Spoon shines for NFL scouts

cowboyjoe

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Spoon shines for NFL scouts
By Dave Matter

Posted March 4, 2010 at 5:28 p.m.
http://www.columbiatribune.com/weblogs/behind-the-stripes/2010/mar/04/spoon-shines-for-nfl-scouts/

Parker Eshelman photo
Sean Weatherspoon and his golden shoes run for NFL scouts at Thursday's MU pro day.Having just worked out for NFL teams on Monday at the Scouting Combine, Sean Weatherspoon could have sat out Thursday’s pro day inside Missouri’s Devine Pavilion. Instead, he had a score to settle with the stopwatch.

"All the reviews I got at the combine was that I did what I needed to do," the former MU linebacker said. "But, me personally, I wasn’t satisfied with my 40 time. So I wanted to come out here today and run it on my home turf and maybe do a little better."

He did just that. After clocking 40-yard dash times in the 4.5 and 4.6-second range in Indianapolis, Weatherspoon was timed in the 4.4s on Thursday, specifically 4.43 by a scout from Green Bay and 4.48 by a representative from Atlanta. Weatherspoon also set a personal-record in the bench press, lifting 225 pounds 35 times, one more rep than he managed in Indy where he had the second-best total among linebackers.

I’ll have much more on Weatherspoon and his NFL journey in Friday’s Tribune, including his thoughts on some recent unflattering anonymous comments made by an NFL executive. (Long story short, he disagrees, as does everyone he’s talked to employed by NFL franchises.)

If anything, Weatherspoon might have scored points with scouts by working out at MU when he could have been a spectator.

"I had originally planned not to do the bench press, but when I saw other guys competing and all my teammates in there, I said, 'I got to get under there.' That was my motivation to do that. … You definitely get points for that."

Weatherspoon said he has had formal interviews with 21 teams and expects to line up some private workouts with clubs in the coming weeks. He’s hoping to fall somewhere between the draft’s No. 15 overall pick (owned by the New York Giants) and No. 34, the second pick of the second round, held by Detroit. Anything lower, he said, will be disappointing.

Weatherspoon said he feels best about his meetings with Atlanta, Denver, New England and New Orleans, among others. He also interviewed with Cleveland’s brass, including linebackers coach Matt Eberflus, MU’s former defensive coordinator and the coach who recruited Weatherspoon out of Jasper, Texas. Teams that run a 3-4 defense told Weatherspoon they like him as an inside linebacker, while 4-3 teams like him at either the middle or weakside position, the place he played most of his college career.

He wasn’t the only former Tiger working out for scouts. Also going through drills were offensive lineman Kurtis Gregory, defensive linemen Jaron Baston, Brian Coulter and Andy Maples, punter Jake Harry and safety Justin Garrett, whose last season at MU was 2008.

Baston, who played in the East-West Shrine Game but was not invited to the combine, weighed in at 304 pounds and said teams have told him his best course should be to put on 15-20 pounds and plan on playing nose guard in a 3-4 defense. That’s what I like doing anyway, stuffing the run," he said.

Also in attendance but watching from a distance was wide receiver Danario Alexander, who told me he’ll spend two more weeks on crutches after undergoing a fourth knee surgery last month.

In case you missed the news, Alexander suffered a minor cartilage tear in his left knee during Senior Bowl practices in January. He had the knee checked out by several doctors, including famed surgeon James Andrews and Pittsburgh Steelers team doctor James Bradley, and the consensus was that the latest setback was unrelated to the ligament damage Alexander originally suffered in 2007 and has since needed three surgeries. John Uribe, the team doctor for the Miami Hurricanes, performed the surgery in Miami, where Alexander had been training since the end of the season, along with Maryland offensive lineman Bruce Campbell.

Alexander won’t be able to work out for teams before the draft and is relying on his game film and individual interviews to score him a place in April’s draft. He said he expects to be able to run and practice in two to three months, definitely in time for an NFL training camp.

He’s trying to remain upbeat, but, man, hasn’t this kid endured enough? He’s got the Book of Job of left knees.

"I’ve been through a lot, but I’ve got to stay positive,"he told me. "There’s times when I get down, especially right after the surgery. I was like, ‘Man, I could have done this different or that different.’ And just being around" pro day, "I really want to compete. But I know the only way I can get back to where I’m supposed to be is to stay positive. That’s where I have to be now, man."

Missouri will hold another pro scouting day on March 18.
 

Woods

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I think Spoon is going to be a really good LB in the pros.
 

DFWJC

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CowboysZone LOYAL Fan
I love his game....but he is a major ham....jeesh.
 

Hoofbite

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Had no idea what this thread was about by reading the title.
 

SDogo

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Bob Sacamano;3298845 said:
Bobby Carpenter part II

Based on what? What about their games are similar or this just another half *** attempt to offer an opinion on a player with no basis, research or simple knowledge.

Seriously dude, how is anyone supposed to take you serious when you yourself admit you dont do the research you should on these prospects and no, reading Draft Countdown or CBS does not count.
 

Bob Sacamano

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NFLDS (It's up to you to discredit this reputable draft source)

Run defense: Very good chase defender who comes downhill in a hurry, especially if the play goes east-west. Scrapes down the line and finds the opening to attack the running back. Physical but tries to avoid linemen in traffic, picking his way through to the ball. Spies the quarterback to prevent long runs on scrambles, and will beat them to the corner from the middle. Usually takes the right chase angle, but is quick enough to recover if the ballcarrier cuts back. Will take on fullback and lineman blocks inside, but does not have the size or punch needed to regularly disengage. Also has troubles getting off run blocks from larger receivers.

Tackling: Wraps up elusive ballcarriers in space. Can line them up for the explosive tackle if given the chance. Pounds receivers coming over the middle, using his shoulder to lay them out. Will overpursue plays or hit a hole before the runner has reached it, opening a cutback lane. Relies on hitting with his shoulder, which will be an issue at the next level. Undisciplined breaking down in space, allowing elusive runners to go around him.

The man is a 4-3 OLB.
 

SDogo

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Bob Sacamano;3298993 said:
NFLDS (It's up to you to discredit this reputable draft source)

Run defense: Very good chase defender who comes downhill in a hurry, especially if the play goes east-west. Scrapes down the line and finds the opening to attack the running back. Physical but tries to avoid linemen in traffic, picking his way through to the ball. Spies the quarterback to prevent long runs on scrambles, and will beat them to the corner from the middle. Usually takes the right chase angle, but is quick enough to recover if the ballcarrier cuts back. Will take on fullback and lineman blocks inside, but does not have the size or punch needed to regularly disengage. Also has troubles getting off run blocks from larger receivers.

Tackling: Wraps up elusive ballcarriers in space. Can line them up for the explosive tackle if given the chance. Pounds receivers coming over the middle, using his shoulder to lay them out. Will overpursue plays or hit a hole before the runner has reached it, opening a cutback lane. Relies on hitting with his shoulder, which will be an issue at the next level. Undisciplined breaking down in space, allowing elusive runners to go around him.

The man is a 4-3 OLB.

I'm sorry, I just find it extremely annoying that you would rather depend on another persons "opinion" then take the time to form one of your own.

Key word there being opinion because your really limiting yourself to one or two "scouts" opinion and you personally have no idea where or how they got their information. Did this guy watch 30 minutes of a game and say, "nah, he cant play" or did he spend the time to look at several game films?

These guys dont do all the scouting on their own. Did you know NFLDS employs around 50 every day Joe's like yourself to sit around, watch game film, answer a questionnaire and input some observation only to turn them in to the Editor who formats them, lets Rob and Chad chime in and off to the website it goes.

So yeah, even though I do enjoy NFLDS I have a serious problem with people who form their one and only opinion on a analysis that very well could of been formed by your neighbor while his kids ran around the house, wife vacuumed and he sent text messages to his friends.

I'm not even going try and pretend I spend hours upon hours watching game film but your never going to find me commenting on a player I have not seen with my own eyes and really took the time to break down.
 

Bob Sacamano

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SDogo;3299011 said:
I'm sorry, I just find it extremely annoying that you would rather depend on another persons "opinion" then take the time to form one of your own.

Key word there being opinion because your really limiting yourself to one or two "scouts" opinion and you personally have no idea where or how they got their information. Did this guy watch 30 minutes of a game and say, "nah, he cant play" or did he spend the time to look at several game films?

These guys dont do all the scouting on their own. Did you know NFLDS employs around 50 every day Joe's like yourself to sit around, watch game film, answer a questionnaire and input some observation only to turn them in to the Editor who formats them, lets Rob and Chad chime in and off to the website it goes.

So yeah, even though I do enjoy NFLDS I have a serious problem with people who form their one and only opinion on a analysis that very well could of been formed by your neighbor while his kids ran around the house, wife vacuumed and he sent text messages to his friends.

I'm not even going try and pretend I spend hours upon hours watching game film but your never going to find me commenting on a player I have not seen with my own eyes and really took the time to break down.

I don't have access to tapes, so I depend on the ones that do.
 

Hoofbite

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Bob Sacamano;3298845 said:
Bobby Carpenter part II

no thanks.

although I was initially pretty high on him.

Not anymore? You're low?

What was it that made you go down on him?
 

Bob Sacamano

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Hoofbite;3299037 said:
Not anymore? You're low?

What was it that made you go down on him?

His tackles went way down his Senior year, and then the write-up that he's not real physical. I just don't see him as a good fit in the 3-4.

I like that he has attitude, but his is more of the "look at me" type as opposed to the "rah-rah" type.
 

SDogo

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Bob Sacamano;3299035 said:
I don't have access to tapes, so I depend on the ones that do.

If you really enjoy the draft and really enjoy evaluating players it's not hard at all to get your hands on game film if you want to put the time in.
 

Hoofbite

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Bob Sacamano;3299040 said:
His tackles went way down his Senior year, and then the write-up that he's not real physical. I just don't see him as a good fit in the 3-4.

I like that he has attitude, but his is more of the "look at me" type as opposed to the "rah-rah" type.

So you admit you went down on him?

I just want to get that set in stone so we can all look back on this when he starts ballin out of control.
 

Cover 2

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Hoofbite;3299162 said:
So you admit you went down on him?

I just want to get that set in stone so we can all look back on this when he starts ballin out of control.
I had no idea Bob was like that :laugh2:
 

TheCount

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Bob Sacamano;3299040 said:
His tackles went way down his Senior year, and then the write-up that he's not real physical. I just don't see him as a good fit in the 3-4.

I like that he has attitude, but his is more of the "look at me" type as opposed to the "rah-rah" type.

I've actually watched him play and trust me, he's physical. I'd take Weatherspoon on this team in a heartbeat. He's not Patrick Willis or anything, but who is?
 
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