IMO having a tremendous 2 down force on defense is under-appreciated. If he can be a Jamal Williams type player, then I'd love to have him....but not for a 1st round pick if Soliai keeps improving. Posted via Mobile Device
Yeah, it would be awesome if Soliai is the answer, but I'm not sure yet whether or not he can be that force we need in the middle. If he is then that opens up the opportunity to get someone like Spikes which would be an awesome addition across from CC.
I like Cody but I wonder about him sometimes. He's got good agility from what I've noticed and he fits the planet theory concept so well but every time I watch Alabama play, I see Cody missing a significant amount of snaps. I don't know why that happens but he does. Last year he played with a leg injury so its understood but I saw the same thing this year. I know its not a conditioning issue and I know its not really a weight issue because he's lost like twenty or thirty pounds.
maybe Cody has exercise induced asthma. LOL. I'm not sure 1 offseason is enough to get that monster into decent cardiovascular shape to stay on the field more. But when he's in, damn he can blow up a running play! I think he could still deflate some of the spare tire around his midriff without sacrificing production. How about if you paint a Krispy Kreme on the football during home games? LOL
OK...Jhavid Best looks good, but has he not had some serious running lanes the past 2 seasons?! Nothing to do with being a Tiger fan, but I would like to see what Spiller does with that kind of space. Just sayin. Bc of his size, I don't see him a heck of a lot higher than Lesean McCoy status right now. Anyone agree or disagree? Posted via Mobile Device
He's had some nice lanes but I think its tough to negate his ability to make cutback runs. He's got some loose hips and can make defenders miss. In regards to him like McCoy, I don't think so. I think he's got more straight line speed than McCoy.
Cant disagree with that. I wasn't trying to down play him, but his YPC is a little Barry Sanders esque without being Barry Sanders. LOL. I gotta give him credit for having the vision to see the openings in the first place. Sorry...should have clarified-- I was more comparing him to Lesean in the fact that his draft status might be similarly affected bc of their size....but you're right, he has an awesome top end. Posted via Mobile Device
I can see your point in regards to their size, as I think they are both very similar but I think the straight line speed is where its different. McCoy ran a 4.50 at his Pro Day. I'd be surprised if Best ran worse than a 4.4. I think one question, other than his size, that will come up with Jahvid Best as well has Jonathan Dwyer is how good of pass catchers they are? McCoy was a very good one IMO. I don't know about the other two as they both aren't featured heavily in the pass game.
Best is a great down field receiver. Dangerous on the fly/wheel with pretty soft hands. I'd put him right there with Spiller in that regard, but with a little more finesse....possibly close to comparable to Reggie Bush. Posted via Mobile Device
Is Best really that good downfield? I never see him pass catching and looking at his statistics, he doesn't do it a great amount. Spiller on the other hand is very good IMO.
I'm watching Wvu and Auburn and WVa's Devine reminds me a heck of alot of Darren Sproiles. Apparently Kiper is high on West Virginia's Qb Brown.
**** I completely forgot about that game. I was suppose to watch Ben Tate and Antonio Coleman as well as Selvish Capers.
What is your guys thoughts on LaGarrette Blount? I understand his off the field issues including the Boise St. game. I also heard he showed up overweight this season, but I was also watching some of his tape and love the way he runs. I would definitely throw a late round flyer at this guy. Think anyone will pull a Shanahan and draft him in the third?
Noel Devine reminds me too much of Lorenzo Booker (gives me nightmares). I'm not sure how I feel about those smaller scat backs. At least I don't think id want us to throw another first day pick at one.
He seems like a natural receiver IMO. I've seen him make a few VERY impressive long catches. If he weren't so successful running the ball, I'm sure we would see him catching more passes. It's one of his strong points IMO. I'll be curious to get your thoughts after you see him catch a few balls. Posted via Mobile Device
Booker was a unproductive back at FSU, Devine is highly productive and a north and south runner unlike Booker, who was jitterbug quick, but was not a good football player.
I can't see anyone doing what Shanahan did, especially with how big of a failure it was. Also, Blount's issues are not only the punch thrown. He's been late to meetings, overweight as you note, and I believe he's had issues with coaches as well as his work ethic being heavily criticized. Thanks for the insight. I'm very interested in seeing him now lol.
A lot of people will count him out, but unless he is BiPolar or something like that, I think this will prove to be a great learning experience and make him a better player/person for it. Some people regress from something like this, but I saw a great deal of humility and sense of team in his face before the Ducks last game...and reading people is my specialty. What U of Oregon did for this kid (by letting him stay on the team and dress for games) just changed his life--for the positive. Posted via Mobile Device
imho he really screwed up, and the last I heard he was not taking part in Oregon practices (per ESPN radio), maybe the best thing he could do is work with a strength coach and maybe a track coach and pump his measurables up as high as they can go. It's too late for a charm offensive so he needs a blistering 40 time to overcome his problems.
Blount's just had a life altering experience. Some people worsen after this...and some people experience a major wake up call and use it to rededicate themselves similarly to how Wake rededicated his life. I think we see a new Blount after this is all said and done. Not defending him, but we don't know what was said in his ear that made him throw the punch. Words before a game don't hurt as much as words after a game....and words before a game aren't as disrespectful as words after IMO. LOL. It doesn't validate throwing a punch, but I can understand. Part of me likes that losing the game caused him to become so heated in the first place. Of that emotion and fire can be redirected, then you could have yourself one hell of a player. Look at John Randle ....he was BiPolar and said he learned to channel all that extra fire and adrenaline onto the football field to become the terror he was. Posted via Mobile Device
I agree. It could change him but how many coaches and/or GM's around draft time are going to believe that? Especially when they look at his other issues? Other than maybe Al Davis and Jerry Jones, I can't see anyone. EDIT: Maybe Pat Bowlen and his ******ed colleagues.
Btw, I really like Ben Tate. Not a bad pass blocker either. I think he's definitely on the radar for next year.
Actually, blount is a great prospect to follow Alen, even "if" he runs a great 40 time, the only way he makes a team is via injury or if he can do the other things a backup Rb has to do like block and cover on Special Teams. Blount was considered a good prospect but the chances are good at Oregon he was not tasked with doing those things, if he doesn't learn fast he will be on the cut list or a practice squad. After all, the Bengals drafted one of the all time screw ups in Bernard Scott.
I wouldn't say great prospect. I think when you're looking at these guys, you can't just grade on the field talent despite what Al Davis, Mike Brown or Jerry Jones might say. You have to look at the complete package and I think it's the same thing with a guy like Greg Hardy of Ole Miss. Blount, like Hardy, is very talented and is a good looking prospect but when you include you're college II report - character report - then the prospect doesn't look as good. Hardy's character will eventually come into play in my opinion and I think when these Scouts finish their scouting reports on Hardy, it will be one of the more bizarre players. I also think it'll knock him some because he has great ability IMO. I actually think he could be a top five to seven pick if it was based on talent but it's not and I think the same goes for Blount. Some felt he was a late first rounder but that was based off talent. IMO, he was going to drop some before this latest incident and I think he'll continue to slide after teams figure out more about him.
I've only caught this fourth quarter but I've watched him a couple of other times. Good player IMO. Just has durability issues IIRC.
Bernard Scott was arrested on 5 different occasions and still was drafted in the 5th round, sometimes talent just overrides character concerns especially in the later rounds. Except for...Willie "Mugshot" Williams...he is a one man crime spree.
Fifth round isn't the same as one and two. I know that's an obvious statement but that's what I was getting at. I can see Blount going fifth round, I can't see him going 1 through 2 or maybe even 3.
Agreed, unless it was New England or someplace were the GM has a rock solid reputation or somewhere the ownership just doesn't care.
I think Padre meant "great prospect" to watch....as in "great" to follow throughout his career to see how he ends up. Or am I wrong Padre? Posted via Mobile Device
We already knew Blount had issues before this incident...IE: we knew he was a potential bad apple. I'd actually rather have him on my team more now subsequent to the incident than if he never had it in the first place. This was a big enough deal to change him IMO. I could really see him go as a compensation pick in the 3rd. Posted via Mobile Device
What stood out to me today was how good Tim Tebow is. I don't know how he will do playing QB in the NFL, but this dude is a gamer.
Take note of Tim young Ashraf--snap a mental picture of what you saw from Tebow today as far as his heart, leadership, determination, drive, competitiveness, sense of team, work ethic, intensity, and ability to take it to the next level and will yourself to victory....and use this as a benchmark for evaluating players in the future. I know it's easy to get caught up in watching talent level, physical ability, athleticism, etc....but that can get wasted very easily without the intangibles mentioned above. In high school the best players on a team are the best in their area, and they're a dime a dozen....to play college they were among the most talented in their state....be an honorable mention All America/ Conference leader and they were maybe one of the best in their region....become a 1st Team All American and they're among the best in the country....get drafted into the NFL and you're among the elite of the best in the country. My point is- that IMO anyone who makes it to the NFL is incredibly gifted beyond belief. They're the absolute cream of the crop. Guys who seem like they're just OK pros would blow your mind if you saw them in HS or college. They're mostly all Super talents separated only by a thin line at times...but "something" has to determine the type of players they become in the NFL with so little disparity between them, and to me those determinants are some of the intangibles I mentioned above....plus adding a few others like instincts, stamina, and field awareness. This is what separates the elite from the elite IMO. So when you're assessing a player, spend as much on this as you do their ability, physical/athletic potential. If you know this already, then you're another young prodigy in the making ala Alen. Posted via Mobile Device
Exactly, Blount was large, fast, and productive in the Pac10 he has character issues and will more or less miss his Senior Season.
anyone else disappointed in some of the big name prospects for next year. I was really underwhelmed by DE Carlos Dunlap and NT Terrance Cody. Even prospects who have played decent havent seemed to me to be awesome. Brandon Spikes and Dez Bryant have played well but soemthing seems to be missing. Maybe its jjjust me anyone else have opinions on these players?
I think the issue with a lot of these guys is consistency or lack of. There isn't one guy at each position that is head and shoulders above the next guy on the list. Even at quarterback, this year is going to be another year in which there isn't a clear cut, number one quarterback out there. Bradford is better than the rest in my opinion but he's got his own issues that include lack of snaps under center and he's injured so I wonder about him. At running back, the two guys who were coming into this year as the top names - Dwyer and Spiller - have struggled some, especially Dwyer. Spiller has been electric on punt returns but he seems to have some durability issues ala Westbrook. At wide receiver, Dez Bryant is probably the top name but he's got some attitude issues and he dropped a pass to seal the Houston win. Terrence Cody at nose tackle is the top prospect but I see him missing a significant amount of snaps. Greg Hardy is arguably the top defensive end talent IMO but he's a very weird character. Sergio Kindle has maturity issues. Corey Wotton is coming off an ACL tear and then George Selvie can't gain weight. Brandon Lang is arguably the most complete defensive end/outside linebacker but he's coming from Troy which is a school that some worry about. Willie Young of NC State is inconsistent. Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy at the two defensive tackle spots are probably the top of the class, not just their position IMO. Then you have Boo Robinson who may be the third or fourth best DT/NT prospect but he's had weight issues in the past, even though he's gotten down to about 295-302 now. DeMarcus Granger has had shoplifting and other legal issues in the past. Vince Oghobaasee is coming from Duke. McCoy is a better prospect in my eyes. More talented. At inside linebacker, Brandon Spikes is a question mark in the run game at times while the next best guy Rolando McClain might be a liability in coverage and then arguably your best covering inside linebacker - Joe Pawalek of Baylor - gets too tall in coverage. At cornerback, we have smaller cornerbacks that either don't have top speed or don't like contact. Patrick Robinson of FSU has gotten beat a bit this year. Syd'Quan Thompson I like a lot but he's very small. Trevard Lindley doesn't like contact IIRC. Kyle Wilson is inconsistent. Dominique Franks of Oklahoma is a good prospect and top 64 pick in my eyes but he gets caught cheating. At safety, you have overrated Taylor Mays and then you have Morgan Burnett who's a very good player but can get caught cheating up. At offensive tackle, you have Trent Williams argued as the top prospect and he's a RT in my eyes. Too slow off the snap. Anthony Davis of Rutgers is a good underclassmen prospect but he will sometimes allow the defender into his chest area or he'll be slow off the snap from time to time so he'll get beat by the speed rush. As of right now, there isn't a clear cut prospect at the top of the draft. McCoy and Suh are arguably the top players coming out but their both defensive tackles. Some GM's might worry about taking an interior lineman that early. I like McCoy because he's very versatile in my eyes and he's worhty of a top five pick. The same goes for Suh but others may feel different.
Forgot about him, lol. Good call. He's very good but I can't see anyone taking him top five other than Oakland lol. EDIT: Maybe Cleveland. They strongly considered Malcolm Jenkins to play FS for them at this years pick but they moved it.
