For those who want to trade up for Branch

[Bob Sacamano]

Would you explain the difference to us?

intensity causes players to push themselves and go all-out on every-down, alot of success is due to hard-work, or you could be this great talent like Randy Moss, but not push yourself and you eventually become less productive

lack of worth ethic is someone who is just lazy

 

[CowboyMike]

The only player I'd trade up for in this draft is Calvin Johnson.

 

[burmafrd]

There have been numerous write ups about him being out of shape after the bowl games and not looking good at either the combine and his pro day- WHERE he was reported by virtually all scouting sources to be easily winded and barely able to finish all the drills. This guy is set to make millions of dollars= and risks LOSING millions of dollars by dropping due to giving a bad impression by not staying in shape for those critical few months. You HAVE to question his ability to stay in shape and perform when it counts= late in the season, late in the game. Does not matter how big, strong and quick he is- if he is sucking wind in the 4th he is no use to us. Add to that he apparently spaced off his interviews.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

There have been numerous write ups about him being out of shape after the bowl games and not looking good at either the combine and his pro day- WHERE he was reported by virtually all scouting sources to be easily winded and barely able to finish all the drills. This guy is set to make millions of dollars= and risks LOSING millions of dollars by dropping due to giving a bad impression by not staying in shape for those critical few months. You HAVE to question his ability to stay in shape and perform when it counts= late in the season, late in the game. Does not matter how big, strong and quick he is- if he is sucking wind in the 4th he is no use to us. Add to that he apparently spaced off his interviews.

Spaced off his interviews? What exactly do you mean by this?

If he plays NT, he will not be needed the whole game to begin with. He will rotate with Ferguson but no matter. I don't believe it's a problem to begin with.

I wonder if you might be good enough to post the reports that he was barely able to finish all the drills. I have heard much of this put I have not actually read these reports myself.

Thank you.

 

[burmafrd]

This is what NFL com said about his pro day"
Branch (6-5¾, 328) ran the short shuttle in 4.79 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.56. Kansas City defensive line coach Tim Krumrie worked Branch hard during the position drills, and the scouts there said Branch did not look like he was in very good shape.
This is from the FanHouse:
The issue with Branch [and the reason his stock is falling] is his motivation. He's gained weight during the spring and showed up to Michigan's on-campus workout out of shape. That leaves some to wonder if he'll be content once he gets paid.
Peter King
10. For a long time, defensive tackle Alan Branch (VIDEO) looked like a sure-fire top-five pick. But most teams don't see the motor they'd like to see on a very high pick, and some see him only as a 3-4 nose man. So to invest the fourth, fifth or sixth pick on him ... dicey. Very dicey. And expensive.
NFL Draft Dog
Alan Branch appears to be slipping in the 2007 NFL Draft. He hasn’t maintained himself in great condition and that is raising questions about his work ethic. During Michigan’s Mid-March Pro Day he didn’t show up in great shape and ran the short shuttle in 4.81 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.50. The Kansas City Chiefs seem to be showing a lot of interest in him. At the 2007 NFL Combine Branch ran two 40 yard dashes, one was a very decent 5.07 seconds and the other at 5.19. If you look closely at his 40 run, he had an excellent 10 yard split time of 1.75 seconds, which means he is very explosive. He seemed to tire easily though and didn’t run any of the shuttle runs or 3-cone at the combine
Will see if I can find the stuff about the interviews

 

[burmafrd]

This is from the Scout.com= it talks about the interviews some

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/profile.php?pyid=33289

 

[burmafrd]

Yahoo Sports
Branch, who entered the draft early after receiving a first-round grade from the NFL Advisory Committee, was a projected top-10 choice until he hit the postseason. His grade fell as a result of average workouts, and some questions about his toughness in the middle and his ability to be a true playmaker in the NFL.

At times, he appears to be less of the dominant interior defender that can take up space and fight through double teams and seems more another disappointing underclassman that has riddled this position in recent years. He was a little out of shape at his pro day workout as several scouts noted that he was out of breath and lacked explosiveness in his drills. To his credit, he has not made any excuses, but there is now more of a consensus that he could need a lot of motivation to reach or play his best.

The lack of a true nasty streak and the fact that he is better at receiving information "live" than in the classroom also has some position coaches fearing that he could be a bit of a high rep learner, which slows down a young player's progress. He's too big and naturally skilled to slide much past the first 15 picks, but is now seen more as a top-20 guy
Walter Football Site
Looked very out of shape and sluggish in drills. At one point, Alan Branch looked like he wanted to quit. Could be out of the top ten and into the teens

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

This is from the Scout.com= it talks about the interviews some

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/profile.php?pyid=33289

Here is what that article actually says.

04/12/07 - Significant Pro day results: Only weeks after questions surfaced at the Combine about his lack of aggression, Branch's lack of conditioning became a hot topic when the monstrous defensive tackle labored through positional workouts at his Pro Day.

03/22/07 - Lower than you Think: Even Branch's most ardent supporters will acknowledge that the former Wolverine will never be a big stat producer in the middle. That isn't his game. Taking up blockers and controlling the middle is. That said, Branch surprised more than a couple of scouts who interviewed him with his meek behavior at the Combine. A soft-spoken personality isn't a negative. When one has been characterized throughout his career as a physically imposing and aggressive player, however, a soft-spoken nature raises questions about toughness. To make matters worse, Branch looked out of shape and struggled through positional drills at his Pro Day. Branch is too big, strong and talented to fall too far, but the comparisons to Detroit Pro Bowl tackle Shaun Rogers are becoming rarer, with allusions to disappointing Rams tackle Jimmy Kennedy popping up instead.


This says nothing about spacing off interviews or not being able to finish drills. It says that he struggled through positional drills. It also says that he has been characterized throughout his career as a physically imposing and aggressive player, if I read this right. I guess I just don't see all the red herrings everybody else does here. Maybe it's because I don't want to see it but to me, there is really nothing here that says he's lazy or whatever else is floating out there.

 

[burmafrd]

I would say not staying in shape is lazy- especially when millions of dollars are at stake. I see you blew off all those others that I posted showing a lot of worries about him. If you want to ignore all that just because he is big and strong, fine. I want a guy in the middle with a motor that does not quit- and there is NO WAY you can say that about Branch.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I would say not staying in shape is lazy- especially when millions of dollars are at stake. I see you blew off all those others that I posted showing a lot of worries about him. If you want to ignore all that just because he is big and strong, fine. I want a guy in the middle with a motor that does not quit- and there is NO WAY you can say that about Branch.

If that is how you see it, that's fine. In truth, most of what you posted was just rehash of what had already been writen with certain imbelishments. Most are second hand reports, looks like. Not first hand eye witness stuff. I mean, that's fine, none of it says he spaced off interviews or that he was unable to finish drills. As far as me being able to say that this kid has a good motor and will not quit, well, that's simply not true. I can absolutly say that and believe what I'm saying 100%. Fortunatly, I'm not reproducing a second hand account for a sports publication or basing a judgement off of a single work out when I say this.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

He's lazy, argues with his coaches, and is somewhat of a career underachiever

No thanks

show one link to substantiate this.

 

[burmafrd]

I guess I could find 500 more sites that say pretty much the same thing. ABC. I won't bother. If you want to ignore all that- just about EVERY major site has questions about him- then thats up to you. As far as I am concerned he is another Kennedy, Gabe Watson, etc. Does fine in college but underacheives at best in the pros. Not someone I want to spend a first on.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I guess I could find 500 more sites that say pretty much the same thing. ABC. I won't bother. If you want to ignore all that- just about EVERY major site has questions about him- then thats up to you. As far as I am concerned he is another Kennedy, Gabe Watson, etc. Does fine in college but underacheives at best in the pros. Not someone I want to spend a first on.

Fortunate for me I suppose that it is not you who is making this selection.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

intensity causes players to push themselves and go all-out on every-down, alot of success is due to hard-work, or you could be this great talent like Randy Moss, but not push yourself and you eventually become less productive

lack of worth ethic is someone who is just lazy

No doubt about anything you said, but what about the difference between intensity and effort?

Or do you mean like ABQ said -- the difference between intensity and appearance of intensity (a la Merroidman and the sack seizure)?

 

[burmafrd]

And I think its lucky for the BOYS that ABC is not in the draft room either.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

And I think its lucky for the BOYS that ABC is not in the draft room either.

Of course you do. And just as soon as you learn the difference between ABC and ABQ, I'll pay more attention to your opinions.

 

[burmafrd]

And the time I care about what initials you have up is the day I become a skins fan.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

And the time I care about what initials you have up is the day I become a skins fan.

Well, don't make me wait too long. The sooner you can find your way to Extreme, the better.

 

[burmafrd]

Why bother. You are already there.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Why bother. You are already there.

OK, well, please do me the favor of discontinuing this little display. I don't want you to waste your best stuff on me as evidenced by your last.

Simple question for you. Have you ever watched Branch play? If so, tell me, in your own limited way, which games you saw him dog it in. Tell me which games you saw him get outplayed.