The Place for Football Education
J.P. Fox is back to The Football Educator. Here he presents his personal analysis of the Dallas Cowboys 2013 NFL Draft and which picks are most likely to project as difference makers in the coming season. Draft observers all around the country had speculated that the Cowboys would go heavy rebuilding the offensive line and adding additional pieces to the defensive line. With Tony Romo constantly running for his life and a defense switching to … [Read more...]
Frank Martin is back to give us his insight into the NFC South's winners and losers in the 2013 NFL Draft. We'll go team by team through Frank's analysis starting with last year's Division Champs, the Atlanta Falcons. NFC South Breakdown If you are like me, then this past weekend was your favorite weekend of the spring… Three days of non-stop discussion about 40 times and short shuttles… 7 rounds of analysts saying: “this is a … [Read more...]
Putting the finishing touches on a first round draft choice requires ensuring that all the boxes are checked off and the various angles examined. The Football Educator is not a fan of the mock draft process, but recently I was asked to present my Top 10 picks from a general manager's perspective. Along with Charley Casserly the two of us surmised who we would each select given the scenarios facing the club at the time. Evaluating a prospect's … [Read more...]
This is part two of a piece that started with a look a 5 offensive players that The Football Educator felt were getting lost in the hype of all the mockery of 1st round mock drafts. Way too much attention is paid to the top 30 or 40 college prospects in the mock draft process. Most media pundits take a look at the last post of players and just tweak a selection here or there. If your editor is asking for a mock draft you make one, but few … [Read more...]
Most mock drafts focus on the first round, though there are some brave souls that attempt to go deeper. The dynamics of movement through trades and unforeseen selections really makes that an exercise in futility. To be honest, trying to predict how the initial selection of all 32 teams will go is next to impossible and yet many will continue to make the attempt regardless. This places the majority of focus from a media perspective on the … [Read more...]
Chris Gross of TurnOnTheJets.com recently submitted this question to The Football Educator; The phrase "boom or bust potential" is often used a lot when discussing draft prospects. What is the best method of evaluation to measure both the floor and ceiling of a prospect, and what is used to determine whether or not the reward will outweigh the risk? My immediate reaction to the question was this – “If we had the exact answer to that … [Read more...]
Flexibility in putting together today’s NFL roster is key to any long term sustainable success. The rigors of surviving and thriving in a 16 game regular season can only come through players unselfishly contributing in many areas on the field and at a moment’s notice. Young players are more often asked to contribute on special teams, something many were immune to throughout college as the primary stars on their squads. But those that … [Read more...]
Remember in the movie “Top Gun” where COUGAR gets shaken by a near miss “lock-on” from an enemy bogey set on blowing his F-14 out of the sky? COUGAR enters the office of his commanding officer to turn in his wings; "I'm holding on too tight, I've lost the edge, I'm sorry sir". And with that one of the Navy’s top young warriors was out of a job, fully trained and physically capable of flying and fighting in one of this country’s … [Read more...]
Utter the position “Wide Receiver” and you might get a dozen different definitions and a myriad of all-time great examples. Perhaps no other position on the field allows for such a varied makeup within a club and across the League. Wide Receivers tend to trend more than the Dow Jones Industrials. Remember “The Smurfs” or “The Three Amigos”? They’ve now been replaced with the likes of “Megatron” and “The … [Read more...]
Continuing the series on where to look for the best incoming talent through the annual NFL Draft, TheFootballEducator.com addresses the all important yet oft-overlooked offensive line. A " Chorus Line" Generally speaking it’s difficult to fathom any sustained success without a consistently stable front five, and the best way to describe a productive NFL offensive line is using the analogy of a “chorus line”. In unison they’re a … [Read more...]
