Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Senior Bowl Recap

by Thomas Melton and Jeff Bowers



The Senior Bowl is the first chance most players have to get coached and interact with teams and scouts. It’s also the last opportunity they have to show their talents before the Scouting Combine in February, so the stakes are high. Here is a list of the players who helped or hurt their causes in Mobile, AL.

Stock Up

Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh - Donald started out strong measuring in at 1/8 of an inch under 6’1” and 288 pounds which was very good to see considering he was listed at just 6’0”. Donald has been a disruptive force in opposing backfields his entire career, and he has 66 career tackles for loss, 29.5 career sacks, and six forced fumbles. He was absolutely unblockable in one on one’s this week, and he made Cyril Richardson look absolutely foolish multiple times during the week. He showed he has the strength to hold up at the point of attack, the burst to penetrate upfield, and impressive hand usage to keep blockers from engaging him in one-on-one situations. He’s the definition of an interior disruptor, and even though he will inevitably be knocked for his size he proved this week that his talent translates to the next level. Comparisons to Bengals DT Geno Atkins are being whispered.


Chris Borland, LB, Wisconsin -
Borland, much like Aaron Donald, is regularly knocked for his size. However, Borland proved that he can play at the next level all week, and even flashed the ability to shed blocks at the point of attack. However, his lack of height and short arms are going to make it difficult for him to do that at the next level. Still, his instincts, burst, strength, and impressive tackling (as well as his impressive knack for forcing fumbles) will all translate to the next level. He can play inside in a 3-4 or in a 4-3.


Weston Richburg, C, Colorado State -
Richburg came in as one of the top centers in the country but he is undoubtedly my #1 center now. He was one of the only interior offensive linemen who could hold up versus Aaron Donald in one on ones all week, and he even showed that he has the agility to pull which is quite rare for a center. He’s a top talent, and he’s a guy you can plug in at center from day one and expect quality play.


Zach Martin, OT, Notre Dame -
Martin showed that he could play outside at tackle and inside at guard this week. He looked the part of a first round pick at both positions all week, and despite lacking “ideal” height and length for a tackle I think he will get a shot outside in the NFL. Even if he doesn’t play well at tackle he will be able to slide inside and play at a high level there.


Kyle Van Noy, OLB, BYU -
I have maintained for a while that Van Noy is a quality player and while he isn’t necessarily “elite” in any one area he is very versatile. He can drop into coverage, he can play the run, and he can rush the passer. He’s a player that you can move around a defense, whether he has his hand in the dirt at defensive end, is standing up to rush the passer, dropping into the flats, or even blitzing up the middle, he can do just about anything you ask him to as a linebacker. I’m still not convinced he’s going to be a stud pass rusher in the NFL, but he can do so many things for a defense that he’s still worth a high selection.


Dee Ford, OLB, Auburn -
Dee Ford was too quick off the edge for just about everyone all week, and while there were times he was taking too wide of an angle he still showed that he can get the edge against NFL caliber talent. He looks like a great fit for a 3-4 defense as an outside linebacker. He absolutely helped himself this week, even if he doesn’t have the size you want to play 4-3 defensive end.


Jon Halapio, OG, Florida -
Halapio played through a torn pectoral this season and as a result there were times when his play suffered. However, he was 100% healthy this week and it really showed. He was fantastic in one on one drills and I didn’t see him get beat in those drills a single time all week. He’s more well-known for his run blocking and his nasty demeanor to finish blocks, but he really impressed me with his strength and ability to reset and recover in pass protection if he was ever beaten initially. He’s a player that likely won’t go as high as I think he deserves, but he’s a player that I think can step in and play immediately at guard.


Jimmie Ward, S, Northern Illinois -
I discussed this with a couple other draft analysts, but there’s a real possibility (especially after Aaron Colvin tore his ACL), that Jimmie Ward was not only the best safety in Mobile, but the best corner as well. He’s going to be picked early day two (if he doesn’t sneak into late round one) and his ability to play corner as well as safety at a high level is going to make him a popular commodity with NFL teams.


Keith McGill, CB, Utah
– We all know the NFL is a copycat league and I expect the big CB craze ala the Seahawks secondary to be the next trend. With that in mind, McGill (6’3” 214) showed some great skill and flexibility to go along with that size that could have GMs drooling.


Justin Ellis, DT, Louisiana Tech -
Having watched Justin Ellis in person for almost two full weeks I have to say I came away very impressed with him. He moves so well for a man his size and while he is raw technique wise if he can work on not playing high as often and work on his hand usage then he could be a quality starter in the NFL. He’s very quick, he can penetrate upfield, but he’s also very hard to move at the point of attack. That’s tough to find in an interior defensive linemen. He absolutely helped himself at the Shrine Game and again this week at the Senior Bowl.

Stock Down

Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson – While all of the quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl had their struggles outside of David Carr, perhaps none had more expectations than Boyd. His inaccuracy throughout the week and especially in the game most definitely dropped him out of first round consideration and could put him behind the next tier of QBs as well.


Adrian Hubbard, OLB, Alabama -
Hubbard impressed me as a sophomore but he didn’t look like the same player as a junior. It was noted by multiple people that he looked stiff this week, and obviously wasn’t at his best dropping into coverage as a 4-3 linebacker. He’s going to be a 4-3 defensive end or a 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL, but he hasn’t shown great edge speed and doesn’t look like he’s going to be an impact pass rusher at the next level. He didn’t have a great week, and that’s unfortunate because he could have used a boost after a less than stellar junior season.


Gabe Ikard, C, Oklahoma -
Ikard got pushed around a bit at the Shrine Game, particularly by Justin Ellis, but playing at guard most of the week on the South team didn’t make his job any easier at the Senior Bowl. He’s an undersized center that isn’t at his best matched up one on one, so being forced to block defensive tackles one on one as a guard obviously wasn’t playing to his skill set. He’s a day three player who is likely only a starter in a zone blocking scheme, but he obviously didn’t boost his stock this week.


Billy Turner, OT, North Dakota State -
Turner was a player I was really looking forward to seeing, but he didn’t look very good outside at tackle all week. I love his demeanor, but I think he is likely a better fit inside at guard. He is still raw and needs some coaching up, but he showed me that he struggled with speed off the edge quite a bit this week.


Marqueston Huff, S, Wyoming -
Huff was played out of position consistently this week at corner but he still struggled in coverage regularly in one on ones whenever I watched him. He looks like a likely day three pick even though he wasn’t in the best position to improve his stock.


Stephen Morris, QB, Miami -
Morris had a very poor senior season despite Miami’s offense being very explosive to start the season. He can be best summed up by making a couple great throws in a game, but then being wildly inconsistent with his accuracy on other throws. He’s athletic with a strong arm, but his accuracy issues are so significant that I don’t have a draftable grade on him right now. If you draft him late in the draft you are drafting him believing that you can minimize his accuracy issues, but I just don’t think that’s going to be coached out of him.


Michael Sam, DE, Missouri -
I feel bad knocking Sam for his week down here since he wasn’t played at defensive end all week like he probably should have been, but he’s not very good dropping into coverage and didn’t show great speed off the edge to threaten the tackle’s outside shoulder. He didn’t look like a great pass rusher at the next level, and might be best in a rotation at defensive end in a 4-3.


Cyril Richardson, OG, Baylor -
Richardson entered the week as one of my top guards in the country, but he got beaten regularly by Aaron Donald all week during practice and looked like he was carrying too much weight in the process. He still needs work on his stance, and while he has a lot of upside he needs some coaching up to get there.


Brandon Linder, OG, Miami -
I was pretty surprised Linder got an invite to the Senior Bowl, but Rashede Hageman beat him soundly throughout the week and he struggled on a lot of reps during one on ones. He’s likely a day three guy, but I don’t see a quality NFL starter when I watch him.


Will Sutton, DT, Arizona State
– It’s not good when scouts giggle at your weigh in at your spare tire. In Sutton’s defense, he was asked to add weight his senior year but he does not wear it well. That coupled with a fairly lackluster week in Mobile has Sutton needing to put in some major work between now and the Combine.

 

Cowboys Interviews:

It doesn’t always have too much meaning, but it is always interesting to see who the Cowboys interview at the Senior Bowl. The only 2 names I could uncover were:

Dee Ford, DE, Auburn – This is interesting as Ford does not seem to have ideal size for the 4-3. But his outstanding pass-rushing skills might make up for that.

IK Enemkpali, DE, Lousiana Tech – Enemkpali is a Texas kid from Pflugerville and had a solid college career, though not without incident. With nice size for the 4-3 (6’1 272lbs), Enemkpali could wind up with a Dallas Day invite to Valley Ranch and possibly a late round selection or as a priority FA.

The State of the Narrative Address


Click HERE to Listen!

 
Instead of doing something dumb like listening to the president speak or worrying about what is happening in this country, tune in at 8PM CST for The Sports Narrative Radio Show! Dustin, Jeff and The Mick will be far more entertaining and with less applause breaks! On this episode:

- We preview Superbowl XLVIII in NYC and give you rock-solid pick from The Nostrada-Mick

- A look at all the other happenings in the world of football including coaching hires, Senior Bowl updates and the mess that is the Dallas Cowboys

- A stop down in Mick's Pub for an explosive and unpredictable segment likely to include cars, BBC shows and the best segment in radio: Ride The Lightning with The Mick

- A nice big NBA segment as we transition away from football including some trade talks, LeBron as commissioner and more

- A finish with news and notes from all around the sports landscape including Hockey, Baseball, NCAA Hoops and whatever else we can squeeze in

All that and your calls too at (347) 308-8637

Listen LIVE on Jan 28th from 8-9:30P CST
 

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Omaha! Omaha! Audible to Tuesdays!


Click HERE to Listen!

 
 

After reading the defense, The Sports Narrative Radio Show calls an audible and flips the show to Tuesday nights at 8PM CST! Join Jeff, Dustin and The Mick as they entertain you for the best 90 minutes of your week! On this episode:

- A look back at Championship weekend in the NFL and a preview of the Superbowl match-up including all the fallout of Peyton and Richard Sherman

- While only 2 teams are left playing, the other 30 teams are getting ready for next season, including the never-boring Dallas Cowboys. A look at draft prep, coaching changes (or not) and more

- A stop down for a look outside the world of sports during The Pub and its always entertaining host, The Mick

- Talk of instant replay coming to baseball and the pursuit of Japanese pitcher Tanaka

- Reviewing the events for the NBA and the NHL including who should be buyers or sellers, terrible defenses and more

All that and your calls mixed in as well at (347) 308-8637

January 21st, 2014 from 8:00 to 9:30PM

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Championship Weekend: Stink Rankings Style

by Tim the Dis-Enchanter

[Editor's Note: Tim the Dis-Enchanter is a life long Buffalo Bills fan. In the late 90's, Tim had all of his blood replaced with venom so he could properly display his feelings. The result is the following]

 
 
 
 
 
  
 
The following may be found highly offensive. Do not consume the Stink Rankings if you are easily offended, have any sense of morality, are pregnant or may become pregnant. The views expressed below are that of a deeply bitter man and in no way reflect those of The Sports Narrative, any of its members or anyone with a conscience.

Side effects of viewing the Stink Rankings may include nausea, complete loss of bladder control, unfortunate but humorous flatulence and death. If any of these symptoms occur, immediately retweet this to all of your friends, co-workers and enemies. Misery loves company!

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

 

Championship Stink Rankings

 

 

AFC Championship Game

 

Pukeriots at Broncos – Well now, this was all we needed wasn’t it? This match-up could have been predicted by anyone even mildly knowledgeable of football back in week two. Wes Welker says that trying to compare Tom Brady and Peyton Manning is like comparing Michelangelo and Picasso. I would say it’s more like comparing two people of only average intelligence and maturity who were brought up in privileged households by parents who tried to compensate for their own failures in life by enabling and pushing their children into athletic talent. One, a spoiled crybaby who cried like a bitch during an interview because he wasn’t drafted as quickly as he had hoped, and the other, a brainless dip#$%^ who practically needs to be sub-titled on television in order to be understood, - who is also shamelessly in bed with a national pizza shyster. Somehow these two boorish jackasses have come to be celebrated as the classic American success stories – although perhaps more classless than classic in their quintessentially American narratives of wealth, privilege, and obscene incomes for obscure talents. A Broncos win means that we all feel a tinge of excitement that, once again, the cheaters have received a small dose of justice. A Patriots win means that we may all get a reprieve from the homoerotic commercials of those two ass-clowns hocking those crappy pizzas for a while. Either way, America loses.
 

 

Predicition: Pukeriots: 38 Broncos: 30      

 

 

NFC Championship Game

 
 
 
 
69ers at S#$%hawks – Ahh, yes, the battle of the overrated defenses and underperforming offenses. It’s tough to see any pearls in this oyster-of-a-game. On the one hand you’ve got San Francisco’s bully-faced whiney coach who screams and yells over every play that doesn’t result in a touchdown as though he’s been cheated somehow, and a beady-eyed douchebag quarterback of very average talent who likes making love to his arm with his mouth whenever something “good” happens. On the other hand you’ve got a consistently underperforming offense in Seattle led by a dramatically overrated defense headed by an obnoxious, big mouthed, egomaniacal A-hole in Richard Sherman. I couldn’t even care about this game if the future of the planet was riding on it. A Sixty-Niners win means that we can all get busy not giving a S about Seattle again. A S#$%hawks win means that old “angry brow” can go punch the snot out of that bug-eyed dweeb quarterback until he feels better about himself. Personally, I’d like to punch the crap out of both of them.

 

 

Prediciton: Sixty-Niners: 24 S#$%hawks: 20   

 

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Draft Nuggets 2014 #1

by Jeff Bowers

[Editor's Note: You can find this blog at www.theticket.com under Norm's blog]


Draft Nuggets 2014: Entry #1

By Jeff Bowers of www.thedraftnarrative.com


 

It’s Draft Time Again!

Hello P1’s and welcome back to your home for the best coverage of the NFL Draft. I’m Jeff Bowers, associate producer and researcher of The Ticket’s Draft coverage, and I will be updating you here at Norm’s blog each week on all the latest happenings in the NFL offseason. For even more info, check out my website www.thedraftnarrative.com for all the sights, sounds, interviews and more from now until draft day itself May 8th live from Radio City Music Hall in NYC. So let’s get it started!

The deadline for underclassmen to declare themselves eligible for this year’s draft has passed. Each year the number that declare continues to grow and this year is no exception. After a record 74 early entries last year, the 2014 NFL Draft pool will have a record 92 underclassmen in it. Here’s a complete list (Potential 1st Rounders in Bold):

No.
Player
Pos.
School
No.
Player
Pos.
School
 
1
Davante Adams
WR
Fresno State
47
A.C. Leonard
TE
Tennessee State
2
Jace Amaro
TE
Texas Tech
48
Colt Lyerla
TE
Oregon
3
George Atkinson III
RB
Notre Dame
49
Aaron Lynch
DE
USF
4
Dion Bailey
S
USC
50
Johnny Manziel
QB
Texas A&M
5
Odell Beckham
WR
LSU
51
Marcus Martin
C
USC
6
Kapri Bibbs
RB
Colorado State
52
Tre Mason
RB
Auburn
7
Russell Bodine
C
North Carolina
53
Terrance Mitchell
CB
Oregon
8
Blake Bortles
QB
Central Florida
54
Viliami Moala
DT
California
9
Chris Boyd
WR
Vanderbilt
55
Donte Moncrief
WR
Ole Miss
10
Carl Bradford
DE/OLB
Arizona State 
56
Adam Muema
RB
San Diego State
11
Bashaud Breeland
DB
Clemson
57
Jake Murphy
TE
Utah
12
Teddy Bridgewater
QB
Louisville
58
Troy Niklas
TE
Notre Dame
13
Martavis Bryant
WR
Clemson
59
Louis Nix III
DT
Notre Dame
14
Ka'Deem Carey
RB
Arizona
60
Jeoffrey Pagan
DL
Alabama
15
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
S
Alabama
61
Ronald Powell
LB
Florida
16
Jadeveon Clowney
DE
South Carolina
62
Calvin Pryor
S
Louisville
17
Brandon Coleman
WR
Rutgers
63
Loucheiz Purifoy
CB
Florida
18
Brandin Cooks
WR
Oregon State
64
Kelcy Quarles
DL
South Carolina
19
Scott Crichton
DE
Oregon State
65
Ed Reynolds
FS
Stanford 
20
Isaiah Crowell
RB
Alabama State
66
Darrin Reaves
RB
UAB
21
Jonathan Dowling
S
Western Kentucky
67
Antonio Richardson
OT
Tennessee
22
Kony Ealy
DE
Missouri
68
Paul Richardson
WR
Colorado
23
Dominique Easley
DT
Florida
69
Marcus Roberson
CB
Florida
24
Eric Ebron
TE
North Carolina
70
Allen Robinson
WR
Penn State
25
Bruce Ellington
WR
South Carolina
71
Greg Robinson
OT
Auburn
26
Mike Evans
WR
Texas A&M
72
Bradley Roby
CB
Ohio State
27
Ego Ferguson
DT
LSU
73
Richard Rodgers
TE
California
28
Mike Flacco
TE
New Haven
74
Bishop Sankey
RB
Washington
29
Cameron Fleming
OT
Stanford 
75
Lache Seastrunk
RB
Baylor
30
Khairi Fortt
LB
California
76
Austin Seferian-Jenkins
TE
Washington
31
Austin Franklin
WR
New Mexico State
77
Ryan Shazier
LB
Ohio State
32
Devonta Freeman
RB
Florida State
78
Yawin Smallwood
LB
UConn
33
Xavier Grimble
TE
USC
79
Brett Smith
QB
Wyoming
34
Vic Hampton
CB
South Carolina
80
Jerome Smith
RB
Syracuse
35
Jeremy Hill
RB
LSU
81
Willie Snead
WR
Ball State
36
Adrian Hubbard
LB
Alabama
82
Josh Stewart
WR
Oklahoma State
37
Kameron Jackson
CB
California
83
Xavier Su'a-Filo
OL
UCLA
38
Timmy Jernigan
DT
Florida State
84
De'Anthony Thomas
RB
Oregon
39
Anthony Johnson
DT
LSU
85
Stephon Tuitt
DE
Notre Dame
40
Storm Johnson
RB
UCF
86
Trai Turner
OG
LSU
41
Henry Josey
RB
Missouri
87
George Uko
DL
USC
42
Cyrus Kouandjio
OT
Alabama
88
Pierre Warren
FS
Jacksonville State
43
Jarvis Landry
WR
LSU
89
Sammy Watkins
WR
Clemson
44
Cody Latimer
WR
Indiana
90
Terrance West
RB
Towson
45
Demarcus Lawrence
DE
Boise State
91
James Wilder Jr.
RB
Florida State
46
Marqise Lee
WR
USC
92
David Yankey
OL
Stanford

 

For what lies ahead, here’s a calendar of events for the rest of the offseason. Join us next week for a recap of the East/West Shrine Game and a preview of the Senior Bowl.

January

January 18 — East-West Shrine Game, Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida.

January 19 — AFC and NFC Championship Games.

January 25 — Senior Bowl, Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama.

January 26 — AFC-NFC Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii.

February

February 2 — Super Bowl XLVIII, MetLife Stadium, New York-New Jersey.

February 3 — Waiver system begins for 2014. A 24-hour claiming period will be in effect through the Friday prior to the last regular season game (waivers requests made on Friday and Saturday of each week will expire at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the following Monday.)  Players with at least four previous pension-credited seasons whom a club desires to terminate are not subject to the waiver system until after the trading deadline.

February 17 — First day for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.

February 19-25 — Combine Timing and Testing, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana.

March

March to April - College Pro-Days

March 3 — Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.

March 8-11 — Clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with, the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2013 Player Contracts at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 11. However, a contract cannot be executed with a new club until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 11.

March 11 — Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must exercise options for 2014 on all players who have option clauses in their 2013 contracts.

March 11 — Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must submit Qualifying Offers to their Restricted Free Agents with expiring contracts and to whom they desire to retain a Right of First Refusal/Compensation.

March 11 — Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must submit a Minimum Salary Tender to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2013 contracts and who have fewer than three Accrued Seasons of free agency credit.

March 11 — Top-51 Begins. All clubs must be under the 2014 Salary Cap prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time. All 2013 player contracts will expire at 4:00 p.m., New York time.

March 11 — The 2014 League Year and Free Agency period begin at 4:00 p.m., New York time.

The first day of the 2014 League Year will end at 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 11. clubs will receive a Personnel Notice that will include all transactions submitted to the league office during the period between 4:00 p.m., New York time, and 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 11.

March 11 — Trading period for 2014 begins at 4:00 p.m., New York time, after expiration of all 2013 contracts.

March 23-26 — Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida.

March 31 - The Draft Narrative Scouting Guide release

April

April 7 — Clubs that hired a new Head Coach after the end of the 2013 regular season may begin offseason workout programs.

April 21 — Clubs with returning Head Coaches may begin offseason workout programs.

May

May 2 — Deadline for Restricted Free Agents to sign Offer Sheets.

May 7 — Deadline for Prior Club to exercise Right of First Refusal to Restricted Free Agents.

May 8-10 — 2014 NFL Draft, New York City, New York.

May 19-21 — NFL Spring League Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia.