short from Jones.
0:16: Jones goes deep and could have had a completion if it wasn’t for a pass interference penalty, thought it might have been a bit overthrown anyway. Jones throws a pretty spiral deep.
4th quarter
14:30: Jones puts one in a decent spot, a little high, on a deep throw, but it’s off the receivers’ hands.
14:11: Jones completes one on 3rd and 4 near the sideline for a first.
14:08: Jones has a ball batted down at the line.
13:16: Jones incomplete deep to a well covered Ryan Broyles.
12:30: Lewis takes a poor angle to the ball carrier. He heads up field, but if he had continued to the sideline, he could have gotten a tackle and made the gain a lot shorter.
9:16: Lewis in on a tackle far from the line of scrimmage.
6:39: Landry Jones has been pulled with a 55-10 lead.
0:00: I will be revisiting Matt Barkley next week, but for now, I’d say Landry Jones is better than him. Jones doesn’t have the strongest arm, but he has good arm strength and excellent accuracy and footwork. He doesn’t go deep a lot, but when he does, he looks good on deep and intermediate routes. He throws a lot of short stuff in Oklahoma’s system, but he’s not just a short stuff guy. He has great receivers around him, but he makes them look better and he spreads the ball really well. Despite not finishing this game in a huge blowout, Jones went 31 of 50 for 367 yards and 3 touchdowns and he had over 300 yards at halftime, when this game was already over basically. I’d say Jones looks better than Sam Bradford did in his junior year at Oklahoma.
As for Travis Lewis, he flashed at times with great speed and excellent closing speed, but his motor and the angles he takes towards the ball carrier aren’t great. He has great stats and showed great toughness coming back from a broken foot so fast and he looked very healthy in this game. He’s a bit undersized, but he drops into coverage extremely well. He can stay on the field on all 3 downs and do a little bit of everything, but discipline is a weakness for this first round caliber player.
Packers Recap 2010
I picked the Packers to win it all in August, noticing that they were 7-1 (with one loss by 1 point) in their last 8 games last season, after the returns of Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher stabilized the line in front of Aaron Rodgers. With rookie tackle Bryan Bulaga coming in, they would have depth behind Clifton and Tauscher in case one of them got hurt again (which Tauscher did). However, I will admit, once Nick Barnett, Jermichael Finley, and Ryan Grant went on IR and my Patriots got hot, I jumped on the Patriots in 2010 wagon.
However, the Packers would prove me wrong (and right to begin with). They never quite replaced Finley, but Desmond Bishop replaced Nick Barnett and James Starks replaced Ryan Grant. They started out slow, going 3-3, but with all 3 losses by 3 points. Despite losing 16 players to IR, the Packers stood at 8-6 heading into a week 16 game with the Giants. In order to make the playoffs, they would have to beat the Giants and the Bears week 17.
The Packers didn’t just beat the Giants, they destroyed them, putting 500 yards of total offense in a 45-17 blowout. After they beat the Bears 10-3 week 17, it was on to the playoffs. The Packers finished the season at 10-6, but with the NFC’s best point differential, no losses by more than 4 points, and no losses in games that Aaron Rodgers started and finished by more than 3 points, the Packers looked to be in good shape.
They beat Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Atlanta in Atlanta, and Chicago in Chicago to advance to the Super Bowl, where they beat the Steelers. Despite several drops by his receivers, and injuries to Donald Driver, Charles Woodson, and Sam Shields, the Packers prevailed 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV, as Aaron Rodgers threw for 300+ yards on the league’s best passing defense.
Some would say they got lucky. If the Eagles hadn’t comeback from down 31-10 with 8 minutes to go against the Giants, the Packers wouldn’t have even made the playoffs. If David Akers (who had his mind on his daughter’s battle with cancer) hadn’t missed two makeable field goals against the Packers, they would have gone out in the first round.
However, every team catches a few breaks. This wasn’t a lucky season for the Packers, with 6 losses by 4 or fewer and 16 players on IR, but they prevailed anyway, winning essentially 6 straight must wins to do so. That’s not luck. That’s skill. That’s Aaron Rodgers.
Patriots Needs 2012
Cornerback
The Patriots thought they were set at cornerback coming into 2011 with Devin McCourty, Ras-I Dowling, Leigh Bodden, and Kyle Arrington. Well McCourty regressed, Dowling got hurt again, and Bodden never recovered from his injury and was cut. Arrington ended up being the #1 cornerback, while guys like Sterling Moore and Antwaun Molden had to play significant snaps. It got so bad that offensive players like Julian Edelman and Matt Slater had to play some defensive back. Sure maybe McCourty bounces back and Arrington doesn’t regress and Dowling stays healthy, but can you really chance it. They gave up the 3rd most yards in NFL history this year. Expect this to be a primary focus of their offseason.
Safety
Safety was another position of need in their secondary. Without Patrick Chung, their lack of depth at safety was exposed this season. Brandon Meriweather was cut before the season, and rightfully so, but they didn’t have a suitable replacement for him. Look for them to add another safety this offseason.
Defensive Tackle
That Albert Haynesworth deal didn’t work out too well did it. Kyle Love is a solid player, but might be best in a rotational role so they need another defensive tackle in the mix, preferably one who can also play a 3-4 just in case they go to a hybrid scheme next year.
Defensive End
Andre Carter and Mark Anderson were both great one year signings, but they’re free agents and the Patriots will be hesitant to give them long term deals. Besides, if they switch to a hybrid scheme, neither of them have had much success in a 3-4, particularly Carter, who struggled mightily in a 3-4 in Washington in 2010. Carter is also 33 this offseason so a younger end is needed anyway. Look for them to target a young end through the draft who can play in both a 3-4 and a 4-3.
Wide Receiver
Wes Welker and Deion Branch are both free agents. Even if both return, both are over 30 years old. So is Chad Ochocinco, who sucked last season. They could sign Brandon Lloyd, but he’s also over 30. They need some young blood at the position for the future.
Center
Both Dan Koppen and Dan Connolly are free agents. Koppen will be allowed to walk. He’s over 30 and coming off a major injury. However, Connolly is someone they will try to resign. I didn’t think he was that great so it couldn’t hurt to add some competition for him.
Guard
Brian Waters is 35 and considering retirement, despite an awesome first year in New England last year where he made the Pro Bowl. Marcus Cannon could be a potential long term solution, but he’s rumored to be moving to tackle long term to backup Sebastian Vollmer and Nate Solder. They’ll need a new guard if he leaves and a potential future successor if he doesn’t.
Tight End
This might not make a lot of sense because they have the best 1-2 tight end combo in the NFL in Gronkowski and Hernandez, but they also like to do a lot of 3 tight end sets and they didn’t have that Alge Crumpler type tight end this year. They used Nate Solder there at times this year, but he’s technically an offensive tackle and is expected to start there next year so they’ll need to find a big blocking tight end to take Crumpler’s old role.
Prince Amukamara Scout
Cornerback
Nebraska
6-0 205
Draft board overall prospect rank: #7
Draft board overall cornerback rank: #2
Overall rating: 95 (Top 10)
40 time: 4.37
4/21/11: 9 years out of 10, Prince Amukamara is the top cornerback in the class. Unfortunately, he is coming out during the same year as Patrick Peterson. Still, Amukamara is only a notch below him. He’s been a key shutdown corner on Nebraska’s talented defense for the past two years and he’s done it with and without Ndamukong Suh.
This year he shined without Suh, with Suh having moved on to the NFL. He’s got a great size/speed combination and is very instinctual. Ball skills are a question. He had 5 picks last year, but none this year, though a lot of that has to do with the fact that he wasn’t thrown on very often.
In addition to his coverage skills, he’s tough, gritty, and the best run stopper of any cornerback in this class. He’s a tremendous tackler and really likes to hit guys. He’s an incredible competitor. If he fails at cornerback, free safety is a fallback position of his just like it is for Patrick Peterson. He doesn’t have Peterson’s open field ability on returns and interceptions however.
He does get a little too high in backpedal and he doesn’t have the elite recovery speed to make up for it, though his track time is very good. He doesn’t play in the 4.3s. He’s better in man press than zone and he’s a little stiff in the hips. He also gave up a few too many big plays on broken coverages last year. His footwork and hand use in press are really his best assets. He also is good vertically and has a great motor.
NFL Comparison: Marcus Trufant
Rams Browns
By Vince Vitale
Well things could not have went much worse for the St. Louis Rams last week against the Minnesota Vikings. Even Danny Amendola who had the Rams only touchdown fumbled a punt and cost the Rams 7 points. The Rams will try to turn things around tonight at Cleveland Browns stadium starting at 6:30. The Cleveland Browns were 27-24 winners over the Green Bay Packers in week 1 action.
The Cleveland Browns and St. Louis Rams have both stated that they will play most of their starters for the entire first half. The Browns will start with Jake Delhomme followed by Seneca Wallace. The Rams will start A.J. Feeley for a couple of series and then probably allow Sam Bradford to play the rest of the first half. Hopefully Sam will have the help of Steven Jackson in the backfield, but it is still unknown if Jackson will get in any work.
The Browns will most likely be without WR Mohamed Massaquoi, RB Montario Hardesty, LB David Bowens, RT Tony Pashos, RG Floyd Womack, G Shawn Lauvao, NT Shaun Rogers & T John St. Clair. The Rams will be without secondary players Jerome Murphy, Kevin Dockery and Justin King.
Here is what we will be watching for tonight:
The main thing to watch week in and week out will be the play of the Rams offensive line. The Rams patchwork line last week was torched last week for 6 sacks and forced Sam Bradford to run for his life while in the game. This week the Rams will have no excuses as they will have their starting unit Rodger Saffold, Jacob Bell, Jason Brown, Adam Goldberg and Jason Smith out together. The Browns play a 3-4 which the Rams do not see much of and the Browns had 40 sacks last year so this will be a tough test for the line again. When Steven Jackson is not in the backfield teams just tee off against the Rams.
The play of Sam Bradford. Of course we want to see our new toy in action. Sam Bradford who does not want to be called the face of the franchise, is the face of the franchise and the Rams need to prepare him for the season. The Rams should put Steven Jackson out there with Sam, max protect and see what the kid can do. A.J. Feeley has been a good backup but he is not the answer at QB and the Rams need to try to get Sam ready for their week 1 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Browns were able to put up 21 first half points against Green Bay last week, with most of their yardage coming through the air. The Rams starting secondary of Ron Bartell and Bradley Fletcher will be back in action so we can get a better read on their play. If Mohamed Massaquoi does not play the Browns receiving core is pedestrian at best. The Rams should be able to cover a team like the Browns. Once the starters are out Quincy Butler, Marquis Johnson, Marcus Brown and Antoine Thompson must play better than last week.
Mardy Gilyard should be back tonight for the Rams. I would like to see him get in some rhythm and work with Sam Bradford. I want to see the Rams get him into space and also allow him to return some kicks. Gilyard and Amendola may share return duties all year. In addition where is Donnie Avery? Can Avery get separation in the NFL? Donnie Avery who needs to be the Rams #1 receiver needs to produce week in and week out especially early in games. Watch as 10 Rams receivers battle for the five or six openings on the roster.
Coaching – It is great to have nice coaches and nice players and to preach about the four pillars but the bottom line is I want to see some success on the field. Is Pat Shurmer still afraid to call a pass over 10 yards? Can Steve Spagnuolo manufacture a pass rush with the players he has on this roster, and if not can he put together some blitz packages to create some pressure on other teams? Can Steve Loney get anyone on the offensive line to block effectively and consistently? With the pending sale of the St. Louis Rams to Stan Kronke the entire coaching staff is on the hot seat, now is not the time to hold back.
Ravens 37 Bills 34
By Mike “Coast”
So, we are back from the Ravens road trip and if you would have told me on Friday that the Bills were going to go to M&T Bank Stadium and take the Ravens to overtime and absolutely light up the Ravens top 5 defense, I would have suggested you get a mental examination. As it turned out, that is exactly what happened. The Bills torched the Ravens all afternoon but when it was all said and done, the outcome was the same another loss 37-34.
The Bills offense racked up 506 total yards. Fitz had the best game of his NFL career throwing for 374 yards and 4 touchdowns. Steve Johnson had 8 catches for 158 yards and a TD. Lee Evans had 3 touchdown receptions on 6 catches for 105 yards. The running game was adequate enough to keep the defense off balance. For a while, I had to remind myself this was 2010 and not 1990. The Bills looked unstoppable on offense.
Unfortunately, the positives for me end there.
Fitz had a great game, no question about it. Again though, how can Chan Gailey go through OTAs, mini camp, training camp and an entire preseason and not see the difference in ability between Fitz and Edwards? Trent has never looked anywhere in the vicinity of this good in any game of his career. It isn’t like we are talking about Kolb vs. Vick here, but we are talking about Fitz who may be a career backup vs. a guy who insults the entire sport of football every time he puts on a helmet in Trent Edwards. Would it make a difference if Fitz played the whole season? Probably not…the only difference would be that we would have beaten Miami at home.
I mentioned on the way home that I was going to spend 1,000 words absolutely tearing Donte Whitner apart on this blog. I spent the entire 3rd quarter thinking about going to the tunnel at the end of the game and threatening Donte Whitner’s well being (not literally). This guy is HORRIBLE. He needs to be taken off the field. Seriously, do we still have Coy Wire? John Wendling? Anyone, really. In all honesty though, we would lose nothing by putting George Wilson in the game and just benching this waste of life. Whitner was drafted in the top 10 of the NFL draft. He makes zero big plays. He had the game on his fingertips yesterday an easy pick 6(taint) a play that a top 10 player should make with his eyes closed. He makes this play, it is 31-10 in the 2nd quarter and lights out on Baltimorei Instead he drops it and the Ravens go on a 24-0 run. I really, firmly believe that this single missed pick 6 is the reason for the 1.5 quarter tail spin.
Also, how does Todd Heap run a streak to the goal line, turn around and is still wide open? Heap was completely uncovered on his 1st TD pass. This was Whitner’s guy. The Bills should bench Donte Whitner for George Wilson. Gailey should send a message saying that I don’t care how long you have been here or where you were drafted or how much you make, if you suck, you will be benched.
The officials didn’t do us any favors yesterday either. Reggie Corner’s interception in the end zone before the last minute touchdown by the Ravens was an interception. I don’t care what anyone says. Yeah, his foot landed on Boldin’s leg and then Boldin threw him out of bounds. Reggie Corner intercepted the pass, landed on Boldin who was laying in the field of play, got one foot down and the other foot landed on Boldin’s leg and then Corner basically bounced off Boldin and was propelled out of bounds. This is an interception. If it isn’t, then that is the most ridiculous rule ever. He landed on a player who was laying in the field of play and you tell me that isn’t being in bounds? That play KILLED us.
In overtime, Shaun Nelson fumbled. You can make the argument that you shouldn’t fumble and I agree, Nelson needs to somehow hang onto the football. At the same time, Nelson’s forward progress was stopped for a solid 2 seconds. The whistle should have blown. He was being help up by a handful of Raven defenders and because of that, Ray Lewis was able to strip the ball. How long can the Ravens hold Nelson up for? Bogus call, should have been forward progress whistle blown play over…period.
Here is another interesting officiating fact from the game. Before the Spiller fumble, the Ravens made a 48 yard field goal. The funny thing was, there was a review of the play before the kick and the ref announced over the loud speaker that the ball was to be spotted at the 25 yard line. The officials then spotted the ball at the 30. No one said anything and the Ravens proceeded to attempt the kick, and make it. How do you mess that up. That shows the refs are lost. Also if they missed could that have been challenged?
So what about the game/weekend experience in Baltimore, Maryland? Ravens fans were not too harsh on us…all they really said to us was “you guys suck” or “we would talk trash but you guys are just so bad.” Basically, they felt bad for us…which is usually the case when we go to road games. A ten year old kid with a Ray Lewis jersey on actually told me that I sucked when I went to give him a high five. I was kind of pissed…but then again, he was only ten.
The Bills are going to go 3-13 hopefully. They will still get the number 1 pick, and yes, they still need to draft a QB. If Fitz throws 30 touchdowns and less than 10 interceptions along with 3,300 yards or more, then I will entertain the thought of drafting a defensive player in the first round. Otherwise, I am still going QB in round 1 and then defense with every single other pick I have. 34 plus points in 5 straight games? That is unheard of. They allow 4.4 more points per game than the 31st ranked defense in the league. George Edwards, keep your resume updated buddy if we don’t see some improvement you will be unemployed on the first Monday of January.
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Redskins Lions Preview
The 4-3 Washington Redskins visit the hapless 1-5 Detroit Lions. You figure the Redskins will win this game. After all, they now have Mike Shanahan, a Super Bowl coach; while the Lions have… one win is six tries.
Don’t fall for that trap. Reputations won’t be on the field Sunday. Talent will be. The talent on the field for the Redskins and the Lions are a near match and that’s why the sports books have made Detroit three-point favorites to win on their home field. Detroit earned it.
Washington’s NFC East rivals Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants have already faced Detroit. Those teams needed 35 and 28 points respectively to beat the Lions and even then had to hold on for the win. Washington has yet to score more than 27 points in any game. The Redskins beat the Lions’ NFC North rivals Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears in low scoring affairs.
Defense and low scoring may be the key to the game. Hold the Lions to under 21 points. Stay close, then maybe the Redskins pull the game out in the end.
Did I mention that the Eagles and Giants beat the Lions when Detroit’s starting quarterback, Matthew Stafford, was out with an injury? Stafford expects to return for the ‘Skins game. He figures to be a tad rusty. The Lions’ performance did not fall off much with Shaun Hill at quarterback. With or without Stafford, this team can score.
Lions rookie Jahvid Best is well named. His 5 touchdowns and 534 yards from scrimmage is the best performance of all NFL rookies. Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson is a beast.
The media writers will focus on Johnson versus Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall. They will (over)hype Donovan McNabb versus Stafford. The real battle in this game will be the Redskins offensive line versus the Lions defensive front seven, especially Redskins rookie left tackle Trent Williams versus DE Kyle Vanden Bosch and DL Ndamukong Suh. Tell me who wins that contest and I’ll tell you who will win.
The game figures to be highly entertaining between two evenly matched teams. The outcome is not predictable.
Pick-’em.
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Running Backs
QB RB WR TE OT G C NT DT 3-4 DE DE RLB OLB MLB CB S K P
Updated: 4/17/10
Scoring System:
100 Once in a decade prospect
95-99 Elite talent
90-95 Solid top 10 pick
85-90 Solid first round pick
80-85 Late 1st-early 2nd
75-80 Solid 2nd round pick
70-75 Solid 3rd round pick
65-70 3rd-4th round pick
60-65 4th-5th round pick
55-60 5th round pick
50-55 6th round pick
45-50 7th round pick
40-45 Undrafted, invite to training camp
30-40 Career practice squader
20-30 No NFL future
0-20 No football future
1. Jahvid Best (California) 87
2/28/10: Jahvid Best just ran faster than CJ Spiller (4.35 compared to 4.37). Now what is Spiller better at? Best is the more complete back of the two, the only thing that Spiller could really say was that his speed was on another level. Now that doesn’t appear to be the case. Best is a better between the tackles runner, he’s more explosive. The only real thing Spiller does better is catch passes. I have compared Spiller to a gimmick weapon type guy like Reggie Bush all along and Best to a speed feature back like Jamaal Charles. In a few years, when Best is the better runner, you heard it here. Yet despite all this, Spiller is getting more hype because of his “unofficial” 4.27. It’s unofficial for a reason.
He could fall below CJ Spiller in the draft because of his concussion late in the season, but he’s a more complete player than Spiller. He’s got more explosive legs, he’s a better runner in between the tackles, and his 40 time is probably going to be faster. They are comparable players in terms of pure speed, but Spiller is more of a straight line runner while Best has better running back skills like initial explosion and good change of direction.
2. CJ Spiller (Clemson) 84
Has had trouble staying healthy in college and his career YPC does not suggest good running back skills, but he has a place in the NFL. He’s way too fast and agile to not have one. He can return kicks, return punts, and can serve as a 3rd down back or wildcat, but unlike Best I don’t think he’s a feature back at the next level.
3. Ryan Matthews (Fresno State) 81
2/28/10: Matthews would have moved up anyway given Jonathan Dwyer’s stink bomb because the two are compared often because both are considered future feature backs. However, that’s not the only reason he’s moving up. A 4.41 40 at 6-0 218 turned a lot of heads. He’s a good pass catcher and a great pass blocker for his age and he also runs extremely well. He could go 28th to San Diego because he has everything they look for in a back.
He’s a bit of a one hit wonder but with 1808 yards and 19 touchdowns on a 6.6 average, some teams are going to look past that like they did with former one hit wonders Donald Brown and Rashard Mendenhall, who both went in the first round. He runs a bit upright, but he has very refined pass blocking and pass catching abilities for his age and doesn’t fumble often. He has all the makings of a future feature back, though admittedly I’d like to see one more great season on his stat sheet just for him to prove that he can do it again and again, though you can’t really blame him because he was mostly a #2 back or goal line back throughout his first two years at Fresno State.
4. Toby Gerhart (Stanford) 77
2/28/10: Gerhart proved that just because he’s white, doesn’t mean he’s not athletic. Gerhart ran a very impressive 4.53 at 6-0 231 and also had a 38 inch vertical and 22 reps of 225 pounds. He likely shot himself ahead of a plummeting Jonathan Dwyer.
He’s a Heisman runner up, but, contrary to popular belief, that does not make him a future star at the next level. He is very slow and doesn’t change direction and he runs really upright and isn’t going to break nearly as many tackles next year against linebackers with refined tackling abilities. He does have good size though and runs with a lot of force and explosion so he should be a solid change of pace back, goal line back, or even fullback if his lead blocking improves, so he has a spot for him at the next level. It just won’t as a feature back or a star.
5. RB Jonathan Dwyer (Georgia Tech) 76
2/28/10: Dwyer’s workout today proved what his weigh in showed and what people all around the NFL have been saying all week. He’s out of shape. At 5-11 229, Dwyer ran a 4.59, which isn’t awful, but when you consider his second time was 4.69, it looks a lot worse. He also only benched 15 reps, 3rd fewest of all RBs.
2/26/10: He just looked like a fat guy at his weigh in. He was 5-11 229 which sounds good, but he did not look in shape at all.
Excellent size, but he put on a lot of weight from last season to this season and looked a lot more sluggish this year as a result, though his stats don’t suggest he struggled. He also played in a weird offense that just isn’t used in the NFL so you have to wonder how he would have fared statistically being overweight and in a normal offense. However, he’s got all the physical tools and is still projected to run a mid 4.4 40 at 235 pounds which is amazing so someone is going to snatch him early on upside alone.
6. RB Joe McKnight (USC) 75
The possible NCAA violations that came up late last season because of a possible incident in which he drove a car that belonged to his girlfriend and not him should not effect his draft stock because he’s simply never going to have anything close to that situation in the NFL. He’s a good kid and I don’t buy that he has character issues. I do buy that he’s not a starting running back at the next level. He’s fast but he’s not Chris Johnson fast and he doesn’t have elite explosion or change directions very well. He’s not elusive. However, he does have good speed and finally put together a good season in college this year after being a top recruit in 2007 and will be a welcome addition to many of the running back committees in the NFL today.
7. Anthony Dixon (Mississippi State) 74
Not the most mobile guy, but he’s agile for his large frame, 240 pounds, and is a very strong and physical runner and he gets his pads down low to the ground when he runs unlike Toby Gerhart and should be able to be a decent running back at the next level and break tackles. However, he’s slower than Gerhart and doesn’t have much upside at all. In fact, one can argue that he ran the ball too much in college, 910 attempts in 4 years, and that will shorten his NFL career. He also has a DUI to his name and that is a bit of a red flag. He’ll be drafted in the 3rd round range as a kind of, you know what your getting type guy. I don’t see him as a feature back at the next level.
8. Dexter McCluster (Mississippi) 73
2/28/10: Surprisingly, his 4.55 40 at 5-9 173 doesn’t hurt him that much in my book, but it has to hurt him some considering we were expecting a high 4.3, maybe low 4.4 at worse. However, this is one of those guys who is faster in pads than he is timed and stronger than his size. He should still catch on somewhere in the NFL as that Percy Harvin type player.
2/27/10: How do you bench 20 reps of 225 pounds when you are a mere 173 pounds? That is crazy! This little guy may be small, but he is tough, he is strong, he is committed, and he is damn fast as well.
A blur of a football player who is a bit undersized. He has lined up at both running back and wide receiver in his career and had 1169 rushing yards and 520 receiving yards last season. He has also lined up as a wildcat so there’s going to be a spot in the NFL for him, though it is not going to be a conventional one. He will play the Percy Harvin role for a team, a slot receiver, return guy, and occasional 3rd down back and wildcat and will be plenty valuable doing so.
9. Montario Hardesty (Tennessee) 68
2/28/10: Hardesty is a favorite sleeper of mine. He could be that mid round running back who takes over a starting job in the NFL. He has good hands as a pass catcher and as a pass blocker and a good combination of size and speed. He has all the things you look for in a feature back. He just needs to put them together. On a day of slow 40s, a 4.49 at 6-0 225 is great. He also led all running backs in broad jump, 10 feet 4 inches, and vertical leap, 41 inches and had 21 reps of 225 pounds.
One of my favorite running back sleepers, a good size, speed combination, and very good hands, both in pass catching and pass blocking. He has everything he needs to be a factor right away and a 3rd down back at the very least. I see him having the upside as a future starting running back.
10. Ben Tate (Auburn) 63
2/28/10: Quietly had a very impressive day with a 4.45 40 at 5-11 220, along with a 40.5 inch vertical, a 10 foot 4 inch broad jump and a position leading 26 reps of 225 pounds. He’s always had the athleticism, but he’s been plagued by inconsistencies in the past so it’ll be interesting to see if he puts it together at the next level because if he does, he’s going to be a good player.
He has the athletic tools, size and speed, to be a good running back and finally had an impressive statistical season this year, but he has a history of inconsistency, even this year and scouts hate players who are inconsistent. He’ll probably get drafted with a mid round pick but I don’t see much of anything special in him.
11. Jarrett Brown (West Virginia) 61
2/28/10: 40 times don’t matter a ton to quarterbacks, but a 4.54 will get you noticed, especially when you’re someone who may have to play another position at the NFL level. He’s a project, but he has upside at multiple positions including quarterback and running back.
1/30/10: He didn’t have the best game overall, but he showed a lot of potential and physical tools. He’s an excellent athlete and has a running back’s frame, as shown in his weigh in, but he also showed a very good strong arm in the game. He really struggled with his touch and his footwork is very poor, he missed a wide open guy downfield because his feet weren’t set when he threw it, but overall, I like his upside a lot more now that I did before this week, when I saw him as a wildcat only.
1/26/10: Very athletic frame, measurables suggest a move to running back is possible. That’s good because he wasn’t going to make it as a quarterback in the NFL.
He’s certainly a project, but he has upside at two positions. He has the athleticism to play running back, but he also has a strong arm to play quarterback. His mechanics are an issue and he doesn’t have a lot of experience playing the quarterback position and even last year he struggled at times, but the upside is there.
12. James Starks (Buffalo) 61
2/28/10: He lost his 2009 season due to a shoulder injury, but before that he had two straight season of 1000 yards, 3000 career yards, and 53 catches in 2008. He looked very healthy today running a very impressive 4.48 at 6-2 218. He’s a big back that runs well and can catch passes and reminds me a lot of a Tim Hightower type guy.
He has some questions to answer after his shoulder injury, but he was a very productive back before the injury, with good hands for his size. He reminds me of a Tim Hightower type 3rd down back.
13. LeGarrette Blount (Oregon) 60
1/30/10: He probably had the most to prove in Mobile this week, after the incident in which he punched an opposing player earlier this season, but he flashes a lot of what made him an NFL prospect in the first place. He ran with great pad level at 245 pounds and also made nice plays in the open field. He scored once on a very nice 14 yard run, on which he leaped through a defender from about the 4 yard line to get into the end zone, and he almost scored again on a play in which he dragged pretty much the entire South’s defense from about the 5 yard to almost the goal line, setting up a 1 yard quarterback sneak on the next play. The character concerns are clearly there, but he is a load to take down in the open field and he moves well and runs with great pad level for someone of his size. He is, at the very least, a goal line back at the next level if he can control himself on and off the field.
Blount is a big back who plays with a low pad level, but after punching an opposing player last season and getting suspended, he certainly has some questions to answer, but I think, at the very least, that he’ll be a solid goal line back, which teams always need.
14. Keith Toston (Oklahoma State) 59
3/15/10: Normally I don’t pay much attention to improved 40 times, but Totson also lost 8 pounds, from 213 to 205, and as a result of that ran a tenth of a second faster. I like the work ethic and discipline so I’ll move him back up a little.
2/28/10: When he woke up this morning, running a 4.70 at 6-0 213 was probably not on his to do list. That’s pretty ugly.
Finally had a good year this year in his senior season after splitting carries throughout most of his career. He had 1218 yards and 11 touchdowns on a 5.4 average, though it was in Oklahoma State’s weird offense. His 40 time for his size is not expected to be great, but you can’t deny he has produced good numbers and he’s a very good pass catcher with 22 passes caught this season. He’ll fit into a running back rotation somewhere in the NFL, maybe as a pass catching back.
15. Deji Karim (Southern Illinois) 56
3/15/10: One thing I do like about Pro Days, watching guys I’ve never heard of. Southern Illinois’ Deji Karim had 1694 yards on a 7.4 YPC and 18 touchdowns last year, albeit for a small school, and then he came out and ran a 4.37 at 5-9 210 and then looked very good in his positional drills. He’s an interesting late round prospect with his combination of size, speed, and production. He also caught 17 passes last year, another plus.
Small school, but big upside because of the big power in his legs. Short and stocky at 5-9 210, but runs with a great low pad level, extremely powerful bulldozing over linebackers and has legit 4.4 speed. He was one of the best rushers in the country last year, albeit at a tiny school against weak competition, but we’ve seen many times in the past, backs from small school go on to do big things on the big stage. If you can run, you can run anywhere and this guy can run. I love his upside.
16. Andre Anderson (Tulane) 55
A decent runner, but not a great one with 1880 yards and 15 touchdowns on 412 carries over the last 2 years, and if he gets drafted in the first five rounders, it’ll be as a runner second and a pass catching back first. He has caught 55 balls over the last two years and reminds a lot of people of a poor man’s Matt Forte, who was drafted in the 2nd round out of Tulane two years ago.
17. Joique Bell (Wayne State) 54
He was the pride of Wayne State for the last 4 years, returning kicks, running the ball, catching passes, en route to having over 6000 career rushing yards. He broke the Wayne State rushing record midway through his junior year and then added an NCAA leading 2084 yards as a senior. However, he may have been overworked as a collegiate back and he lacks speed. His 40 times ranged from 4.65-4.68 and he really looked slow running the ball in the Senior Bowl. He lacks explosiveness and runs too upright to break the amount of tackles he broke in college. At an NFL level, his size, his best asset, will be nothing special, 5-11 219.
18. John Conner (Kentucky) 49
19. LaMarcus Coker (Hampton) 47
20. Andre Dixon (Connecticut) 47
21. Charles Scott (LSU) 46
22. Brandon James (Florida) 46
23. Toney Baker (NC State) 45
24. Rashawn Jackson (Virginia) 44
25. Manese Tonga (BYU) 41
26. Conte Cuttino (Stony Brook) 40
For my interview with Conte Cuttino, click here.
Saints Spotlight
Growing up as (most likely) the only Saints fan in my Pennsylvania hometown, I quickly realized that my favorite team had virtually no national profile. They weren’t the team regularly featured on SportsCenter. I was lucky to get a box score of the previous week’s game in our local paper. Even the official NFL merchandise catalog contained a precious few Saints items.
My, how times have changed.
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past year, it’s been hard to lose sight of the Saints. Not only are they featured prominently in several NFL ads, but the team is in high demand with corporate sponsors as well. Just a few weeks ago, a Verizon commercial came out depicting a Saints vs. Jets matchup in the middle of the woods.
NBC’s Today Show broadcast live from New Orleans in anticipation of the season opener against Minnesota. Including that game, the Saints will play in 4 primetime games during the 2010 season. Plus, they’ll visit Dallas on Thanksgiving, their first ever game on turkey day. I feel like I’m just scratching the surface of their significant appearances.
And, apparently, the NFL and its partners are giving the people what they want: More Saints! Their Super Bowl victory against the Indianapolis Colts was the most watched program in American TV history. And last week’s opener was the highest-rated opening night in NFL history.
Of course, this media frenzy has come partly due to the Super Bowl championship. But you could see the seeds being planted back in 2006. That’s when the Saints returned to New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina the previous year.
The Saints made it to their first-ever NFC Championship Game, acquired high-profile players in quarterback Drew Brees and running back Reggie Bush. More importantly, they served as an inspiration for the entire country.
Last year’s championship just sent things into a whole other stratosphere. The team and city’s story, along with their special relationship, has won the hearts of a lot of people. Even casual football fans don’t seem to mind smiling at what’s happened to New Orleans and its Saints during this past year.
I also have to credit the entire Saints organization, from owners Tom Benson and Rita Benson LeBlanc, coach Sean Payton and the players themselves led by Drew Brees. The team’s dedication to community service has made them beloved at home and admired by people all over.
This is a rare combination of off-field tragedy, on-field success and a franchise willing to give something back to its fans. The result has been something that Saints fans could only dream about for the past 4 decades.
Perhaps the Dallas Cowboys will have to make room for a new “America’s Team”?
Football Fan Spot 