2009 Re-Loading Season
The Tale of Tom Brandstater
by Emmett Smith on Jun 19, 2009 12:11 PM MDT
in 2009 Re-Loading Season
25 comments
There are a few things that you can count on with Tom Brandstater. He's a big quarterback with nearly perfect size for the position. Drafted with the 1st pick of the 6th round (pick #174), Tom Brandstater is a 6'5", 222 lb. solid physical specimen. He's very intelligent and finished his degree in communications at Fresno State in only three years, also earning academic honors each year, a three-time Academic All-WAC choice. He's already finishing his Masters degree in psychology. His last name is pronounced Brand-STATE-ur. And after that, no one really agrees.
Oh, and it's fair to say that there are, and will be, comparisons to Tom Brady. Both were drafted in the 6th round. Both had poor showings at the Combine. Both have reputations as pocket passers. Both have question marks as to arm strength coming out of college. Both have had questions about mobility. One of them has 3 Super Bowl Rings. The other will almost certainly ride the bench during the 2009 season for the Denver Broncos.
Purely for fun, let's explore some of the frequent and sometimes surprising connections between Tom B and Tom B. The more I had a chance to research this, the more I had a chance to laugh. Disclaimer: Do not take this as a blanket endorsement of Mr. Brandstater. It is purely meant in the spirit of fun, but may be inadvertently educational...
A bit of history: Tom Brady was drafted in the 6th round of the 2000 draft, the first of Head Coach Bill Belichick's tenure with the New England Patriots. Coach Belichick came to the Patriots from a rival, after a sudden and (in some quarters) unpopular firing of their head coach. Brady sat for his first year in the pros. Drafted by Bill Belichick and Ernie Adams, Brady was originally drafted as a development project and a backup quarterback who might later break into the ranks of the 2nd string or even start.
25 comments | 17 recs |
Zen and the Art of Draft Evaluation
by Emmett Smith on Jun 11, 2009 9:30 AM MDT
in 2009 Re-Loading Season
84 comments
Back in the 1970s, a couple of organizations evolved that would change the way we see and experience NFL football. They arose on the basis of a need teams to share the expenses of having area scouts - in those days, they didn't want to have the costs of supporting their own organizations of scouting. The first of these is still known as 'BLESTO'. This originally stood for Bears Lions Eagles Steelers Organization and was formed in 1963. The Eagles are no longer associated with it, but it boasts a roster of 12 teams, including the Atlanta Falcons. The second was National Football Scouting, which is known by the contraction, "National" and currently has 15 teams associated with it that I've been able to uncover. Four teams use independents and/or their own organizations exclusively, including the New England Patriots who only uses their own.
Both of these organizations have their own system of nomenclature which leads to a total grade for the player. National, for example, uses a 1.0-8.0 scale with the higher number being a better grade. BLESTO goes the opposite route, with a 5.00 to 1.00 scale upon which the higher number is a better grade. In addition to these there are systems such as the ESPN system in which there are different grade areas such as production, durability, character, etc, in which the player receives a 5.0-1.0 grade, 1 being the highest, but adding to total grade for the player from 1-100.
This is an example of a common system - ESPN uses the basic BLESTO rankings but they then assess the player (well, their organization, Scouts Inc. does). Draft Insiders does essentially the same thing with college players and takes great pride in the fact that they rarely agree with BLESTO's final assessments. There are a wide variety of media outlets that also do some combination of using the evaluations of BLESTO and/or National and doing their own scouting. cbssports.com uses the scouting from National, as you can tell by their rating system of 1.0 to 8.0 on various categories including, using a quarterback as an example, poise, leadership, touch and pocket movement as well as a host of other assessments.
84 comments | 24 recs |
Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations
by Ted Bartlett on May 25, 2009 6:30 AM MDT
in 2009 Re-Loading Season
78 comments
I am not a very big Sum 41 fan, but they had a great album title a few years ago, in All Killer, No Filler, which our friends at Wikipedia inform me was borrowed from Jerry Lee Lewis, who was significantly cooler than them. I always thought of it as the Sum 41 rule, until I just looked it up, so that continues, I guess.
Anyway, I have adopted it as a rule of ST&NO, in the sense that if I can't think of enough interesting topics to fill a decent column, I won't post one, because I owe it to those who read my work not to waste their time with weak stuff. I started writing some content last week, and it didn't pass the test, so I didn't post anything on Monday. Here goes 2 weeks worth of material, on a Memorial Day Monday. As a veteran myself, I would remind our American community members to take a moment to reflect on the brave servicemen and women who lost their lives in the service of our nation.
To business, then. I am a big fan of versatility. When I work, probably nine days out of ten, I wear black shoes. For that one day when I wear brown shoes, I sure appreciate a reversible belt. It keeps me from having to put incremental cost into purchasing, owning, and maintaining a separate brown belt.
Because it's a pretty slow time of the reloading season, I decided that I would take a run at projecting who makes the 53-man roster out of training camp, and what I came away thinking is that the Broncos' offensive personnel and Josh McDaniels' creativity might lend themselves to being the most versatile offense ever.
The Shanahan-era Broncos were always pretty versatile on offense, but Mike was sort of a football ideologue, in that he believed his overarching schematic principles were better than other principles in use elsewhere. We haven't seen Josh McDaniels run a team yet, but I suspect that he'll be even more adaptable than Shanny, which is one of the most important traits a coach can possess. We already know that he has the chutzpah to trade away a Pro Bowl QB who refused to embrace the program, which is something very few coaches can claim.
Below the fold is my first run at a 53-man roster, and depth chart. I'll be working off of it for the first part of this piece. Ready... BEGIN!!!
78 comments | 14 recs |
Tales from the SunnySide: Chris Simms
by Emmett Smith on May 21, 2009 6:30 AM MDT
in 2009 Re-Loading Season
55 comments
The Tale of Chris Simms
When the Denver Broncos bargained with Chris Simms this offseason, they believed they were taking on a talented backup quarterback to cover for Jay Cutler if he went down to injury. Coach Josh McDaniels felt that Simms had the pedigree and the potential to be a solid backup, and the higher-than-normal contract cost backed that up. It didn't take long for Simms to receive a chance to show that he is more than a backup - he's currently competing against Kyle Orton for the starting position. In order for us to start understanding the value of this, we have to go back to where it all started.
You certainly could argue that Chris Simms has the best NFL pedigree, being the son of famous NFL QB Phil Simms. He was born in Ridgewood, New Jersey on August 29, 1980 and attended high school in nearby Franklin Lakes, NJ. A standout athlete, he played basketball as well as football. He was a two-time All-State football player and the 1998 USA Today Offensive Player of the Year. He initially committed to the University of Tennessee and then de-committed, choosing instead to attend the University of Texas, where he would major in history.
Arriving at Texas, Simms found that he was in a long conflict for the starting job with Major Applewhite. Each of them did well at various times and weakened at others. Their battle went back and forth for two full years. Over the course of Simms' tenure at the University of Texas, he set several records; their current status follows...
55 comments | 16 recs |
Tales from the SunnySide: Rulon Davis
by Emmett Smith on May 10, 2009 6:09 AM MDT
in 2009 Re-Loading Season
51 comments
via imgs.sfgate.com
Here's what you probably know about Rulon Davis. If you've been reading at all about him, you probably know that he was a Marine in the Iraqi conflict. He was in a fire zone, fought for his country, and came home.
He went to Cal (University of California) and is a defensive lineman. He survived a near-fatal motorcycle accident when his bike was struck from behind by a car and Rulon slid under a truck, which ran over his legs. And, famously, he was named after legendary Denver Broncos football player Rulon Jones, he of the 129 games with 52.5 official sacks. It's a lot of live up to.
Here's what you might not know about him; Davis always wanted to be a Marine. At 13 years old, he chose to attend a prep military academy. Davis went to the Marine Military Academy in Texas, before continuing on to Charter Oak High School, where he became a star football player. After leaving high school, Rulon immediately joined the Marine Corps, where he stayed for three years, (the Denver Post says four years) including that 6-month tour of duty in Iraq. He's Semper Fi all the way. One thing that his teammates at Cal talked about, in addition to his courage and fierce style of play, is that he's famous for his vocalizations, giving voice to massive grunts of exertion and loud battle cries when on the playing field. Rulon brings his all to his country, to his sport and to his life. He describes his own style of play as 'aggressive, tenacious and smart’.
51 comments | 18 recs |
Tales from the SunnySide: Everette Pedescleaux
by Emmett Smith on May 6, 2009 11:30 AM MDT
in 2009 Re-Loading Season
94 comments
Tyson Jackson stunned a lot of people by being the third player taken in the NFL draft. Many said that this was, in part, because of the laws of scarcity – there were few true 5-technique defensive ends in this year’s draft, making the ones that were there more valuable. The 5-technique DE lines up on the outside shoulder of the offensive tackles, giving them a chance to stack the line, stuff the outside run or rush the passer with equal verve. It’s a staple of the modern 3-4 defense, which the Denver Broncos will be switching to from their traditional 4-3 as quickly as circumstances permit.
In such a circumstance, shouldn’t an athletic defensive end who weighs in at over 305 lbs and has substantial skills have been a widely-discussed and greatly-desired player? Everette Pedescleaux, undrafted free agent out of the University of Northern Iowa brought so little attention that Walterfootball.com, CBSsportsline.com, ESPN.com and NFLDraftracker.com barely listed more than his height and weight. What was it that kept the pundits and NFL teams away from his door, but interested the Broncos enough to bring him to camp?
94 comments | 18 recs |
Tales from the Sunnyside: Chris Baker
by Emmett Smith on May 5, 2009 11:30 AM MDT
in 2009 Re-Loading Season
75 comments
A lie can run around the world twice while the truth is still getting its shoes on. - Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
Like all college players whose names weren't called on Draft Day, Chris Baker knows that he has something to prove. He's heard all the opinions - "Boom or Bust," "Must be in the right system," "Left school too early," "Character concerns abound," "Troublemaker," "Takes plays off."
Once projected as a 3rd- to 4th-round pick but left undrafted, the 6'2", 326 lb. Baker knows that he is lucky to have his first chance with the Broncos. Listening to the NFL Draft for two days without hearing your name, your heart gets weighty and your thoughts darker with each passing pick. By the time you're listening to the 7th round and knowing in your very soul that you're a better player than the ones who are being chosen, that darkness can coalesce in one of two ways - depression,or commitment. Chris Baker has chosen commitment
75 comments | 19 recs |
Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations
by Ted Bartlett on May 4, 2009 6:30 AM MDT
in 2009 Re-Loading Season
122 comments
After going with focused and snark-free on Wednesday, I'm back with what everybody is more used-to from me. Meandering and snark... it must be ST&NO. Ready... BEGIN!!!!!
1. In the holistic, all-things-considered sense, second-round draft picks consistently work out to have better value than first-round draft picks. Some of you don't believe me, that much is clear; but it's true. Today, I am going to explain why and how.
There are four key reasons why:
a. Guaranteed money
b. The urgency of right now
c. Contract length
d. Relative value returned
a. First, let's start with guaranteed money. If a player is picked in the first 16 picks, his team is allowed to sign that player to a six-year contract, and they usually do. (The five-year deal Jake Long negotiated last year led a fairly anomalous preponderance of 5-year deals last season.) Players picked in the last 16 picks of the first round can be signed for a maximum of 5 years, and almost always are. All of them did in 2008.
Beginning with the first pick of the second round, you get into 4-year contract territory. I know what you're thinking... what does the length of the contract have to do with the price of tea in China? Well, a few things, actually.
A longer-term contract is inherently favorable to the team, because it provides cost certainty over a long period of time. To reap some benefits in return for the opportunity cost which the player is bearing (as represented by the inability to renegotiate for a long time,) agents insist upon receiving a great deal of guaranteed money in longer contracts, which provides income certainty to the players.
122 comments | 38 recs |
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