That pretty much nails it. I'll be shocked if he runs a sub 4.4. I have seen him look pretty fast going down the sideline, but in terms of quickness and separation a warning bell goes off after watching him play. Part of me hates to say it, but you could draw a parallel to Patrick Turner in that regard. And then there's the "Anquan Boldin factor"- in DT you have a guy that will fight for the ball, out- postition DB's, use his height and vertical jump to make the catch, use his strength for yac, has good hands, and just beats his man to get the job done. And the great blocking as well. That's all good stuff. But imo there's no escaping the caveat- can he separate and does he have explosion? Desmon Briscoe has more separation ability and explosion than DT imo. Every year I loop on certain draft related things. Last year was Percy Harvin. This year it's Arrelious Benn, Sean Lee, and the general topic of getting a WR with separation ability and explosion to counterbalance what Bess, Hartline and Camarillo (Turner as well) can and cannot do. Bess/Hart/Cam are just not separation guys, their skillset lies elsewhere. I won't waste time factoring in Ted Ginn. The bottom line is that given a choice between Benn and DT I'm not thinking too hard about it- I take Benn. But if DT is there at #43 for us? I'm absolutely thinking about it if we don't get Bryant in the 1st and I'm probably taking him. And then I start worrying about whether or not he can separate from the Revis's and Cromarties of the NFL.
I don't think Turner and Thomas are alike at all. Thomas is much stronger, much more physical, is a much more progressive route runner and is a very good blocker. I also disagree about Bess and his ability to seperate. Bess does a tremendous job of getting open both on the boundary and from the slot. Bess can be uncoverable at times which makes him so valuable on 3rd downs.
Re: Bess- I get your point and considered revising earlier. But the point is this- Bess can separate in a slot role, but not so much vertically. So he has a subset of explosion and separation, but lacks the pure speed component to fill the entire role. He just won't stretch a defense and probably won't demand much beyond normal coverage. I don't want to peel the onion too much on this one, but yes, Bess is quick and can separate mainly in shorter routes, but in terms of the explosion and separation that we sorely lack in our offense he's not the answer. He doesn't have the speed, explosion and separation ability to really stretch the field. But his shorter route quicks? Yeah, you gotta love that. I see two guys in the draft that can fill the role that is so lacking in our WR core- Bryant and Benn. And in terms of fitting a profile, I'm getting intrigued by Carlton Mitchell, but flying blind on him. As per Thomas v Turner, I was specifically referring to separation ability, not comparing the two overall. DT appears to be much more physical, which is kind of surprising given the size and strength of Pat Turner. Make no mistake, Turner is a big, strong dude: http://usc.scout.com/2/853014.html http://www.exposay.com/celebrity-photos/patrick-turner-2009-ncaa-football-southern-Cv5pfA.jpg Any thoughts on taking a flyer on your guy Mike Williams in the 4th or later? I've been trying to digest this one- I could see taking the risk, but not at the expense of say a good NT prospect in the 4th. A gamble on greatness, but another thing that I'm looping on is his 8 reps of 225 at the combine.
Davone is what he is. On comebacks, slants, digs, curls, speed outs, hitches, etc., then he's tough to play. But as an offense you have to play to his strengths. No point in running him on streaks and posts and corners and rails all game because that's not his game. Turner has functional strength but football strength isn't a strong point. He simply cannot get off a jam consistently. That's not an issue for Demaryius. I think Mike Williams is too much of a risk. People I spoke to post Combine said that he interviewed like Perrish Cox: badly. Such a shame because he has all the talent in the world.
I was kind of shocked to read earlier in the year that Turner was having major problems beating the press. I'm guessing that part of the problem is as you said functional football strength, but I have a suspiscion that he's mentally just too passive, which is a shame. You're dead on with the Bess comments, but that goes back to why we need a Bryant/Benn type. Bess, Camarillo and Hartline all bring something to the table, but what they lack is what we sorely need.
hey Tim. There's been a lot of debate on our forum lately about the veracity of articles coming out detailing Dez Bryant and his supposed slipping in the draft. Jason Cole used three unnamed sources and ESPN also ran a couple of articles detailing some of the concerns. Could you detail for everybody the process you guys go through in vetting and fact checking your sources before you go to print. Also whats your take on Dez's charcter concerns
Tim, what are the chances of the Bills moving to Tornto full time? Are they no longer a viable franchise in Buffalo?
Tim, what do you hear about the Smiley situation? What are the possible destinations? Seattle and Cleveland were brought up.
Thanks for the pic links Jim. There is no doubt in my mind, if nothing else, Patrick Turner can easily lay claim to best physique coming out of USC last year. He is one of those guys that the late Joel Buchsbaum would have said, it looks like he was weaned on a Nautilus Machine. Now, if Turner can just play up to his physicality...that is the big IF.
First off, let me apologize for not being around more often. I'm still trying to find an offseason routine. I'm also still waiting for things to slow down, but they never seem to. After covering the NFL owners meetings last week, I don't have any travel coming up, so I'm hoping things settle a bit. OK ... as for this question, I personally don't have a hard take on Dez Bryant. As mentioned earlier in the thread, I won't make something up if I don't have any specific knowledge on a college player. I read and hear the same things that are out there, but I don't have any contacts close to Bryant to be able to add anything unique. When it comes to vetting sources, that's usually done over years of knowing them and developing a mutual trust. They give you information that you know is accurate because of who they are, absence of an agenda and the fact they haven't burned you before, and they trust you not to reveal their names. Rarely do you get inside info that you need to vet on the spot, so to speak.
This one has me confused, like many other folks. I thought Smiley was a valued contributor. Overpaid? Yes, but nothing outrageous, and not at a frivolous position. I haven't heard anything definitive on a trade partner, but if the Dolphins view him as overpaid, then you have to assume most of the league will, too, and not want to take on that contract (while giving up a draft asset, no less). It will be interesting to see how this plays out. What if the Dolphins can't trade him? Can you bring him back now? They'd probably have to cut him, and any team that's interested in Smiley knows that's possible.
Toronto doesn't look promising at the moment. The driving force behind moving those games to Toronto (multi-billionaire Ted Rogers) passed away, and nobody at Rogers Communication really has picked up the cause. Plus, Toronto would need to build an NFL-caliber stadium. The Rogers Centre (used to be called the SkyDome) is inadequate in terms of capacity, club seating and many other elements.
Tim, who is the best kick returner in the AFCE? And what would Marshawn Lynch or Roscoe Parrish cost in draft picks? And will Marcus Stroud survive the switch to the 3-4 in Buffalo?
I liked the pick, but I would have liked Dan Williams even more. You have to think the Dolphins preferred Williams when Jeff Ireland described how they spoke with Randy Starks about playing nose tackle the Friday morning after the first round. I don't have inside info on it, but I think that was Plan B.
1) Good question ... C.J. Spiller might be him now. Devin McCourty has skills there, too. 2) A fourth-rounder for Lynch maybe, a seventh-rounder for Parrish (if Santonio Holmes goes for a fifth). 3) Yes, he'll still be one of their best D-linemen.
Tim, what does the rest of the AFCE think of Starks moving to NT? Do they think he can be a force there or just manageable?
Hi Tim, Please give us a complete breakdown of the Miami Dolphins inside and outside linebacker positions. How do you see things shaping up at those positions heading into 2010? Thanks! gish
Way too soon to tell. The Dolphins just announced it over the weekend and when we have access to GMs and coaches, asking about Randy Starks is going to be way down on the list. The other AFC East teams probably haven't even thought about Starks.
Keep an eye out on the blog for something like that. I just come on here to hang out and talk football. Your question sounds like work, and it's 3:07 a.m.
Great question, and I guess the answer depends on what your definition of a No. 2 is. Some people don't consider a slot receiver as a No. 2, but how would you label Wes Welker? Bess likely will remain the traditional slot target (short stuff, third downs), with Brian Hartline becoming the other wideout opposite Marshall. Now that Ginn is gone, Hartline is the fastest regular from last year.
I understand why people are offended by the question, but I think the attention has been overblown, which is why my coverage of it has been limited to the basics. If I write a column that I think the story is overblown, then I'm being hypocritical in writing about it, right?
The industry needs more like you taking that approach...not less. IMO, a counter voice to those that rant on and on making the non-story way overblown. Personally, your quick two sentences at the top of a blog which talks about more important topics still goes a long way to make the point. Nicely stated, TG, nicely stated.
Surprised I'm the first to ask this question but, Tim, Sanchez better than Henne? Actually in all honesty, you make a good point. It's what have you done for me lately. But tough question: if you had your pick of the two today to be your guy who do you pick? Which QB do you see having more potential in the long run? You don't have to say Henne if you don't truly believe it. We won't kick you out. Maybe just throw a few eggs at you.
Its not exactly a popular opinion but I label Welker as a excellent Slot WR that is the product of having Moss and Brady on the same team, of course he still played great when Brady went down so maybe I have no idea what the hell I'm talking about.
I'm on the fence as far as their futures, so when asked to rank them, I had no choice but to go on who had the better season last year. What Sanchez did in the playoffs was impressive, regardless of how many times he was asked to throw. I know a lot of people say he just handed off and was a game manager in those victories, but that's how Bob Griese got into the Hall of Fame. Long-term, I'm not sure. I'd like to see more consistency out of both quarterbacks. We'll have a better sense of Henne this year now that he has a dangerous receiver to throw at.
Thanks for the reply, BDH. I didn't feel like that controversy was worthy of more space on my blog. If you wanted to read about that story, it was all over the place and not tough to find. What else could I add to it?
Tim, Do you believe the NFL will get involved with the UFL as a sort of developmental league? Every major sport has a minor league...except the NFL. And the proposed move to a 18 game schedule means 2 less preseason games so raw young talent literally has much less of a chance to show what they can do on the field
Whats the NCAA? They have tons of big games, seniors bowls, Combines and three days of draft prime time coverage now. I think we have a developmental league. All the other leagues wish there scout teams (which pay players so they can stock the teams) had the coverage and depth of talent that college football has. I believe we in the football world have it the best IMO. Edit: I think about the idea of seeing some good footballers rehabbing in a minor league seems cool, but also the time window is so small in the nfl. Not only years per player but also so few games each yr to show talent. Doesnt work for me. But what do I know i edited this post 10 times lol
The NCAA collects Athletes to play football for their system, the NFL has entirely different systems that young players then have to learn, a short cut in the CFL for 8 games from July to October would create semi experienced players who would know their club's systems on offense, defense and special teams.. The NCAA doesn't offer that training.
Now a true farm team could put in there own schemes and traits Hmm excellent point, and we develope future coaches using our system also. wow the madness. I must rethink this
I think those wheels are in motion. I predict the NFL will either own or become a partner of the UFL within a year or two.
Any FS's out there other than O.J. Atogwe we should keep an eye on to help fill our FS void? Or do you think that our 2010 FS is currently on our roster?
Nice, of all of the things said about Jamarcus Russell, no one has mentioned that if one changes "Russell" to "Strousberg" then no one would have had a problem with a 8 game schedule whilst the lad learned "how they do things around here in the NFL" A technical, geeky question if I may, the Patriots have had 22 picks in the last two years, how will they make room on their roster for that many new bodies as well as properly evaluate them as well as the UDFA's that the Patriots seem to love so much?
I disagree, Tim. Bob was still a pretty good QB, who just didn't need to throw the ball as much with the trio of RBs we had. But when asked to throw, he did well, while his stats aren't impressive, they're still respectable. Sanchez also wasn't asked to do as much with a strong running game, but when the games were on his shoulders, he failed. Even when there wasn't any pressure, when even below average QBs can do well, he looked confused. He may become an adequate backup QB someday, but starter he is not. He not only lacks the intangibles, but he doesn't have very good mechanics either. His intellect can be questioned as well with some of his many questionable, downright wild throws we saw last year that led to INTs.
In the 1972 AFC title game, Griese was 3 of 8 for 70 yards and zero touchdowns. In the Super Bowl he was 8 of 11 for 88 yards and one touchdown with an interception. In the 1973 AFC title game he was 3 of 6 for 34 yards and zero touchdowns, and in that Super Bowl he was 6 of 7 for 73 yards and zero touchdowns. Of course, those are just two snapshots (and without those Super Bowls, Griese doesn't come close to Canton), but all we have for Sanchez right now is one snapshot. He was just a rookie. My point is, people shouldn't use the fact Sanchez was a game manager down the stretch as a negative. He won. I also would disagree with your assertion they lost every time the game was on his shoulders. They started 3-0 before Braylon Edwards arrived and despite a slow start from the run game. Thomas Jones had 107 yards in Week 1, but he had 1 yard in the first half and ripped off 38-yard and 39-yard runs in garbage time, while Sanchez was 18 of 31 for 272 yards. The next two weeks Jones had 54 and 20 yards. Sanchez was the offensive star in each of those three wins. As for telling me how poor Sanchez's mechanics and intangibles are and that he might make an adequate backup quarterback someday, I'll refrain from a debate. I'm smart enough to say I don't know about his intangibles because I haven't seen enough yet. But he's already the starting quarterback of a team that went to the AFC Championship game. And I've spoken to a lot of NFL scouts not affiliated with the Jets who would disagree with you. I see in your profile that you're 24 years old. Maybe you've played the game at a high level or know a lot of people in player personnel that have helped you develop such definitive opinions, but I'm going to have to side with the people I talk to on this one.
