Filed under: 1 | Tags: brett farve, chad pennington, dan marino, donovan mcnabb, drew brees, john elway, matt ryan, nfl, peyton manning, philip rivers, quarterback analysis, quarterback mechanics, Tom Brady
A great deal has been made of quarterback mechanics of late since the return of Tom Brady. Ron Jaworski did an excellent job during the MNF broadcast breaking down the tentative nature of Brady stepping into throws in the first half. How that affected his accuracy etc. I just wanted to dive into a little more detail….
It really all comes down to the legs. When you throw a football, we are always taught to step into the throw, with the feet getting just a little beyond shoulder width apart. There are reasons for that. The shorter the stride (less than shoulder width) the more likely the throw is going to go high. The longer the stride, more like a baseball pitcher, the lower the throw will go. Short stride balls usually have less power behind them and a long stride ball a “heavy” ball. Nose down, harder to catch. Brady in the second half showed excellent technique especially on those last two drives. Great stride, stepped into it, and went 12-14 and two TDs. There are variants however…
John Elway, one of the strongest arms ever, was sort of the Tom Seaver of QBs. Great long stride. Threw a very heavy ball. Great velocity. When he missed it tended to be low because of the overstride in his motion. But if you slow it down, a great example of a long stride, then the hips turn, then the shoulders, then finally the arm. Really gets his entire body into the throw and generated tremendous velocity.
Dan Marino was the opposite. If anything, a short stride, extremely quick release. The ball never went behind his ear. When he missed it tended to be high because of the stride. The key to his motion was the tremendous twist and power he got from his torso and shoulders. Not as much leg drive but essentially a very quick twist. Very quick release but sacrificed some power because of less of a leg drive. Tons of practice though gave him the velocity he needed with accuracy.
Brady is sort of a blend. He gets good leg drive and very good twist in his mid section. And if you look at slow motion, you can see the leg then hip then torso then shoulder go in the direction of the target. Not the extreme of either Marino or Elway, but a very consistent motion. That is the key. The challenge with most college QBs is inconsistency of motion. Every time they throw, the motion is slightly different which affects accuracy more than anything. Brady’s motion is textbook. It lacks extremes of motion, but is extremely consistent which is why he is so accurate. We saw that really only in the 4th quarter, but usually during the course of the season each throw looks like each other throw. Keep an eye on it next time you watch the game. Other QBs with great textbook mechanics are Peyton Manning, Matt Hasselback, Matt Shaub, Drew Brees, Matt Ryan. If you want to see an extreme of leg drive, check out Philip Rivers and Donovan MCNabb. More of an upper body twist with less drive, Chad Pennington, Brett Farve.
Filed under: 1 | Tags: 5 day letter, New England Patriots, nfl, Oakland Raiders, Richard Seymour, trades
I have had a lot of people ask me to walk through the specifics of the Richard Seymour situation. The reality is that some of the parts of it are unknown. This is what I know….
Supposedly Richard was sent the 5 day letter from the Raiders. This means if he does not report to the Raiders within 5 days of RECEIPT of the letter, he will be placed on the inactive/suspended list on the roster. That means he will be unable to play for anyone at all this season and his contract is suspended. Meaning there is one year left on the contract that still has to be honored, and will not be honored until he is active, which would be next season. So instead of being a free agent in 2010, he will still have one year remaining on his contract as he does now. This also means if the Raiders then want to franchise him, and then franchise him a second year (which they can do), Seymour will not be a free agent until the 2013 season potentially. A long wait. This is also why it makes no sense for him to not report to the Raiders now. Hopefully the delay is while they structure a long term deal for him, that may be the only way for all sides to save face.
In terms of the trade, I was always under the impression that a trade cannot be finalized until the player passes a physical. Apparently this is a bit of a gray area with the league. None of my friends over there are willing to comment on it. But, the Raiders are acting as if the player is their problem, hence the 5 day letter, and the Patriots are going forward as if they have no claim and do not own the rights to Seymour, and by extension since the paperwork has been filed, own the Raiders 2011 first round pick. The gray area seems to be that the Raiders seem to own the rights to Seymour, but no one seems to know what happens to the trade if he fails to report. Best guess based on the people I have talked to is that the Patriots will still get that 2011 pick and the Raiders get the headache of a suspended player. But this will be interesting to see if the Raiders try to send the player back, get the pick back etc. which I think is not possible based on the wording of the paperwork by the NFL. There are some great online resources on the wording and responsibilities of player contracts….
Filed under: 1 | Tags: defending the wildcat, Dolphins, nfl, Patriots, wildcat, wildcat formation, wildcat offense
A lot has been made of the Wildcat formation this year and last. While it certainly provides problems, NFL defenses adjust quickly so don’t look for it to be as effective as last year. In 2008, teams were a bit unprepared and had to adjust their alignment in order to counter it. Since they did not have a specific adjustment for that style of offense, the Wildcat was very effective early. But if you notice it was less effective as the year went on.
As an example, the Wildcat accounted for 5 TDs v. the Patriots by the Dolphins the first time around, the second meeting, the Patriots completely contained it. I have been asked by many of my friends what I think will happen with the Wildcat this year. I have spoken with a bunch of NFL alumni I know and got some interesting feedback.
There are really two phases to stopping the Wildcat. The end of last year phase 1 took effect. Specific alignments by the defense, essentially very specific assignments for defensive personnel to very specific players on offense to contain the formation. That was shown as the formation got less and less effective as the year went on. Once a team sees something, they can game plan for it.
Phase 2 will be this year. Based on the adjustments, it looks like in the very least the Wildcat will not surprise anyone this year. Now you punish a team for running it. Once a team lines up in the Wildcat, and the QB splits out wide, my guess is defenses will take either a strong safety, physical corner, or even an outside linebacker and have them just pummel the QB. Once he is split out he is fair game. My guess is teams will hit and hit and hit this guy until the offense doesn’t want to run it anymore. They will not want to risk the health of their starting QB. This will look something like what the Patriots did to Marshall Faulk in the 2001 Superbowl. YouTube those clips. When he was not in the play, split out or otherwise, the Patriots pounded him. Hit him every chance they got. Expect QBs to get this same treatment when they split out this year. That will make an offense hesitate to use it. Couple that with the adjustments, and I think you will see much less of the Wildcat this year than most people think.
Filed under: 1 | Tags: corey dillon, Fred Taylor, Joey Galloway, leigh bodden, miami dolphins, michael vick, nfl, Patriots, randy moss, rodney harrison
It’s that time of year. Time for training camp. A time filled with hopefuls, rumors, undrafted free agents, first round stars and busts. This time of year every fan of every team thinks they have a shot at making to the playoffs at least. With a salary cap in place, this is probably accurate. That is the great equalizer after all.
Here in New England, the Patriots have reloaded. Adding Joey Galloway, Leigh Bodden, Fred Taylor among others. Lately the rumor mill has been strong regarding Michael Vick potentially joining the team. I have my doubts about how he could actually help the Patriots, who may again have the most potent offense in the league. I would never put it past Belichick however, if he thinks it will help him win.
To a certain degree the Patriots have become the Raiders of the 70s and early 80s. Players looking to reclaim their reputation, those thought to be trouble makers, anyone looking to do whatever it takes to win used to gravitate towards the Raiders. Now that seems to be true to a degree with the Patriots. Corey Dillon, Rodney Harrison, Randy Moss all came here, tried to fit in, and won. I have no idea if Michael Vick would do the same but it certainly makes for a fun thought.
Let’s face it, the entirety of the nation hates the Patriots. What was once the miracle team of 2001 has now morphed into one of the most despised teams in the NFL. Anyone on the inside of a team of the NFL knows that the Patriots did not win because of VideoGate, that it had little if no effect on the field. When the ‘86 Bears won by large margins, they were a dynastic team, when the Patriots did it it was running up the score. When the Dolphins pummeled the Patriots last year, there was dancing in the streets, if the Patriots do the same this year they will be viewed as poor sports and generally evil.
Admittedly, I am a fan. And in my travels around the country take quite a bit of abuse from other fans, most of which do not even understand the game well enough to comment, but it is a free country so so be it. As a fan, we really do need to embrace the hate. Do I care if Michael Vick comes because of the media circus that will follow? Not really. If the team wins most fans will dismiss that. Am I looking forward to another high powered high scoring season? Absolutely, it will be fun to watch.
It is the NFL. It is supposed to be fun. Let’s just enjoy the season and the offensive show we all expect. I sincerely hope that the Patriots are successful enough to fuel far more hate this year regardless of who is on the team. This could be a really fun year!
Sorry for the rant, just been traveling for work quite a bit and a little tired of fans in other cities treating me as if I am an embodiment of the team just because I am a fan. Apparently most feel that Patriots fans somehow have control over decisions made for and by the team. Lighten up a little people….
Filed under: 1 | Tags: 2012 Olympics, London, nfl, nfl draft, Pro Bowl, Superbowl
Ok, now i have been hearing reports about the Superbowl possibly going to London in 2017. My personal opinion aside as to why this is a bad idea, let’s break it down a bit.
The Superbowl, first and foremost, is generally an economic bonanza for the host city. Unlike an Olympics, which are often marginally profitable if not lose money, the Superbowl leads to a very concentrated one week economic boom, usually close to $1B for the local economy. Fresh off their 2012 Olympic bid win, London probably feels they will have the venue and infrastructure set up for a Superbowl because they will have already done massive (and long overdue) improvements for the Olympics. From a pure financial standpoint, London can probably give a far larger monetary guarantee to the NFL than most US cities mainly because of the size and scale of London and the unique one-time event it will be. I have to say in my last few trips there, especially around the NFL annual game there, many Londoners can be seen wearing NFL garb, they genuinely do enjoy the game (as much as they understand it) and London and Berlin are probably the cities outside the US that enjoy the US version of football beyond anyone else. Although the Chinese do LOVE the highlight reels and have described it to me as a human cartoon or real life superheroes.
On the other side, very few US citizens will make the trip as opposed to putting it in a US city. Also, you are effectively removing a large annual economic event from the US economy. And then there is the branding issue. Most people I talked to have no interest in sharing this event internationally. Why put it in a city where there is not the established fan base to really even make it the success it traditionally is domestically? Things could change but for now that really doesn’t make sense to me. Adding the Pro Bowl to the open week before the Superbowl does, maybe as a two week event this makes a little more sense, but not really.
This does not even address security concerns. WHile London would have dealt with those for the 2012 Games, the real challenge is the concentrated travel patterns from the US to the UK, far easier to predict and plan an event around. Just a concentrated route…..
I just don’t want us to sell off one of our most unique and most American events somewhere else that does not have the NFL infrastructure or interest. And let’s face it, because the NFL is not an Olympic sport, most foreign countries will not subsidize or try to create American football leagues. They just focus on national Olympic interests.
Overall, moving the draft somewhere might be much more effective. Perhaps in the city with the #1 pick to really take advantage of the already heightened draft interest there?
Filed under: 1 | Tags: 2012 Olympics, London, nfl, nfl draft, Pro Bowl, Superbowl
Ok, now i have been hearing reports about the Superbowl possibly going to London in 2017. My personal opinion aside as to why this is a bad idea, let’s break it down a bit.
The Superbowl, first and foremost, is generally an economic bonanza for the host city. Unlike an Olympics, which are often marginally profitable if not lose money, the Superbowl leads to a very concentrated one week economic boom, usually close to $1B for the local economy. Fresh off their 2012 Olympic bid win, London probably feels they will have the venue and infrastructure set up for a Superbowl because they will have already done massive (and long overdue) improvements for the Olympics. From a pure financial standpoint, London can probably give a far larger monetary guarantee to the NFL than most US cities mainly because of the size and scale of London and the unique one-time event it will be. I have to say in my last few trips there, especially around the NFL annual game there, many Londoners can be seen wearing NFL garb, they genuinely do enjoy the game (as much as they understand it) and London and Berlin are probably the cities outside the US that enjoy the US version of football beyond anyone else. Although the Chinese do LOVE the highlight reels and have described it to me as a human cartoon or real life superheroes.
On the other side, very few US citizens will make the trip as opposed to putting it in a US city. Also, you are effectively removing a large annual economic event from the US economy. And then there is the branding issue. Most people I talked to have no interest in sharing this event internationally. Why put it in a city where there is not the established fan base to really even make it the success it traditionally is domestically? Things could change but for now that really doesn’t make sense to me. Adding the Pro Bowl to the open week before the Superbowl does, maybe as a two week event this makes a little more sense, but not really.
This does not even address security concerns. WHile London would have dealt with those for the 2012 Games, the real challenge is the concentrated travel patterns from the US to the UK, far easier to predict and plan an event around. Just a concentrated route…..
Overall, moving the draft somewhere might be much more effective. Perhaps in the city with the #1 pick to really take advantage of the already heightened draft interest there?
Filed under: 1
With the 2009 draft approaching, I have been receiving allot of questions regarding how do you value picks in order to trade them? Is there an underlying system? The reality is that there are a variety of point systems each team uses in order to value picks. Bascially you have to match the point total of the pick you want with the combined point total of hte picks you are looking to trade. Picks next year are discounted around 10%, but I have shown here a basic draft pick value chart that some teams use that will give you guys a good idea what is going on.
For example, the #1 overall pick in this draft is worth 3,000 points. If you want to trade with the Lions to get that pick this year, you need to package a collection of picks that equals around 3,000 points. Hope this helps as the fund begins Saturday!
NFL Draft Value Chart
nfl-draft-value-chart1
Filed under: 1 | Tags: BOddin, Dallas Cowboys, Fred Taylor, free agency, Joey Galloway, Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots, nfl, NFLPA, Pittsburgh Steelers, san francisco 49ers, shawn springs, tedy bruschi
Right now I think you are seeing two separate teams enter phase 2. Phase 2 is where teams that have been good for a while, and won multiple championships move into. The 49ers of the 80s did it, the Cowboys of the 90s did it, and now it looks like the Patriots and the Steelers are moving into it. Although based on their signings probably more the Patriots right now.
Teams that have put together a core group of players through the draft or a combination of draft and signing players other teams did not want and have been able to win mulitple championships inevitably get to the point where that core group starts to age or break down and need to be replaced or have diminised roles. Case in point the 49ers who phased out Joe Montana for Steve Young and replaced a littany of linebackers and defensive backs with players, like Deion Sanders, who came to that team specifically to win a championship. Dallas did the same in the 1990s. Those players come in for one or two year deals to finish their career winning. Those new players look for their best shot to win and look at teams that have won multiple times and just need to reload. Right now the only two teams that qualify are the Steelers and the Patriots. The Patriots have been more active so let’s use them as an example…
The Patriots core players are aging, Vrabel, Bruschi, among others need to be phased out. The defensive backfield needed to be rebuilt. There were holes that needed to be filled. Typically a team would look to draft or develop players to fill these holes. But if you have won multiple times, while you are developing players, proven veterans will be willing to come to your team for the shot to win on a short term basis. Right now look at the signings of Shawn Springs, Joey Galloway, Bodden, Fred Taylor to name a few. Players that don’t have upside, but a proven veterans that on any given day could still perform at a very high level. The idea of Phase 2 in this instance is you have won 3 Superbowls, and that core group can not win another. You can bring in these veterans to try to win one or two more while developing the younger players that will be the new core. Now while it is rare that Phase 3 ever happens, where those developing players become the new core, Phase two worked very nicely for teams such as the 49ers and Cowboys and may prove to work just as well for the Patriots and Steelers. They are really the only two teams positioned this way where quality veterans will take less money to go there to win. I think this means the next 2-3 years the AFC title games will most likely be played between these two teams and could just be a great battle in the short term. Pittsburgh is more focused on developing you players right now so they could be better positioned more in the 2-5 year span while the Patriots are veteran focused currently and may have really increased their chances for the next 2+ years.
Phase 2 is always interesting to watch and we will see if this can bring Brady and Co. another championship or two before they really need to start developing allot of young players. With free agency of their top defensive lineman coming up, and the looming NFLPA mess, the next 2 year window may be all the Patriots are looking for right now…..
Filed under: 1 | Tags: Chris Baker, Fred Taylor, James Sanders, Jason Taylor, Julius Peppers, Kansas City Chiefs, Matt Cassell, Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots, nfl, nfl draft, nfl salary cap, Ray Lewis, Russ Hochstein
I find it interesting the conspiracy theories revolving around the trade of Matt Cassell to the Chiefs. The general thought that the Patriots gave the Chiefs a sweetheart deal etc. There are a few problems with this.
1) Timing – By all accounts the Patriots were not offered a first round pick until Saturday. Once could assume that if they had not agreed to the deal Friday, which they did, they could have gotten more. It all came down to timing.
2) More on timing – the reality is the Patriots were right up against the salary cap and needed to make room to sign Fred Taylor, Chris Baxter, James Sanders, Russ Hochstein etc. never mind the upcoming free agency of Vince Wilfork which they have to sign quickly. It now looks like they would have cut Vrabel to save money this week anyway against the cap. He was due another $1Million signing bonus this week. by trading him they actually not only save an additional $1Million-ish instead of cutting him, Vrabel also gets the full value of his contract this year and does not have to restructure/resign with someone. The deal for Cassell/Vrabel had to happen quickly to open up space and the Patriots took the best deal available in the time they had. One has to imagine that Pioli KNEW Vrabel was probably going to be cut as well, and this removed the variable of Vrabel signing somewhere else.
3) Known v. Unknown – The Patriots had this deal in hand in short order. What was the risk of waiting to see if a three way deal with Denver or another team would have materialized in the timing that they needed. THe chances were less likely that a three way deal of any sort could have been consummated in a short time frame, they always tend to drag out, rather than the quick, clean deal they had in hand.
I think you have to look at this deal as Vrabel for salary cap relief and really Cassell for the 34th pick. That really is the way it worked out. The Patriots traditionally covet the second round picks (and 3rds) because of the combination of cost and probability of success are better than a high first round pick.
So now the Patriots have three second round picks this year and their first round (#23). That will make for an interesting draft. I expect them to go after defense (secondary and linebacker) ans well as an interior offensive lineman. All of these areas are supposedly pretty deep in this draft. They can almost remake their team with 4 picks like this.
I would not read anything into these Julius Peppers rumors, he just wants too much money and the Patriots do not have the cap space. Some of the rumors around Ray Lewis are more likely but the Pats still do’t have the cap space to sign him for a big deal. Keep an eye on Jason Taylor however, as well as any of the veteran corners soon to be cut….
Filed under: 1 | Tags: Fred Taylor, free agency, Julius Peppers, Kansas City Chiefs, Laurence Maroney, Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots, nfl, Ray Lewis, Sammy Morris
A quick update. Mike Vrabel was just traded to the Chiefs. Just what does this mean? Given that Vrabel could certainly on and off the field to the Chiefs, but this has to be part of a larger move. This is reportedly for a draft pick and the LB class is VERY deep this year. One has to assume they really like one of their rookie LBs from last year that were injured as rookies, Crable and Ruud. Crable being sort of a poor man’s Vrabel. Does this mean the potential signing of Julius Peppers? Ray Lewis? A marquis corner trade? This could be very interesting to keep an eye on! I would look for them to actually, potentially, go after a trade for a marquis offensive lineman such as a right tackle. Stay tuned!!!!!
They also have signed Fred Taylor, which means the addition of an inside runner who is also a home run threat. Add him to Sammy Morris (and probably not Laurence Maroney), and this could be a much more dangerous running attack. Hence the possible addition of one or more top offensive lineman……this is getting fun!
