Matt Waldman’s Reads Listens Views is back and devoted to a short list of recommended reads, listens, and views for the week. 

Welcome

If you’re new to the Rookie Scouting Portfolio blog, welcome.  Every Friday, I post links to pieces that I’ve found personally compelling or to content I hope will eventually scratch that itch when I get around to it.

You may not like everything listed here, but you’re bound to like something.

Reads

Move Over RPOs, the Vikings Are Getting Ready for A Different Schematic Trend

Eric Stoner recommended this piece by Matthew Coller about the emerging offensive trend of bunch sets.

The Difficult Art of Giving Space in Love: Rilke on Freedom, Togetherness, and the Secret to a Good Marriage

“I hold this to be the highest task of a bond between two people: that each should stand guard over the solitude of the other.” Amen.

Rotational Stiffness of American Football Shoes Affects Ankle Biomechanics And Injury Severity

Multiple academics published this piece a few years ago. A summary of the abstract: “While previous studies have investigated the effect of shoe-surface interaction on injury risk, few studies have examined the effect of rotational stiffness of the shoe. The hypothesis of the current study was that ankles externally rotated to failure in shoes with low rotational stiffness would allow more talus eversion than those in shoes with a higher rotational stiffness, resulting in less severe injury…The current study suggested flexibility (or rotational stiffness) of the shoe may play an important role in both the severity of ankle injuries for athletes.”

Listens

“What is a mistake? By talking through examples with his improvisational Jazz quartet, Stefon Harris walks us to a profound truth: many actions are perceived as mistakes only because we don’t react to them appropriately.”

Views

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