The Scouts Notebook

NBA, NHL, and MLB players leave their respective sports every year, but we don’t hear nearly as much about them struggling to adapt to life after leaving the sport. Sure, there are guys who blow through their money, but that’s usually about stupidity and living too high off the hog. I’m talking about players struggling to adjust to life without their sport.

Many football players truly struggle when they leave the game. Why? Football is a drug. And there is no substitute.

NFL 16 games a year
MLB 162 games
NBA 82 games
NHL 82 games

Football is a process sport. You train, plan, prepare, practice, and then play. You only have one game a week. The other sports are all about the games. Ray Lewis has been in the NFL since 1996 and has played in “just” 222 games. A second year baseball player could have passed that total by the all star game break this year.    Continue reading →

by NFL Gimpy

It has been a slow news week for the NFL. Well not slow compared to any other major sports league offseason, but slow compared to what it has been the past few weeks. Mini-camps have started for rookies and select veterans. Rookie contracts are flying in every hour. If a 5^th round pick’s contract excites you, more power to you, but due to the new CBA and rookie contracts that are essentially set in stone before the player is even drafted, I have a hard time caring.

Since the news has been slow, I want to look ahead at some 2012 story lines. The NFL is never short on drama and I don’t see Peyton’s first season in Denver, Luck vs. RG3, or Andy Reid’s potential hot seat failing to give us a good story. Yes, I said Andy Reid could be on the hot seat. If the Eagles don’t win a playoff game in 2012, it will be 4 straight years without a playoff victory. I’m not saying he’ll get fired, but it’ll be tough to justify another season if they fail to advance in the playoffs again.

The one trend I can’t possibly see continuing is absurd passing numbers. I found an article from December of 2010 on NFL.com that says “Dan Marino’s single-season record of 5,084 passing yards — set 26 years ago — is in serious jeopardy.” In 2010, no one broke the record. Philip Rivers came closest with 4710 yards, average just a hair under 300 per game. In 2011, Drew Brees and Tom Brady eclipsed it and Matt Stafford was one Calvin Johnson bomb away from topping it as well.

Think about that. A record that stood for nearly 3 decades was broken by 2 guys in one season. Sure, the rules regarding illegal contact that were instituted a few years ago have certainly aided the passing game. In Marino’s day, you could basically assault receivers down the field and it was OK. Nowadays I’m pretty sure if you sneeze on them it’s a 5 yard penalty. With that said, I still refuse to believe NFL defenses won’t find a way to adjust. Only the Saints had a top 10 rushing attack. They were the only team with the gaudy passing numbers that had a running game you had to respect. The only thing to be afraid of with the Lions running game is another Jahvid Best injury.      Continue reading →

Greg Cosell does great work for NFL Films as he breaks down tape and prepares for the NFL Matchup show each week.  During the offseason he does some draft analysis.  He wrote a recent column taking a look at 3 teams and how the positions they picked indicate how those teams feel  the game should be played.

Einstein said true genius is the ability to take complex ideas and make them simple.  That’s the kind of stuff Greg is best at.  He rarely says anything that blows you away, but then you think about his information and realize that the simple points he made were dead on the money and something you hadn’t considered before.

So often when we look back at drafts, people focus on specific players and value.  Greg is looking at positions to try and figure out the goal of each team and what that means to their style of play.  He’s not giving us new information, but is giving us a new way to look at existing information.  That’s Greg and why he’s such a valuable person to read/listen to.  I assume most of you follow him on Twitter already, but if not…he is someone that all NFL/football fans should follow.      Continue reading →

by NFL Gimpy

Alright, let’s hand out some draft grades!

Just kidding. I got a lot of feedback last week on the draft grade column on whether or not people think drafts are gradable before the players set foot on the field. Is a player really a reach if he plays at an All-Pro level during his career? Was the value great if the player never sees the field? But then again, when you grade a draft, you’re only grading based off of whether or not that team solved needs, found value, or executed their plan to add talent. Really great stuff last week everyone.

What I want to do this week is tie the biggest stories going on right now together: Concussion lawsuits, Bountygate suspensions, and the loss of Junior Seau. This unfortunately all ties together. There are literally thousands of former and current NFL players who have health symptoms caused by concussions suffered during their NFL careers. Hundreds of them are now suing the NFL. They claim the NFL either knew or should have known the long term effects of concussions and should have taken better steps to protect players. If they did know and they concealed the information, they’re in a lot of trouble.      Continue reading →

DT Devon Still was the 53rd pick in last week’s draft.  If I had told you that 4 months ago, you would have said I was nuts.  Still was coming off a great Senior season.  He had 17 TFLs and led Penn State to a 9-4 record despite having no offense and playing in one of the most dysfunctional situations anyone could dare to dream up.

Dontari Poe was chosen 11th overall.  He only had 21.5 TFLs in his whole career and never came close to playing up to Still’s level.  Fletcher Cox was taken 12th.  He had a great year in 2011, but had done little prior to that.

How could a one-year wonder and a no-year wonder be taken 40 picks ahead of Still?  Devon had size.  He had played at PSU and faced some great competition.  He was part of a good defense.  He was productive.  What was missing?    Continue reading →

Let me first apologize as this will be somewhat of a lengthy commentary on the Philadelphia Eagles draft. While I’d prefer to give my readers the cut and dry of each pick – there is no cut and dry – and if you’re reading my take on things I assume there is some masochism in your DNA. Expect my normal tangents, raves, rants and lunacy.

12. Fletcher Cox, DT Mississippi State 6-foot-4, 298 pounds

Fletcher’s best days are ahead of him. I honestly believe that statement and at the same time, this is the most excited I’ve ever been over a player the Birds have selected in the 1st round. Cox is a 300-pound athlete at defensive tackle and that’s a rarity in the NFL. He’s also a player that could end up seeing time at nose tackle, under tackle and left defensive end for Philadelphia.

If you’ll humor me and look him up on YouTube the only thing you need pay attention to is this young man’s feet at all times. Look at him once he has penetrated and is forced to change directions in the backfield. Players like Jerel Worthy, Devon Still, Michael Brockers and even Dontari Poe have to stop, change direction and then move again. Fletcher makes that transition seamlessly and has the movement skills of an athletic end.     Continue reading →

by NFL Gimpy

The draft is done! Yay! I have a great idea! Let’s grade every single team before any of these players step on the field. Bruce Irvin in the first? Let’s give the Seahawks an F because the pick surprised us even though numerous teams had a top 15-20 grade on him. Yeah, their draft was awful even if Irvin turns out to be the next Von Miller and is a dominating presence on defense for the next decade. Wait, what’s that you say? That doesn’t make sense?

Exactly.

Grading a draft before these players step on the field is a useless exercise because you never know how a player is going to turn out. Obviously based on draft position you can assume that a player taken in the 2^nd round is expected to have a bigger impact than a player taken in the 6^th, but we all know that isn’t always what happens. Who would you rather have catching passes from your QB? Chad Jackson (36^th overall pick) or Marques Colston (252^nd overall pick)?      Continue reading →

Get your butts in here.

I opened the day up predicting the Eagles would most likely draft a tight end, outside linebacker or cornerback in the 2nd round. Unfortunately, this isn’t baseball and batting .333 doesn’t make me an All-Star.

This has been an odd draft with a plethora of trades and frankly, a myriad of odd picks and bent values when teams do trade up. It’s been tremendously perplexing from my standpoint having covered this wondrous event for so long. What the Eagles were able to do though was maneuver once again and get great value in the 2nd, where I’ll start off.

46. Mychal Kendricks, MLB Cal 5-foot-11, 240 pounds

This pick took me by surprise simply because Kendricks is a middle linebacker and because he’s only 5-foot-11 and you’re projecting him to SAM where he’ll have to cover much taller tight ends. I expected a player like Bobby Wagner here. That was just the conventional thought as the Eagles had also had Wagner to NovaCare and he has the size.

That said Juan Castillo has stressed that he wants tremendous athleticism at the SAM spot and Kendricks does bring that. He was good for a 4.47 40-yard dash, 4.14 short shuttle and 39.5-inch vertical leap at the Combine. Those are absolutely obnoxious numbers for a 240-pound man. Kendricks has played outside linebacker before, however my concern was that it was in a 3-4 system and as a pass rusher.

As for his film, he is a very good player between the tackles and he’ll spend a lot of time there in the Wide 9. You’ve got a very sound tackler who has a non-stop motor and is always around the play – no matter what. Hustle is never a question with Kendricks, nor is toughness. He also is a rangy guy that can get wide and cover the flats. He’ll be an immediate boost to the Eagles’ run defense; that I am certain of.

My only question is in his height. I’ve simply never seen a 5-foot-11 SAM. Maybe Mychal will break the mold and I hope he does as he is very talented and physically gifted. I will say that the worst case scenario with him is that he moves to WILL, projects as a definite starter and is the eventual replacement for DeMeco Ryans in a few years at MIKE. If that’s the worst that comes out of this pick – I’ll take it.

59. Vinny Curry, DE Marshall 6-foot-3, 266 pounds

Before I even get into the player, Roseman picked up a 4th rounder trading back here. Absolutely excellent job of wheeling and dealing – especially given the fact that I was angry he passed on a player like Curry where we were sitting before.

I see this pick as tremendous value and frankly, Brandon Graham better have his butt ready this season as Curry is a real grinder that really fits the Wide 9. I traded some emails with a few people in the league after the draft and Curry was mentioned as one of the best picks of the entire 2nd day.

Curry is a high-motor, high intensity, vigilant player with the strength to run right over you. He’s very disciplined on the field and while people hinge on his pass rushing skills – don’t overlook his run defense – it’s quite impressive. I think Eagles’ fans are looking at a future starter on their defense here or at the very least, a consistent 6-10 sack guy in a rotation.

Did I mention on top of all of this the Birds added back a 4th round pick, so now they’ve essentially just given up a 6th rounder to pick up Fletcher Cox, Mychal Kendricks and Vinny Curry?

I’m flying extremely high at this point of the draft.

88. Nick Foles, QB Arizona 6-foot-5, 243 pounds

Here’s where I come crashing back down to earth. You have defensive backs like Jayron Hosley, Brandon Boykin, Ron Brooks and DeQuan Menzie on the board. There are very talented and explosive return specialists that are also wide receivers like T.Y. Hilton on the board. If you want to get a really good backup running back, those guys are there. Instead, the pick is Nick Foles.

When talking to quite a few from inside the league after the draft this was called one of the biggest reaches of the 2nd day along with John Hughes and T.J. Graham. One person had Foles with a 4th round grade. The majority had him with 5th, 6th and 7th round grades.

I say this actually liking Nick Foles. I even picked him for the Eagles before the draft. In fact, I’ve gone on record before that I like Nick Foles more than I like Brock Osweiler who went to the Denver Broncos with the 57th overall pick. The point is – I’m not hating here – the simple point is I’d love to see what the Eagles see. Not only do I not see it, no one I spoke to around the league does.

Moving onto the actual player…

People are questioning if he’ll fit in a West Coast Offense and I mentioned in my notes on our site that I think he’s perfect for it. Foles does a great job of spreading the ball around to everyone on the field and that’s because he doesn’t cut the field in half like the aforementioned Osweiler. He does throw a nice, catchable ball and his accuracy can be great on short and intermediate passes. I’m talking about ball placement here – not just completing the passes. Foles has always been enjoyable to watch move the chains.

Where he loses me is anything over 20 yards. The zip comes off the ball and you don’t get a spiral. If he has to hit an outside breaking route his ball will fall behind or low often. People say he has a “big arm” and it must be because he floats balls to Juron Criner. I think those people are the same that thought Brady Quinn had a big arm floating passes to Maurice Stovall and Rhema McKnight. All three receivers are constantly adjusting to floating ducks. That’s not a big arm, that’s just heaving the ball deep. It doesn’t work that way in the NFL.

I like the kid a lot and hope that improvement to his footwork and mechanics can fix some of these issues. He’s unique for Philly fans because we’ve never seen a bigger, statuesque pocket passer. It’s simply my opinion that this was terrible value.

If you want to jump up and get a quarterback you believe in do it a round early, not two rounds early. I believe he would have easily been there in the 4th round. My comment is not that I know more than the Eagles because I do not, but I wouldn’t have made this pick.

Summation

The Foles pick wasn’t ideal, but the Eagles got a 4th rounder back and the first three picks of the draft really had the feel of a “Dream Draft”. Hell, Vinny Curry is a player I had rated higher than Kendricks and the Kendricks pick was a very good one, so I’m not throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

In fact, I’ll keep the bathwater. Reid’s track record with quarterbacks is pretty impressive, so if he believes that much in Nick Foles then so will I. Most importantly, it looks like Coach Reid also went into the offseason and trusted his defensive staff in Jim Washburn and Juan Castillo – saying enough is enough – and got the Birds two quality linebackers. Now the defensive line that registered 50 sacks last season is even more talented.

Do your thing Andy and Howie – I’ll trust you. (I’m sure that means a lot to them)

Go ahead and comment in here all.