Chiefs Yes, Memphis really had no idea how to use Poe. - Page 18

Direckshun · 04-28-2012, 06:13 PM

Fascinating...

http://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2012/0...ogle_news_blog

A Guide to NFL Draft Sleepers
April 27, 2012, 2:18 PM

Any seasoned NFL fan knows the deal with the draft by now: Your team makes a selection and management calls the fact that he was available a miracle. “We never thought he’d drop so far,” team executives say.

It’s become such a cliché that it’s a surprise Colts G.M. Ryan Grigson didn’t say it last night when selecting Andrew Luck with perhaps the most telegraphed first overall pick in draft history. But sometimes a player does fall for reasons other teams may come to regret. For those liable to think every player their team drafted was an absolute steal, we put together a handy guide to let you know if you have a sleeper on your hands:

THE OUT-OF-POSITION SLEEPER

If you look at steals in the draft over the past decade, you’ll find a handful of players who simply moved around too much to show NFL talent. Pro Bowl DT Jay Ratliff dabbled at tight end at Auburn, while star receiver Anquan Boldin had a rocky stint as Florida State’s quarterback. Aaron Kampman, a fifth-rounder out of Iowa who has made two Pro Bowls, switched between linebacker and defensive end – and not in the way teams do that regularly in the NFL. Heck, even Pro Bowl selection Cortland Finnegan was overlooked until the seventh round at cornerback at Samford because he was playing free safety the whole time.

So when examining your steal, see if he can play anywhere else on the field. Or just assume he can and you’ll be much happier. Take Michael Robinson, the former Penn State quarterback who didn’t entertain the idea of playing anywhere but running back in the pros. Still, most switcheroo candidates will take people by surprise. Perhaps a player like LSU’s average quarterback, Jordan Jefferson, who at 6 feet 3 ran a decent 4.6-second 40-yard dash and could be a receiving threat with the right development. Or maybe just a bad quarterback.

THE BAD-SCHEME SLEEPER

There are all sorts of stories about run-first high school offenses keeping future star QBs a secret – Brett Favre and Ben Roethlisberger are the most notable. But it’s rarer in college, where players often go to fit a specific scheme. Still, sometimes a player gets the wrong coach and looks undervalued. One example this year is Dontari Poe, the hulking defensive lineman who raced up draft boards after being ignored during a career at the college-football backwater of Memphis. He had just eight tackles-for-loss last season. On Thursday night, after the Kansas City Chiefs took him 11th overall, Chiefs G.M. Scott Pioli noted that in 49% of his plays, the design of the defensive scheme made it literally impossible for him to record any sort of statistic.

But as we go on in the draft, these players will pop up more and more. In a stunning first-round coincidence, Ryan Tannehill could be considered one of these sleepers, since he was burdened with Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman’s molasses poorly-designed offense. Of course, Tannehill was drafted by the Dolphins last night, where he’ll get a new start with a new … whoops, nevermind, Sherman is the offensive coordinator there after getting fired from his Aggies job.

THE WRONG-SPORT SLEEPER

From Bo Jackson to Brian Jordan, it’s hard to know where to draft a multi-sport athlete, but one thing is clear: They are normally drafted lower than they should be. Last year, the league saw former Miami hoops player Jimmy Graham destroy secondaries. This after another former basketball-star-turned-tight-end, Antonio Gates, has haunted defensive backs for years. The Cowboys used to have a suite at the Final Four for assistants to interview basketball coaches to see which of their players might make the leap. It’s hard to get a read on a player who doesn’t devote himself full time to one sport. (And it doesn’t always work out. For more information, please read up on Drew Henson.)

Whatever the case, this year brings Russell Wilson, the Wisconsin quarterback who was second in the country with 10.3 yards per attempts on his passes. That’s not the only thing to recommend him. He also has a minor-league baseball career that’s taken up most of his summers, so much so that it got him run out of N.C. State’s program. Maybe a team can take a flier on him and he’ll produce if he focuses on football. At the very least, you’re looking at an upgrade on the company softball team.

THE NOT-HIS-FAULT SLEEPER

I’m telling anyone who will listen that Tommy Streeter, Miami’s 6-foot-5 wide receiver, is my big sleeper this year. Streeter is fast, can catch and played for some awful quarterbacks. LSU’s Rueben Randle, who had to deal with his own QB nightmare in Baton Rogue, is another one.

There’s Mohamed Sanu from Rutgers, who didn’t exactly get Johnny Unitas’s passes coming his way. In contrast there are players like Kendall Wright, the Baylor wide receiver who went in the first round to Tennessee and got the benefit of Robert Griffin III throwing to him. There’s always a blurry line there. After all, some great wide receivers, like Michael Irvin, had elite quarterbacks in college. But many (Jerry Rice, Terrell Owens, Isaac Bruce, Calvin Johnson) did not. So please disregard the “lack of production” disclaimer on the draft broadcast in these situations.

Direckshun · 05-01-2012, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bo's Pelini

Yes. I play Monopoly and RISK.

I also play the computer game Political Machine if you're familiar with that.

I love Katy Perry's music I can sing all of her songs.

Excellent.

For every post for a month, you have to legitimately incorporate a property from Monopoly into your conversation. It doesn't matter if your post is one word, a paragraph, or whatever. I say "legitimately" because it has to work into the course of a sentence, not just tacked on randomly.

Example: "Damn, if we could only find some way to trade up for Tyler Bray, we'll be sitting right on Park Place!"

That's if Poe gets 10 or more tackles by the end of the regular season's last game.

If he gets 9 or less, I have to do it instead, but with Lord of the Rings.

Deal?

Titty Meat · 05-01-2012, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Excellent.

For every post for a month, you have to legitimately incorporate a property from Monopoly into your conversation. It doesn't matter if your post is one word, a paragraph, or whatever. I say "legitimately" because it has to work into the course of a sentence, not just tacked on randomly.

Example: "Damn, if we could only find some way to trade up for Tyler Bray, we'll be sitting right on Park Place!"

That's if Poe gets 10 or more tackles by the end of the regular season's last game.

If he gets 9 or less, I have to do it instead, but with Lord of the Rings.

Deal?

Deal.

If he doesn't there's no getting out of jail free card for you or Pioli kind sir.

Direckshun · 05-01-2012, 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bo's Pelini

Deal.

If he doesn't there's no getting out of jail free card for you or Pioli kind sir.

This bet is a community chest of awesomeness.

We're talking total tackles, right? Not just solo tackles.

**BigMeatballDave** · 05-01-2012, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bo's Pelini

What's that?

A show like Storage Wars, only with less reeruned people.

Titty Meat · 05-01-2012, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

This bet is a community chest of awesomeness.

We're talking total tackles, right? Not just solo tackles.

Let's go with solo tackles. I mean really a nose tackle should be able to get 10 solo tackles right?

Titty Meat · 05-01-2012, 12:40 AM

Anthony Toribio only played 5 games in 2010 and got 3 solo tackles.

Direckshun · 05-01-2012, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bo's Pelini

Anthony Toribio only played 5 games in 2010 and got 3 solo tackles.

Hm. How many total tackles did he get?

INTENSE NEGOTIATION IN PROGRESS

Titty Meat · 05-01-2012, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Hm. How many total tackles did he get?

INTENSE NEGOTIATION IN PROGRESS

5 tackles total.

Direckshun · 05-01-2012, 12:43 AM

**** it. I like my chances.

10 solo tackles. Deal.

What website are you using for your stats? We'll use it as the official measuring stick, since websites sometimes disagree.

Titty Meat · 05-01-2012, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

**** it. I like my chances.

10 solo tackles. Deal.

What website are you using for your stats? We'll use it as the official measuring stick, since websites sometimes disagree.

Let's go with NFL.com since it is the official website of the NFL.

Since it's already a deal I'll point out Ngata had 13 solo tackles his first year and Hampton had 9.

**Tribal Warfare** · 05-01-2012, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bo's Pelini

5 tackles total.

shit, Washington and Hampton didn't surpass 3 sacks during their rookie year.

**RealSNR** · 05-01-2012, 12:45 AM

Ooo! If you need to call somebody a dumbass, I got the perfect thing for you to say:

"It appears that someone didn't pay the school tax of $15 when you were growing up"

Direckshun · 05-01-2012, 12:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SNR

Ooo! If you need to call somebody a dumbass, I got the perfect thing for you to say:

"It appears that someone didn't pay the school tax of $15 when you were growing up"

"It's clear Crennel needs to send Stephenson to Pennsylvania Avenue this offseason to get stronger. He looked dreadful when he filled in for Albert."

Can't. Wait.

Discuss Thrower · 05-01-2012, 12:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Excellent.

For every post for a month, you have to legitimately incorporate a property from Monopoly into your conversation. It doesn't matter if your post is one word, a paragraph, or whatever. I say "legitimately" because it has to work into the course of a sentence, not just tacked on randomly.

Example: "Damn, if we could only find some way to trade up for Tyler Bray, we'll be sitting right on Park Place!"

That's if Poe gets 10 or more tackles by the end of the regular season's last game.

If he gets 9 or less, I have to do it instead, but with Lord of the Rings.

Deal?

On draft day one does not simply walk into Pioli's war room.

Titty Meat · 05-01-2012, 12:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

"It's clear Crennel needs to send Stephenson to Pennsylvania Avenue this offseason to get stronger. He looked dreadful when he filled in for Albert."

Can't. Wait.

Now we can add to this if you'd like.... Since we're both DC nerds and it will have been an election year with the presidential inauguration coming up after the season (unless we win some playoff games) we could do an avatar bet as well? I win you rock the Ron Paul Revolution avatar. You win I rock the Obama Hope and Change avatar? That along with Monopoly references every time we post for a month.

04-28-2012, 06:13 PM
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $2063447	Yes, Memphis really had no idea how to use Poe. Fascinating... http://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2012/0...ogle_news_blog A Guide to NFL Draft Sleepers April 27, 2012, 2:18 PM Any seasoned NFL fan knows the deal with the draft by now: Your team makes a selection and management calls the fact that he was available a miracle. “We never thought he’d drop so far,” team executives say. It’s become such a cliché that it’s a surprise Colts G.M. Ryan Grigson didn’t say it last night when selecting Andrew Luck with perhaps the most telegraphed first overall pick in draft history. But sometimes a player does fall for reasons other teams may come to regret. For those liable to think every player their team drafted was an absolute steal, we put together a handy guide to let you know if you have a sleeper on your hands: THE OUT-OF-POSITION SLEEPER If you look at steals in the draft over the past decade, you’ll find a handful of players who simply moved around too much to show NFL talent. Pro Bowl DT Jay Ratliff dabbled at tight end at Auburn, while star receiver Anquan Boldin had a rocky stint as Florida State’s quarterback. Aaron Kampman, a fifth-rounder out of Iowa who has made two Pro Bowls, switched between linebacker and defensive end – and not in the way teams do that regularly in the NFL. Heck, even Pro Bowl selection Cortland Finnegan was overlooked until the seventh round at cornerback at Samford because he was playing free safety the whole time. So when examining your steal, see if he can play anywhere else on the field. Or just assume he can and you’ll be much happier. Take Michael Robinson, the former Penn State quarterback who didn’t entertain the idea of playing anywhere but running back in the pros. Still, most switcheroo candidates will take people by surprise. Perhaps a player like LSU’s average quarterback, Jordan Jefferson, who at 6 feet 3 ran a decent 4.6-second 40-yard dash and could be a receiving threat with the right development. Or maybe just a bad quarterback. THE BAD-SCHEME SLEEPER There are all sorts of stories about run-first high school offenses keeping future star QBs a secret – Brett Favre and Ben Roethlisberger are the most notable. But it’s rarer in college, where players often go to fit a specific scheme. Still, sometimes a player gets the wrong coach and looks undervalued. One example this year is Dontari Poe, the hulking defensive lineman who raced up draft boards after being ignored during a career at the college-football backwater of Memphis. He had just eight tackles-for-loss last season. On Thursday night, after the Kansas City Chiefs took him 11th overall, Chiefs G.M. Scott Pioli noted that in 49% of his plays, the design of the defensive scheme made it literally impossible for him to record any sort of statistic. But as we go on in the draft, these players will pop up more and more. In a stunning first-round coincidence, Ryan Tannehill could be considered one of these sleepers, since he was burdened with Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman’s molasses poorly-designed offense. Of course, Tannehill was drafted by the Dolphins last night, where he’ll get a new start with a new … whoops, nevermind, Sherman is the offensive coordinator there after getting fired from his Aggies job. THE WRONG-SPORT SLEEPER From Bo Jackson to Brian Jordan, it’s hard to know where to draft a multi-sport athlete, but one thing is clear: They are normally drafted lower than they should be. Last year, the league saw former Miami hoops player Jimmy Graham destroy secondaries. This after another former basketball-star-turned-tight-end, Antonio Gates, has haunted defensive backs for years. The Cowboys used to have a suite at the Final Four for assistants to interview basketball coaches to see which of their players might make the leap. It’s hard to get a read on a player who doesn’t devote himself full time to one sport. (And it doesn’t always work out. For more information, please read up on Drew Henson.) Whatever the case, this year brings Russell Wilson, the Wisconsin quarterback who was second in the country with 10.3 yards per attempts on his passes. That’s not the only thing to recommend him. He also has a minor-league baseball career that’s taken up most of his summers, so much so that it got him run out of N.C. State’s program. Maybe a team can take a flier on him and he’ll produce if he focuses on football. At the very least, you’re looking at an upgrade on the company softball team. THE NOT-HIS-FAULT SLEEPER I’m telling anyone who will listen that Tommy Streeter, Miami’s 6-foot-5 wide receiver, is my big sleeper this year. Streeter is fast, can catch and played for some awful quarterbacks. LSU’s Rueben Randle, who had to deal with his own QB nightmare in Baton Rogue, is another one. There’s Mohamed Sanu from Rutgers, who didn’t exactly get Johnny Unitas’s passes coming his way. In contrast there are players like Kendall Wright, the Baylor wide receiver who went in the first round to Tennessee and got the benefit of Robert Griffin III throwing to him. There’s always a blurry line there. After all, some great wide receivers, like Michael Irvin, had elite quarterbacks in college. But many (Jerry Rice, Terrell Owens, Isaac Bruce, Calvin Johnson) did not. So please disregard the “lack of production” disclaimer on the draft broadcast in these situations.
Posts: 59,693

05-01-2012, 12:40 AM	#261
Titty Meat Inmem 2.0 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: My house Casino cash: $-1062442	Anthony Toribio only played 5 games in 2010 and got 3 solo tackles.
Posts: 78,102

05-01-2012, 12:43 AM	#264
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $2063447	**** it. I like my chances. 10 solo tackles. Deal. What website are you using for your stats? We'll use it as the official measuring stick, since websites sometimes disagree.
Posts: 59,693