The Name the Prospect Contest has earned a great response and a lot of readers are asking me if I have revealed the answers. You’re going to have to wait a little longer because only 1 reader out of nearly 100 entries has correctly identified all three players. I love a good contest and the fact only 1 out of 100 entries were correct is a strong indicator that the question was a worthy one.
I’m going to let the contest run a full week. If I don’t get three readers with correct answers by the end of Day Seven, I’ll reveal who these players are and announce our winner. The first three to name all three players wins a past issue of the Rookie Scouting Portfolio (2006-2010).
Reads, Listens, Views
Thank you for your patronage of the RSP blog. To be blunt, this is my vehicle to sell my publication the Rookie Scouting Portfolio. I love to write and I am most fortunate to make my living as a writer, but it takes a collective effort of jobs to accomplish it. If you like what you see here and read this blog regularly, one way to show your appreciation is to purchase the Rookie Scouting Portfolio.You can also download a free sample here.
Available the first of each April, the RSP is a downloadable .PDF publication devoted to the talent analysis of rookie prospects at the skill positions of quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end. The first 100-120 pages is analysis presented in a magazine style format:
- Best and worst players according to skill sets
- Overrated and underrated prospects
- Player comparison charts
- Positional rankings
- Overviews of each position class
- Detailed analysis behind each ranking
The second section of the RSP is where I show my work. Although my more casual readers many not delve deeply into this section, they appreciate that I make my process as transparent as possible:
- Position-specific scoring checklists on each player for each game
- Play summary profiles where I document everything I see during each game
- Definitions for the criteria I use in the scoring checklists
- Detailed explanation of my evaluation system
Hardcore fans tell me all the time that they love this section because it helps them better understand why I arrived at the conclusions. They appreciate that I’m not just selling rankings, I’m selling analysis of what I see and giving you the reader the chance to see for yourself and arrive at your own conclusions.
Past issues (2006-2010) are available by emailing me at mattwaldmanrsp@gmail.com. You can still purchase the 2011 RSP here.
More Marshawn Lynch (Because he’s earning it and fun to watch)
Football Reads
The Tape Never Lies: Marques Colston – Better Than You Think by Alen Dumonjic- This is very well conceived analysis of the position and similar to the type of analysis I have provided about receivers.
The Tape Never Lies: The Terror of Von Miller by Alen Dumonjic – Alen’s work deserves a twofer.
This next piece is an excerpt from Footballguys co-owner Joe Bryant’s weekly Random Shots email. It was so well crafted and funny that I wish I wrote it:
Obligatory Tim Tebow comment for this week:
“This is a special team when you have a bunch of guys that when things aren’t going good we get closer instead of pulling apart,” Tebow said. “The No. 1 reason we are like that is because we believe in each other, we believe in the coaching staff.”
“We played well enough to win, and we’ll take that every week – including next week,” head coach John Fox said after the game. “Part of coaching is putting your players in the best positions to take advantage of their abilities, and Timmy’s got an outstanding ability. He proved it at a very high level in college, in the SEC at the University of Florida. It’s something that he’s comfortable with, and our team has adapted to it. Right now, it’s working in the run portion of our offense. We’ve still got some growth to do in the passing portion, and we work on that every day. It’s baby steps, but we’ll get there.”
It’s easy to dismiss Tebow’s comments as cliché but he’s got this team believing in each other. Ask an Eagles fan what team chemistry is worth. And a defense that’s now playing lights out doesn’t hurt either.
I’m adding “Tebow’s style of play just isn’t sustainable” to the “Wide 9 Defense” list of phrases fans love to drop because they heard some guy in a 4 button suit say it. Why isn’t it sustainable? Sure, it’s not sustainable for a 12 year QB career. For the same reason running backs don’t last 12 years. But for several years, it’s absolutely sustainable.
Fearless prediction on how this plays out for Tim Tebow over the next ten years.
Denver closes the season at 9-7 with wins over Minnesota away, and Chicago and Kansas City at home. They lose to New England in Denver and Buffalo at Ralph Wilson Stadium and miss the playoffs.
Tebow finishes the year about where he is right now with rabid support from his fan base and team, lukewarm support from his coach, and thinly veiled disdain from John Elway. Who just happens to be the Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the company employing Tim Tebow. Owner Pat Bowlen loves the marketing excitement Tebow generates and all the intangibles he brings but ultimately puts his faith in his “football guy” John Elway. He remains publicly invisible on the issue so people still come to his Christmas party.
Elway privately suggests Tebow should try out for the Colorado Rockies with “that windup”. ESPN’s Skip Bayless releases an article detailing jersey preference among Bronco fans and it’s revealed the polling data shows #15 jerseys outweigh #7 jerseys by 50 to 1. Among the all important 21 to 45 year old Female segment, the ratio is 10,000:1.
Elway informs Pat Bowlen they are drafting a quarterback in the 2012 draft but every agent makes it clear their client is not entering the public relation black hole of playing the sacrificial Kyle Orton role. Elway is outraged a quarterback would try to dictate where he will play.
The night before the NFL draft, Elway announces he’s traded Tim Tebow to Jacksonville as new owner Shahid Khan makes a splash after purchasing the Jaguars for $760 million a few months earlier. Blaine Gabbert is Jimmy Claussened. And likes it.
Tebow leads Jacksonville to a 10-6 record in 2012 and their first playoff appearance since 2007. The following year, Jacksonville is 6-10 as Tebow misses the last 5 games with a collarbone injury. In 2014, Tebow returns healthy and the Jaguars are back in the playoffs. For 2015, Tebow leads Jacksonville to the Divisional playoff game where they lose. After the Super Bowl, Tebow announces his retirement to pursue other interests.
One of these “other interests” happens to be serving as the primary investor in a company that becomes the 2021 version of Twitter. The company goes public and Tebow buys the Denver Broncos for 2 billion dollars and makes John Elway the highest paid Team President in the league.
You just wait…
Fantasy Football Reads
Reading the Defense by Jene Bramel – the tackle opportunity stats Bramel discusses in the middle of this piece is really good stuff if you play the “real” fantasy football (IDP).
Patience by Matt Waldman – This is much in the spirit of “guess the prospect”, but I actually reveal the player at the end of the piece. If you feel you need an ounce of perspective about holding talented players, this story will do the trick.
Fantasy Football Games
Fantasy Throwdown – Quite possibly the purest form of fantasy football available and better yet the most convenient to play. Best of all, it’s free to play. Here’s a quick tutorial.
Non-Football Views
Mingus on Mingus – Kevin Ellington Mingus is a bass player who discovered in his teens that his grandfather was the great American composer Charles Mingus. Now he’s filming a documentary about his grandfather.
The Roots “Here I Come”