Monday, January 21, 2013

NFLPA Collegiate Bowl 2013

ESPN committed to four hours of practice coverage of the NFPLA Collegiate Bowl this week, and their commentators spent a significant amount of time playing up the Home Depot Center facilities, and the effort needed to get better players into the game to raise the game's profile. The network then joins the game 20 minutes in progress because they scheduled it right behind a basketball game. Some commitment from the network. Maybe we were supposed to be considering converting Creighton's Doug McDermott into a tight end.

Then again, how seriously does the bowl take itself, when it takes the measurements of all the players off its website the day the game arrives? Granted, both rosters are stocked with players who are going to be lucky to make training camps. In two years, it's established itself as the home for really undersized players at all positions (Todd McShay calls them “measurable misfits”), players who couldn't finish seasons due to injuries or suspensions, and NFL family relatives who wouldn't otherwise get a second look.

But the Rams did get a practice squad player from last year's game, tackle Brandon Washington, and a training camp body, LB Alex Hoffman-Ellis. Josh Hull played in the first edition of the game. And Nationals head coach Dick Vermeil OWNS this game, winning it for the second straight year, as his Nationals crushed Herm Edwards' Americans, 34-zip. Some takes on the notable performers (measurements are from NFLDraftScout.com):

* DT Byron Jerideau, South Carolina, 6'0” 334
Another all-star game, another game dominated by a South Carolina player. How did the Gamecocks lose a game with the d-line they had? Jerideau beat Darius Barnes (Southern Miss) every which way. He stuffed at least three running plays, and showed not just a strong bull-rush, which you'd expect, but good quickness off the snap. Dominant player of the game, though in a losing effort.

* DT Mike Purcell, Wyoming, 6'3” 303
Called out by Bill Polian for playing an excellent game, and rightly so. Clogged the middle against the run and showed the quickness and penetration to blow up draw plays. Also showed the brute strength to throw the guard to the ground to set up a near-sack and force a FG in the 2nd. American team had the strength in the trenches to dominate this game, if they only hadn't committed FIVE turnovers.

* DE Shane McCardell, Mississippi State, 6'5” 260
Speed/penetration DE, who like many, will get caught upfield. Just whipped Michael Zordich to stuff a goal line run, but two plays later, bit too hard inside and Dayne Crist bootlegged around him for a TD. Can set the edge well against the run and has excellent pursuit speed. RB Eric Stephens couldn't get away from him on one play. Gets after QB well, got pressures with edge speed and flew unblocked through a gap to sack Ryan Higgins. Should have the ability and size to earn some longer looks.

* TE Luke Willson, Rice, 6'5” 252
Probably the best receiver in the game, though he looked a bit of a blocking liability. Beat Dominique Battle for a TD after the American defense botched coverage of trips formation. Showed soft hands and ability to go strong and compete for the ball. Got open at all three levels. Runs very good routes and catches the ball well, away from his frame.

* LB Jordan Campbell, New Mexico Highlands via USC, 5'10” 244
Campbell blew up several running plays. Showed good speed and closed very well to the ball. Showed good range to string out edge runs and some ability to fight off blockers and still get to the ball carrier. Had trouble on one play dropping back into coverage, got lost in traffic trying to double back to the runner. McShay said he needs more consistency and doesn't always get himself in the right place, but he shows instincts, quickness, athleticism and a little pop.

* RB Orwin Smith, Georgia Tech, 5'11” 202
Probably the best offensive player in this game. Ran for 39 yards on 8 carries. Good, but not elite, speed, got the edge a couple of times for big gains. Caught the ball well and showed some moves on kickoff return.

* LB Bruce Taylor, Virginia Tech, 6'1” 234
Taylor looked really good in pass coverage. He showed good quickness and recognition picking up receivers out of the backfield, and read the QB's eyes for an interception in the 3rd. Has good instincts and diagnoses plays quickly.

* QB Jeff Tuel, Washington State, 6'3” 221
The broadcast crew gushed about Kansas' Dayne Christ all game – gee! he went to Notre Dame at one time! - but Tuel was the best QB, going 8-for-8 for 64 yards and a TD. He had the best combination of arm strength, accuracy and mobility there, as well as ability to move the offense. Made a nice play early to wheel out of trouble and fire a bullet on the run for a first down. Perfect sideline pass.

* QB Jordan Rodgers, Vanderbilt, 6'1” 212
Aaron's brother didn't get very good protection but showed nice scrambling ability, breaking out of collapsing pockets for a couple of good gains. Also threw some nice, tight slant passes. Did show poor pocket presence on a play in the 4th. Receiver tripped on a screen and he held the ball FOREVER until getting sacked.

* C Kyle Quinn, Arizona, 6'3” 288
Showed really good movement. Threw one of the best pull blocks of the game and got out front of screen passes.

* FB Michael Zordich, Penn State, 6'0” 233
Fullback was having an excellent game till he left with an injury. Made a great down block to seal the edge on a sweep and wiped out a LB in the lane on another nice gain. Tough and physical. Did get whipped at the goal line by McCardell on a run stuff.

* CB Demetrius McCray, Appalachian State, 6'1” 185
Had a big game, stripping Jamal-Rashad Patterson for a late fumble and picking off a weird deflection to kill the Americans' last attempt to score.

* LB Alex Debniak, Stanford, 6'1” 235
Was a persistent pass rush threat with at least three pressures and was called out by Polian as one of the best players of the game.

* DT Deon Goggins, Syracuse, 6'1” 270
Bull-rushed Jeff Nady (Nevada) for a sack and helped force a fumble by tripping up Isi Sofele. Is going to have tough time making the NFL at that size, though.

* WR Greg Jenkins, Alabama State, 6'1” 211
Doesn't look that size to me. Came to game as a QB but practiced at both QB and WR. Played most of game at WR. Took him till the 4th quarter to settle down. Had a drop early, but got a lot smoother. Wheeled away from a safety on a short hitch to gain 20 in 4th and followed it by deking the LB on a drag route for 8. Caught well and ran good routes once he got the feel of things. Got two series at QB, showed some scrambling ability but threw wobbly passes and the offense stalled badly.

* WR Jamal-Rashad Patterson, Stanford, 6'2” 213
Leading receiver in the game, 8-86. Soft hands, worked the sidelines well, made a one-handed catch late in the game. Showed a nice stiffarm on Allen Chapman to turn a quick screen into a 10-yard gain. Showed ball security issues, though, getting stripped late in the game for a fumble. High and tight!

* WR Myles White, Louisiana Tech via Michigan State, 6'0” 179
White also got a lot of action: 6 catches for 46. Showed some quickness gaining 20 on an end-around but was mostly short WCO stuff other than that. Didn't show separation downfield. Reliable hands.

* QB Dayne Crist, Kansas via Notre Dame, 6'4” 232
Broadcast gushed about him a little too much, but he showed good pocket presence and accuracy leading the Nationals to their 2nd TD. Did a good job finding his checkdowns, and handled the ball well, other than blowing an exchange with Monroe in the 4th. I don't see an elite, field-stretching arm, but he did show he could run an offense with some tempo.

* DT Terrence Stephens, Stanford, 6'1” 294
Showed some bull-rush, and Dick Vermeil compared him to D'Marco Farr. That can't hurt to have on your resume.

* RB Mike James, Miami, Fla, 5'11” 220
Didn't get a whole lot of blocking or anything done on the ground (6-21), but I do want to single him out for unselfish play, taking over at fullback after Zordich's injury. Struggled there a little but did manage to throw a couple of good blocks.

* DB Jakar Hamilton, South Carolina State via Georgia, 5'11” 196
Hamilton got a lot of hype leading up to the game but did not come close to living up to it. He was poor on punt and kick returns, running backwards on punts, muffing the catch on one kickoff and losing a fumble at the end of another return. He was arguably down on that play, but Herm Edwards stripped him of the return job after that. Hopefully he factored in better in pass protection.

* RB Eric Stephens Jr., Texas Tech, 5'8” 194
Used his blocks well on middle runs, and showed some ability as a change-of-pace receiver, but had only 33 yards on 13 carries and repeatedly failed to run away from defenders. Just didn't show any breakaway speed.

* QB Brad Sorenson, Southern Utah, 6'4” 237
Has a strong arm and stood strong in the pocket, but like they said about him all week, he throws everything 100 mph. Showed he could throw on the run, but also showed he could throw wild fastballs, and failed to look the LB off on Taylor's simple INT in the 3rd. His other INT was a low fastball that bounced back up to McCray after Patterson went down to dig it up.

* OG Kevin Saia, Louisiana Tech, 6'2” 305
McShay called him one of the best players in this year's game during the week; he looked like a classic heavy-legged waist-bender to me getting beaten by Jonathan Mathis (Texas A&M) for a sack before halftime. I hope he just missed the snap count; that didn't look good otherwise.

* OT James Nelson, UTEP, 6'6” 341
Bad in pass protection, giving up a sack to Josh Williams and a major pressure to McCardell. Had to hold Williams another time to prevent a sack. Doesn't keep his feet moving.

* OG Drew Schaefer, Washington, 6'4” 292
Poor outing. Got whipped by Jeremy Coleman to blow up a run, gave up a sack after Coleman whooshed by him with a swim move, got thrown to the ground by Mike Purcell to blow up a screen pass. Wasn't firm run-blocking often enough to make up for those speed and balance deficiencies.

* QB Ryan Higgins, Fordham, 6'2” 212
Struggled as expected (4-11-42). Can really fire it when he steps into it, but also reacts like he doesn't know where the ball's going when he lets go of it. Had a couple of poor overthrows, a poor dumpoff that didn't lead his receiver enough, and had a screen pass swatted down. Was a deer in the headlights with Purcell coming right at him in the 2nd, barely getting the ball thrown away, should have been called for grounding.

* WR Quincy McDuffie, Central Florida, 5'8” 175
Dropped a pass on the opening possession, blew the exchange on an end-around the next drive and was barely heard from again. Hope he runs fast at his pro day.

-$-

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