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Quick Announcement
If you enjoyed my series with NFL Films’ senior producer Greg Cosell, you’re going to love next week’s conversation series with 16-year veteran scout and former college coach Dan Shonka of Ourlads’ NFL Scouting Services. Shonka spent 7 years with National (National Football Scouting) and then another nine years with the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins,…
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Discerning Errors From Deficiencies: A WR’s Hands
No prospect is perfect. Although I can hear some of you thinking Andrew Luck’s name (or maybe that’s the voice in my head and I just don’t want to admit it), this isn’t a post about the Stanford quarterback. It’s about learning to project a player’s potential by his errors. Failures often reveal more about…
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Talented Understudy: Lions RB Jerome Harrison
If you distill the role of a running back to that of purely a ball carrier, I am a huge Jerome Harrison fan. I’ve always been. However, I see Harrison’s NFL career as a sad story. Starter talent as a pure ball-carrier rotting on the vine.
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Jokers
One of the pervading themes in this blog has been discussion of the hybridization of football players: The zone blitz and the evolution of the 3-4 linebacker/defensive end ‘tweener capable of dropping into coverage and sticking his hand in the ground and rushing off the edge. The safety/cornerback capable of covering slot receivers and supporting…
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RSP Readers Poll: 2011 NFL Season
I have great readers and I’m curious about your takes heading into the 2011 NFL season. Since I’ve spent all summer giving my takes on the NFL, now it’s your turn to share yours. Below are 15 questions.
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Greg Cosell Part VI: Favorites
Parts I, II, and III of my talk with NFL Films senior Producer Greg Cosell – co-author of The Games That Changed the Game were portions of a recent conversation. Part IV and Part V about what goes into evaluating certain positions on the football field are from 2008. The final installment of this series…
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Reads, Listens, Views 9/2
Billy “White Shoes” Johnson. Get acquainted with him if you don’t know who he is. A terrific football player from the `70s and early `80s. One of my favorite receivers/return specialists from any era. As I do every Friday at the Rookie Scouting Portfolio, I extend my thanks to all of you who take the…
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Greg Cosell Part V: Class in Session
Entering my third year of studying film for The Rookie Scouting Portfolio, I had just finished a year of film study that included one of the bigger lessons I had encountered in Arkansas running back Darren McFadden. The highly coveted prospect had some raving fans, but I wasn’t one of them. I didn’t see what…
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Greg Cosell Part IV: The Craft of Evaluation
Entering my third year of studying film for The Rookie Scouting Portfolio, I had just finished a year of film study that included a player who continues to be one of the bigger lessons I have encountered, Arkansas running back Darren McFadden. The highly coveted prospect had some raving fans, but I wasn’t one of…