If you see me when you see these three players (among others) you don’t need me to say any more. If you don’t, perhaps its time to starting downloading the RSP publication every April 1. Based on eight years of experience, you’ll thank me later. More about the RSP publication later. First, a ton of great Friday links.
On The Couch Podcast Thoughts: QBs-Combine-Your Mama
This week’s On The Couch with Sigmund Bloom, Dane Brugler, and Lance Zierlein had some meaty stuff about the 2013 Draft. I recommend a listen. Here are some thoughts I had from the podcast now that I’m through with 90 percent of my film research for the 2013 Rookie Scouting Portfolio:
- This year’s QB class – I couldn’t agree more with Zierlein about this group. There is no one in the top half of most rankings that I’d be standing on the table telling management to draft. I felt that way about Luck, Griffin, Tannehill, and Wilson last year. In a perfect world, these QBs should be drafted where Wilson was in 2012 and Wilson in the first round. There’s a chance a team makes the right call with one of these 2013 guys, but I’d honestly rather take a guard…yes, a guard…over most of the consensus top 3-4 signal callers and I can tell you that’s unlikely to happen in the real NFL world. However, there are some intriguing backup-caliber/developmental projects available between rounds 3 and on the curb on Sunday evening of Day 3, who I’d rather make a low-money investment. More on that in April. Meanwhile, if you’re a regular reader but just emerged from a cave in the past two weeks, you can read more about my take on drafting quarterbacks here.
- The Combine – I also have to give props to these guys for delineating where the Combine is helpful to folks who study players and where it isn’t. As writers/analysts like Josh Norris, Bloom, Brugler and I have been discussing off and on this week on Twitter, the combine puts a fine point on things. The debate seems to come among writers who are thinking the same thing but coming from two different directions to get there. There might be 20-30 guys I want to see very specific things about them at this event, that the limitations of scheme or opponents didn’t illustrate on tape. Considering I’ve studied multiple games for most of the 171 players I’ve watched, that’s a small but potentially important number.
- Gun-to-The-Head/Put-It-On-My-Mama Picks – I enjoyed the picks Brugler and Zierlein mentioned as must-haves – especially Brugler’s of Cincinnati tight end Travis Kelce. The guy is an animal on the field and if you want a complete tight end capable of starting this year and thriving as productive cog as a receiver and blocker, Kelce is far and away my choice of a celebrated class. Give me Kelce – and I’ll disarm a bomb with a blindfold and a rusted-out, Swiss Army Knife. I also like the mention of cornerback Dee Milliner, who will be a pro’s pro.
The Overview Effect: The idea that once human beings can view Earth from a perspective away from the planet, the long-term effect will be as powerful as any in history. If you check out anything on this blog today, this is the top item. Once again a good link from my friend Sara
Football Reads
- The Five People You Meet In Indy – Funny-true piece on characters of the NFL Combine from Mike Tanier at Sports on Earth.
- How Bill Walsh Evaluates Each Position – This has been making the rounds on Twitter for good reason. Enjoy.
- The Ultimate Dinosaur Football Roster – Spencer Hall’s entertaining piece that brings out the seven-year-old in every guy who likes football and dinosaurs.
Thank You
Thanks to all of you who purchase the Rookie Scouting Portfolio publication. Available for download every April 1 (no joke) for going on eight years, the RSP is an online .PDF publication devoted to the play-by-play study of NFL prospects at the offensive skill positions. The publication has a menu that bookmarks the document so you have two types of analysis. The first portion is a magazine-style, pre-draft analysis of 120-150 pages that includes position rankings, player comparisons, skill set analysis of each position, and sleepers.
The second portion is where I show all my work: between 700-800 pages of grading reports, play-by-play analysis of every player and game I watched, and a glossary that defines every criteria in my grading reports. My readers who want the bottom line love the first half of the book and appreciate the transparency of this section. My hardcore readers love the fact that they can dive as deep as they want into these raw play-by-play notes.
Included with the RSP (since 2012) is a post-draft document between 50-70 pages that comes out a week after the NFL Draft with updated post-draft rankings, tiers, team fit analysis, and fantasy cheat sheet with value analysis (Russell Wilson was calculated as the best value last year). Fantasy owners can’t get enough of it.
The RSP is $19.95 and I donate 10 percent of each sale to Darkness to Light, a non-profit dedicated to training individuals and communities on the prevention of sexual abuse. Past years of publications (2006-2012) are available for $9.95 and I also donate 10 percent of each sale to D2L. You can prepay for the 2013 RSP now.
Non-Football Reads
- Why J Dilla May Be Jazz’s Latest Great Innovator – “He’s so important,” says jazz drummer Karriem Riggins, who collaborated extensively with Dilla and is himself a hip-hop producer. “Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams and Miles; he’s in the same category to me.”
- The Best and Worst of the 2013 Grammys – Obviously I’m no purveyor of pop culture, but when three of my favorite artists get 45 seconds to pay tribute to a giant it’s worth noting why I don’t keep up any more. But it really has less to do with me liking their music. Imagine a football awards ceremony spending four hours celebrating agents, Tim Tebow, and Goodell, and 45 seconds to Adrian Peterson, Peyton Manning, and Robert Griffin.
- Authenticity is The New Bullshit – H/T to Sigmund Bloom. I’ll be reading this a number of times.
Listens
- The Mix: 50 Great Jazz Vocals – This isn’t like dynasty rankings, I could care less who is/isn’t on the list. Just some good music.
- J. Dilla Ft. Dwele – Think Twice
Views
- 97-year-old 100-meter sprinter – Ida kicks ass.
- Great visual presentation about child mortality – Entertaining, inspiring, and informative. Worth 2:50 of your time. H/T Joe Bryant.
- Hockey Commercial – To my buddy Mike MacGregor, who I imagine acting this way in high school with his brother Monty.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (16.1MB)