By D
Senior Bowl week can be broken down into 3 distinct phases. First phase are the practices, where the players get to gain valuable experience working with NFL staff, meet with team executives and coaches, get valuable looks from scouts and also get additional financial and profession counselling. This can be the week that a player makes or breaks himself, potentially earning or costing them millions in contract money. Practices by far make the most difference from a scouting perspective as these are pretty much for the eyes of NFL evaluators. They also have scheduled post practice private meetings with GM’s, as well as team hosted dinner events.
The second phase of Senior Bowl week is the interaction with the public. Players generally go to local hospitals, schools, etc. and they meet with kids/parents. There is also the player meet and greet scheduled for Friday of Senior Bowl week. This is an event I attended for the first time this year and it was a blast. I got to meet, and have brief conversations with players, some of which I left VERY impressed with. Each player meets with fans and signs autographs for about an hour and 15 minutes straight, and at a pretty fast pace. These events are designed for players to see the effect they have on fans lives, and how their actions and attitudes are important. It is also designed to prepare them for things to come, things like sitting down for hours on end to sign auto-graphs for both those fans who would travel across the country just to meet them, and to those who may be getting that signature for financial gain. Through it all is a revelation how giving back, and remaining professional and respectful to fans is now as much a part of their job as playing football.
The last phase is the game, and while it gets all the coverage, to be honest it’s the least important of all phases. It is the final test in a week full of preparation and scrutiny, the culmination of a very taxing week and a chance to put their college colors on one last time. They are stepping out of the old life and into the new. It’s the last College Bowl game, and yet, already they have new game, new rules, new formations, and new coaches who could possibly be part of their new lives. The week is kind of culture shock for a lot of them but in spite of how draining it, it’s really just the beginning. After the last seconds of that game, players have to start moving on, start thinking of what’s up next, start taking all the things learned at Senior Bowl, all those flaws that were pointed out to them and have those ironed out before Combine. Drop 10 pounds, shave a couple seconds off that 40 time, work on running better route, rehab that tweaked thigh muscle, they have 3 weeks,
There is one last thing for fans and it occurs right after the game ends. When the game ends, some fans stay behind and line up at fences near the buses the players leave in. This is something that is really important to me, so every year, I try my best to go see the players off. The players got to the locker rooms, change out and then walk out and say goodbye to their fans, sign their last autographs as college stars, and jump on the bus to go off and catch a plane and begin their professional lives. It’s always the best time to me, and sometimes the saddest. I have always had at least one player I have had to say goodbye to as a Gator, so in some ways it kinda stinks, but then again, it’s also very exciting. In some ways, to me, it’s almost similar to the feeling you get when you drop your kid off on that first day of school. I usually don’t bother with getting an autograph, I just shake some hands and tell them that I am hoping the best for them in the draft and the rest of their careers, It’s a great wrap up to one of my most favorite weeks of football.
As a postscript, I would like to say will have plenty about the prospects I met, comments about them, what some scouting information I got on, etc., but I’ll do them as comments, I typed this thing like 5 times, and each time it was so massive I decided to just focus on what the week means to the players and fans and try to bring a little bit of this experience to you guys. I hope maybe one year we can do a FU meet down here for the week and do this as a group. I think it would be a really great time.
Finsmob Unleashed 
First?
Good stuff, D. We’ll await your more detailed analysis of prospects and which ones stood out to you.
I loved Kentrell Brothers, he was my favorite from Senior Bowl week. Notes i got on him from Senior Bowl week was same stuff i had heard, like good instincts, all around decent skills, etc. I heard more “standout” type discussion about Deion Jones, but nothing negative about Borthers either. Where things really turned for me was the meet and greet.
Brothers was one of the first guys i got to meet. He was awesome. There were about 3 people i met who actually initiated the conversation, he was one of them. He asked me what team i followed in college, since i wasnt wearing my UF stuff. I told him UF and then he asked me if i was there to see Morrison. I told yes, but i had also really wanted to meet with him. I then told him about this site and how we had a few people who really were hoping the Dolphins would take him in the draft. I told him i/we felt he was one of the best linebackers in this upcoming draft. He said, thanks man, that one of the nicest things anyone has said so far, i really appreciate that, make sure to thank the rest for the support.
Ok then game time, im not sure how many of you watched it but he was closing down lanes and tackling people int he background for losses seemingly on routine. I know i saw at least 2 plays where he stopped the RB on short yardage to prevent a first. He lowed very well to the ball, specifically on runs but in coverage as well. He was lights out. I also think after watching that game and some of his Missou film, that i have found the guy i would feel comfortable comparing to Zach Thomas, and its Brothers.
After the game i went to the buses and Brothers came out. He met with a few people who were getting autographs and i waited for him to do that and take a couple pictures, but he then started getting on the bus and i called out to see if he would come back so i could shake his hand and wish him well. He came back off the bus, and said hey its the Dolphin man, shook my hand and i told him i hoped everything went thebest for him in the draft and God willing he would wind up on our team. He thanked me and then got on the bust to leave.
Really great guy, great linebacker and im solid on him as out LB prospect if we can get him.
Oh and the knock on him bout being small is unwarranted. He isn’t huge, but he is pretty decent size and his fucking hands are HUGE. No wonder he doesnt miss tackles. He’s pretty quick out there too, but he is very thickly built, and even without pads is a very solid size guy.
Deion Jones is a bit smaller but man he is fucking fast. Notes i got on him from practices is that he is a lot like Kwon Alexander or Telvin Smith. He FLYS around the field. He had the best notes i saw of the LB prospects. Didnt get to meet him at the meet and greet unfortunately, so only other data i have on him was his game performance which i think was prety standout as well. Id be happy with him as a LB for us as well. I dont think his size limits him much.
TBH, Jones, Brothers, and Morrison are all convincing me the LB size thing might be archaic. Im not one to generally hold on to past standards as a pigenhole for current players, but i think the smaller LB thing works, they just HAVE to be very skilled/instinctual. They have to know how to play like they are smaller and not let the OL have a chance to get to them. It means that it going to take really great analysis to find the ones that will be able to play at that size and the ones that wont, but im giving up on size as a determinant, unless its splitting has skill wise and then thats the thing that helps break the tie.
“He asked me what team i followed in college, since i wasnt wearing my UF stuff.” Maybe he’s not too bright? JK/LOL
Good stuff, man.
I read that wrong, I thought you said since you were wearing your UF stuff. It’s early and it’s Monday morning. LOL
D, Brothers is 6-1 250 and that’s fine for an ILB/MLB. There’s a lot of LBs 6-1 in the NFL. I worry more about guys who are short and light.
Hey D! Glad you enjoyed your time at the Senior Bowl week man! Thanks for writing a little recap of what goes on there. Very nice job! Nothing like a personal recount. How did Ragland look this week?
Ragland is pure business lol. I got to meet him at the meet and greet as well. Very cool guy, very direct answers to your questions, didnt have that very friendly personal vibe, but like he is on the field, he holds himself like a professional. I think he proved he can run in coverage as well. From notes they said he solidified himself as a 1st rounder, and was the best of the LB’s at Senior Bowl practices.
He is pretty fan friendly too, not saying he didnt take time with peope because out by the buses, he probably was the guy who spent the most time signing autographs and taking photos and even brought some kids over to the side of the barricades they had set up and hugged them and held them up for parents to get photos, etc. So he is a solid person as well, but when he is in business mode he’s pro through and through.
Good morning all. Thanks D for sending the article. Much appreciated. 🙂
Good stuff D
Did you see any aliens there scouting with you?
I didn’t see him, but i felt this weird pain in my ass once and was wondering if i got probed or something.
Tim Knight says:
February 1, 2016 at 10:07 am
I read that wrong, I thought you said since you were wearing your UF stuff. It’s early and it’s Monday morning. LOL
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I figured lol, though i was about to be like “hey now dont be talking about my Brothers……”
Thanks D – Still thinking I wouldn’t be disappointed with Ragland, although I wish we could get him in the 2nd, but that doesn’t seem possible.
No way…. We could get him with a trade back i think, but no way we get him in the second.
Well unless osmething significant happens between now and then. Im thinking Brothers winds up being someone we would have to hold tight and take at our pick in the 2nd now, possibly Deion Jones as well so it would be choosing between the two, not potentially getting both.
He probably doesn’t fall past 20. If Ragland can play inside for us and also play some outside and rush the passer at times like he did in Alabama I wouldn’t have a problem with him at #8 because he’s a 3 down player.
Lol, out of the shit i typed the first few times, i probably have enough for several articles. This was the very smallest fraction of what i wrote lol. I had all the scouting info, meet and greet player opinions, game time notes all together and it was flippin massive. I was like WHY THE HELL CANT YOU WRITE LITTLE ARTICLES! If it seems kinda wierd, forgive me i was in uncharted territory.
LOL – We understand. 🙂
I was looking at mock drafts on NFL.com. 2 of them have Ragland going to the Jets at #20. Ugh!
He wants to prove he can be an OLB, but i still think he winds up ILB at the next level. He is just too good at ILB to go away from it.
Just curious . . . Why so bent on wanting to play OLB, or does he just want to show he can play anywhere? It’s not like MLB is less important, although I know he likes to rush the passer too, so maybe that’s it.
They do need to replace Harris, and thats about as much as a wont miss a beat i think as you can get as a replacement.
I know that, but fuck them! lol
When you think about it, with so much spread offense these days, defenses play in nickel and dime 70% of the time anyway so what you really need is two good LBs who can play the run, cover and blitz. So a pure MLB isn’t as necessary as back in the day when rushing was more prominent. But it doesn’t hurt to have a guy with Ragland’s build to play inside as a run stopper when needed. Just add talent and let it work itself out who plays where.
True, and the MLB can be one of those LB’s who plays in the nickel package, as long as he’s athletic enough to cover and blitz, and it seems like he is.
Yeah or maybe not. Maybe your two OLBs stay on the field and MLB is more of a 2-down if you couldn’t land a 3-down MLB. For instance say we have Misi as a 2-down MLB or someone else, with Myles Jack and Jenkins as OLBs, I wouldn’t have a problem with Jack and Jenkins as the two nickel LBs. It also doesn’t hurt to have a few athletic LBs you can use in a rotation. I still feel we may have found a gem in Neville Hewitt.
D, the Jets have an aging Harris and Davis is a UFA. So ILB could absolutely be a target for them. But they also need an edge rusher which I hope they fail to address once again. LOL
I’d lose it if the Jets landed Von Miller in FA.
They are in a pretty good position to sign him. Its a scary thought.
I know, they don’t have the cap space they had a few years ago and they have to pay Fitzpatrick, but Von Miller is what they need.
Mike E. says:
February 1, 2016 at 10:37 am
Just curious . . . Why so bent on wanting to play OLB, or does he just want to show he can play anywhere? It’s not like MLB is less important, although I know he likes to rush the passer too, so maybe that’s it.
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He wants to prove he is 3 down, and versatile to play in 3-4 or 4-3, as well as shift around for other packages. He said he wants to prove he never has to come off the field on defense.
If he is a 3 down LB I have no problem taking him at #8.
Jarran Reed was really awesome too.
At the meet an greet to keep the lines moving they ask that no one have more than one item signed. Some people abuse it anyways and put the players on the spot. Most the players wont balk at it but i hate putting them in that position so i tend to try to stick with the rules. So when i go up to Reed, he starts talking to me, another player that opened the conversation, which i see as a really good sign of having a good personality. So he asks me where i was from, etc, and i told him and i told him i had a football i would like him to sign for my son. He signed it and then i was about to leave and he was like, do you want me to sign something for you? I said yeah man, that would be awesome, but i thought you guys could only sign one item. He said dont worry about it man, you stood in this line for well over an hour for your son, you deserve something for yourself as well. So i got him to also sign my Senior Bowl program and thanked him for being so nice about that.
At the game, Reed came over and gave a kid his gloves from the game. The players sometimes do that when they come out to the buses, but rarely do it before the game ends. He came over and shook hands with a bunch of the kids in that section, my son included. There i more to this story as well, it includes Eric striker, but ill comment more on that when i talk about him. I found him to be pretty awesome too.
Tim Knight says:
February 1, 2016 at 11:01 am
I know, they don’t have the cap space they had a few years ago and they have to pay Fitzpatrick, but Von Miller is what they need.
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True but i think Fitz knows and the Jets know they arent going to have to pay him “real starter money”, due to age and the fact if they re-sign him it will only be for another year or two contract and just with the intention of getting someone capable of taking over.
I don’t expect him to get that top money at 34 years old but he earned a nice payday and they don’t have another option at QB. Kind of hard to fight 31 TD passes. So he’ll likely get at least double of the $3+M he earned last season. Maybe 3 years $24M with most of it guaranteed.
I guess what i was really saying is i dont think he necessarily is a priority for them to sign, and if they had to choose Miller or resigning fitz, i think they back the tuck up directly to Millers front door lol.
Interview with Brothers from a Skins reporter
D,
Great write up, and even greater post about Brothers. I love hearing the personal accounts. I look forward to reading the rest soon.
Gee Tim, I was talking about how LB’s are more & more a smaller, lighter, speed guy due to today’s NFL offenses. But I seemed to get questioned about liking a guy like Striker. 😉
Big difference in 6-1 250 and 6-0 220.
D, I agree Miller would be the prize for the Jets but who plays QB for them?
I know that would be the conundrum, but they keep saying Fitz was just keeping the seat warm for Geno, and they have Bryce Petty as well. I dunno, they may be forced to re-sign him or gamble. Von Miller is a once in a lifetime sign though, those guys dont normally get the chance to hit the market and if Denver doesnt tag him, i would be surprised if a ton of teams arent willing to gamble at other positions just to get him there.
Von Miller is this year’s Suh.
Antonio Morrison was pretty awesome to meet as well. He was the only other player to initiate conversation. I wouldnt say he has a warm and fuzzy personality but he seemed pretty friendly, pretty direct, has a swagger about him. He also signed two items for me for what its worth, like Reed. He also is a bit more bulky, thick, muscular, than his weight suggests. Looked to have pretty developed upper body, i guess im saying he definitely doesnt look small or give the vibe he wouldnt be able to shed a blocker.
In the game he looked really solid and he played A LOT. He was on almost every ST unit, and was out there a good bit at ILB on defense. He was normally paired with Brothers which was a really solid pairing. Id also be very happy with him at LB for us.
Truth be told, the LB class is looking deeper and deeper to me. I think Morrison however, is going to be 3rd at latest draftee. He and Brothers i think will be pretty close to taken around the same time anywhere from early second to early 3rd.
BTW, yes. Good stuff D. Glad you were in a position to be able to go to an event like the Senior Bowl, and to be able to bring your son is even more awesome.
Seems like it was a nice experience neither of you will forget….Congrats!
Tim, Striker is said to be actually closer to 230 than 220.
I like the guys above pretty well. I also like Scooby Wright & Blake Martinez. Lots of good LB’s in the draft class. We’ll likely get 1-2 of them.
I’ve seen him listed at 218 and CBS Sports has Striker listed at 5-11 228. Still he’s on the small side. Does he have any film of him playing in space and coverage etc., I’ve heard he was mostly a pass rusher? Elvis Dumervil is only 5-11 but he weighs 260.
The Dolphins are thin at QB? We currently have 4 QBs on the team and we all know RT is the starter. So saying thin when you only keep two on the active roster is silly. The Browns and Texans are thin at QB.
http://phinphanatic.com/2016/01/31/dolphins-not-drafting-qb-for-competition/
getterdone says:
February 1, 2016 at 11:18 am
Gee Tim, I was talking about how LB’s are more & more a smaller, lighter, speed guy due to today’s NFL offenses. But I seemed to get questioned about liking a guy like Striker. 😉
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Thanks for opening the door…. 🙂
Striker was well respected by what i heard about his practices. He gets knocked down about his height, which he is pretty short at just over 5’11, but he plays hard, intense and has good instincts. He is definately a chip on his shoulder kind of guy and i have heard his emotions run high on and off the field.
I think though he is just really passionate and he seems like a really great guy. He was the first of the players to come up to the stands and start greeting kids. One kid was calling out to the players who were on the bench right in front of us. Striker comes over to the kid and the kid said something to him about the Powerade they were drinking so Striker went over got him a cup and brought it back to him to drink. He then talked with the kid, and there were some other kids gathers up by the wall and he talked to them and let them all touch/rub on his shiny Oklahoma helmet.
Some of the kids asked if he could give it to them (which they arent allowed to) and he said, Oh come on now, you want the helmet of a big time linebacker, what ya think about Reggie Ragland…. Most the kids there were Alabama fans so they about crapped themselves. He goes back to the bench, grabs Reggies helmet and then tries to get Raglands attention that he is trying to give away his helmet so he would come over to meet with them, but Ragland was way down the field, as i said, being a profession and studying the game (even though it was way out of hand by then).
Striker then tells the kids, sorry he couldnt get Ragland puts down the helmet and then spots Reed who is prety close by and brings him back over there. Thats when Reed gave the gloves to the kids and shook hands with all of them, as i mentioned earlier when talking about him.
He also spent a ton of time running up and down the fences signing autographs and taking photos and outside of Ragland spent the next most time out there with fans near the buses of any of the players.
This entire stretch has wrong written all over it. LOL
“He then talked with the kid, and there were some other kids gathers up by the wall and he talked to them and let them all touch/rub on his shiny Oklahoma helmet.
Some of the kids asked if he could give it to them (which they arent allowed to) and he said, Oh come on now, you want the helmet of a big time linebacker, what ya think about Reggie Ragland….”
I thought about it when i typed it but i hadnt seen FFR around yet so i though it might slip by
BTW Morrison is a bit like Ragland in he is serious business when on the field. Off the field he still seemed pretty intense but on the field he is full tilt every play, very intense competitor.
getterdone says:
February 1, 2016 at 11:24 am
BTW, yes. Good stuff D. Glad you were in a position to be able to go to an event like the Senior Bowl, and to be able to bring your son is even more awesome.
Seems like it was a nice experience neither of you will forget….Congrats!
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For years my company got tickets for us, so i have been to the game several times. My son has gone a couple but he was too young before to really stay focused on the game and not get to where he started the, “is it time to go yet” game lol. This year was pretty great for him, especially since i added in a day off to do the meet and greet. He really liked that.
Unfortunately for him though Dak Prescott, who was someone he really wanted to see, he never got to meet. We were literally 2 people away from him when the handlers came and pulled him from the meet and greet. It was kind of upsetting. Im sure he probably had a scheduled thing with a team or something like that but it really sucked that we were so close, having spend about an hour in that line to meet him and didnt get to.
After the game, Dak came by the busses but was literally ferried straight to his bus and didnt stop for anything. He was the biggest fan draw of the game i think, being that a lot of Mississippi state fans live close enough to make the game as well. I still think he could have made a little more effort, but i really dont know how much was even in his control.
I will say he was the sharpest and best looking QB at the game. He ran a beautiful 2 minute drill, drove the team down and scored. His throws had the best zip on them, best placement, etc. Wentz was pretty good, he made some nice throws, but the ball didnt seem to have zip, and to be honest i wasnt overly impressed with his play.
Tim, Striker could be a real good get if he’s in the 4th round. He could be used as a WILL, and all over the place in sub packages. He kinda fits the Dexter Coakley or Kam Chancellor breed.
BTW, Striker did have like 11 PD’s @ OU I believe.
I wouldn’t be against that. Kam Chancellor is 6-3 though.
D, I was going to let it go then the 2nd paragraph continued with “Some of the kids asked if he could give it to them” and I was like okay, gotta point this one out. LOL
D, that’s very cool of the company. Great experience for kids too. You guys are lucky fellas!
As for Prescott, he got the MOP, but Driskel actually had a lil bit better numbers including a nice hail mary for the TD to end the game, ala Aaron Rodgers…lol
D — What an awesome post. You really taught me something.
If I was a scout, I would be watching those meet and greet times with the fans intently, figuring it might give an insight into character. But then I would be doing that cause I don’t know shiot about scouting players on the field…..so best use of whatever talent I have. 🙂
Juice Landry @ Pro Bowl
3 rec 81 yds 27.0 avg & 1 TD.
…and this awesome 31yd grab in the corner of the endzone.
Sebastian Tretola got dubbed the immovable object in practices by some of the people i talked to. They said on all the one on ones, against a set of STUD Dl, he couldnt be budged straight on. They said one thing they noticed (and something i saw in the game) was that sometimes he could over step to cut off the LB or OG when stunting and lose his balance.
I got to meet him last, he was in the same pod as Prescott. He stayd behind though and kept signing stuff. Handlers kept telling him to wrap it up but he wanted to make sure everyone got signatures. I told him i really thanked him for staying behind and he said, thanks for coming out and standing in line to see me.
As i said i saw some of the things in the game i heard from practice, he didnt have a tendency to get off balance if he had to lean to chase a OG or ILB, now when he fell he generally took them with him so there is that lol. He also never got knocked back to the QB and those DT on North side in particular were beasts. Im pretty impressed by him and would really like to have him on our team.
As a side note, one knock people here will have against him will be a comparison i heard and an observation i made. First the observation. He looks physically in the face, like Dallas Thomas and Billy Turner had a kid lol. Very similar lol. Secondly, the comparison i heard was to Gabe Jackson, which to me isnt a bad thing but i know some of the rest of you *cough* Tim *cough*…wont find that nearly as appealing lol.
Nope, I just picked him in a 4 rd mock in the 4th rd over the weekend. He’s not as big as Gabe Jackson. LOL
He was 330 somthing…i cant remember what Jackson was at senior bowl.
Jackson was 339, Tretola was 317, i remember now, Tretola came in surprisingly light, he was projected to be about 338.
getterdone says:
February 1, 2016 at 12:09 pm
D, that’s very cool of the company. Great experience for kids too. You guys are lucky fellas!
As for Prescott, he got the MOP, but Driskel actually had a lil bit better numbers including a nice hail mary for the TD to end the game, ala Aaron Rodgers…lol
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A lot of Driskell’s was in mop up time, but i agree he did pretty decently. He had one throw i saw that was pretty awful, but he settled down and did pretty well. He ran the 2 minute drill pretty well. Other thing about Dak was he was also the only QB audibling and calling plays from the sideline(at least on the South side). He showed WAY more NFL ready skills of all the other QB’s imo. I think Wentz still gets drafted higher, but Dak was impressive, and he can do it from the pocket, despite his reputation as a dual threat. He reminds me a lot of Kaepernick, but seems to have better accuracy, zip and touch on his throws.
Thanks for the reports. Yeah Wentz was said to not look as sharp in the game as he did in practices.
I’m still liking Doughty, Allen, Driskel, as a late round pick to groom as the Phins backup QB.
Gotta break for lunch but ill be back to add more stuff later. Seeya.
D, Jackson is much bigger than Tretola. Anyway, my whole opinion on that was we were not going to draft a guard that big whether right or wrong based on the philosophy. It wasn’t anything personal against Jackson.
I’m moving into my new office today
D
I’m assuming the OL installment will come later?
Thanks for the insight bro!!!!!!!!!!
This indeed looks like a good LB class.
I like Brothers game but prefer more pure speed at the position.
Guys like Bobby Wagner (241 lbs at combine), Ryan Shazier (237 lbs at combine), Kwon Alexander (227 at combine) had no problems coming into the NFL and making an impact at MLB position.
IMO the evolution of offenses into the spread and the move away from a traditional FB or pure heavy RB is why you see teams going to speedier more flexible LB.
The idea these days is to pressure the QB into as many mistakes as possible and speed will do it.
You still have to run the ball of course to be successful but on defense you see teams out there putting out LB and DB who can scatter all over the field and wreck havoc on opposing team offenses.
That’s true. Do you think a guy like Striker is starting to push the size thing a little too far though?
OSU LB-Darron Lee gives me wood btw.
Just thought i’d share that with you as we talk about prospects.
If Miles Jack can’t come to Miami, I want some Darron Lee manning the middle.
I like Lee as well but isn’t he considered more of a WOLB?
Miami Dolphins Cheer @MDCheer 13s14 seconds ago
Find out tmrw who your next Cheerleader of the Week will be! See more of @MDC_Brooke here: http://www.dolphinscheerleaders.com/cheerleader_profiles/brooke …
GDP,
I’m with you on Spence…huge impact player but can the Fins get passed his character concerns :/. As much as it didn’t work out with Jordan, I think character concerns are not all alike. If Spence hasn’t done X in a while, I doubt he will bother doing it again at this stage. It’s not like heroin or other addictive drugs that people relapse on
I heard he likes to drink racing car fuel.
Piggy waiting for his first potential client to call. LMAO!!!!
Our Piggy has more of a beard. 😉
He shaved it to start a new. LOL
You see what he’s looking at?
I see, got it…lol
LMAO!!!
LOL. Perfect
Al, if you like Darron Lee, then you should really like Striker too. Lots of comparisons I saw on them 2 with Striker having more impact plays.
Pigs + Pics just never ends
Ya got a good handle you pig.
It is amazing how many are out there.
NEW YORK — The National Football League will expand Thursday Night Football in 2016 and 2017, continuing its partnership with CBS while also adding NBC as a partner, it was announced today by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Leslie Moonves, President and CEO, CBS Corp., and Steve Burke, CEO, NBC Universal.
Both CBS and NBC will broadcast five Thursday Night Football games, growing the package to 10 broadcast games in 2016 and 2017 from eight in 2014 and 2015. All Thursday Night Football broadcast games will continue to be simulcast on NFL Network. NFL Network will also exclusively televise an eight-game schedule of regular season games comprised of Thursday Night Football, late-season games on Saturday, and additional games to be determined.
Both CBS and NBC will produce Thursday Night Football with their lead broadcasters and production teams, and both will contribute to the production of Thursday Night Football exclusively on NFL Network. CBS and NFL Network will televise the first half of the Thursday Night Football schedule with NBC and NFL Network televising the second half.
The NFL is in active discussions with prospective digital partners for OTT streaming rights to Thursday Night Football. A deal announcement is expected in the near future.
getterdone says:
February 1, 2016 at 12:41 pm
I’m still liking Doughty, Allen, Driskel, as a late round pick to groom as the Phins backup QB.
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Allen looked a bit rough to start out with then settled down. Id rate him about the same as Driskell for the game. I hear he looked a little better in practices, but they though he was a little small for the position and had smallish hands. Driskell passed the eye test a little better.
Driskel does intrigue, just have to get past the crap years @ UF by remembering how bad the systems & coaching was. Kinda like Tanny has had to wade through, but Tanny has done a much better job of getting thru it all.
I look forward to 2016 with him @ the helm!
Spence looked amazing at practices and in the game, he just is a guy that i consistently heard failed most his interviews. They said he came off arrogant and defensive when asked about his past issues. They said he did not sound at all like a guy who was looking to show he had moved on from his issues. I think he has Dion Jordan stamped on his forehead or at least tramp stamped on his lower back.
Al, Vernon Butler, who ya mentioned the other day was the most dominant looking DT there. They say he is probably day 1 pick now. I watched at least one play where he made Boem look ridiculous. Perfect technique, stood him up, shed him so hard he went FLYING back and then crushed the QB. Believe it was Coker. Just sick.
I wondered if Butler would look as dominant against better talent as he did against the smaller schools guys during the year, since he had two games against upper level guys and his numbers werent as good. The answer is emphatically yes, he is a stud.
Al i think you are looking for a guy like Deion Jones. He just seems like a really super high moter guy, who flys around and when he gets a hand on them its done. There are lots of guys i would be glad for us to get, but im thinking this is my best bang for the buck guys, Morrison, Jones and Brothers. each 2nd to 3rd rounders, and i dont think ya can go wrong with any of them.
I like that group, but prefer Martinez over Morrison for some reason.
This is how i rate the QB’s at Senior Bowl, and this is just off their game performances combines with the practice comments.
Dak Prescott
Carson Wentz
Brandon Allen
Jacoby Brissett
Jeff Driskell
Kevin Hogan
Jake Coker
Cody Kessler
Of course i would not project them in this order, it will more likely be:
Carson Wentz 1-2
Dak Prescott 3-4
Jacoby Brissett 4-5
Brandon Allen 5-6
Jeff Driskell 6-7
Kevin Hogan 6-7
Jake Coker 7-UDFA
Cody Kessler 7-UDFA
Brissett jumps Allen because most evaluaters think there is more to work with there. Great size, good mobility, inconsistent but high ceiling. Wentz jumps Prescott for similar reasons, but also because Prescott is being labeled as a dual threat QB which they give to most mobile QB’s…somehow though that label is almost an instant downgrade to 3rd or lower these days.
getterdone says:
February 1, 2016 at 2:46 pm
I like that group, but prefer Martinez over Morrison for some reason.
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I dont, and i know its hard to think im being fair with it, but as much as i like Morrison as a Gator, thats not why i like him better. From what i see, i believe Morrison just plays with more intensity and competitive fire then Martinez. He also seems more instinctual than Martinez who seems more like a text book kinda player. I still think Martinez is a good player, i wouldnt put him above Morrison though, i thought it showed in the game and from what i see regarding his practice stuff its same there as well.
As far as OL goes, i was kinda disappointed in this group. I already mentioned Tretola, i liked him for sure, both as a person and what i saw as a player. I liked Alexander more than i thought after hearing some disappointing remarks made about him at practices. Most the negative things were that despite decent arm length and hand size, he really didnt control the DE’s very well. Comments like, “:will need to move inside” were made. I didnt really see it in the game, he did pretty decent, but the South was the ones with the more dominant DE’s in the game. Nassib didnt play so that really took away someone that would have tested him fully. In practices he was going up against Spence so there might have been why practices looked worse than game did.
Westerman looked pretty solid. I didnt think Theus looked very good. Boehm looked pretty bad. Dahl looked bad, heard someone say they thought he was the worst of the bunch. I will say the OG’s had their hands full on both sides though. There were probably 5 potential first round DT’s out there and another 3 potential 2nd rounders. STOUT DT group.
Matakevich from practice reports got the same knocks, not very fast, not very big or strong, but does everything on the field right. In the game he was everywhere. If his hands hit a person they were caught. I thought he looked pretty solid, im every so slightly nervous about his size/speed being an issue, but ide be willing to go round 4 on him for sure.
JEEEEZZEEEEEE D Don’t your fingers get tired? LOL
LOL, i guess not, could be the daily conditioning. If i was just as good with working out as i am with typing comments id probably be Mr Olympia by now.
Oh i got to meet Jerrell Adams too. I think a few of you here like him. Just looking at him, he seems really light, more basketball player than TE. I dont know how well he will be in blocking assignments, though i heard he held his own in practices.
At the meet and greet he was the one guy who looked the most distressed lol. I mean these guys had to churn our some signatures, because in between the signing of footballs and what not they had to sign these little player card things they provide for free at the event. Adams looked haggard lol. It looked like the hoopla of that event really had him out of his comfort zone. I dont know if he is just a quiet and introverted guy or maybe he was just tired but he didn’t look as comfortable there as a lot of the others did.
He’s a definite on the TE radar! I like him & Higbee over Vannett so far. Adams was also in a program with poor QB play & where HC Spurrier left. I think he can be Jordan Reed like.
Just saw it looks like the Jets met with Spence and Dadi Nicholas, both were pretty big standouts at Senior Bowl. Makes me think they are looking to get one of those elite DE/OLB type rushers, so it likely they are also going to be trying for Miller but getting a backup plan for draft if they dont. Might mean though they are looking more for outside guys vs inside, and wouldnt be targeting Ragland.
They need edge rushers.
I saw Landry’s stats this morning from the probowl and I was like no way! he MUST have caught more passes than that. I was flipping channels and saw each of his three receptions (just luck I guess) but I didn’t watch much of the game at all. Funny that I saw all three of his receptions when they happened.
Oddly enough i also heard we met with two WR prospects at Senior Bowl. McRoberts and Miller.
Braxton has everyone all up in arms, McRoberts is a small school guy. Neither are what we need to spend their 2-4th round projection on.
Where were your seats D? On the south or north sideline?
South sideline.
D, I’d wait to bring in a 7th rd WR like we got in Matthews, or better yet a UDFA.
I like a guy like Cody Core who played opposite Treadwell who’ll be drafted early.
Cody Core is a big WR, a smart contingency to Parker.
Im not promoting it, just reporting it. I was pretty shocked by it.
I’m not shocked. You do have to do your due diligence to build your board by highlighting the BPA’s in each round based on your in house projections.
Helps in negotiating trades ups & downs too.
Damn in this mock on first-pick, Brothers went off the board in the 1st round, R1 P22. I went to drat him in the second and was like WTF….. had to go back and check the previous picks to see what the hell happened.
NICE report, D. –Much appreciated.
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Those family issues I referred to several days ago include major back surgery for my wife tomorrow. It will be her second back surgery in less than 5 years.. ANY of you guys/gals on medicare are forewarned that even if you have the Medicare plan B supplement, your share of laser spine surgery will be well into 5 figures.
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HOPEFULLY, I’ll have good news on Mrs. OD’s surgery late tomorrow. Peace to all.
Sending prayers for Mrs. OD.
Thanks, my friend. Mrs. OD appreciates it very much.
Good luck to you lucky Penny. No one deserves it more.
Best wishes to Mrs OD! Hope she comes out of this pain free.
OD, wishing your Mrs. OD a successful surgery and speedy recovery.
Sorry to hear that OD, but hopefully it will help with the pain and the recover time will be minimal. Back issues suck, one of the worst pains i have ever had was from pinched nerve in my back, can only image what it must be like to have chronic back pain.
Yesss, back pain can be a mother! I’ve herniated a disc before as well as the pinched sciatic nerve thing, and man, it immobilizes me. I whine like a lil baby!
Muscle pulls & tears I can still function, but them nerve issues are the worst!
Comes a point in time in one’s life when one must get down and pray. Lean on the Lord for strength, guidance & healings.
I’m not talking ‘religion’ and repetitive rituals! I’m talking a serious one on one talking to the man just like you would talk to your best friend of father.
I feel very fortunate that that time of reckoning finally came for me a few years back, cause I was way out in the weeds.
It has meant a lot to me as I deal with my own family and friends going thru hardships in this life. But it has also helped me grow as I found a way to help deal with seeing others I run across, like you good folks and your loved ones.
Power of Prayer!
excuse the typos & just my 2 cents. Not meant to be judgemental to anyone.
Your Picks:
Round 1 Pick 8: Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Florida (A)
Round 2 Pick 11: Kevin Dodd, DE, Clemson (A)
Round 3 Pick 10: Deion Jones, OLB, LSU (A)
Round 4 Pick 9: Sebastian Tretola, OG, Arkansas (A-)
Round 5 Pick 8: Kenyan Drake, RB, Alabama (A+)
Round 6 Pick 11: Harlan Miller, CB, Southeastern Louisiana (A+)
Round 7 Pick 6: Malcolm Mitchell, WR, Georgia (A+)
Round 7 Pick 10: Jacoby Brissett, QB, NC State (C)
Drafted Harlan with intention of playing him at FS.
Love the 1st 4 picks & Harlan.
Drake is real poor in pass protection, but speedy. Would likely go with different picks on the remaining 3.
I like the upside of Brissett, if it looked though like i could get Driskell as an UDFA in that situation id probably not draft Brissett and just pick up Driskell there. Mitchell in the 7th rounder would be a no brianer to me, lots of talent there. Good size, a little raw on the routes, but overall pretty solid replacement for Matthews. Id take Dixon over Drake, but he was off the board this time, Kelvin Taylor wasnt but i was afraid if i took too many UF id be called out for being a homer again lol. There is a guy who was a late add to Senior Bowl week that has peaked my interest because of how good he was at the game and thats DeAndre Washington. Aaron Green too. Kinda smaller guys but have some elusiveness to them.
My thoughts too on waiting for a guy like Driskel if he looks to be failing.
Another guy i hadn’t considered until Senior Bowl week was Bronson Kaufusi, BYU DE/OLB. I met him as one of my last meet and greets, was he, then Darian Thompson, ….would have been Dak…then Vadal Alexander and Sebastian Tretola.
Bronson was a big guy and he seemed to do pretty well at Senior Bowl both in practices and during the game. He would be someone i would consider for 3rd round if he dropped that far and i think he would adequately replace Vernon.
Darian Thompson looked like they brought in a guy from prison man, all kinda tatted up, just a rough looking guy. Seemed really nice though, and i think he’s a solid Saftey prospect. I had my doubts about him before the week but i am pretty good with him in the second if we go that route.
How bout Sean Davis @ FS & nickel situations?
Have to admit the amount of study and the Senior Bowl, etc has opened up so many avenues when im doing the mock drafts that its pretty easy for me to get to 6th and 7th rounds now without really scratching my head on what to do or who to pick. Pretty convinced now we could walk away with a solid draft full of this year contributors. Will be interesting to see how they go, starting with the early pre-FA cuts.
It seems a well stocked draft to try and obtain extra picks in a early trade down. A couple extra picks could really help this new regime.
Went a different route with a trade back, and pass rush as priority.
Your Picks:
Round 1 Pick 12 (N.O.): Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson (A)
Round 2 Pick 11: Kevin Dodd, DE, Clemson (A)
Round 2 Pick 16 (N.O.): Kentrell Brothers, ILB, Missouri (B+)
Round 3 Pick 10: Artie Burns, CB, Miami (Fla.) (B)
Round 4 Pick 9: Vernon Butler, DT, Louisiana Tech (A)
Round 5 Pick 8: Jerell Adams, TE, South Carolina (A)
Round 6 Pick 11: Brandon Doughty, QB, Western Kentucky (A-)
Round 7 Pick 6: Deon Bush, FS, Miami (Fla.) (B)
Round 7 Pick 10: DeAndre Washington, RB, Texas Tech (B)
Would have looked for Tretola in the 4th but no way would i pass up Butler that low….that guy is a beast and a half.
We could address OL in FA.
Now that’s a draft I could get behind 100%.
AFC East would cry foul if we got both Shaq Lawson & Kevin Dodd, along with Brothers & the others….lol
Then we could be back in Cap shape after cutting Wake, Misi, Mitchell, and letting others walk like Vernon & Matt Moore, etc.
BTW, the Saints have been trade partners with us recently before, and that scenario isn’t over doing it. It’s within the realm of possibilities.
Good work. 😀
getterdone says:
February 1, 2016 at 6:30 pm
How bout Sean Davis @ FS & nickel situations?
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I look for him, especially after seeing him at Senior Bowl, i just always seem caught in the middle between waiting too long to take him and there being someone just a little better in the round just before i usually lose him on. He seems pretty solid. Good size, and that stick he had on like the first play was sick.
Nice to hear all the positives about 2 of my favorite prospects, Brothers and Tretola. Thanks, D.
Also, a big fan of Prescott too.
I can’t focus on the draft past #8 until I know what we do in FA. But at #8 I wants us to take the best defensive player on the board. An impact guy, not a guy rehabbing or needs a lot of time to develop, a ready to go good football player.
Stop being so logical…lol
But yes, all teams don’t know for sure until their free agency period begins to shake itself out.
I mean I can’t target a possible guard in the 2nd rd if we addressed it in FA, then we can go in another direction. Know what I mean?
Yeah I know Vern.
And Now The Time Has Come, The End Is Near….
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Peyton Manning has “told close friends” that he’ll retire following Super Bowl 50.
Conventional wisdom says this is it for Manning. He’ll be 40 next month and experienced a sharp decline at the end of last season that carried over into 2015. Manning’s arm is simply shot after 10,384 passing attempts across 18 seasons in the league. If the Broncos win Sunday, it’s a virtual lock Manning will call it a career. Either way, Sunday is likely his final game.
He should hang it up after this season because he’s becoming a guy now that teams have to give extra respect too because of his legendary status as his play declines and it’s not fair to the other 52 players. 9 TD and 17 INT in the RS is a liability. This is your Swan Song, Peyton. Don’t pull a Favre.
GD, I agree we should go OL in FA. A starting caliber guard and an upgrade over Fox as a backup tackle. Then add some rooks in the draft at some point and a few UDFAs and let the competition begin.
Great article D. Thanks for your contribution
His article has been ongoing all day. When D has something to say he types and he types. LOL
LOL
Check out @idthe22’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/idthe22/status/692809981373079557?s=09