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DE Jadeveon Clowney, DAL (1 Viewer)

Work ethic is the knock on this guy. Teams aren't "making it up." Plenty of talented players wash out of this league every year for a variety of reasons. I imagine work ethic is one of the biggest ones.
Something doesn't need to be made up. Things can also get blown out of proportion.

 
Work ethic is the knock on this guy. Teams aren't "making it up." Plenty of talented players wash out of this league every year for a variety of reasons. I imagine work ethic is one of the biggest ones.
Something doesn't need to be made up. Things can also get blown out of proportion.
I agree. Still, Clowney did not have a dominant college season. A season in which his heart, work ethic, and determination have been questioned because it is assumed he was saving himself for the NFL and their dollars.

To me, that's a guy who doesn't love football. He just happens to be really good at it without trying. I think it's legitimate to question how hard he'll work once he's a multi-millionaire.

 
Work ethic is the knock on this guy. Teams aren't "making it up." Plenty of talented players wash out of this league every year for a variety of reasons. I imagine work ethic is one of the biggest ones.
Something doesn't need to be made up. Things can also get blown out of proportion.
I agree. Still, Clowney did not have a dominant college season. A season in which his heart, work ethic, and determination have been questioned because it is assumed he was saving himself for the NFL and their dollars.

To me, that's a guy who doesn't love football. He just happens to be really good at it without trying. I think it's legitimate to question how hard he'll work once he's a multi-millionaire.
This is untrue - he was double teamed nearly every play so even if it doesn't show up on the stat sheet he was dominant.

Also, if he's so focused on money then he's going to what to perform well for his second contract.

 
Work ethic is the knock on this guy. Teams aren't "making it up." Plenty of talented players wash out of this league every year for a variety of reasons. I imagine work ethic is one of the biggest ones.
Something doesn't need to be made up. Things can also get blown out of proportion.
I agree. Still, Clowney did not have a dominant college season. A season in which his heart, work ethic, and determination have been questioned because it is assumed he was saving himself for the NFL and their dollars.

To me, that's a guy who doesn't love football. He just happens to be really good at it without trying. I think it's legitimate to question how hard he'll work once he's a multi-millionaire.
This is untrue - he was double teamed nearly every play so even if it doesn't show up on the stat sheet he was dominant.

Also, if he's so focused on money then he's going to what to perform well for his second contract.
Pretty standard responses. Or excuses.

 
Jadeveon Clowney gaining steam as Texans' No. 1 pickBy Chris Wesseling

Around the League Writer

Concurrent with a report that quarterback-needy teams are strongly considering passing on a signal-caller in the first round, South Carolina pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney is picking up steam as the presumed Houston Texans pick at the top of the 2014 NFL Draft.

The Houston Chronicle's John McClain projects Clowney to the Texans at No. 1 overall in his latest mock draft.

McClain's prediction is noteworthy for several reasons, not least of which is that he has been as plugged-in as any beat writer in the country.

Up to this point, he had steadfastly maintained that the Texans would draft a franchise quarterback in the first round.

McClain's change of heart comes less than two weeks after Clowney wowed onlookers with a phenomenal pro day workout. Perhaps that performance sealed the Texans' belief that the Gamecocks star can excel in the hybrid outside linebacker-defensive end role that former Patriots star Willie McGinest mastered in Romeo Crennel's defensive scheme.

There's a theory making the rounds in draftnik circles that Clowney is shutting down private workouts because he's already been told that he will be the No. 1 pick.

NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah, Charles Davis and Bucky Brooks all have Clowney going to Houston in their most recent mock drafts.

If the Texans subscribe to the notion that quarterbacks are slipping, they would in turn be gaining confidence that they can pick up their future field general with the first pick in the second round.

They can't afford to pass on a difference-maker of Clowney's talent level. As Portland has learned the hard way, missing out on a transcendent athlete can alter a city's destiny.

In the latest edition of the "Around The League Podcast," the guys discuss "Draft Day," then break down who got better (and who got worse) in the AFC East.
 
geesh - why listen to McClain if he is just going to change his mind again next week??

someone please find a time machine so we can skip all this speculative nonsense and get us to the draft.

 
geesh - why listen to McClain if he is just going to change his mind again next week??

someone please find a time machine so we can skip all this speculative nonsense and get us to the draft.
We're all jonesing for it. The NFL prorating it over an entire weekend now and moving it back just makes it worse.

 
Rotoworld:

ESPN's Todd McShay ranks South Carolina edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney as the third-best overall draft prospect in the past five years.
"Clowney is the clear-cut No. 1 prospect in this year's draft, and the most physically talented defensive lineman I've ever evaluated," the analyst wrote. "I've never given a defensive end a higher grade. He has a rare combination of size, speed, power and athletic ability." In McShay's eyes, Clowney is only behind Andrew Luck (No. 1, 2012) and Von Miller (No. 2, 2011). "If he doesn't get drafted No. 1 overall by the Texans, it's hard to see him falling past the No. 2 pick (if the Rams draft him or another team trades up to get him)," McShay wrote. "There have been work-ethic issues raised about Clowney, but I think those have been overblown. When he gets one-on-one opportunities to rush the passer in the NFL, watch out."

Source: ESPN Insider
 
Testing of Jadeveon Clowney gives Falcons exclusive insight

By Albert Breer

NFL Media reporter

The Falcons won't get Jadeveon Clowney with the sixth pick in next week's draft, and that's why their decision to travel to see him last Friday, and Clowney's decision to spend time with them, moved the needle on a stagnant news cycle as last week wound down.

For now, just know the interest is real.

Atlanta convinced Clowney's camp to sign off on the Force Plate test, the only physical test that he's done for any individual team, a sign that the South Carolina star believes Atlanta's advances to be sincere. Internally, the Falcons are using the test -- conceived by Sparta Performance Science -- as part of their ongoing effort to better define and quantify athleticism. And according to a number of sources, they are indeed considering all options with the sixth pick, including dealing up for Clowney.

In testing Clowney, Atlanta was able to come away with a more complete picture of the player and the person. One concern with an athlete as kinetic as Clowney is that he'd be predisposed for soft-tissue injuries, and the Force Plate was able to determine that his body makeup is indeed resilient. The Falcons also got to confirm what everyone already knew -- that Clowney is one rare athlete.

He scored a 71 out of 80 on the speed of movement test at just over 264 pounds, which is about equal to what Devin Hester scored when Atlanta gave him the screening last week. The bar for the test -- the score of 80 -- was set by Olympic sprinter Justin Gatlin. Clowney's strength graded out at around the average for an NFL offensive lineman.

The test only requires the athlete to jump in place, so Clowney didn't have to exert himself physically at all. The Falcons put all their current players through the test last week, and will mark their progress on it, and have also had over 100 draft prospects do it. And Sparta has built data over a decade for the test.

"(Clowney's) movement signature validates that he's both very physically gifted and physically resilient," said Dr. Phil Wagner, the founder of Sparta. "What we found is he's not a large injury risk, and he certainly has a lot of tools."

In having the athlete to jump in place, the Force Plate measures the athlete in several different ways.

"What we're looking at is the way the athlete moves, and also how he puts himself at risk, in his interaction with the ground," said Wagner. "That's the key -- the interaction with the ground. We look at the foot-ground interaction, and in a very quick, dynamic fashion, we can be specific to how an athlete will play a certain position. Off that jump alone, we can tell he'll be better at performing one act than another, tell what injuries he's at risk for, his upside, his challenges, all of that."

As an example, Wagner said Matt Ryan's results were the polar opposite of Hester's, when the Falcons went through the testing. Ryan, he said, had "leaks" in his trunk that might make him more injury-prone there, but also allow him to rotate better in throwing the ball.

The Falcons and Jaguars recently signed two-year agreements with Sparta that give them exclusive rights for the NFC and AFC, respectively. Sparta's first big client was Kansas basketball, which signed on two years ago, and the organization has done deals with the Colorado Rockies and Cleveland Cavaliers since.

Wagner laughed as he read the results -- a pretty good indication that they were uncommon in comparison to the rest of a pretty sizable data base.

The benefits for Atlanta went beyond just the test. The Falcons got to spend time with Clowney that others weren't afforded, and putting Clowney through the testing allows Atlanta to build up their own database.

And of course, they saw what everyone who's worked with him has.

"Based on the combine stuff, you look at the times he ran, the length he jumped, the height, everything he's done in movement, it validates that he's at a completely different level," said Mark Verstegen, director of performance for the NFLPA and founder of EXOS (Formerly Athletes Performance), where Clowney trained for the combine. "I've seen so many guys come through the process, but he's truly special."
 
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Robert Quinn on Jadeveon Clowney: Don't put any loafs out therePete Prisco

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The screen on the little laptop in front of Robert Quinn came to life. We watched as South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney terrorized college passers and chased down runners.

I've brought the Clowney tape here with me to the St. Louis Rams' facility to show Quinn, the Rams' 23-year-old star defensive end, and let him offer his thoughts as Clowney readies to enter the NFL. Even though Quinn is just a few years older than the 21-year-old Clowney, he has three years of NFL service and he's coming off his breakout 19-sack season that should have earned him NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors (he got my vote).

So as he waits for Clowney to join him in a league where terrorizing quarterbacks is more of a premium than ever, I wanted to hear what Quinn thought of Clowney's moves. Clowney, after all, is already being compared to Lawrence Taylor, arguably the greatest defensive player of all time, and he still hasn't been drafted yet.

As we watched Clowney on the screen in front of us, you could tell Quinn was impressed. One play showed Clowney beating a tackle and a back, and then running down the quarterback as he scrambled out of the pocket.

"He's closing the gap down really fast," Quinn said in pass-rusher-speak.

Translation: He can move.

After watching a few more Clowney plays, Quinn offered his assessment.

"He's the prototype defensive end," Quinn said. "He's 6-6, 6-7, 265 pounds, athletic and has speed. He has it all. He has the potential to become a great player. Only time will tell."

He also offered some advice.

"He shows some great flashes as a young player, but no loaf plays," Quinn said. "If you are tired, come off the field. Send somebody else in. Don't put any loafs out there."

Clowney's reputation is that of a guy who took some plays off, and the Rams coaches thought Quinn didn't always plays as hard as he should in his first season in the league. It's something Quinn hinted at several times in my time here with him.

"Be able to tell yourself you are tired," Quinn said. "That's me personally."

Quinn also had some older brother-type advice for Clowney.

"It sounds cliché', but stay out of trouble," Quinn said. "Make sure you hang around the right guys. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience (getting drafted). Keep your head together. Don't let the game rattle you."

While Quinn welcomes a fellow pass rusher, he isn't about to concede that Clowney will be the better pro. I asked him who he thought was the better pass rusher down the road.

"Should I answer that?" he said.

"Yes," I said.

"You're looking at him," Quinn said. "I already have a few years on him. He has all the potential in the world to be a dominant pass rusher. Between us, I will take me 100 out of a 100 times."

Let the race begin.
 
Rotoworld:

ESPN's KC Joyner believes South Carolina edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney's low volume of one-on-one sacks is a concern.
A "one-on-one sack," as Joyner defines it, is when a defender beats one blocker and gets to the QB inside the pocket within three seconds. It's an important stat when evaluating collegiate pass rushers because it shows pass rushing ability isolated from luck or advantageous play-calling. Clowney had only two such sacks last year and six the year before that. A study of those eight sacks revealed victims such as Florida TE Jordan Reed, as well as a few late in blowouts. "This inability to consistently generate one-on-one sacks during competitive phases of games is part of why Clowney was shut out in the sack department in 20 of his 36 career college games," Joyner wrote. "His physical skills indicate he can rush the passer better than this, but a track record of this caliber should not be overlooked."

Source: ESPN Insider
 
Rotoworld:

ESPN's KC Joyner believes South Carolina edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney's low volume of one-on-one sacks is a concern.

A "one-on-one sack," as Joyner defines it, is when a defender beats one blocker and gets to the QB inside the pocket within three seconds. It's an important stat when evaluating collegiate pass rushers because it shows pass rushing ability isolated from luck or advantageous play-calling. Clowney had only two such sacks last year and six the year before that. A study of those eight sacks revealed victims such as Florida TE Jordan Reed, as well as a few late in blowouts. "This inability to consistently generate one-on-one sacks during competitive phases of games is part of why Clowney was shut out in the sack department in 20 of his 36 career college games," Joyner wrote. "His physical skills indicate he can rush the passer better than this, but a track record of this caliber should not be overlooked."

Source: ESPN Insider
Hey Joyner, how many times was he one on one with someone on a passing play? Most of the time when I saw him single covered it was a running play to the opposite side.

 
Rotoworld:

ESPN's KC Joyner believes South Carolina edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney's low volume of one-on-one sacks is a concern.
A "one-on-one sack," as Joyner defines it, is when a defender beats one blocker and gets to the QB inside the pocket within three seconds. It's an important stat when evaluating collegiate pass rushers because it shows pass rushing ability isolated from luck or advantageous play-calling. Clowney had only two such sacks last year and six the year before that. A study of those eight sacks revealed victims such as Florida TE Jordan Reed, as well as a few late in blowouts. "This inability to consistently generate one-on-one sacks during competitive phases of games is part of why Clowney was shut out in the sack department in 20 of his 36 career college games," Joyner wrote. "His physical skills indicate he can rush the passer better than this, but a track record of this caliber should not be overlooked."

Source: ESPN Insider
I thought he was triple teamed every play?

 
Charley Casserly: Jadeveon Clowney's fit in 3-4 is a question

By Mike Huguenin

College Football 24/7 writer

Houston Texans general manager Rick Smith continues to talk about potentially trading the overall No. 1 pick in the draft.

While there are tons and tons of hot air emanating from NFL GMs at this time of the year, a reason the Texans legitimately could be interested in trading the pick is that they aren't sold on Jadeveon Clowney.

Indeed, former Texans general manager Charley Casserly said Friday on NFL Network's "NFL AM" that the Texans might think more highly of Buffalo outside linebacker Khalil Mack but realize they don't need to take him No. 1.

"I don't think they're sold on Clowney to fit in the '34' defense," Casserly said.

But Casserly also said if the Texans can't trade the pick, "they're going to take" Clowney.

Clowney (6-foot-5, 266 pounds) was a defensive end at South Carolina and rarely dropped into coverage; while his main emphasis in the 3-4 obviously would be to rush the passer, he still would occasionally be asked to drop into coverage. Mack was a 3-4 linebacker in college and "is a better fit in the '34' than Clowney," Casserly said.

If Houston does find a trade partner, "I think Khalil Mack is the guy that they've penciled in or one of the quarterbacks, depending upon where they go farther back," Casserly said.

Houston needs to come out of the draft with a quarterback, but when the Texans grab the quarterback is the second-biggest question surrounding the team. The first, of course, is what they do with the top pick.

Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
 
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http://cnnsi.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1119974/index.htm

October 07, 1985

Shuffled Down In Buffalo

Top NFL draft choice Bruce Smith doesn't fit the Bills—so far, anyway

Douglas S. Looney

Last Thursday afternoon defensive end Bruce Smith, the first player chosen in this year's NFL draft, flopped wearily into a chair in the bowels of Buffalo's Rich Stadium after a tough day of practice and lifting weights. "Man, another long day," Smith said. "Whoever said 'Nothing in life is easy' must have had the NFL in mind."

There was a desk nearby with a piece of paper on it. It was the Bills' depth chart, and there on the second team was Bruce Smith's name.

Bruce Smith on the second team? Please. This has to be a typo. Some secretary messed up. Come on, this is the Bruce Smith, the 6'3", 280-pound, two-time All-America from Virginia Tech who won the Outland Trophy last year as the college game's best interior lineman. Forty-six collegiate sacks. Feet so fast they blur in photos. The fellow whose huge frame features a big butt, no waist and no neck but who says, "I look in the mirror and say, 'Oh, my, this body of mine do look good.' " The thoroughly rowdy football player who has been described as playing like the lead boulder in an avalanche, who had few minuses with NFL scouts save a quibble about his weight and whispers that he was inclined to take occasional downs off. Translation: immediate pro starter who will be All-Pro soon and often.

Don't forget, this is the Bruce Smith who owner Ralph Wilson said reminded him of Joe Greene and player personnel veep Norm Pollom said was the best he had seen in 25 years. Pollom compared Bruce with Lee Roy Selmon and said, "He will turn our program around."

For the moment, however, the Bills are 0-4 and Bruce Smith is playing mostly in pass situations. Otherwise he's No. 2 to Don Smith, a seven-year veteran acquired from Atlanta in August. Says Don Smith, "All Bruce has to learn is that it's a hard game." Bruce is learning. On Sunday, he showed some improvement, getting two sacks, but had trouble with the run, reacting poorly to Minnesota's game-winning Statue of Liberty play.

Before Sunday's 27-20 loss, Smith was subdued. "I looked for a reason for all this, and the reason was obvious: I wasn't developed enough. And I think I was not giving 100 percent. Maybe 99.8 percent, but that's not good enough. I'm sure that in the next couple weeks things will be back to normal."

How did Smith take the news of his demotion? "I hope badly, like any competitor should," says defensive coordinator Hank Bullough. Indeed, Smith did take it badly. He is depressed, but he is fighting. What this all is, of course, is the education of Bruce Smith. He was drafted to shore up the Bills' pathetic pass rush (only 26 sacks last year, ranking them 27th among the 28 teams), and nobody in college rushed the passer better. But Smith has had trouble playing the run. He admits being befuddled by some of the opponents' blocking schemes, not to mention the wily ways of rival running backs. The Bills' own defenses have contributed to his confusion. "We have 75 defenses, and three or four are giving me trouble," he says.

Buffalo coach Kay Stephenson insists that moving Smith to second team—Sunday's game marked the second week in a row he hasn't started—should reduce the pressure on the rookie. The central point is that at Virginia Tech, Smith was the bully—bigger, faster, stronger—who could do essentially anything he wanted. Suddenly he is confronted with people, especially offensive tackles, who are dismayingly similar in size and ability.

No wonder that Buffalo's All-Pro nosetackle, Fred Smerlas, was saying just after the draft, "You always see these rookies who are supposed to come in and burn down the house, and when they get here they can't even light a match. We can win with Smith, and we can win without him. A pass-rush specialist can't save you if you get behind and the offense can't score." Prophetic, that. The Sack Man didn't have one before Sunday's game, and his deficiencies against the run were evident when the Jets rushed for a whopping 288 yards against the Bills two weeks ago, humiliating them 42-3. Of the Jets game, Smith says simply, "I had a bad day at the office."

So far Smith's performance gets serious notice because the Bills are an organization with the demonstrated ability to shoot themselves in both feet. Remember their making Walt Patulski the first player chosen in the 1972 draft? Remember 1977, when they took Phil Dokes No. 1? "Look," says Smith in exasperation, "I'm not Superman. I'm just trying to be an impact ballplayer. And I think I'm on the verge of turning it loose. This adversity is making me want it a little bit more. That's good."
 
http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2009-08-07/bruce-smith-shed-weight-become-nfls-sacks-leader

BUFFALO, N.Y. — — Bruce Smith looked in the mirror and saw too much Bruce Smith staring back.

Bloated and weighing more than 300 pounds, Smith had just finished his rookie NFL season in 1985. He was still able to manhandle hulking offensive linemen 50 or more pounds heavier than him, but he didn't look like the dominant college player the Buffalo Bills had drafted No. 1 overall.

This wouldn't do. The pro career Smith envisioned wasn't going to be derailed by a diet of Doritos.

"I wouldn't say there was fear. I would say there was an extreme amount of pressure," Smith said, recalling a key turning point. "When I ballooned up to 310 pounds, I quickly realized I wasn't going to become the player that I wanted to be."

Everyone knows what followed: Smith dropped the chips — and 35 pounds.

Trimming his 6-foot-4 frame to a lean 275, Smith went on to become the NFL's sacks leader over a 19-year career that will be honored this weekend, when he is formally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

"I made some adjustments," said Smith. "That's when I got it, and when you get it, that's when special things happen."
 
If you flipped their final year of production in college and gave Smith 3 sacks and Clowney 16 sacks, there may have been more questions about Smith at the time, and less about Clowney now.

 
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Rotoworld:

An AFC executive believes Jadeveon Clowney's floor is a Julius Peppers or Mario Williams-esque career.
That's floor. The quote comes on the same day where 14-of-21 scouts polled by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel called Clowney the best player in this year's draft class. Despite months (and months) of overanalyzing, Clowney remains the odds-on favorite to go No. 1 overall.

Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter
In a poll of 21 scouts, 14 voted Jadeveon Clowney the best player in the 2014 NFL draft.

Greg Robinson, Sammy Watkins, and Khalil Mack all got two votes, while Jake Matthews got the 21st. "A lot of us, when we first started hearing that he was one of the best to come along in a long time or ever, were very skeptical," conceded Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff. "But then when you start watching him you're really back on your heels as far as how much pure talent he does possess."

May 6 - 10:51 AM

Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
An NFL scout speaking anonymously said he "would not put my job on the line" for South Carolina DE Jadeveon Clowney.

"At what point of his life has he had to push himself? Now you're going to give him this money and say, 'Do something you've never done in your life before ... against guys you just can't run over?'," one scout said back in March. "I would not put my job on the line for that guy. Who has a profile like that that's been successful in the NFL?" It's not advisable to read too much into these quotes, as the beauty of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's draft series is it gives a forum for scouts to do what they do best: Use salty and salacious language to shred prospects. Clowney is going in the top three, reservations and all.

May 6 - 9:22 PM

Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
 
An NFL scout speaking anonymously said he "would not put my job on the line" for South Carolina DE Jadeveon Clowney.

"At what point of his life has he had to push himself? Now you're going to give him this money and say, 'Do something you've never done in your life before ... against guys you just can't run over?'," one scout said back in March. "I would not put my job on the line for that guy. Who has a profile like that that's been successful in the NFL?" It's not advisable to read too much into these quotes, as the beauty of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's draft series is it gives a forum for scouts to do what they do best: Use salty and salacious language to shred prospects. Clowney is going in the top three, reservations and all.

May 6 - 9:22 PM

Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Seriously?

 
An NFL scout speaking anonymously said he "would not put my job on the line" for South Carolina DE Jadeveon Clowney.

"At what point of his life has he had to push himself? Now you're going to give him this money and say, 'Do something you've never done in your life before ... against guys you just can't run over?'," one scout said back in March. "I would not put my job on the line for that guy. Who has a profile like that that's been successful in the NFL?" It's not advisable to read too much into these quotes, as the beauty of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's draft series is it gives a forum for scouts to do what they do best: Use salty and salacious language to shred prospects. Clowney is going in the top three, reservations and all.

May 6 - 9:22 PM

Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Seriously?
Anonymous = Atl source trying to bid down the price.
 
Just now on NFL Network, Jeff Fisher says "I would not complain" if the Texans pass on Clowney.

Pretty clear he knows what their pick will be.

 

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