Preseason football is underway and before you know it, college football. Thank you to those of you who are making the Rookie Scouting Portfolio Blog a part of your regular reading schedule. As I’ve been saying weekly, if you like what you’ve seen thus far, please consider these three acts of kindness: 
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And then consider performing one special act of kindness to yourself: Get my publication The Rookie Scouting Portfolio. Those who buy it love it.
The RSP is a 120-150 page rookie report loaded with analysis, rankings, and player comparisons of over 150 offensive skill position prospects. And unlike any publication remotely of its type, I also show the reader my work with an appendix containing hundreds of pages of game study notes as well as my position-specific scoring checklists adopted from best-practice methods for performance evaluation.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be posting more prospect analysis that you’ll likely see in the 2012 Rookie Scouting Portfolio, which will be available here for purchase in the early spring.
Back issues of the RSP (2006-2010) are available for purchase by emailing me.
A Few Preseason Takes
Was that Jonathan Dwyer or a hologram of Lendale White pre-diet? I personally haven’t seen Dwyer play since I did this pre-draft analysis of him in 2009. I was shocked how flabby he looked in his core, especially his thighs and bubble. The shiftiness and strength were still there, but Dwyer doesn’t look like he has the stamina to handle a starter’s load. The kicker is that he has lost 20 pounds in training camp! Are you kidding me? If you lose 20 pounds in 3 weeks, your stamina and conditioning is going to suffer or you’ve got a ton of weight to lose. Either way, it’s a lose-lose situation.
They’re just using Aaron Hernandez in the preseason as an opening act for Gronkowskimania: If you believe that then I have a this conditioning DVD by Jonathan Dwyer that I’d like to sell you. If you still think that Aaron Hernandez is going to see fewer targets because of Rob Gronkowski, you’re forgetting that Hernandez was beating cornerbacks last year. No, not two years ago at Florida, last year in the NFL. Cornerbacks, folks. As long as he’s healthy, Hernandez is the true match up nightmare. Especially with Chad Ochocinco having enough difficulty learning the offense that T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Mark Clayton have been brought in for workouts.
Reads, Listens, Views
It’s this time of the week where I share what I’ve been reading, listening, and viewing each week – football, fantasy football, and non-football.
Football
That Smell is College Football by Gene Collier Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Who’s in charge of college sports? by Jack Bechta
Miami Scandal is symptom of NCAA flaws by Dan Wetzel
Fantasy Football
The Running Backs of my Discontent by Chet Gresham – Funny, smart analysis of mid-round backs – even if I think he’s “looking at” Joseph Addai rather than “seeing” him.
RB production per quarter by Chase Stuart – As usual, strong analysis from Stuart with a fantasy football bent. Need validation why Frank Gore and Knowshon Moreno are undervalued and Darren McFadden might be overvalued? Look here.
Training Camp Update by Bob Henry and FBGs staffers – This is a terrific reason to consider Footballguys as your fantasy football source. Henry and staff spend the month providing weekly updates and depth charts for every team. A great one-stop-shop way to stay abreast of developments.
Non-Football
Seattle, After a Decade of Debate, Approves Tunnel By William Yardley – Color me skeptical, but wasn’t the Titanic unsinkable? Cool concept nonetheless.
Where Did Those Naked Ladies Come from? How the Chinese edition of my book about the periodic table got such a risque cover. By Sam Kean
Photo: Jason Wood left me for another or otherwise known as Can of Soda in Freezer Realizing Owner Never Coming Back For It. By The Onion.
Entertainment
Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue – First time I’ve had a chance to hear these guys. I’ve been missing out. So have you if this is your first time…