The Scouts Notebook

If you have any interest in scouting or the personnel world, you like Ozzie Newsome. Actually, you should love Ozzie. He is everything that’s right about being a GM.

Greg Bedard wrote a brilliant piece on Ozzie, starting with his childhood and going right up to now. Lots of great information and stories in there.

Here is a great bit on his transition from college to the NFL.

Before the 1978 draft, another coach was sent, like Mitchell, to visit Newsome, with very specific instructions. Rich Kotite was part of Sam Rutigliano’s new coaching staff with the Browns. Rutigliano wanted a weapon who could attack the double zone defenses of the day down the middle. That meant he needed a tight end. Newsome was a receiver most of his career at Alabama, but Rutigliano thought he could make the transition if he possessed one unique physical trait.

“I told [Kotite], ‘I don’t want to know anything else except does he have a big butt?’ ” Rutigliano recalls.

A few days later, Kotite returned from Tuscaloosa. As he walked into Rutigliano’s office, Kotite didn’t have any scouting reports or any materials on Newsome. “He just said, ‘Sam, he’s got a big butt.’ I said OK, and we drafted him 23rd overall, after taking linebacker Clay Matthews 12th,” Rutigliano recalls.

Newsome reported for a mini-camp and met with Rutigliano, who told his new player he could make it as a receiver but could be a great tight end. “Coach, Bear Bryant told me to tell you that he thinks I should play tight end too,” Newsome said. “Well, if coach Bryant feels that way, that’s good enough for both of us, right?” Rutigliano replied.

“Yes sir,” Newsome said.  Continue reading →

Greg Bedard is one of the better football writers out there. He’s now part of Peter King’s MMQB site and one of his best features is a weekly notes column.

This week’s column is must-read material.

There is great stuff on Rex Ryan.

This is where perception meets reality. The perception of the Jets is that they are a mess. You have an owner, Woody Johnson, who doesn’t know which end is up on a football (OK, that part is true). There’s a new general manager, John Idzik, who had coach Rex Ryan forced upon him and is counting the days until he can install his own coach. You’ve heard there’s a disconnect between the kind of players Ryan needs to win, and the kind of players Idzik has given him. And that Ryan ultimately doomed himself by inserting Sanchez into the fourth quarter of an exhibition game, only to suffer a potentially season-ending shoulder injury.

As the narrative goes, Ryan is a dead coach walking. But the great thing about football is that perception doesn’t matter and reality plays out on the field for all to see. And this is the undeniable reality about the Jets: Ryan and his staff can flat-out coach. They just don’t have enough players yet. And haven’t, really, since he’s been the Jets’ coach. For years this coaching staff inflated how good they really were; it wasn’t until last season when they truly struggled to make something out of nothing.

I think Rex is a flawed head coach, but he is better than many give him credit for.

Bedard and some others at MMQB have put together a new pass rush metric. They are weighting sacks and tracking “disruptions”. This is exciting and could be a big help in evaluating DL.

I’m not going to try and explain the info here. Go read the article. Great stuff.

Bedard also posted this nugget on Chip Kelly and the hurry-up offense.

The impressive debut of Chip Kelly’s offense in the Eagles’ opening win against the Redskins sent tongues wagging around the NFL because of its fast tempo. It certainly was something to see. And less time between plays has been on the rise the past couple of seasons, so it’s only natural to think that’s going to increase. Watch just about any college football game, and you’re going to see fastbreak offenses. But I’m not ready to say that what you saw from the Eagles in the first half is the start of some revolution in the NFL. The biggest reason is the impact that injuries might have. The pro and college game is completely different in this regard, with college having much more rest built in. Most college teams play 12 regular season games with two bye weeks. They are limited to four hours of football work daily and 20 hours per week, including practice, classroom work and training. They have rosters up to 105 players. Some NFL teams play 13 straight weeks, including short weeks with one Thursday night game. The only limit on football time is three hours for the 14 padded practices. There are only 46 players available on game day. Those are major differences, and almost make full-time run-and-gun offenses unrealistic. And the other factor is that the hurry-up offense fatigues the offense just as much as it does the defense. The Patriots ran over 80 plays in three games last season: against Denver, Seattle and San Francisco. In all three games they were gassed in the fourth quarter, and there was a hangover. After Denver, the Patriots lost to Seattle. After playing the Seahawks and 49ers, the Patriots played poorly against the Jets and Jaguars. There might be a revolution in the offing, but we need to see more data first.

Interesting info and a reasonable take.

The Michigan-Notre Dame game from last Saturday was a lot of fun to watch. Classic rivalry. Good player for both teams and a great atmosphere. You have to start with Michigan QB Devin Gardner. He made the bonehead play of the CFB season when he threw an INT…in his own endzone. He was being tackled and threw a ball to an Irish DL for a TD. That is bad times infinity. Or more. A Senior player simply has to know better. His team had the lead. Punting the ball away would have been fine. Terrible decision.

Gardner is a talented prospect. He throws the ball well. Has a good arm. Gifted athlete that can run as well. Gardner was 21-33-294 with 4 TD passes. He was 13-82-1 on the ground. NFL teams have to balance his physical skills with his QB skills. That INT was so awful that it will bug the heck out of some coaches and scouts.

LT Taylor Lewan is a guy with a huge reputation. I think he might be a bit overrated. Lewan is big and athletic. I just don’t think he’s as good a pass blocker as he should be. I do like him as a run blocker. I don’t see him as a Top 10 pick, but I know some people think Lewan will go very early.

Irish NT Louis Nix is a real fun player to watch. He goes about 6-3, 340 and is a classic NT. Nix can destroy single-blocking. He can eat up double-teams. And you have to love any player that calls himself “Irish Chocolate”. That nickname alone makes him worth a high pick.   Continue reading →

Week One provided a lot of good games. I don’t think anything was better than GB/SF. That appears to be a great rivalry. Both teams are very talented and fun to watch.

The Niners won on Sunday, 34-28. Colin Kaepernick was magnificent. He went 27-39-412 with 3 TDs. Set the stats aside if you want. The eye test was even better. Those weren’t easy passes to wide open players due to horrible coverage. Kaepernick had an instant connection to new WR Anquan Boldin and got the ball to him in tight coverage on several plays.

Ron Jaworski took a lot of flak this summer for saying Kaepernick had the potential to be one of the best QBs in NFL history. I think Jaws is dead on the money. Kaepernick is physically gifted as a runner and passer, but also is skilled. He’s also smart, tough and competitive. That’s a deadly combination.

Oh yeah, that Boldin guy doesn’t suck.

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The Eagles lit up the Skins on Monday night, but a few Skins defenders played well. I was surprised by how good Brian Orakpo looked. He was going up against Jason Peters, which is never easy. Orakpo didn’t have any sacks, but made Peters work.

Barry Cofield had a terrific game. He beat C Jason Kelce and RG Todd Herremans multiple times. He used quickness and power. Some plays he would drive the blocker backward. Other times he would shoot gaps.

Perry Riley has quietly become one of the better 3-4 ILBs in the NFL.

As for RG3, he was rusty more than anything. One point that many analysts have missed is that holding him another week, two, or three would not have eliminated that rust. It simply would have delayed it. RG3 needed to play in a live NFL setting to get rid of the rust and back into form. You can argue that the Skins should have waited for a lesser opponent, but that would have delayed RG3 rounding into shape.

I think he’ll play well pretty soon. He started 13-25 in the Eagles game, but finished 17-24. He got into a rhythm and that got him going.

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The Steelers were a mess on Sunday. C Maurkice Pouncey got hurt early and the O-line struggled the rest of the game. RB Isaac Redman has no business as a starter, even for just a game or two. He is meant to be a role player.

That was a very discouraging start for Pittsburgh and things may not improve a lot from then. They added Fernando Velasco to replace Pouncey. We’ll see how that goes. Big Ben doesn’t have great weapons around him. The defense played relatively well, but the Titans helped.

QB Jake Locker was borderline awful in the 1st half. Greg Cosell remarked this summer about how much better Locker played. I was excited to watch him, but it was the same old Jake. He was better after halftime, but nowhere close to actually good.

As many people have noted, Gregg Williams made a notable impact on the Titans defense. Say what you want about his bizarre ending with the Saints, but Williams does know defense. Give him some talent to work with and he can produce results.

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Dallas players talked a lot after their win over the Giants about how fun it was to see the defense take the ball away from the opponent. Okay. But go re-watch that tape. The Giants were giving the ball away most of the night.

This might sound like I’m nitpicking, but there is a difference. When a bad offense gives you the ball, that’s different that creating takeaways. The point is that the next week you might play a team that is better with the ball and suddenly the gift turnovers are gone.

Top notch defenses find a way to take the ball away on a regular basis. The Cowboys might do that this year. I just hope they realize a lot of luck was involved with Sunday night. What the heck was Eli Manning thinking with those short passes?

DT Jason Hatcher has quietly become a good player. He could be a key performer for Dallas, with his ability to get pressure up the middle. He had one sack on SNF.

DE George Selvie also had a sack. Funny, when George was a Soph at USF he got off to a freakish start. He had something like 15 TFLs after 5 games and was on pace to do some amazing things. His production tailed off and he finished his career quietly. He’s been slow to make things work in the NFL, but it appears he’s a good fit for Dallas and their new 4-3 defense. Good luck to George. Always love it when guys hit hard times and instead of giving up they fight and claw until they find a good landing spot.

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Browns TE Jordan Cameron had a good summer. In the opener he was 9-108-1. Cleveland has some pieces on offense. They really need Brandon Weeden to show he can be an NFL QB.

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I still can’t believe Lavonte David‘s bonehead play from the end of the TB/NYJ game. How on earth does he hit Geno Smith as Smith is running out of bounds? What was he thinking? That hit isn’t going to punish Smith. It accomplishes nothing. And it cost his team the game.

David is a very good young player, but Tampa isn’t going to start winning games until their players start playing smart. Coaches will tell you that more football games are lost than won. That hit by David is a prime example.

Sorry for the quiet summer here at ScoutsNotebook. That’s behind us now and a new college season has begun. Hooray!!!

* The big game was Georgia at Clemson and that featured some big talent. Tigers QB Tajh Boyd had an impressive game. He was 18-30-270. Boyd threw for 3 TDs and no INTs. Boyd looked faster and more athletic than previous years. He had a reputation for being a bit overweight early in his career,  but looked good on Saturday. Clemson ran several designed run plays with him, even some between the tackles.

Boyd made one sensational pass when he hit a RB for a TD. The player was tightly covered. Boyd put the ball in a spot where his guy could get to the ball, but not the defender. That was absolutely an NFL throw. The thing that makes Brady and Manning so special is that they can throw to a player that is tightly covered and still get the ball in there for the catch.

Boyd has a strong arm and can be incredibly accurate. He made smart decisions and showed good pocket presence. If he’s able to play like this all year, he could be a very high pick.

* Boyd’s teammate of note is WR Sammy Watkins. He was sensational in 2011. Watkins was the best Freshman WR I’ve ever seen and arguably the best overall Freshman player I’ve ever seen. He was special. Things didn’t go so well in 2012. There was a suspension early in the year and Watkins never was the same dominant player.

I wondered which guy we’d see this season. Luckily the answer is…the good one. Watkins was 6-127-1. He had a 77-yard TD that was spectacular. Boyd hit him with a quick throw in traffic. Watkins snatched it with his hands. He then spun and went upfield. He hit a defender with his shoulder and knocked the guy away. Watkins then used a great burst to fly up the field for the score. That play showed hands, toughness, speed and strength. That was an NFL play. If Watkins character checks out, he’ll be a very high pick. Great talent.

Watkins did have a couple of drops in the game. He did muff a punt. I expect some early season sloppiness, but we’ll have to watch and see if those issues persist or go away.

* Univ. of Buffalo LB Khalil Mack had a tremendous game vs Ohio State. Mack lacks ideal size at 6-3, 245. He might remind you of Jarvis Jones, the Georgia LB from last year. Jones had a great year in 2012, but slipped in the draft, partly due to awkward size. Most teams prefer 3-4 OLBs to go 260 pounds or so.

Mack had 2.5 sacks and a pick-six in the game. The INT came when he got into the passing lane on a WR screen. Mack showed great awareness and good hands. He snatched the ball and then took off for the endzone. As to Mack’s pass rushing, he was most effective with power moves. Mack was able to drive the OT backward, shed him and then get to the QB. That’s impressive, but seeing a dynamic burst up the field would have been better.

Mack will generate a lot of 1st round talk due to having the great game, but it won’t surprise me at all to see him in the 2nd round.

* Penn State WR Allen Robinson was forced to sit out the 1st half of the game vs Syracuse. The minute he stepped on the field, things changed. In the 2nd half, Robinson was 7-133-1. He has great RAC ability. Robinson caught one short pass and started to move through traffic. An OL was in front of him and Robinson knocked the guy out of his way. That showed the kind of strength that Robinson has. It also showed how hard he plays. Robinson isn’t out there tip-toeing around. He goes full speed. I think he could be a high pick next May, if he comes out.

* Western Kentucky MLB Andrew Jackson is a tough guy. He lists at 6-1, 257 and he’s got a thick, powerful build. If he gets to a runner between the tackles, there is a good chance the guy is going down. Jackson had 8 tackles (5 solo) and a TFL in WKU’s win over Kentucky. Jackson had a couple of highlight plays in the game where he got runners down with big hits. When he explodes through his targets, it is all over.

Jackson has limited range and athletic ability, but teams that want a big run stuffer at ILB will like him.

* Speaking of ILBs, I watched a bit of Ryan Shazier from Ohio State. He reminds me a bit of Daryl Washington. Shazier lists at 6-2, 230. That’s not big at all. But he plays bigger than that. He will play inside runs. He is very good in coverage. He’s just a smart, instinctive LB that makes plays. Shazier did leave the game with cramps for a bit.

Quick Hits

* I’m not worried about Jadeveon Clowney. His hype was over the top. Great player. Great prospect. But also human.

* Washington QB Keith Price caught my eye against Boise State. Price was inconsistent last year and wisely chose to return to school. He looked very good in the opener. More games like that and he’ll get an NFL job.

* LSU is just a factory for DL, especially DTs.

* Florida DL Dominique Easley explodes off the ball. He was highly disruptive in the opener.

The NFL will hold the Supplemental Draft on Thursday at 1pm. There are 6 players eligible this year. None of them are likely to be drafted.

DE James Boyd, UNLV – 6-5, 255 – Originally went to USC. Then transferred to a junior college and eventually UNLV. Has played both offense and defense. Played DE for UNLV in 2012. Had 2.5 sacks, but 2 of them came vs I-AA Northern Arizona. Talented prep player who never panned out in college. Good frame.

DT Nate Holloway, UNLV – 6-3, 365 – Massive NT. Missed 2012 due to academic issues. Had 3.5 TFLs in 2011 as a Soph. Not as physically dominant as his size might suggest. Does have good potential as a run stuffer.

DE Toby Jackson, Central Florida – 6-5, 257 – Originally signed with Georgia out of high school, but had to go to junior college. Was a highly sought after JC prospect and chose UCF over some bigger schools. Didn’t pan out. Was a backup in 2011. Lists at 6-5, but doesn’t look that tall.

WR DeWayne Peace, Houston – 5-11, 190 – Led UH in receiving in 2012, going 54-603-2. Looks like a slot receiver, but played outside for the Cougars. Lacks the speed to beat CBs. Comfortable working the middle of the field. Also a returner.

WR O.J. Ross, Purdue – 5-10, 188 – Purdue’s leading receiver in 2012. Finished his career with 100-959-6. That is a terrible yards per catch average, especially for college. Ross isn’t anything special athletically. Could be a role player in the NFL. Has some KOR experience.

CB Damond Smith, South Alabama – 5-11, 184 – Played 2 years at Western Michigan. Was out for 2011 and ended up at South Alabama. According to former Eagles scout John Middlekauf, there are some character concerns with Smith. He did have a solid Pro Day workout for NFL teams and ran in the 4.5 range, which is solid for a corner with his build.

Wanna see an athletic O-lineman in action?

Larry Allen played LT, RT and OG. He was a dominant run blocker, but also a gifted pass blocker. And as you can see…a good athlete.

Greg Gabriel has been an NFL scout and personnel executive. He’s now doing some writing for National Football Post. In a recent piece, Greg listed some of the top scouts in the business.

Here is the write-up on Tim Mingey of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Ask any scout in the Southeast who the most respected scout in the area is and most will say Tim Mingey. Tim has been with the Jags since 1994 and has built a solid reputation ever since. In 2011 he was awarded the C.O. Brocato Scout of the Year award by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That in itself is all we need to know. Not only is Tim highly respected but he is also well liked by his peers. Spend some time with Tim Mingey and you always learn something.

Before he got into scouting, Tim was a successful college coach and recruiting coordinator. Some of his stops were West Point, Tennessee, East Carolina, Miami (Ohio) and Western Michigan.

Scouts do their work behind the scenes so it is always cool when they get some attention.

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Here is an interesting note from Daniel Jeremiah, former NFL scout.

NFL area scouts have 2 main responsibilities: 1) Background/character research 2) player evaluation… #1 now takes up 75% of their time.

— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) June 26, 2013

The one thing I don’t think enough people know is that scouts do gather a lot of non-football information. This isn’t just a matter of watching tape, watching practice and then choosing which players you like. That’s only part of scouting.

Bill Parcells recently said in an interview that he regrets leaving the New England Patriots job back in January of 1997. Yahoo did an article on Parcells and the comments.

Honestly, I’ve always thought Parcells was given way too much of a free pass for this move. The Pats lost the Super Bowl to Green Bay and Parcells didn’t even ride home with the team on the plane. That is mind boggling to me.

Parcells and owner Robert Kraft had some disagreements on how things should be done. Parcells now says he was “too headstrong”. Ya think?

The media has always loved Parcells so it doesn’t surprise me that more writers and TV analysts have been hesitant to rip him for how he handled the situation. Can you imagine if some young coach had done that? The uproar would have been overwhelming. Instead, it was just Tuna being Tuna.

What did Parcells walk away from? Yahoo talks about him leaving before “one of the great NFL dynasties took off”. Whoa, now.

Go look at the 1996 starters/roster.

Go look at the 2001 starters/roster.

There are some major differences. The two most important Patriots of them all were not acquired until 2000. That is Tom Brady and Richard Seymour. Brady was taken in the 6th round of the 2000 draft. Seymour was taken in the 1st round of the 2001 draft. Even OLB Mike Vrabel wasn’t signed as a free agent until 2001.

Parcells had a really good team put together in 1996. Drew Bledsoe was a star QB. Terry Glenn was a star rookie WR. Curtis Martin was a terrific workhorse RB. Ben Coates was a stud TE. The OL was solid. The defense had some really good pieces in Willie McGinest, Ted Johnson, Ty Law and Lawyer Milloy. That is a talented bunch of players.

But let’s not confuse that group with what the Pats did from 2001-2004 (and even since).

The Pats didn’t draft well when Tuna left. They got very little from the 1997-1999 years. I’m sure Tuna would have done better and added talent to his core. Let’s just not assume that somehow that group would have turned into the juggernaut Patriots that we know and have come to hate over the years.

by David Syvertsen

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ARIZONA CARDINALS

Top 3 Needs: OL, QB, S

#7 (1) Johnathan Cooper – G/North Carolina

-Athletic and powerful blocker that can handle size and speed by himself

-Much needed starting caliber lineman that can create running lanes and protect QB

#45 (2) Kevin Minter – LB/LSU

-Downhill run defender that can make an immediate difference inside

-Another solid piece to the puzzle for what could be a top tier defense

#69 (3) Tyrann Mathieu – CB/LSU

-Dynamic playmaker that will make plays no matter where they put him

-Gambling on a top flight defensive back at this point in the draft was a good move

#103 (4) Alex Okafor – DE/Texas

-Strong presence at the point of attack with explosive movements in tight spaces

-Versatile asset to a scheme that likes to exploit matchups by moving guys around

#116 (4) Earl Watford – G/James Madison

-Strong presence that controls his assignment from start to finish consistently

-Could be another starter for this rebuilding offensive line within a couple years

#140 (5) Stepfan Taylor – RB/Stanford

-Quick thumper that is effective in between the tackles.  Can handle a lot of carries

-Immediate short yardage back that gives them a sense of stability in the backfield

#174 (6) Ryan Swope – WR/Texas A&M

-Tough receiver underneath that catches well in traffic and can move with the ball

-Quality depth that will work his tail off and end up contributing eventually

#187 (6) Andre Ellington – RB/Clemson

-Shifty, explosive ball carrier that can make people miss.  Catches well.

-Third down back option in a re-built but crowded backfield

#219 (7) DC Jefferson – TE/Rutgers

-Nicely built athlete that wasn’t utilized correctly in college.  Untapped upside.

-Competition for the 3rd tight end spot with upside of becoming a quality backup

What They Did:

Arizona had one of my favorite drafts from start to finish.  They did the right thing by addressing the interior of their offensive line with two guys that could be starting early in their careers.  They also added several other players that will contribute in 2013.  Minter and Mathieu will blend in nicely to the aggressive, turnover-forcing scheme that will allow these guys to play with a controlled reckless aggression.  If Mathieu can be kept out of trouble by Peterson and the support staff, Arizona acquired one of the top defensive backs in this entire class.  Taylor and Ellington will get a shot to play early as well because the game day carries are there for the taking, as they will host an intra-roster competition throughout the preseason.  I gave both of them high grades, as they are capable of making things happen.  The theme of this draft is immediate contribution for a team that was not as bad as their record says they were.

Top Value Pick – Andre Ellington – RB/Clemson (#39 overall player on my board)

UDFA Most Likely to Make Team: Tony Jefferson – S/Oklahoma