Nors
Benched
- Messages
- 22,015
- Reaction score
- 1
2005 SENIOR BOWL GAME REVIEW
Most of the NFL coaches and scouts were long gone by the lads had laced on their pads for Saturday's actual senior Bowl game in Mobile. Indeed, the practices sessions remain the primary source of information for pro scouts in an all-star game setting. Still, scouts from every team will pour over the game tapes to either confirm what they saw from different players in the practices, or in some cases to see something a little different in the game setting. Our crack scouting staff also spent the better part of the past few days and nights studying the Senior Bowl game tapes and after careful consideration, here's a rundown on some of the winners and losers from this year's Senior Bowl game.
Stopping the bleeding... As we have noted on numerous occassions in the past, all-star games are often a difficult environment for QBs to excel in because they are working with unfamiliar receivers in an unfamiliar offense and seldom get enough snaps to get into any kind of rythym. At least in this year's game, though, most of the QBs were able to put in decent performances. Akron QB Charlie Frye, for example, was named the game's MVP after he led the North to a bit of an upset win, along the way completing 10 of 12 passes for 138 yards and a TD. This was a big turnaround for Frye, who came into Mobile looking to solidify a late first-round grade for the 2005 draft, but instead struggled with his mechanics during the week and had seen his stock drop. During the game, though, Frye was poised in the pocket, did a nice job reading the field and got rid of the ball cleanly. About the only thing Frye didn't do Saturday was hit any long passes, although he zipped in a couple of mid-rangers down the seam.
While Frye got the game MVP award, Auburn's Jason Campbell, was still the most poised QB prospect on display in Mobile. Despite being under constant pressure from the heavy North pass rush, Campbell did nothing to detract from the fact that he appeared to have elevated himself into at least a late first-round pick with a solid week of practice. Campbell continued to show a strong, accurate arm with a very easy throwing motion; he also slid around the pocket with ease and threw well on the run, a couple of times getting good velocity and accuracy on the ball despite being forced to throw from some awkward angles. And while not all that fast, Campbell did an excellent job avoiding the rush; he's a big, physical runner who was tough to bring down because of his size and strength. Indeed, on one play all four opposing defensive linemen got at least a hand on him, but he was able to escape the pressure and dump an outlet pass off for a nice gain. Meanwhile, Georgia's David Greene was David Greene; he's not all that impressive physically with limited mobility and only average arm strength, however, Greene has solid QB skills in that he reads the field very well, has a nice compact delivery, and gets rid of the ball quickly and accurately. On the other hand, Kyle Orton of Purdue continued to struggle through Saturday's game. Orton was the only QB in Mobile not to complete 50% of his passes as he was 6 of 13 with the game's only interception. The big problem for Orton appeared to be that it took him far too long to get rid of the ball once he made the decision to fire it because of a very deliberate, almost loping release.
To the short go the spoils... While Akron's Frye was nominally the Senior Bowl MVP, the game's most electrifying performance was turned in by diminutive Kansas State RB Darren Sproles. Sproles provided the Senior Bowl's lightest moment as he 'broke' the Senior Bowl measuring stick when, at just 5-5.5, he didn't even come to the bottom marker on the height scale in Mobile. Nobody was laughing on Saturday, though, as the super-quick Sproles broke off three long runs - he finished the day with 55 yards on just 5 carries - one of which resulted in a 24-yard TD. Along the way, Sproles showed some remarkable change-of-direction quickness; he also showed the ability to find the seam and just exploded upfield when he saw a crack. And while not powerful, Sproles has an odd running style in which his feet don't really leave the ground making him hard to tackle. And as noted earlier in the week, Sproles can get lost behind his big offensive linemen. What Sproles wasn't able to show in Mobile, though, was how much pounding he could take at just 185 pounds; he also wasn't asked to block or catch the ball much duing either the practices or game.
As good as Sproles was on saturday, Tennessee RB Cedric Houston may have done even more for his pro chances. With Auburn's Carnell Williams, the South team's star RB idled with what was described as a back sprain, Houston got some extra carries and he responded with a fine outing, powering his was to 49 yards on 9 carries. In particular, Houston showed excellent patience and vision, as well as a nice little upfield burst once he hit the hole. Same story for Northwestern RB Noah Herron, who didn't see a lot of playing time, but made a couple of nice receptions and, like the Vols' Houston, showed decent patience and vision on a couple of useful runs. What Herron lacked, though, was Houston's extra gear, not to mention Sproles jet pack. Perhaps the toughest RB to evaluate in Mobile was West Virginia's Kay-Jay Harris. Harris was a real load when given a seam and a bit of a head of steam; Harris also made a couple of nice receptions downfield. Harris, though, didn't always get his pads down and tended at times to shuffle his feet when the original hole was plugged, rather than powering upfield. It wasn't a good day, however, for Cal RB J.J. Arrington, who appeared to make a couple of poor cuts, turning it back upfield into traffic when there was a lane to the outside; Arrington was able to make some people miss in space, however, he also didn't appear to have that extra gear when needed.
Game, set and match to DL... The understated theme of the whole Senior Bowl was that the defensive lines overwhelmed their offensive counterparts all week. And that trend continued during the game with the defensive linemen who pretty much dominated throughout the week - DEs Marcus Spears of LSU and Iowa's Matt Roth and Southern Cal DTs Shaun Cody and Mike Patterson - at it again on Saturday. All were again solid, but SC's Cody appeared to have the best overall package of size, quickness, skill and intensity, although all four guys have their supporters. And while these four were the stars of the week in Mobile, Oregon State DE Bill Swancutt may have had the top individual game on Saturday. Swancutt was consistently able to get into the outside pad of the OT in front of him, turn the corner and power his way to the pocket. Therein lies the rub for Swancutt, however, in that if he didn't get that initial leverage, he didn't have much in the way of other pass rush moves to fall back on, and that has been the criticism of his game all year. With Swancutt and Iowa's Roth coming hard off the edge to torment the South QBs, the fact that both the starting North DTs - Anttaj Hawthorne of Wisconsin and Missouri's Attiyaf Ellison - also had terrific games; indeed, both appeared to be encamped in the opposing team's backfield as both got consistent upfield surge even when double-teamed. Hawthorne, in fact, hadn't looked all that quick in the week's practice sessions, but he was just exploding off the ball, and as a low-slung player was tough to knock down once he got leverage. Ellison, on the other hand, plays a little taller, but is very strong and was regularly able to club his way off blocks; Ellison also showed some impressive closing speed and agility for a DT once he did disengage. Cal DT Lorenzo Alexander also got some consistent penetration on Saturday - and had a sack off a quick spin move - while undersized DTs Jonathan Babineaux of Iowa and Jim Davis of Virginia Tech both were also able to get regularly upfield off the snap, but lacked that extra bit of strength to fully disengage from the man in front of them. Same story for Arizona State DE Jimmy Verdon, who worked very hard and showed considerable sideline-to-sideline range, but didn't always disengage particularly well. At the same time, the one defensive lineman to really struggle in the Senior Bowl game was big Alabama DT Anthony Bryant, who did do a nice job on 2-3 plays sliding down the line to stuff running plays, but played way too high and never got off the line of scrimmage rushing the passer.
With the defensive line ripping upfield it was another long afternoon for the Senior Bowl's offensive lines. Perhaps most disappointing on Saturday was the fact that Washington OT Khalif Barnes, the best offensive linemen during the week's practices, also looked very ordinary. Barnes can be both athletic and feisty; indeed, he had one particularly great moment when he buried a DB 20 yards downfield on Sproles TD run, however, on too many plays, Barnes got too deep into his backpedal and wasn't able to recover when the DE cut back to the inside. Barnes also gave up too many blocks way too soon and allowed his man to get back in to the play. In fact, Barnes was outplayed at OT by late-game replacement Justin Giesinger of Vanderbilt, who wasn't pretty, but as a wide-body guy did a nice job keeping himself between the DL and the ball; Geisinger also was able to consistently lock and neutralize his man in the run game.
The best offensive lineman in Mobile on Saturday, though, was Michigan C David Baas. Indeed, in what may have been an all-star game first, Baas played every snap for the North team and still has not let his man cross the line of scrimmage. In a world of wide-body players Baas is a real wide-body; he's also got excellent feet and gets good arm extension and one numerous plays got into more than one defender. Meanwhile, both Wisconsin OGs Dan Buenning and Jonathan Clinkscale had solid afternoons. Neither is the biggest player around, however, both showed good balance, kept their feet moving and played hard to the whistle. Same for Miami C Chris Myers, who also is undersized, but he consistently did a nice job moving his feet and controlling his man with his hands. Other offensive linemen to have decent games included Fresno State OG Logan Mankins, North Carolina C James Brown, Oregon OG Adam Snyder and Eastern Washington OT Michael Roos, although the latter is still very rough around the edges.
Other players who had solid outings in Saturday's game in no particular order:
Iowa DB Sean Considine; Considine isn't overly big or physical, but was around the ball all afternoon; he didn't rock anyone, but was a good wrapup tackler.
Stanford TE Alex Smith; Smith was one of those players who really came on over the week and topped it off with a great outing Sunday. The rangy Smith split the seam for a couple of downfield receptions; he also held up okay in one-on-one blocking drills. Indeed, Smith did better going head-to-head with LSU's Spears on several plays than some of the offensive linemen. In fact, it was a pretty good day all-around for the TEs in the Senior Bowl game. Cody McCarty of TCU, for example, showed nice hands catching several passes, although he doesn't have much of an upfield burst once he gets the ball tucked away. McCarty also showed the best overall blocking technique of the TEs, particularly his arm extension. USC TE Alex Holmes also caught the ball well underneath, an showed some after the catch power, though, like McCarty, not much elusiveness, while Colorado State TE Joel Dreesen was very aggressive blocking. And speaking of grunt work blocking Washington FB Zach Tuiasosopo continued to deliver devastating blocks leading running plays.
San Diego State LB Kirk Morrison; Morrison had a relatively quiet week of practice, but was all over the field on Saturday; he's not overly fast, finds the ball quickly, is a long strider and runs through the runner when he gets there. Several other LBs had also decent games including Leroy Hill of Clemson who is fast and stays low making him tough to block, although he did struggle to disengage when he did get tied up; Marcus Lawrence of South Carolina, a very athletic player with some size who runs well and is pretty physical when he finds the ball; UConn MLB Alfred Fincher, who did a good job avoiding the traffic and finding the ball between the tackles, but may have been a step slow getting to the plays on the edge; and Cornelius Wortham of Alabama who was very aggressive - though sometimes too aggressive as he overran a couple of plays - and also ran well, especially in coverage.
Georgia WR Reggie Brown; There were better known wideouts in Mobile, but no player grew on pro scouts more than the Bulldogs' Brown who was the game's leading receiver on Saturday; what especially impressed about Brown, who is a very fluid receiver, is his exceptional quickness after he catches the ball, especially his first step.
Most of the NFL coaches and scouts were long gone by the lads had laced on their pads for Saturday's actual senior Bowl game in Mobile. Indeed, the practices sessions remain the primary source of information for pro scouts in an all-star game setting. Still, scouts from every team will pour over the game tapes to either confirm what they saw from different players in the practices, or in some cases to see something a little different in the game setting. Our crack scouting staff also spent the better part of the past few days and nights studying the Senior Bowl game tapes and after careful consideration, here's a rundown on some of the winners and losers from this year's Senior Bowl game.
Stopping the bleeding... As we have noted on numerous occassions in the past, all-star games are often a difficult environment for QBs to excel in because they are working with unfamiliar receivers in an unfamiliar offense and seldom get enough snaps to get into any kind of rythym. At least in this year's game, though, most of the QBs were able to put in decent performances. Akron QB Charlie Frye, for example, was named the game's MVP after he led the North to a bit of an upset win, along the way completing 10 of 12 passes for 138 yards and a TD. This was a big turnaround for Frye, who came into Mobile looking to solidify a late first-round grade for the 2005 draft, but instead struggled with his mechanics during the week and had seen his stock drop. During the game, though, Frye was poised in the pocket, did a nice job reading the field and got rid of the ball cleanly. About the only thing Frye didn't do Saturday was hit any long passes, although he zipped in a couple of mid-rangers down the seam.
While Frye got the game MVP award, Auburn's Jason Campbell, was still the most poised QB prospect on display in Mobile. Despite being under constant pressure from the heavy North pass rush, Campbell did nothing to detract from the fact that he appeared to have elevated himself into at least a late first-round pick with a solid week of practice. Campbell continued to show a strong, accurate arm with a very easy throwing motion; he also slid around the pocket with ease and threw well on the run, a couple of times getting good velocity and accuracy on the ball despite being forced to throw from some awkward angles. And while not all that fast, Campbell did an excellent job avoiding the rush; he's a big, physical runner who was tough to bring down because of his size and strength. Indeed, on one play all four opposing defensive linemen got at least a hand on him, but he was able to escape the pressure and dump an outlet pass off for a nice gain. Meanwhile, Georgia's David Greene was David Greene; he's not all that impressive physically with limited mobility and only average arm strength, however, Greene has solid QB skills in that he reads the field very well, has a nice compact delivery, and gets rid of the ball quickly and accurately. On the other hand, Kyle Orton of Purdue continued to struggle through Saturday's game. Orton was the only QB in Mobile not to complete 50% of his passes as he was 6 of 13 with the game's only interception. The big problem for Orton appeared to be that it took him far too long to get rid of the ball once he made the decision to fire it because of a very deliberate, almost loping release.
To the short go the spoils... While Akron's Frye was nominally the Senior Bowl MVP, the game's most electrifying performance was turned in by diminutive Kansas State RB Darren Sproles. Sproles provided the Senior Bowl's lightest moment as he 'broke' the Senior Bowl measuring stick when, at just 5-5.5, he didn't even come to the bottom marker on the height scale in Mobile. Nobody was laughing on Saturday, though, as the super-quick Sproles broke off three long runs - he finished the day with 55 yards on just 5 carries - one of which resulted in a 24-yard TD. Along the way, Sproles showed some remarkable change-of-direction quickness; he also showed the ability to find the seam and just exploded upfield when he saw a crack. And while not powerful, Sproles has an odd running style in which his feet don't really leave the ground making him hard to tackle. And as noted earlier in the week, Sproles can get lost behind his big offensive linemen. What Sproles wasn't able to show in Mobile, though, was how much pounding he could take at just 185 pounds; he also wasn't asked to block or catch the ball much duing either the practices or game.
As good as Sproles was on saturday, Tennessee RB Cedric Houston may have done even more for his pro chances. With Auburn's Carnell Williams, the South team's star RB idled with what was described as a back sprain, Houston got some extra carries and he responded with a fine outing, powering his was to 49 yards on 9 carries. In particular, Houston showed excellent patience and vision, as well as a nice little upfield burst once he hit the hole. Same story for Northwestern RB Noah Herron, who didn't see a lot of playing time, but made a couple of nice receptions and, like the Vols' Houston, showed decent patience and vision on a couple of useful runs. What Herron lacked, though, was Houston's extra gear, not to mention Sproles jet pack. Perhaps the toughest RB to evaluate in Mobile was West Virginia's Kay-Jay Harris. Harris was a real load when given a seam and a bit of a head of steam; Harris also made a couple of nice receptions downfield. Harris, though, didn't always get his pads down and tended at times to shuffle his feet when the original hole was plugged, rather than powering upfield. It wasn't a good day, however, for Cal RB J.J. Arrington, who appeared to make a couple of poor cuts, turning it back upfield into traffic when there was a lane to the outside; Arrington was able to make some people miss in space, however, he also didn't appear to have that extra gear when needed.
Game, set and match to DL... The understated theme of the whole Senior Bowl was that the defensive lines overwhelmed their offensive counterparts all week. And that trend continued during the game with the defensive linemen who pretty much dominated throughout the week - DEs Marcus Spears of LSU and Iowa's Matt Roth and Southern Cal DTs Shaun Cody and Mike Patterson - at it again on Saturday. All were again solid, but SC's Cody appeared to have the best overall package of size, quickness, skill and intensity, although all four guys have their supporters. And while these four were the stars of the week in Mobile, Oregon State DE Bill Swancutt may have had the top individual game on Saturday. Swancutt was consistently able to get into the outside pad of the OT in front of him, turn the corner and power his way to the pocket. Therein lies the rub for Swancutt, however, in that if he didn't get that initial leverage, he didn't have much in the way of other pass rush moves to fall back on, and that has been the criticism of his game all year. With Swancutt and Iowa's Roth coming hard off the edge to torment the South QBs, the fact that both the starting North DTs - Anttaj Hawthorne of Wisconsin and Missouri's Attiyaf Ellison - also had terrific games; indeed, both appeared to be encamped in the opposing team's backfield as both got consistent upfield surge even when double-teamed. Hawthorne, in fact, hadn't looked all that quick in the week's practice sessions, but he was just exploding off the ball, and as a low-slung player was tough to knock down once he got leverage. Ellison, on the other hand, plays a little taller, but is very strong and was regularly able to club his way off blocks; Ellison also showed some impressive closing speed and agility for a DT once he did disengage. Cal DT Lorenzo Alexander also got some consistent penetration on Saturday - and had a sack off a quick spin move - while undersized DTs Jonathan Babineaux of Iowa and Jim Davis of Virginia Tech both were also able to get regularly upfield off the snap, but lacked that extra bit of strength to fully disengage from the man in front of them. Same story for Arizona State DE Jimmy Verdon, who worked very hard and showed considerable sideline-to-sideline range, but didn't always disengage particularly well. At the same time, the one defensive lineman to really struggle in the Senior Bowl game was big Alabama DT Anthony Bryant, who did do a nice job on 2-3 plays sliding down the line to stuff running plays, but played way too high and never got off the line of scrimmage rushing the passer.
With the defensive line ripping upfield it was another long afternoon for the Senior Bowl's offensive lines. Perhaps most disappointing on Saturday was the fact that Washington OT Khalif Barnes, the best offensive linemen during the week's practices, also looked very ordinary. Barnes can be both athletic and feisty; indeed, he had one particularly great moment when he buried a DB 20 yards downfield on Sproles TD run, however, on too many plays, Barnes got too deep into his backpedal and wasn't able to recover when the DE cut back to the inside. Barnes also gave up too many blocks way too soon and allowed his man to get back in to the play. In fact, Barnes was outplayed at OT by late-game replacement Justin Giesinger of Vanderbilt, who wasn't pretty, but as a wide-body guy did a nice job keeping himself between the DL and the ball; Geisinger also was able to consistently lock and neutralize his man in the run game.
The best offensive lineman in Mobile on Saturday, though, was Michigan C David Baas. Indeed, in what may have been an all-star game first, Baas played every snap for the North team and still has not let his man cross the line of scrimmage. In a world of wide-body players Baas is a real wide-body; he's also got excellent feet and gets good arm extension and one numerous plays got into more than one defender. Meanwhile, both Wisconsin OGs Dan Buenning and Jonathan Clinkscale had solid afternoons. Neither is the biggest player around, however, both showed good balance, kept their feet moving and played hard to the whistle. Same for Miami C Chris Myers, who also is undersized, but he consistently did a nice job moving his feet and controlling his man with his hands. Other offensive linemen to have decent games included Fresno State OG Logan Mankins, North Carolina C James Brown, Oregon OG Adam Snyder and Eastern Washington OT Michael Roos, although the latter is still very rough around the edges.
Other players who had solid outings in Saturday's game in no particular order:
Iowa DB Sean Considine; Considine isn't overly big or physical, but was around the ball all afternoon; he didn't rock anyone, but was a good wrapup tackler.
Stanford TE Alex Smith; Smith was one of those players who really came on over the week and topped it off with a great outing Sunday. The rangy Smith split the seam for a couple of downfield receptions; he also held up okay in one-on-one blocking drills. Indeed, Smith did better going head-to-head with LSU's Spears on several plays than some of the offensive linemen. In fact, it was a pretty good day all-around for the TEs in the Senior Bowl game. Cody McCarty of TCU, for example, showed nice hands catching several passes, although he doesn't have much of an upfield burst once he gets the ball tucked away. McCarty also showed the best overall blocking technique of the TEs, particularly his arm extension. USC TE Alex Holmes also caught the ball well underneath, an showed some after the catch power, though, like McCarty, not much elusiveness, while Colorado State TE Joel Dreesen was very aggressive blocking. And speaking of grunt work blocking Washington FB Zach Tuiasosopo continued to deliver devastating blocks leading running plays.
San Diego State LB Kirk Morrison; Morrison had a relatively quiet week of practice, but was all over the field on Saturday; he's not overly fast, finds the ball quickly, is a long strider and runs through the runner when he gets there. Several other LBs had also decent games including Leroy Hill of Clemson who is fast and stays low making him tough to block, although he did struggle to disengage when he did get tied up; Marcus Lawrence of South Carolina, a very athletic player with some size who runs well and is pretty physical when he finds the ball; UConn MLB Alfred Fincher, who did a good job avoiding the traffic and finding the ball between the tackles, but may have been a step slow getting to the plays on the edge; and Cornelius Wortham of Alabama who was very aggressive - though sometimes too aggressive as he overran a couple of plays - and also ran well, especially in coverage.
Georgia WR Reggie Brown; There were better known wideouts in Mobile, but no player grew on pro scouts more than the Bulldogs' Brown who was the game's leading receiver on Saturday; what especially impressed about Brown, who is a very fluid receiver, is his exceptional quickness after he catches the ball, especially his first step.