Chris Whalen’s Random Life

Ok, now we have all heard players, coaches, etc., talking about putting their systems in. What does this mean? Is it really that much different from last year? Don’t they just run, throw, tackle, etc.? Actually….NO! Let’s go through what putting a system in means to an offense, by position.

Quarterback. Ah yes, the lynch pin of them all, the one who touches the ball on every play. Makes the big money, makes the big plays…makes the big mistakes too! Easily the most important and at risk position on the team. What does this all mean to him?

Every year, whether or not there is a new offensive coordinator or not, there are changes to the offense. Wrinkles to keep them looking like last year’s team. Not to mention new personnel. While the terminology will remain at least similar (hey, how many different ways can you say 367 boot y x cross?), the decisions are different. For example, the NFL runs alot of what are called read routes. While a receiver has a pattern called for him, he has to adjust the pattern according to the defense. Each team has a different call. For example, if the defense is playing man coverage, and you have Randy Moss out there, you get him the ball either on a deep go or a slant to let him run. If you have Joe Blow Ham and Egger, well, look to another option, perhaps the tight end. This is why you see those passes occasionally picked off without a receiver anywhere near it. Quite simply, the Quarterback read one defense, such as man, and expected the receiver to do X, the receiver read another defense and did Y. Oops. Ball go far, other way! The only way to cure this is repetition. Receiver sees man coverage forcing the receiver inside, and throws a deep cross. Remember when Pittsburgh lost to Dallas in the Superbowl and that one DB had a pick where he was just standing there and Neil O’Donnell threw it to him. Looks like a misread to me! Quick clue: offenses run motion to help check out the defense. If a guy runs with the motion man, it is most likely man coverage. Quarterbacks also have the option of changing the play from run to pass, pass to run, etc. Depending on what he sees. He will read, in order, Cornerbacks, Safeties, Linebackers, Defensive End. Depending on how they line up. We will go over defense later. He reads this before the ball is snapped, and all 11 guys have to read the same thing. What they read and the assignments that go with the read are what is called the system, over and above the X’s and O’s of running the play. The real difference in systems is, when defense A is out there, one team may run a deep pass, another a run, all from the same formation. Everyone has to be on the same page.

Receiver. Pretty straightforward out here. Read where the corner back is playing you, where his help might come from (safety, linebacker, etc.) and you have an assigned route to go with it. E.g., Man Coverage, corner playing inside, go deep sideline. Hopefully the QB sees the same thing. They will try to disguise the defense after all. That’s why you see those corners moving around so much before the ball is snapped. You have to be right about man, zone, and 2 deep. It is a health issue. While in 2 deep, that means the safety is helping the corner deep, the difference between man and zone in general terms is this. In a man defense, a receiver can run across the field all day and just be chased by the man covering him. If it is a zone and runs across the field, he will run into somebody else’s zone and get smushed. Find a nice quiet pocket in the zone and stand there. This goes for tight ends or wide receivers. Tight ends just start with a linebacker instead of a corner and get popped off the line.

Running Back. More complex than you think. On a passing play, the RB needs to read the defense to see where the pass rush or blitz will come from. Whether it is a zone blitz or not. If he read the safety is blitzing, that is his guy to block. Or if he reads an outside linebacker, etc. It is HIS guy. Often the difference between getting the play off or not. Very few RB’s in the NFL have mastered this. Emmitt Smith might be the best. On certain plays as well this might mean the RB runs a dump route so the QB can just dump him the ball quickly. Runs are complicated as well. Not just hit the assigned hole, but know what blocking scheme the Offensive line is calling based on the defense, and therefore know where holes will open up or cutback lanes. A misread here is as painful to watch as the QB WR misread. A pile of bodies with the RB at the bottom. Coordination with the line is essential. Know who they will double team, and where they are trying to make a hole. A hole assignment is more of an area than anything else. Knowing the defense also helps if you know where the big hitters are coming from. Always know where Rodney Harrison or Troy Palomau are, avoid making their highlight film. Avoid them by knowing where they are coming from, and put them on yours!

Offensive line. The center runs the show here. Remember all the pointing you see them doing before the snap? They are making calls. Blocking assignments. Only one is real and several are fakes. Ignore the pointing. The center will make a call based on the defense alignment that will dictate who blocks who and where. Who gets double teamed, who gets the linebacker, etc. They have to know this to open the hole in the assigned place, or to avoid the Quarterback from getting killed. This is why lines get better the longer they play together. They start to know when a call is made who will do what, where their other lineman will be and what they are looking for. The better they are coordinated, the more successful the play. You do not have to overpower the defense, just get them out of the way for a second or two. The Denver Broncos never had a huge line, but they are one of the best because they work together, and make enough of a hole or protect well enough for the play to work. It is all in the angles they take to a defender to interfere with them making a play, and having all the defenders accounted for.

So when a team is “putting in a new system”, there is a TON of repetition involved. When all these areas work together perfectly, you attain the goal of the play. On a run…4 yards, on a pass…8 yards. You didn’t think all these plays were designed to score, did you? Move the ball, then score. No one designs a play that will score every time. Take these clues and look at how things develop during a game. Before you know it, you will be able to call what the offense is going to do when they line up! How cool will that be with your friends watching the game! It is all about avoiding third down and getting first downs, but that is for another week.

Ok, here we are, halfway through the pre-season and players are already starting to get bus tickets. A bad play here or there and get out. Time to take a look at the player’s options, the team’s options and how they all pan out. Time to actually set a ROSTER!

The Players

If you, as a player, were smart enough to sign a contract WITH a signing bonus, you will probably make it. A signing bonus is the only part of an NFL contract that is guaranteed. Usually the money is either spread out over the life of the contract in chunks. E.g. while you may get the whole $19 million signing bonus up front (YES in your account! See Michael Vick…), the team only recognizes parts of it over the life of the contract. Say $4 million per year of the 19 actually counts against the team in the salary cap. If you signed a contract with a signing bonus, no team will cut you and continue to be penalized under the cap – they figure you are going to be on the team. If you do NOT have a signing bonus, then you have to make the team to get paid. Any contract in the NFL is a per game check. Sign for $1.6 million a year, get $160,000 per game. But you HAVE TO MAKE THE TEAM!

For younger guys who maybe won’t quite make it, there are options. I mean real options, not the CFL – the football equivalent of Siberia. NFL Europe is becoming a great developmental league; even arena football has generated some players, like the on-every-advertisement-while- I-have-the-chance Kurt Warner. But these leagues don’t start for a while. If you are really close and the team believes that, welcome to the practice squad! Well, what IS the practice squad? This is a very important place to develop players. Five guys who get to practice with the team, get $1500 per week, and get real NFL coaching with the idea that they can get good enough to contribute to the team. Each may have a contract, usually for the league minimum, that kicks in when they are put on the active roster. So for the minimum wage of $335,000 per year, you have to be activated. These guys typically do not get to travel with the team, and they have to clear waivers before the team that wants them on the squad can put them there. But every team has a few projects there.

Let’s take an example. Dan Neal – OL; an All-American wrestler in college, he did not play college football. The Patriots took a chance on him, got him in camp and on the practice squad. Developed him. Even cut him off the squad at one point last year and Cleveland put him on theirs. But he got to DEVELOP. Now, here he is in his second year, having not played college football, and it looks like he will be on the active roster for the Patriots. Playing in the CFL or Arena, I do not think would have helped him like the NFL coaching and practice did. Every team has a guy like this they hope will develop and turn a gamble into either an everyday player, depth or something tradable (like a developed back-up quarterback, Matt Schaub????). For a great many teams, this is where their depth for a given position can come from.

The Team

The team definitely has the upper hand here. It is about who is the best player for their system and what does he cost. For those who close, it is the practice squad; some of these guys wold have been designated to NFL Europe for further development, now who knows… Cutting a player allows any team to pick him up, and on a better team he most likely will and therefore be gone. The question really is, how do you hold on to the guys you think can develop, get under the salary cap, and protect them from other teams. Other than the squad, really the only other way to do it is via injured reserved. While on IR a player is the team’s property, his contract DOES count against the cap, but he is yours! There are a few what one might call “gentlemen’s agreements” out there. A player that could help a team, most likely to add depth, that no one claimed on waivers and yet might not be one to put on the practice squad. Then it is simply, “Hey, stay in shape and we will call you”, and you might see them mid-season after an injury or something.

Coming out of training camp, these are really the only viable options. While one could play in the CFL, it is far more difficult to get out of a CFL contract mid-season to play in the NFL, or out of a multi-year deal for a shot at the NFL. Limits options. Hence the often misunderstood and often crucial PRACTICE SQUAD.

It’s that time of year. Players are tired of training camp. The regular season is right around the corner. Time to step up and win a job!

By now the coaches have a good feel for the physical abilities of the players. Those who have enough are still around. The players are getting a good feel for the respective offensive and defensive systems, those who understand that are still around. Now the fun part – pre-season games! The goal – prove you belong in the league and not get hurt. For the vast majority of players who are not high round picks or free agents, the second half of these pre-season games is crucial. While they are not playing against Type-A NFL talent, they have to show something, ANYTHING, to win a roster spot (remember Michael Bishop, or this year it could be Matt Schaub). If you are one of these players you have to balance two things, I need to show I know the system (where to be, what to do, etc.), and not make critical mistakes and yet…part two is I HAVE to make one or two plays to make me stand out from the crowd on film, or forever be the faceless rook who didn’t make it.

Veteran players typically do not get too close to these guys until they make the team. Why make a friendship with a guy that might be gone in a week or a day? Once people start calling you by name, you are on the right road. There is alot at stake here. The minimum wage in the NFL is $335K, lasting 4 years gets you a pension and health care (I believe the pension now is 0.5% of your best year’s contract per month if you last 4 full seasons on a roster). If not, you will be doing something else that will NOT pay $335K! It’s all about can you do it and can you do it as well as one of the veterans, because if you can, a rookie is cheaper against the salary cap. Worst case, make the taxi squad – 5 guys who didn’t QUITE make it, but the team feels has potential. Kind of like a mini AAA farm system (at $1500/week, good duty) and often are called up to fill in because of injury, poor performance, etc. These are guys teams are always looking to upgrade. Undrafted, but serviceable. A guy to ROOT for! When you watch him in camp, he works just as hard, performs well enough and is looking for those few plays late in the pre-season games that make the coaches take notice, “Hey, Jace has improved; that was a nice play”. That is the difference between being on the roster, and getting a ring last year, and putting that college degree to work in the 9 to 5 world. I’ll take the ring. THESE are the guys to look for this weekend and root for them. People say they are more like regular guys, well if 6′4″ 295 is a regular guy. But we all love underdogs, don’t we?

So what is training camp anyway? What is its’ purpose? Well, it USED to be the time when players reported to get in shape. These days in the NFL, everyone pretty much comes into camp in shape. Otherwise why would a team be allowed to fine players $232 per pound per day they are over their target playing weight. That can add up prett fast! I know I’d be broke quick. This is the time for veterans to prove they can still play and less expensive rookies to show they have more performance per dollar in these heady days of the salary cap.

It is the purest sense of Darwinism on an athletic scale. If you play better than the next guy at your position, you make the team, otherwise you get a bus ticket. Let’s remember that the NFL is the ONLY major professional sports league where contracts are not guaranteed. You have to make the team to get paid…as it should be. Therefore, it does not matter who you are, what school you came from, how perfect you are physically – you can get beat out. And in the case of a tie, it is who counts less against the salary cap, kind of the perfect predator in the Darwin Athletic world. Make no mistake, this is a battle FOR A JOB! So when you see these guys doing essentially the same drills you see college and high school players doing, although better, it is all in an effort to show one or both of two things…I am better than the next guy…I fit your system better than the next guy. Draft picks are PROSPECTS, not instant stars, but in these salary cap days, often cheaper if they can prove themselves.

Football is the greatest team sport ever created. No one player can carry a team. Facing 11 other players on the other side of the ball is just too much for one person to overcome. And let’s face it, EVERY guy in the NFL is huge, in perfect shape, and is both strong and fast. The difference most times is minimal. The real question is who plays better. Training camp is the only time to show this. With physical skills so close it really comes down to other skills. Decision making (can they play the game, make the plays), and skills unique to each position. How well a quarterback throws, how well a linebacker separates from a block, etc. Coaches actually are evaluating some of this in drills, more in scrimmages and pre-season games; they are looking for skills and who will play for them and who is on his way out. This is all about PLAYER EVALUATION, no one gives a damn about winning a pre-season game. As a result, players have very few opportunities to stand out. Each player is so close it often only takes a great play or two to separate from the competition. How well they can make a play within the context of their system makes them better and therefore a keeper. I remember the stress involved. My Dad played in the NFL for a long time and every year there was the stress of whether or not he had done enough to make an impression, even as the All-Pro he was! No one’s job is safe.

Remember, in the NFL it is all about coaching and a system. A coach/GM gets the best players they can for the system, offensively and defensively, that they feel will make them successful. It all comes down to those learned skills, physical size is mainly just a tie-breaker. This is when a coach puts the system he wants to use for the year in (3-4 or 4-3, West Coast Offense, etc.) and then creates detail for each week’s game. This is pretty obvious when you hear coaches yelling during a drill, “If this was against Miami, Player X would have beaten you in this situation, and here’s why…”. There is a constant reminder about what this is all about – winning. And there is also a reminder of who they play and who on an individual level they have to prepare to beat. The system for the year is installed, and the players are indoctrinated. Again, it is much more about how well a player fits and makes adjustments within the team’s individual system than it is about pur athletic talent. Who will make the machine run the best in conjunction with the other parts? That is the question, not a 4.4. 40 or a 4.35.

So what is it like for players in an NFL training camp? Let’s take a look at my local (and favorite) team during double sessions, the New England Patriots.

First, each player participates in a fitness test to earn the right to practice with the team. Usually something brutal like 10 40-yard sprints under a certain time with 7-8 seconds rest in between sprints. But also these are guys I have seen bench press 225 lbs., 39 times in one set (the average at the combine last year, no they do not go for huge weights, just number of repetitions with each position using the same weight). The players are away from home, living literally in dormitories. Complete with cafeteria meal plan! Be very afraid when you see these guys eat!! It is really hot and humid typically, and the day starts with a sretch, weight room workout and morning practice at 9 AM. Practice runs 9-11 AM and 3-5 PM. Although, these days many teams are running sessions very early in the morning and early evening to beat the heat given the tragedies of last year. Now then, after lifting, make your way through the sea of die hard fans and kids waiting for you. This is after all the most accessible layers are to the general public all year (a really GREAT time to bring kids to get an autograph or show a young player how big these guys really are). Start with practicing kick off and kick off returns, then drills (one-on-one’s, hitting sleds, etc.), then scout team drills (defense with defense, offense with offense), and then scrimmage. More drills, punt returns/coverage, end of practice. 11 AM. By the way, this is the worst time to be an injured player – if you cannot practice, you ride the bike during this entire time! Ick! Typically now is the lunch break, autograph sessions, film and get ready for the next practice at 3 PM. Followed by more film. Pretty typical. You HAVE to be in shape or you might as well go home now! Two weeks of this, some initial cuts and welcome to your first pre-season game. You had better make a play to get noticed or call that career counselor! No pressure. Welcome to Athletic Darwinism. Play well to survive another day.

It’s that time again. Football season is in full force. Preseason games have begun, every team feels they can win it all, controversies are starting to brew….

All in all the best time of hte year for football!!!! My goal for this blog is to help inform the casual fan about the introcacies    

There are a finite number of jobs in the NFL. 53 man roster, practice squad, 32 teams, that’s it. Obviously each team tries to get the best players they can. Sounds simple, eh? Ok, there are 117 teams in Division 1A College Football, then there is Division IAA, II, III and club football. Do we really even want to get into Canada as well? Well, how do you find these guys? Yellow pages? Google.com? HA! That is A LOT of players to look at.

Let’s face it, a player at Florida, Miami, Notre Dame, etc., or any National Division I program is going to be scouted. Whether you are the 50th man off the bench or a Heisman candidate. THAT’S easy. Everyone from David Carr at Fresno State to Quenton Jammer at Texas had tons of information available on them, everywhere, easy. Great, fine, wonderful. What about those later rounds in the draft where you actually fill holes in your team? Examples…Wayne Chrebet – Hofstra, Jerry Rice – Mississippi Valley State, Matt Birk – Harvard, Shannon Sharpe – Savannah State, or how can we forget the Patriots Joe Andruzzi from that household football name, Central Connecticut State. The list is endless! These are guys not invited to the combine in Indianapolis, but will be not only contributors but All-Pro players. (Let’s face it as well, an undrafted free agent that can play is cheaper that a No. 1 draft pick!!!)

I found out about this first hand. When I played (Division II ASSUMPTION COLLEGE! Go Greyhounds!), we had a kicker sooooo talented he actually hit our center in the butt three times one practice while trying to kick extra points (yes, our center turned around and smacked him a few times upside the head!). Anyway, he actually thought he was NFL material and asked our Sports Information Director how to “register” for the NFL draft, I can still see the SID’s face. One of those “excuse me?” looks. This caused me to dig into the issue out of pure curiosity. And no, amazingly our kicker did not get drafted and we did not win any games by a field goal.

There are scouts in each region of the US that have responsibility for all the player prospects within that territory. Some of the work for NFL franchises, some for professional scouting companies. Each regional guy has a lot of ground to cover. For instance if a scout covers the New England region, he has to scout all schools in all divisions in that region, with the aid of the junior scouts that work for him. So, there are tools to help. The first is word of mouth. If you play at a small school in D III, for instance, and a small conference, scouts DO NOT regularly attend those games, surprisingly. But every coach and SID has a friend of a friend or in-law that knows somebody that knows somebody that is a scout. You put up serious numbers consistently and they will at least call your coach. Enough buzz and they will ask for games tapes and potentially catch a game. Good way to do it, but lengthy and inconsistent. What is more common is a sort of first cut using databases. Now then colleges keep stats on their players, who in turn share them with their conference, who share them with the NCAA. Hey, I even saw MY stats. You have to look long and hard to find those. Big Brother is watching you! If a player starts with amazing stats consistently, he will get flagged in a database somewhere either at the conference or NCAA level. People will look at it. This is the usual base for things like all conference honors, academic All Americans, etc. Enough stats will produce a call to a coach looking for game tapes.

Great, if you play a position with stats to be noticed. What about lineman? Here you really have to rely on dominating performances that get the other coaches talking. If the physical attributes are there, and the performance is good enough, a regional scout will make a call to check in. Each NFL team evaluates literally hundreds of players per year. Constantly. Watch your favorite team in the paper and the transactions list. Guys picked up, dropped, usually one you never heard of.  It is all in managing the players. Undrafted free agents may well help win a game at some point. Who was the starting right corner for the Patriots in their second Super Bowl? Yes, that’s right, Randall Gay. And this year he’s back!

The only other way is a tryout camp. Each team will run a tryout of undrafted free agents every spring. Players that fell through the scouting cracks, local players, guys who might have been injured. This is the story of Wayne Chrebet. He came to a tryout, performed well, stuck through spring training and the rest is history. Troy Brown, undrafted out of Marshall, cut twice by the Patriots, made the practice squad, now has several Superbowl rings.

All of this not only before a draft, but year-round. Teams pick up players all year to fill holes. Tryouts happen almost weekly, just usually not of any note to make the papers notice. The scouting and discovery process is a 12 month ordeal. And this is just to get guys that might potentially get a roster spot for a week. Regional scouts and now more than ever scouting services are leaned on heavily for the footwork. Typically teams will have specific criteria they are looking for. Either a specific position they want, certain physical attributes or character attributes to help filter the players. We will get into the draft interview and workout process prior to the draft. All this really means is that with this much visibility, you still have to be really really really good to even get a sniff from an NFL franchise. Actually getting and using a college degree provided by the football program looks better now, doesn’t it?

Sunday. High draft picks out of Division I are nice, but a team is made up of players from everywhere. Role players that make a difference. You just have to find them. Ask Fred Coleman in 2001, or Willie Parker in Pittsbugh…