Finally, here it is, the last word on the 2013 Senior Bowl. No, literally the last word. It took me like a month to write this thing.
One of the things proved by last
month’s Senior Bowl is that there really are players who
play a lot better than they practice. Hailed throughout the NCAA
season as the next Jason Pierre-Paul, BYU DE Ziggy Ansah looked more
like Mrs. Paul in NFL Network’s coverage of Senior Bowl week. He
played way too high in every drill, showed no ability to get off a
block, no elite get-off to really pressure tackles much with his
speed, no counter moves, got stood up repeatedly… watching the
practice footage, you see a guy sliding from day one of April’s
upcoming draft to day three.
Then, they put everybody in Mobile, AL
in full pads and helmets, rolled a football out there, played the
actual game… and Ziggy Ansah was an animal, and probably the real
MVP of the game. He had at least two sacks, forced a fumble, had a
ridiculous number of pressures, blew up screen passes, blew up end
arounds, stopped the run... Granted, I didn’t see him attempt to
breach the human wall known as Central Michigan OT Eric Fisher, but
Ansah abused everyone else he went up against, players who will be
drafted in respectable positions. Welcome back to the first round,
Ziggy.
The practice thing works the other way, too, unfortunately.
You didn’t see a whole lot of flaws in Rutgers LB Khaseem Greene
during practice week, but in the game, eesh. The game itself was won
by the South 21-16, but the game wasn't really that close, and
certainly wasn't offensively compelling. These college postseason
games really need to unleash the hounds. Let the defenses blitz and
press-cover. If the games are supposed to be showcases for the pros,
then play the game the pros play. NFL teams need to know how well QBs
read blitzes, how well RBs pick blitzers up, how well offensive lines
adjust. They need to know what DBs can press cover, which ones can
blitz, which WRs can beat a jam. If that seems like a lot for players
to absorb in a week, well, send successful coaching staffs to these
games instead of rewarding teams that sucked that season. Plus, it’s
important to find out how quickly the rookies can catch on, right? Is
this a job interview or a football camp? Opening up the defenses will
also make the game more interesting to fans. There’s obviously the
chance for big defensive plays, but what about the well-called,
well-executed screen pass or draw play that beats a blitz? Those
would open some eyes, as opposed to putting everybody but scouts
trying to evaluate players in not-quite game conditions to sleep.
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| USA Today |
* QB: E.J. Manuel scrambled for an
early TD and threw for another to claim the game MVP award. He threw
two pretty passes to TE Michael Williams, one down the seam for 19
and a perfect play-action 20-yard TD to him in the corner of the end
zone. Manuel threw that with Margus Hunt bearing down on him. He ran
well, made the best decisions and had the best pocket presence of the
QBs there, but his inaccuracy with short throws was bothersome. Mike
Glennon needed some time to get warmed up. He didn’t look good at
much besides quick screens initially, but he came out firing after
halftime. A bootleg and a dive to convert a 3rd down
seemed to spark him; he followed that with a strong bootleg pass to
Markus Wheaton for another first down. Glennon threw a couple more
pretty passes later in the 3rd and also showed he could
buy time in the pocket. Zac Dysert ran the hurry-up offense well at
the end of the game, though mostly with dumpoffs to Kenyon Barner.
Tyler Wilson showed better velocity on his throws than Manuel but
should have had an underthrown bomb picked off in the 2nd.
Ryan Nassib threw a poor INT in the 2nd after getting his
timing thrown off by a poor shotgun snap, and he did not look very
sharp in subsequent drives. He probably got the least help from his
teammates of any of the QBs. The Senior Bowl was a disaster, though,
for Landry Jones, easily the worst QB of the game. He came out
throwing ugly and got progressively worse. He was scared in the
pocket and bailed on all his throws, few of which were accurate. Any
pressure on him at all got him one-hopping or throwing wide of
perfectly open receivers. Poor accuracy, poor pocket presence, poor
awareness, poor everything. As recent Big 12 spread QBs go, there’s
much more Blaine Gabbert in this guy than Sam Bradford. IMO he needed
a big Combine just to get back into the first two days of the draft.
* RB: The running games didn’t really
get going till the 2nd half. Johnathan Franklin ran
outside twice for 30 yards to get the North its first TD in the 3rd,
showing excellent patience, use of blocks and cutting ability. He
also ran through Robert Lester for the TD. Stepfan Taylor took
advantage of bad overpursuit by Hunt with 20- and 15-yard runs in the
4th, and also showed he can move the pile and grind out
tough yards. Those two were 1-2 for the game’s best RB honor. Mike
Gillislee showed good burst on a couple of early runs, taking a draw
for 13 and popping a read option off LT for 8. Mike James did some
nice, patient middle running, and converted a 3rd down in
the 1st by diving for the marker after making a tough
catch on a screen pass. He also scored the South’s 3rd
TD late in the game from the 5. Robbie Rouse’s small stature
definitely makes him hard to find, and he did some good open-field
running. When he got off the line of scrimmage, that is; he also got
stuffed several times. Kenyon Barner was used almost exclusively as a
dumpoff receiver, with a whopping 6 catches just on the North’s
final drive, including a short swing pass for the TD. Earlier in the
game, though, he had a drop, and created an INT by lollygagging out
in the flat when Dysert was expecting him to continue his route
downfield. Some capable prospects here, but no one very electrifying.
* WR/TE: My favorite receivers all
week, Aaron Dobson and Tavarres King, barely even registered in this
game, in what was mostly a dink- and dunk-fest. The best-regarded WR,
Terrance Williams, didn’t do a whole lot, either. He had a catch
with Robert Alford draped on him but never flashed elite speed. Both
teams took some “shots” but no receiver stood out as much of a
deep threat. Bama’s Williams looked good setting up the South’s
2nd TD with a catch down the seam, and then making a nice
catch for the TD with T.J. McDonald right on him. Other TEs, though,
like Nick Kasa and Vance McDonald, stood out mainly for their
inability to block. The lack of decent blocking TEs in this year’s
draft should earn Lance Kendricks some appreciation in 2013. Jack
Doyle got open a couple of times and did block well. Marquise Goodwin
looked like the North’s go-to guy. He showed he can get open on the
quick hitches, slants and comebacks expected of a slot receiver and
showed some deep speed. Connor Vernon worked the sidelines well in a
similar role; he was the South’s guy for quick outs. Chris Harper
continues to do his best Brandon Gibson impression. He’ll make the
tough catch in close quarters or pull in a pretty sideline pass, but
he won’t be open often. There were some viable slot receivers here,
to add to the other three the Rams already have (or two, if they let
their best receiver Danny Amendola go). But there’s no legit
field-stretcher or big #1 type the Rams could really use. To take one
very early would be as big a reach as they made last year with Brian
Quick.
* Offensive line: I’m ready to
declare Eric Fisher the best player in the draft regardless of
position. If not him, it’s going to be an o-lineman. Fisher toyed
with South DEs like a cat with a downed bird. He pancaked one and
usually wouldn't even let them get off the line. Late in the 1st,
Fisher cut off a rusher and completely punked him out, driving him
into the pile in the middle of the line. Fisher has excellent size,
elite footwork, is strong, nasty, finishes his blocks… I’m not
sure what the guy doesn’t have. Unfortunately, I can see him going
to the Big Dead in a lot of mock drafts. Lane Johnson wasn’t too
far off the tone Fisher set. He was close to flawless in pass pro and
showed mauling ability as a run blocker when he drove Michael
Buchanan four yards off the line to open up a nice run for Gillislee.
Brian Schwenke is a star-caliber center, witnessed when he decleated
Sylvester Williams on Manuel’s TD run. At guard, he showed the
athleticism to be an effective pull-blocker but really struggled in
pass pro, lacking in lateral quickness and quickness off the ball.
Schwenke and guard Larry Warford are mauling run-blockers; either
should be able to help an NFL team quickly. Schwenke was just
throwing people around late in the game as the South pounded out
their last TD drive. He and Garrett Gilkey had big blocks on James’
TD run. Oday Aboushi improved all week and also had a solid game in
pass pro against everyone but Ansah. Oddly, he got into more trouble
after moving inside in the 2nd half, with Kawann Short
whipping him with a spin move to pressure Wilson and kill a drive on
3rd down. Didn’t get to see a lot of Kyle Long, but he
threw a beautiful cut block, in space, to spring a Rouse run in the
2nd. Ricky Wagner was paired with Fisher at RT but was
nowhere near Fisher’s quality, getting abused by Ansah all game,
struggling both with quickness and with bull rush. Wagner couldn’t stop
Cornelius Washington, either, even when brutally holding him. Hugh Thornton delivered one
of the best blocks of the game while pulling on Franklin’s TD run.
Jordan Mills spelled Wagner at RT and was only a little better.
Brandon Williams, a big guy, beat him with a speed move for a
tackle-for-loss, while Datone Jones, a smaller guy, beat him at the
end of the first half for a sack with a bull rush. Dan Quessenberry
lined up at RT and RG but wasn’t the consistent force he had been
in practice. Both he and Justin Pugh were beaten badly when
Washington got a sack/fumble on Dysert in the 2nd, and
Ansah went right through him in the 3rd for another
sack/fumble. Pugh flashed elite pass pro skills at times but really
struggled with Washington for the game. Gilkey did some solid
run-blocking but had his troubles in pass pro. Joe Madsen had the bad
shotgun snap that contributed to Nassib’s INT and struggled to
block big John Jenkins on runs. The o-lines dominated practice all
week, so it was surprising to see many of them struggle in the game.
Fisher and Johnson look like the surest things. Schwenke and Warford
should go off the board pretty early in day 2 to teams that need to
improve their running games. Aboushi or Pugh could work out in an
interior lineman/emergency tackle role, possibly also Quessenberry.
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| Sports Illustrated |
* Defensive line: Ziggy Ansah probably
should have won the game’s MVP award, or at least shared it with
Cornelius Washington, who quietly had an outstanding game. The two
DEs dominated the line of scrimmage for the South. Again, I’m not
sure after seeing the game that there’s anything Ansah can’t do.
He split the guard and tackle to blow up a screen in the 1st.
He whipped the TE and had a couple of pressures just on his first
series. He stuffed a Franklin run inside, and later got outside and
stuffed speedy Denard Robinson on an end-around, and he got off of a
good block by Doyle to do it. A lot of Ansah’s success was against
the overwhelmed Wagner, but he also beat Quessenberry and Aboushi
multiple times. I only wish they would have lined him up on Fisher. I
missed it if they did. One thing to ding Ansah on is that he got away
with a ridiculous amount of hands to the face; he should have been
flagged for it three straight plays in the 2nd. Ansah
sealed the game MVP award in my eyes in the 4th when he
went through Quessenberry, and a chip blocker, to sack Nassib and
strip him for the turnover. That wasn’t even his last sack; he beat
Pugh to get Dysert late in the game. An epic performance for an
all-star game. Washington was a consistent pass pressure force; in
the 2nd, he blew up a screen despite being blatantly held
by Wagner, and he whipped Pugh and walloped Dysert for a sack/fumble.
The North had some good defensive performers but lacked that kind of
impact. I’m not sure Alex Okafor even played. Datone Jones, though,
was good in run pursuit and also bullrushed Mills for a sack at the
end of the first half. DT Jordan Hill might have gotten part of that,
too, thanks to a breathtaking rip move to beat Schwenke. Short was a
good pass rush presence in the middle and was impressive beating
Warford to stuff a draw in the 3rd. Excellent quickness
and has a dangerous spin move. Brandon Williams also showed nice
quickness in blowing up a couple of plays. Sylvester Williams didn’t
flash to me as much as he apparently did to the experts, I think
thanks to Warford and Schwenke. But he came on strong late. He can
give you pass rush up the middle, clog the middle to stuff the run,
and he also gets up and down the line well. Margus Hunt was terrible
with overpursuit and single-handedly gave up a couple of big runs to
Taylor late in the game. You have to play pass AND run defense in the
pros, buddy. Michael Buchanan blocked a FG attempt, but otherwise had
little success going up against Lane Johnson. Second-day pickup at
best. As has been obvious from my recounting, Ansah was the big star
here, and must have played his way into the top half of the first
round.
* LB: Zaviar Gooden impressed all week
at LB. In the game, he had an INT and showed he could both cover
tight ends and cover backs out of the backfield. Sio Moore jumped in
late in practice week and contributed right away in the game,
stuffing a run in the first half and beating a double-team to sack
Jones in the 4th. Moore just makes plays. Jeff Fisher is
bound to like Florida State LB Vince Williams, who is the
lumber-bringer in this year’s LB class. He showed it with a huge
block on a long punt return in the 4th and a run stuff of
Barner in the 3rd. Travis Johnson played here and in the
Shrine Game, I believe, and was a solid open-field tackler in both
games. Khaseem Greene impressed in Mobile up until opening kickoff.
He was out of his lane on Alford’s long kick return. And though he
does a good job not to be fooled on misdirection plays, Greene’s
reaction was terrible on Manuel’s TD scramble, and the next drive,
he broke the wrong way and left Gilleslee the whole middle of the
field for a big gain on a draw. After he got stuffed cold by South
fullback Tommy Bohanon late in the 1st, I never saw him
again. For his sake, I hope that’s a trend that doesn’t last.
* Secondary: Robert Alford was the DB
who got the best reviews during practice week, and he didn’t hurt
his stock at all by returning the opening kickoff 95 yards. He’s
also the rare back there who could disrupt timing routes. He showed
great reaction time to break up quick slants and jump all over quick
hitches. Alford locked up the game’s best DB award in the 4th
with a sweet breakup of a sideline out and picking off a 2-point
attempt. Jordan Poyer showed similar ability, and good range, and
created a pick of Manuel in the 3rd, but should have been
flagged for DPI. Marc Anthony had blanket coverage on an early bomb
for Goodwin. B.J. Scott had good deep coverage on Goodwin in the 4th.
Blidi Wreh-Wilson had at least three passes defended, and when he
doesn’t get deked at the line, he can stick to receivers downfield.
He was also good in run support. Teammate Dwayne Gratz is big and can
close fast, but reaction time is the question. He wasn’t bad in run
support, but did miss a tackle. At safety, where the Rams should be
taking some good, hard looks in this draft class, the awesomely-named
Bacarri Rambo had a pick, but had probably the worst missed tackle of
the game, letting Goodwin get away on a screen late in the 3rd. T.J.
McDonald showed some run-stuffing ability but also got beat by
Williams for the 2nd South TD. Johnathan Cyprien made an
excellent play in the 2nd to stuff a pass in the flat to
TE Mychal Rivera, but cost North teammate Poyer an INT on a deep ball
a little later, breaking up Poyer’s catch by clumsily attempting to
make a play on the ball himself. So I don’t know what to say about
his field awareness. There were safeties in this game who can
definitely help the Rams, and Alford played like a first-round pick.
Takeaway: Huge week for Eric Fisher,
who is the first offensive lineman I would pick out of an excellent
draft class at the position. Ansah stormed into at least the
mid-first round, with a bullet. Lane
Johnson similarly proved himself a bona fide first-rounder, and could
be in range when the Rams pick. Unfortunately, we have yet to see
anybody stick out at the Rams’ other need positions. No one flashed
at WR, RB or TE to merit a first-round pick. There were good safeties
and LBs; a first-rounder? I’m not very sure. The best news for the
Rams regarding this game is that they’re already set at QB. Teams
needing help there aren’t going to get it from this game.
-$-
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