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Shrine Game Week Open Thread (1 Viewer)

Sigmund Bloom

Footballguy
Staff member
Hey folks - a few of you that were here last night may have gotten teased by a preview of my NFL Day piece - It should go up on the site's main page. In the meantime, I'll be around on and off all day. It's really an exhilarating experience being able to be a fly on the wall while these players futures are being forged on the practice field. We talked to agents, a few scouts, John Murphy from the player selection committee (the guy who clued me in on Colston last January), Dan Reeves, Mike Singletary, and Keith Jackson (eagles, not ABC), not to mention getting a much better grasp on the players we saw all week, especially the offensive skill players. I'm happy to talk about any players, the experience as a whole, or any of the people we talked to (interviews coming on the audible)

Fire away...

 
I have a general question. I have noticed that you have not had a serious disagreement with Cecil on any player. Are the good/bad players that obvious this year or the audio presentation a combination of notes.?

 
Bloom,

Thanks for doing this. Has Wisconsin LB Mark Zalewski done anything to stand out positively or negatively?

 
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I have a general question. I have noticed that you have not had a serious disagreement with Cecil on any player. Are the good/bad players that obvious this year or the audio presentation a combination of notes.?
Check out the NFL day piece when it goes up, i talk about how Cec and I disagreed about Tyrone Moss and Steve Breaston - although we did converge a bit as the week went on.But, yeah to your main question, its more about presentation - also, we are reporting how these guys looked in practice, this is an objective observation - the eye doesnt lie. We still have some difference of opinion about these guys future, but not necessarily how they looked this week. The good/bad players do stand out.Also, there is ton going on each day, four drills at once at most times. We cant watch everything - so we split up, and fill each other in on what we saw - so it may sound like we agree, when we are really going off the same combined observations - that is also correct.
 
Ok give me all your info on Paul Williams.
I can only repeat my observations from Monday and Tuesday because I watched the East O against the West D all day on Wednesday. Physically, he's very impressive, and looks like a first rounder (strictly physically). He's smooth/fluid, has good, but not outstanding hands, and LONG arms, i mean Plaxico Burress or Chris Chambers arms. He's was very quick and sharp in drills running routes, and again, was very impressive to watch in a vacuum. He also seemed very coachable during the drillsNow, do these tools translate to production? Not always, and apparently especially not in games. Cecil says more about how he did yesterday in the NFL day podcast - but it wasn't really that great.Williams has endless potential, and we think his combine numbers will bear that out, but there's a red flag that he can't turn that into production. If he can put it together, watch out.
 
Bloom,Thanks for doing this. Has Wisconsin LB Mark Zalewski done anything to stand out positively or negatively?
:angry: I read "other" opinions on the practices and this name was getting very high praise. Then I checked out his history and well, we should have already been talking about him.
 
Yeah, how about you two stop talking about my IDP sleeper, Bishop. :angry:
The last time I completed a mock, I put him in the first round. There's no hiding a guy who is everywhere and hits like Bishop.
Bishop was very conspicious with his hitting and the west D rallied around him and a few other fiery players. I really wanted to interview Desmond Bishop "Tutu" yesterday, but got sidetracked and he was gone before I caught him.I will say that he's not the best in coverage. Singletary was balling him out for guessing in coverage instead of reacting, which adds to the already conventional belief that he's more of a Trotter type, two down run stuffer. That being said, man does he hit. It is even more impressive at field level. He was even delivering hits with his helmet off - he's just a man possessed out there.
 
Bloom,Thanks for doing this. Has Wisconsin LB Mark Zalewski done anything to stand out positively or negatively?
:shrug: I read "other" opinions on the practices and this name was getting very high praise. Then I checked out his history and well, we should have already been talking about him.
Im gonna have to plead ignorance here. In the course of the week, we were primarily watching the offensive skill positions, with some exceptions, as there were definitely lineman and defenders I made a special effort to watch closely for at least a 5 minute stretch. Zalewski was one of the faster East LBs in pursuit when I watched them, but to be honest, he didnt stand out for any good or bad reasons.
 
The other Fresno players? From a measureable standpoint those three are NFL quality. It sounds like Williams is trying to make a statement. Kyle Young was also praised in the other stuff I read. McCauley hasn't been mentioned much.

 
My draft interest is only about 3 rounds deep, so the guys I have interest in are more of the "bigger" names, some you've already discussed elsewhere:

East

Chris Leak

Steve Breaston

Tyrone Moss

Doug Free

Dallas Baker

Dan Bazuin

Baraka Atkins

West

Joel Filani

John Wendling (yes CC, the top THREE rounds)

Jon Cornish

Paul Soliai

Mkristo Bruce

 
The other Fresno players? From a measureable standpoint those three are NFL quality. It sounds like Williams is trying to make a statement. Kyle Young was also praised in the other stuff I read. McCauley hasn't been mentioned much.
McCauley wasn't there.Young is just as massive as you would expect. He did some nice work inside, as the west QBs were generally enjoying good pockets and the RBs had holes to run inside - as I watched East O against West D, I can't say anything about how Young looked yesterday.Williams is really awe inspiring physically. I just can't harp on that enough.
 
Notes added

My draft interest is only about 3 rounds deep, so the guys I have interest in are more of the "bigger" names, some you've already discussed elsewhere:

East

Chris Leak - senior bowl

Steve Breaston - player of the day on NFL day - read my NFL day piece for more info, ill post a link when its up

Tyrone Moss - looked like the most natural runner, had great hands, but lacked burst. We got an interview with him, should be up before we leave for the Senior Bowl

Doug Free - got ABUSED tuesday, but apparently recovered Wednesday (although I was watching the West O, not the East) I did notice that he showed some strength once he got his hands on the rusher, sometimes he just didnt get in position to do that.

Dallas Baker - senior bowl

Dan Bazuin - showed some of the best speed rushing from the edge of any of the DEs, along with Brian Robison and Justin Hickman and..

Baraka Atkins - John Murphy from the player selection committee singled out Atkins as a guy that improved his stock this week (listen the interview coming up later this week for more detail) - Atkins was terrific ont he rush and showed the ability to play in multiple positions on the line.

West

Joel Filani - better quicks than I thought, but consistency fell off as the week went on. both of the red raider WRs were mostly disappointing, although Hicks was more of a downer. Filani's size still makes him very draftable.

John Wendling (yes CC, the top THREE rounds) - good in the box safety, but slow to react in coverage, although he consistently flashed some of the best ball skills of any of the DBs.

Jon Cornish - got better as the week went on. Cec watched him on wed, he was impressed. Not explosive, but smart, good vision, efficient, tough, willing.

Paul Soliai - got some penetration and read a screen pass on wed - earlier in the week, the west OL had the upper hand, but he seemed to do more damage on wed than he did earlier in the week.

Mkristo Bruce - failed to impress - wasn't even in the top half of pass rushing ends in the practices imo.
 
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Williams is really awe inspiring physically. I just can't harp on that enough.
When I dissed him very hard in my WR rankings, I was a little bitter about the whole season. :X Some of that goes with my McCauley criticisms too. Sorry, I'm human and those losers angered me with all that talent. And I really like Pat Hill or White whateve his last name is.

Anyway, as soon as I put Williams at WR15, I went and looked at his highlights and knew I was being unfair. Oh well, I will upgrade him. I haven't listened to the podcasts yet, so I don't know what all has been said, but one think I like about Williams is his power. As a junior he could literally push the pile like a big fullback. As a senior gnats knocked him over, but nevermind that. Let me look for that highlight reel.

Yep. This is the one. He is a stud.

 
John Wendling (yes CC, the top THREE rounds) - good in the box safety, but slow to react in coverage, although he consistently flashed some of the best ball skills of any of the DBs.
:violin: All I remember saying about Wendling was he fall down go boom when trying to cover sneaky small guy.Also, my negative comments were a reaction to reading insanely high praise at another site. Wendling should measure out as one of the physical freaks in the draft. He will time very fast. He has great size. He has a lot to offer, but from what I saw, he lacks fluidity (in coverage) and instincts (in tackling angles) of an NFL DB.
 
John Wendling (yes CC, the top THREE rounds) - good in the box safety, but slow to react in coverage, although he consistently flashed some of the best ball skills of any of the DBs.
:popcorn: All I remember saying about Wendling was he fall down go boom when trying to cover sneaky small guy.Also, my negative comments were a reaction to reading insanely high praise at another site. Wendling should measure out as one of the physical freaks in the draft. He will time very fast. He has great size. He has a lot to offer, but from what I saw, he lacks fluidity (in coverage) and instincts (in tackling angles) of an NFL DB.
:popcorn: It's in my nature to take something and run with it. Internet message boards make it worse.You know I luv ya. In a hetero, mutual respect sort of way, I mean. :bag:
 
Check out the NFL day piece when it goes up, i talk about how Cec and I disagreed about Tyrone Moss and Steve Breaston - although we did converge a bit as the week went on.
Can you preview or summarize the points of contention? These two probably interest more than any. When I put Moss so high, it was based on long term potential with no knowledge of his personality (desire, work ethic, etc.). I still believe if those things are strong he ranks very high among the backs in this class (3rd).
 
Any teams particularily interested in Steve Breaston?

Keep it classy Bloom

 
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Chaos Commish said:
Check out the NFL day piece when it goes up, i talk about how Cec and I disagreed about Tyrone Moss and Steve Breaston - although we did converge a bit as the week went on.
Can you preview or summarize the points of contention? These two probably interest more than any. When I put Moss so high, it was based on long term potential with no knowledge of his personality (desire, work ethic, etc.). I still believe if those things are strong he ranks very high among the backs in this class (3rd).
I thought Moss's lack of burst and explosion would doom him. Cecil said he was more of a power back and had some moves, even if they weren't highlight moves. He didnt have the burst this week, but he read holes very well, made some moves to find daylight when there was seemingly none, and even got small to get through cracks in the line. He's a natural RB, the question is whether his lack of a great burst will hold him back.
 
beto said:
Any teams particularily interested in Steve Breaston?Keep it classy Bloom
None in particular, but you can't tell much from who talks to which players at these games. Its usually a red herring, at least based on how it bore out last year.
 
The college resumes are for the most part complete. Thus, who is looking best in practice? Now, that money is really on the line, who is busting tail? Who are the two best looking offensive players and two best defensive players?

 
Chaos Commish said:
Check out the NFL day piece when it goes up, i talk about how Cec and I disagreed about Tyrone Moss and Steve Breaston - although we did converge a bit as the week went on.
Can you preview or summarize the points of contention? These two probably interest more than any. When I put Moss so high, it was based on long term potential with no knowledge of his personality (desire, work ethic, etc.). I still believe if those things are strong he ranks very high among the backs in this class (3rd).
I thought Moss's lack of burst and explosion would doom him. Cecil said he was more of a power back and had some moves, even if they weren't highlight moves. He didnt have the burst this week, but he read holes very well, made some moves to find daylight when there was seemingly none, and even got small to get through cracks in the line. He's a natural RB, the question is whether his lack of a great burst will hold him back.
Burst may indeed burn him, and I cannot say for certain if he ever was particularly explosive. He was, like Lynch, very shifty and powerful for a man his size and he was over 230 at the time. Add to that homerun speed and you had a nice prospect. But suddenness in the hole I cannot say is something I ever noted about him before the knee.
 
The college resumes are for the most part complete. Thus, who is looking best in practice? Now, that money is really on the line, who is busting tail? Who are the two best looking offensive players and two best defensive players?
Two plus a few bonus guys:Best offense: Jacoby Jones, WR, Lane, Steve Breaston, WR, Michigan, Jason Snelling, RB, Virginia, Zac Taylor, QB, Nebraska, Ben Patrick, TE, DelawareBest defense: Brian Robison, DE, Texas, Bo Smith, DB, Weber State, Dan Bazuin, DE, CMU
 
Bloom I'm interested in a comparison between Moss and Gore since they are both 'Canes and both coming into the draft with the baggage of the knee injuries. Is there any comparison? I recall Gore slipped quite a bit because of the knee injuries and look where he is now. Thanks.

 
Bloom I'm interested in a comparison between Moss and Gore since they are both 'Canes and both coming into the draft with the baggage of the knee injuries. Is there any comparison? I recall Gore slipped quite a bit because of the knee injuries and look where he is now. Thanks.
I should let Cecil take this one as the Moss fan - all I can say is that Moss is not the neverending engine of determination that Gore is, but he's bigger and more powerful. Moss told us in his interview that they are very close friends.
 
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How did you and Lammey get along, and what did you do for fun while in Houston! :goodposting:
Lammey's a blast, and he's luckily past his hotel room trashing days (just ask him) - we didn't live it up too crazy - it was a working vacation, just grabbed a six pack since the holiday inn express had a fridge in the room. We were recording and writing a lot of the time we weren't at the practices - Mobile should be no different.
 
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I have a general question. I have noticed that you have not had a serious disagreement with Cecil on any player. Are the good/bad players that obvious this year or the audio presentation a combination of notes.?
coolnerd-Bloom and I disagreed on Breaston and Moss. But from what they've done in practice we largely agreed upon. Be on the lookout for our "Cover 2" segment of the Audible. On our roadtrip to Mobile this weekend we are going to be debating players like Tyrone Moss and Michael Bush. Gotta do something to pass the time while driving. That plus Bloom might be sick of Anthrax very early into the ride! :thumbup: :whistle:
 
John Wendling (yes CC, the top THREE rounds) - good in the box safety, but slow to react in coverage, although he consistently flashed some of the best ball skills of any of the DBs.
:whistle: All I remember saying about Wendling was he fall down go boom when trying to cover sneaky small guy.Also, my negative comments were a reaction to reading insanely high praise at another site. Wendling should measure out as one of the physical freaks in the draft. He will time very fast. He has great size. He has a lot to offer, but from what I saw, he lacks fluidity (in coverage) and instincts (in tackling angles) of an NFL DB.
Wendling is pretty stiff in the hips when backpedaling and changing direction, but he gives 100% effort on every play. He'll make an impact on Sundays IMHO.
 
Bloom I'm interested in a comparison between Moss and Gore since they are both 'Canes and both coming into the draft with the baggage of the knee injuries. Is there any comparison? I recall Gore slipped quite a bit because of the knee injuries and look where he is now. Thanks.
I should let Cecil take this one as the Moss fan - all I can say is that Moss is not the neverending engine of determination that Gore is, but he's bigger and more powerful. Moss told us in his interview that they are very close friends.
And Gore wasn't running as hard when he first hit the league. Gore's emergence is why I went back a year to consider Moss's prospects. Tyrone Moss outplayed Frank Gore when Gore was a senior and Moss was a sophomore. Interesting if nothing else.I also remember the game early in the season two years ago before the injury. We had a thread here about RBs. The OP listed a half dozen. The first response was Tyrone Moss. He played that weekend and I came back with the good posting thing. I saw this kid show everything you want to see. Power, moves, hands, blocking, vision (great vision), and breakaway speed. Will that come back? Dunno.
 
Is there a link anywhere that has the all star game rosters on it? I know the Senior Bowl hasn't finalized it yet, but is there some place that shows who has invites? Secondly, has my FBG subscription run out? I thought it was good thru the Supe, but I can't get to the podcasts. Do I have to re-up now to get the reports you guys are filing?

The roster question..... was initiated because I was looking for info on Marques Murrell, DE Appalachian ST, Div II, up for the Buck Buchanan Award, brother of ex-NFL'er Adrian Murrell. Is he going to any of the post season all star games? TIA....

 
Marques Murrell, DE Appalachian ST, Div II, up for the Buck Buchanan Award, brother of ex-NFL'er Adrian Murrell. Is he going to any of the post season all star games? TIA....
Murrell already played in a small school all star game. The Magnolia Bowl or something. I have my eye on him too. He is such a Parcells kind of pick. At least his value should be good and I think he has pretty good prospects. In tandem with Jason Hunter, Murrell and App State were just ridiculous two years ago. Hunter and Murrell looked like twins to me. Hunter went undrafted, bounced around a little and ended up with Packers and playing very solid with an ever increasing role in the last few weeks. He is a great special teamer and I would guess Murrell will give the same effort. Murrell should get drafted though. This class is much much weaker and sometime as early as the 3rd and surely by the 5th some 3-4 team will probably take Murrell. I think he and Hunter are both going to do well in the NFL. I am concerned he didn't play in the IntaJuice or Hula though. Seems a guy who led the nation in sacks a good part of the season, and who pretty much dominated for two straight years would have warranted a closer look. He does have a Combine invite, and he did spend Magnolia Week playing LB for the assistant scouting interns there.
 
Is there a link anywhere that has the all star game rosters on it? I know the Senior Bowl hasn't finalized it yet, but is there some place that shows who has invites? Secondly, has my FBG subscription run out? I thought it was good thru the Supe, but I can't get to the podcasts. Do I have to re-up now to get the reports you guys are filing? The roster question..... was initiated because I was looking for info on Marques Murrell, DE Appalachian ST, Div II, up for the Buck Buchanan Award, brother of ex-NFL'er Adrian Murrell. Is he going to any of the post season all star games? TIA....
The podcasts are free. If for some reason the links arent working, you can find them in iTunes by searching for footballguys.Senior Bowl: QB Tyler Palko Pittsburgh Drew Stanton Michigan State Jordan Palmer Texas El-Paso Trent Edwards Stanford Kevin Kolb Houston Brady Quinn Notre Dame Troy Smith Ohio State Chris Leak Florida RB Tony Hunt Penn State Brian Leonard Rutgers Kenny Irons Auburn Kolbe Smith Louisville Kenneth Darby Alabama Garrett Wolfe Northern Illinois Lorenzo Booker Florida State FB Le’Ron McClain Alabama TE Clark Harris Rutgers Scott Chandler Iowa Matt Spaeth Minnesota (injury) Martez Milner Georgia Joe Newton Oregon State WR Jeff Samardzija Notre Dame Dwayne Bowe Louisiana State Jason Hill Washington State Johnnie Lee Huggins Texas El-Paso Craig Davis Louisiana State Rhema McKnight Notre Dame Chansi Stuckey Clemson Steve Smith Southern Cal Brandon Myles West Virginia Courtney Taylor Auburn David Clowney Virginia Tech Dallas Baker Florida OL Tony Ugoh Arkansas Marshal Yanda Iowa Ben Grubbs Auburn Manuel Ramirez Texas Tech Joe Staley Central Michigan Samson Satele Hawaii Ryan Harris Notre Dame Arron Sears Tennessee Doug Datish Ohio State Ryan Kalil Southern Cal Dan Mozes West Virginia Dustin Frye Clemson Josh Beekman Boston College Justin Blalock Texas Tim Duckworth Auburn Leroy Harris North Carolina State Mansfield Wrotto Georgia Tech DL David Patterson Ohio State Ray McDonald Florida Quinn Pitcock Ohio State Ryan McBean Oklahoma State DeMarcus Tyler North Carolina State Amobi Okoye Louisville Brandon Mebane California Antonio Johnson Mississippi State Quentin Moses Georgia Victor Abiamiri Notre Dame LaMarr Woodley Michigan Kareem Brown Miami Chase Pittman Louisiana State Anthony Spencer Purdue Victor DeGrate Oklahoma State Tim Crowder Texas Adam Carikker Nebraska Jay Moore Nebraska LB Patrick Willis Mississippi Buster Davis Florida State H.B. Blades Pittsburgh Earl Everett Florida Tony Taylor Georgia Juwan Simpson Alabama Paul Posluszny Penn State Kevin McLee West Virginia David Harris Michigan Prescott Burgess Michigan Rufus Alexander Oklahoma Stewart Bradley Nebraska DB Tom Zbikowski Notre Dame (Must declare to play) Daymeion Hughes California LaRon Landry Louisiana State Tanard Jackson Syracuse David Irons Auburn Josh Wilson Maryland Eric Weddle Utah Jonathan Wade Tennessee David Irons Auburn Brandon Meriweather Miami Leon Hall Michigan Fred Bennett South Carolina A.J. Davis North Carolina State Aaron Ross Texas Michael Griffin Texas Aaron Rouse Virginia Tech Josh Gattis W. Forest Kevin Payne Louisiana-Monroe EW Shrine:QB Drew Tate Iowa Zac Taylor Nebraska Jeff Rowe Nevada Matt Gutierrez Idaho State Lester Ricard Tulane John Beck Brigham Young RB Tyrone Moss Miami Steve Baylark Massachussetts Jon Cornish Kansas Alonzo Coleman Hampton Jason Snelling Virginia (RB/FB) FB Jackie Battle Houston Jessie Allen Virginia Tech Brad Lau Boise State TE Ben Patrick Delaware Brent Celek Cincinnati Matt Herian Nebraska Michael Allan Whitworth WR David Ball New Hampshire Paul Williams Fresno State Jarrett Hicks Texas Tech Syvelle Newton South Carolina Steve Breaston Michigan Joel Filani Texas Tech Jayson Swain Tennessee Jacoby Jones Lane College Austin Flynn Iowa State OL Robert Kraay Air Force Kyle Young Fresno State Dan Santucci Notre Dame Chris Best Waterloo Jordan Rempel Saskatchewan Herb Taylor T.C.U. T.J. Downing Ohio State Charles Harris Washington State Brian Daniels Colorado Tala Esera Hawaii Robert Turner New Mexico Doug Free Northern Illinois Brandon Frye Virginia Tech Julius Wilson Alabama-Birmingham Matt Maddox Illinois Steve Vallos W. Forest Adam Koets Oregon State Enoka Lucas Oregon DL Daniel Bazuin Central Michigan Mkristo Bruce Washington State Cameron Craig Army Jeremy Clark Alabama Baraka Atkins Miami Clifton Ryan Michigan State Brian Robison Texas Paul Soliai Utah Quintin Echols Kansas State Keith Jackson Arkansas Rondell Biggs Michigan Steve Harris Florida Ola Dagunduro Nebraska Larry Brown Oklahoma State LB Justin Durant Hampton University Tyler Tidwell Navy Dallas Sartz Southern Cal Zak DeOssie Brown Desmond Bishop California Brandon Archer Kansas State Justin Warren Texas A&M Mark Zalewski Wisconsin KaMichael Hall Georgia Tech Sam Olajubutu Arkansas Kelvin Smith Syracuse Zach Latimer Oklahoma Kyle Shotwell Cal-Poly DB Michael Coe Alabama State Kenny Scott Georgia Tech Marvin White T.C.U. Brandon Mitchell Ohio State Travarous Bain Hampton Melvin Bullitt Texas A&M Dashon Goldson Washington Michael Johnson Arizona John Wendling Wyoming C.J. Wilson Baylor Daniel Francis Louisiana State Bo Smith Weber State Darren Stone Maine Tyron Brackenridge Washington State Sabby Piscitelli Oregon State
 
Enjoyed the podcasts and article.

Were there measurments and a weigh-in...are those stats available anywhere?

Which RBs did Denver not talk to so we can add them to the list of possible starters there next season? :rolleyes:

 
Enjoyed the podcasts and article. Were there measurments and a weigh-in...are those stats available anywhere?Which RBs did Denver not talk to so we can add them to the list of possible starters there next season? :thumbup:
There was a weigh-in, but we did not get the official results - Ill see if I can scare em up while we're at the Senior Bowl.I did overhear the Denver scouts talking about Antonio Pittman, but as always, take it with a grain of salt.
 

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