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RB David Wilson’s Vision: Part III – Flashes of Refined Play
This has been David Wilson Week at the RSP blog. In case you missed it, here’s the analysis I have done – and what is still slated – for the Va. Tech runner: Raw Skill in Action – Part I of series Low lights – Part II Flashes of Refined Play – Part III (today’s […]
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RB David Wilson’s Vision: Part II – The Low Lights
As I explained yesterday, Vision is often poorly defined as an abstract, catchall intangible that is vital to the success of a ball carrier. Vision should be something we actively try to define and despite its intuitive characteristics I believe there are major components of the skill set that running backs learn as late as […]
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RB David Wilson’s Vision: Part I Raw Skill in Action
To come to be you must have a vision of Being, a Dream, a Purpose, a Principle. You will become what your vision is. – Peter Nivio Zarlenga Vision is a magical term. Even in the world of business, visionary leaders are seen as semi-fictional characters. For all of his petulance, coldness, and cruelty […]
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RSP Cutting Room Floor: College RB and WR Notes
If you haven’t noticed, the RSP blog is often my catchall area to write about anything I can relate to football. Nonetheless, rookie evaluation is still far and away the headliner. With the regular NFL season in the books I’ve ramped up my film study of college players. Here’s a few odds and ends about […]
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Boycotting the Corner Store: A Lesson for RBs
Isaiah Pead is an NFL running back prospect for the 2012 NFL Draft. The 5’11”, 198-pound University of Cincinnati senior is agile, and quick. He earns his tuition gaining yards from spread and pistol sets. This morning I’m watching Pead gain 191 total yards from scrimmage and score two touchdowns against NC State. I’m not […]
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The Curious Case of Montee Ball
Wisconsin has earned the moniker “Lineman U” during the decade for its excellence at the position. One of the unintended consequences with this unit’s excellence is the parade of productive college running backs that underwhelm in the NFL. Ron Dayne, Brian Calhoun, Anthony Davis, P.J. Hill, and John Clay are all examples of players that […]
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RSP Flashback: Lions RB Kevin Smith
Here is a very brief overview I wrote in the 2008 Rookie Scouting Portfolio about Kevin Smith as an underrated player in the 2008 draft class. Kevin Smith, University of Central Florida: How does a 2000-yard rusher qualify as underrated? When analysts and draftniks dismiss him as a baby-faced junior who is too thin, too […]
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Best Offensive Play of the Year
Aaron Rodgers is amazing. His back shoulder throws and guided-missile burners through three levels of defenders in the middle of the field can leave you speechless. But for my money, there’s nothing better than the elemental force of a running back winning a battle with a linebacker. Especially when that linebacker is perhaps the greatest […]
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The RSP Blog’s Top 20 RBs (2006-2011) Pt II
The idea of compiling a rankings analysis across several years of Rookie Scouting Portfolio publications has been a popular request by readers for years, but something I have resisted doing. For a complete explanation why please read Part I. If you want to know how my ranking of these players differs from the actual process […]
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The RSP Blog’s Top 20 RB Prospects (2006-2011) Part I
One of the most frequent requests I’ve heard from readers over the years is to rank players at their position across several draft classes. It’s an entertaining thing to read, but I’ve always been reticent about doing it. There are a lot of approaches I could take with the ranking process and I’m not sure […]