East-West Shrine Game....

[hawaiianboy]

TUESDAY


East Team Practice Report

Jan 16, 2007 - Hundreds of scouts assembled in the Houston Texans' practice bubble at Reliant Stadium on Tuesday morning for the second practice by the East Team in preparation for Saturday's East-West Shrine Game. The West team practices later Tuesday.

Many of the scouts arrived Monday night or Tuesday morning, as Monday's practices are generally reserved for initial walk-throughs.

Scouts were treated to a festive practice session Tuesday morning, complete with big plays, small school stars stealing the spotlight and even coaches being knocked down due to the aggressive play.

For my initial look at the East roster, I elected to focus on the offensive skill players and the defensive backs attempting to cover them.


QUARTERBACKS
The quarterback position was highlighted by addition of Idaho State's Matt Gutierrez. The Michigan transfer has great size and threw a very catchable ball all morning long. He demonstrated surprising fundamentals and has the required arm strength for the next level.

Tulane's Lester Ricard also has a legitimate NFL arm and was at his best throwing deep. His accuracy shorter, however, was inconsistent.

Iowa's Drew Tate also was a bit inconsistent, though he was at his usual gutty, instinctive self, choosing to tuck the ball away and run when the defense limited his downfield passing options.


WIDE RECEIVERS
Most scouts focused on big-name receivers like Michigan's Steve Breaston and South Carolina athlete Syvelle Newton early.

Breaston was among the steadiest players at the position. He caught the ball cleanly, showed good deep speed and has nimble feet. On several occasions he caught passes along the sideline, dragging both feet to make the effective reception despite tight, physical coverage.

Newton, on the other hand, struggled Tuesday morning. Scouts were quick to acknowledge that Newton has spent a great deal of his career with the Gamecocks at quarterback, and his athleticism and prototypical frame are obvious. However, he dropped the ball several times and when he did catch it, he often allowed the ball into his chest.

The most impressive offensive player I saw this morning was Lane wideout Jacoby Jones. Jones, listed at 6-feet-4, 210 pounds, is a very fluid athlete and caught the ball nicely. He showed impressive foot quickness getting in and out of his breaks and the burst to turn upfield after catching the ball. Last year, I noted in this very same space how a small school receiver named Marques Colston caught the ball cleanly regardless of where the pass was thrown. To compare Jones to Colston is certainly premature, but Jones left that kind of immediate impression upon scouts.

New Hampshire wideout David Ball also had a solid practice. Questions remain about his deep speed, but Ball showed just enough quickness to consistently get open and has vacuum hands.

Tennessee wideout Jayson Swain was enjoying a solid practice early, but went down with a twisted ankle midway through. He was re-taped and tried to come back, but was unable to finish practice.


DEFENSIVE BACKS
Two small school defensive backs were also among the most impressive defenders. Hampton's Travarous Bain, a Miami transfer, was the best cover corner on the field. Bain has quick feet, a smooth hip turn and legitimate late acceleration as the ball is in the air. He defended every pass thrown his way effectively and broke better than the receiver (Jayson Swain) on one route midway through practice, snatching an interception and easily returning it for a touchdown.

Another small school defensive back that impressed was Maine safety Daren Stone. Listed at 6-3, 216 pounds Stone showed surprising fluidity for such a big player and was quick to react to the action. Playing alongside safeties from Ohio State (Brandon Mitchell), Michigan (Willis Barringer) and LSU (Jesse Daniels), Stone was the most impressive.

Georgia Tech's Kenny Scott flashed ability, but was a bit inconsistent. Listed at 6-2, 185 pounds, Scott has a smoother hip turn than most corners of his size, but didn't always show the break on the ball that characterized much of his play at Georgia Tech. He was solid and made a few impressive plays, including a nice breakup of a Tate pass, but didn't stand out overall.

Another corner who didn't stand out was Alabama State's Michael Coe. That said, when you are coming to the Shrine Game from Alabama State, playing well enough to not stand out can be quite an accomplishment. Coe never made the big play, but didn't surrender any either, showing good form and legitimate quickness throughout the day. Former LSU cornerback Daniel Francis wasn't so lucky, as he was routinely beaten throughout the day.


OTHERS
A few defensive linemen were too disruptive this morning not to notice. Central Michigan Daniel Bazuin routinely pressured from the outside.

Michigan State defensive tackle Clifton Ryan made several big plays from the middle, showing impressive burst off the snap. He also read a screen, intercepted the pass and returned it for a touchdown. On one memorable play, Ryan broke through the line immediately and slapped at the quarterback for a sack (QBs were wearing protective red jerseys).

Northern Illinois offensive tackle Doug Free, who was beaten on the play, took exception, giving Ryan a late push that sent him hurtling into the players waiting to get on the field. Also among those players were Shrine coaches, one of whom was knocked to the ground. Florida's Steven Harris and Alabama's Jeremy Clark also stood out.

 

[hawaiianboy]

TUESDAY



West Team Practice Report

Jan 16, 2007 - Hundreds of scouts assembled in the Houston Texans' practice bubble at Reliant Stadium on Tuesday afternoon for the second practice by the West Team in preparation for Saturday's East-West Shrine Game. The East team practiced earlier Tuesday morning.

Many of the scouts arrived Monday night or Tuesday morning, as Monday's practices are generally reserved for initial walk-throughs.

Scouts were treated to a physical practice session Tuesday afternoon. Earlier, the East team had practiced in only shoulder pads and helmets. While the practice was physical and aggressive, scouts were happy to see that the West team stepped off the bus in full pads.

For my initial look at the West roster, I elected to focus on the offensive skill players and the defensive backs attempting to cover them.



QUARTERBACKS

The 2007 West team features as strong a trio of quarterbacks as any I've seen in the past six years of scouting the East-West Shrine Game. While John Beck (BYU), Jeff Rowe (Nevada) and Zac Taylor (Nebraska) are hardly considerations for the first round, each is certainly a draftable prospect.

No one among the trio was able to separate himself from the pack during Tuesday afternoon's practice. Rowe throws a pretty ball. He was the most consistently accurate of the bunch, spraying the ball all over the field. He has enough of an arm to make all of the throws and showed nice touch in lofting passes between the linebackers and safeties. Also, at 6-feet-5, 225 pounds, he certainly has the size teams are looking for.

Beck also showed great touch and surprising zip with his throws. Beck was the unfortunate recipient of some terrible pass protection, at times, and had to show off some of his mobility. He made one terrible decision of throwing into coverage and had his pass tipped and intercepted. Otherwise, his mobility and quick release were an impressive combination.

Taylor had some nice throws as well. He throws a very catchable ball and has developed a great deal as a passer over the past few years in the West Coast Offense under Huskers coach Bill Callahan. The concern with Taylor is that his passes lack great zip and allowed pass defenders to break on the ball successfully.



WIDE RECEIVERS

Unlike the East team's practice Tuesday morning, there wasn't any one receiver who consistently stood out for the West. Fresno State's Paul Williams certainly looks the part. He has impressive natural athleticism, especially for a player of his 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame. Williams caught the ball well and showed the explosive downfield speed that had earned him favorable comparisons to former Fresno State star Bernard Berrian throughout his career. Williams came into this season very highly touted, but after a poor senior campaign, he needs a strong showing here. He seems focused on recapturing his ranking.

Texas Tech wideouts Jarrett Hicks and Joel Filani each flashed ability, but also struggled a bit with consistency. Hicks caught the ball well, but was a little sloppy in his route-running and didn't always play with the required physicality when blocking. Considering he is listed at 6-3, 208 pounds, that is an obvious concern. Filani dropped a few passes early, but improved as the day went on. He also showed surprising burst coming out of his breaks, gaining separation against the best corners the West defense could throw his way.

While he lacks the explosive athleticism and size of some of the better known West receivers, Iowa State's Austin Flynn helped his stock. Not only did he catch every pass I saw thrown to him, he caught them with his hands. Flynn lacks the burst out of his breaks, but effectively used head and hand fakes to gain separation and showed great toughness and concentration when he was hung out to dry with a weak pass that allowed Washington defensive back Dashon Goldson time to break on the ball and explode into Flynn. It might have been the hit of the day -- which is saying something because the West team was laying some hits this afternoon -- but Flynn caught the ball, dusted himself off and trotted back to the huddle.



TIGHT ENDS

The West team features two of the more intriguing prospects at the position this year. Nebraska's Matt Herian is continuing his quest to regain his once prominent draft status after a terrible leg injury robbed him of the past two seasons. Herian doesn't appear to have the same athleticism he once had and struggled some Tuesday with a few untimely drops. Herian did have one big play late in the scrimmage when he snuck behind the safety and hauled in a long pass along the sideline.

Whitworth's Michael Allan helped his draft stock with a strong showing Tuesday. He did have one drop late in the practice that hurt -- he was wide open and it was an easy pass. While the lack of concentration was a disappointment, it was in stark contrast to the several nice grabs Allan had made earlier in the day. At 6-7, 264 pounds, Allan has great size for the position and is a surprisingly fluid athlete. He was most effectively used by the West quarterbacks as a close check-down option, where he could use his bulk to shield the defender from the ball, but also showed some downfield ability with a long seam route over Oregon State's Sabby Piscitelli. The ball was thrown perfectly by Beck and Piscatelli had great coverage, but Allan's height and long arms allowed him just enough separation to make the over-the-shoulder grab. It was among the best all-around plays of the day.



DEFENSIVE BACKS

Whether due to his smack-talking or consistently impressive break on the ball, it was difficult to ignore the cover skills shown by Weber State's Bo Smith. Smith, generously listed at 6-2, 205, showed good footwork coming out of his stance and uses his hands well when allowed to play press coverage. He was beaten at times, but also made some of the more impressive plays on the ball.

Baylor's C.J. Wilson is among the better looking prospects at cornerback in this group. Wilson looks all of 6-1, 196 pounds, and is a fluid athlete. At times, he appeared to be a little too willing to allow the underneath routes, but as the practice went on he showed more tenacity. As the player groupings broke out of drills and went into full scrimmage, Wilson made one of the better defensive plays of the day, diving back towards the sideline to deflect a nicely thrown out route (Rowe).

Goldson looks like a safety at 6-2, 205 pounds, and certainly hits like one (ask Flynn). He has good speed for the position and is more fluid than you'd expect for a player his size. Goldson wasn't asked to play safety here, but has played the position while at Washington. This versatility will serve him well come April.

The one cornerback who struggled a bit Tuesday was Washington State's Tyron Brackenridge. He had trouble with his footwork at times, and gave up a few big plays early by biting on double moves.

Of the safeties, Piscitelli and TCU's Marvin White stood out. Each has the prototypical size for the safety position and flashed aggression and athleticism. Piscitelli was particularly active, getting his hands on several passes because of his burst and recognition. As mentioned in the tight end review of Allan, Piscitelli was beaten on one long seam route of note, though his coverage hardly could have been better. In one of the last plays during the scrimmage, Piscitelli was burned badly when he bought the pump fake on an underneath route and allowed Herian to get behind him. Herian caught the ball running out of bounds for what would have been at least a 30-yard gain.

I look forward to reviewing White and Wyoming safety John Wendling more on Wednesday. Each showed enough flashes to warrant a closer look, but I chose to spend more time watching the quarterbacks and receivers as no one seemed to be separating themselves from their peers as quickly as had happened on the East squad.

The biggest day for scouts is Wednesday when the players from both squads are pitted together in an extended scrimmage for what is commonly referred to as "The NFL Day." Many scouts, in fact, fly out Wednesday night after this extended audition.

 

[hawaiianboy]

WEDNESDAY

Jan 17, 2007, HOUSTON, TX - The practice considered even more important than the East-West Shrine game itself had hundreds of NFL scouts lining the sidelines of the Houston Texans' practice bubble at Reliant Stadium on Wednesday.

The session referred to as the "NFL Day" began with scouts measuring the heights and weights of the players. Also measured were the length of each player's hands and arms.

With several all-star games being added in recent years, the Shrine Game remains unique in its midweek combining of the opposing East and West teams for drills and full contact scrimmage.

My focus on "NFL Day" was the offensive and defensive lines, though I managed to keep tabs on other players as well.


OFFENSIVE LINE:

All-star games are inherently unfair to offensive linemen. They are asked to block one-on-one against more athletic defensive linemen in drills with an immobile coach or fellow offensive lineman posing as the quarterback they are to protect. Average defensive linemen can look like world-beaters against even quality offensive linemen in this capacity.

So when an offensive lineman is able to neutralize the pass rusher, it is considered a victory for the offense. Few of the offensive linemen here were able to consistently stop defenders, though a few flashed the combination of balance and strength to cause scouts to scribble in their notebooks.

Northern Illinois left tackle Doug Free entered the week as the most highly acclaimed offensive lineman in the Shrine Game. While he appeared to be struggling with the speed of the East's pass rushers on Tuesday, Free was among the better pass blockers Wednesday, showing good foot quickness, balance and arm punch to overcome the defender's initial rush.

Oregon State's Adam Koets was perhaps the most impressive all-around tackle during one-on-one battles. Koets could be walked back to the "quarterback" after engaging the defensive lineman because he needs to continue to add strength, but his quickness off the snap speaks to his potential.

TCU tackle Herb Taylor also flashed the foot quickness and balance to handle pass rushers. He was among the practice's most consistent blockers, often able to lock-out defenders and ride them outside until the play was over.

Purdue's Mike Otto, a late addition to the roster, showed steady form and tenacity. While he isn't as athletic as some of the other tackles here, scouts noted that his opponent rarely got by him.

It wasn't very pretty, at times, for the interior linemen. Even those already invited to the Combine seemed to struggle against a fairly mediocre defensive tackle crop. One player who did help his cause significantly was New Mexico's Robert Turner. Turner, who wasn't among the initial invites to the Combine, showed strength, quickness and tenacity.

Another interior lineman who helped himself this week was Fresno State's Kyle Young. Among the most dominant linemen in the WAC over his four-year career with the Bulldogs, Young was suspended from the team due to academics and was surprisingly not invited to the Combine. Young, listed at 6-feet-5, 330 pounds, is massive -- perhaps even too massive to remain at center -- and was among the most imposing opponents for defensive linemen. He could be beaten with quickness, but if he got his hands on the defender, he typically won the battle and even pancaked a defender, an extreme rarity in these drills.


DEFENSIVE LINE:

In drills in which they have a clear advantage, this was an important day for defensive linemen to prove they can beat offensive linemen one-on-one in space. Defenders often look spectacular in space, but disappear once the full offensive and defensive lines match up.

Bryan Hickman (UCLA), Daniel Bazuin (Central Michigan) and Brian Robinson (Texas) were the most impressive of the outside pass rushers. Hickman played defensive end throughout his time at UCLA, but might be better suited to the outside linebacker role at the next level. His burst off the edge was tough for offensive tackles to handle and he showed the balance and quick hands of a natural pass rusher. Bazuin had some of the more impressive rushes of the day. He didn't always stand out during individual drills, but his relentlessness came through during the scrimmage when he was often able to generate enough of a pass rush to force opposing quarterbacks to step up in the pocket and hurry their throws.

During individual drills, Texas' Brian Robinson might have been the most impressive pass rusher. His speed off the edge was impressive, at one point blowing past the offensive tackle so quickly that the tackle was still coming out of his stance. That said, Robinson wasn't nearly as explosive during the scrimmage.

Washington State's Mkristo Bruce and Miami's Baraka Atkins flashed the burst off the edge that made each of them highly decorated pass rushers in the Pac-10 and ACC, respectively. However, neither was able to string together the type of dominating effort to match their big names.

Surprisingly, the most impressive defensive tackle throughout the two days of practice was Florida's Steven Harris. While it is no shock that a member of the national champion Gators was impressive, it was a surprise in that Harris struggled to distinguish himself throughout most of his career with Florida despite great talent around him. Harris was not among the defensive linemen initially invited to the Combine. Here, however, he showed good burst off the snap and impressive technique. On back-to-back snaps in individual drills, Harris beat his opponent cleanly. The first snap he used an effective swim move to get past the blocker. The next, he simply beat the offensive lineman through the gap with quickness. Harris stood out during the scrimmage, as well, knifing through the line on multiple occasions to disrupt the offense's timing.

Alabama's Jeremy Clark and Nebraska's Ola Dagundoro also were able to consistently blow up plays from the inside. Each showed good initial quickness off the snap and enough power to hold up consistently at the point of attack. Dagundoro, in particular, flashed during the scrimmage, causing scouts to point him out.

Michigan State's Clifton Ryan wasn't quite the difference-maker he appeared to be the previous day. Admittedly, I paid much more attention to other positions Tuesday, but Ryan made it impossible not to notice him as he not only broke through the line several times, he also quickly read and reacted to a screen pass, intercepting the throw and returning it for an uncontested touchdown.

Though he lacks the height preferred at the position, Kansas State's Quintin Echols was a consistent tough assignment for offensive linemen. His quickness and natural leverage advantage allowed him to make plays against even the best offensive linemen the Shrine Game had to offer.


OTHERS:

While Idaho State quarterback Matt Gutierrez enjoyed an impressive day Tuesday, he struggled at times Wednesday. When pressured, Gutierrez reverted to a three-quarter throwing motion. He remained fairly accurate and has plenty of arm strength, but the almost sidearm delivery and low throwing point will make it easier for defenders to tip passes at the line of scrimmage -- a problem a 6-4 quarterback shouldn't have.

Lane's Jacoby Jones, arguably the most impressive player on the field Tuesday, enjoyed another strong performance. That said, the best receiver Wednesday was unquestionably Michigan's Steve Breaston. Breaston was good the previous day, but he ratcheted up the intensity and came through with several noteworthy receptions, including a few long touchdowns. The maddening inconsistency that characterized Breaston's career with the Wolverines was nowhere to be found over the past few days.

While on the receivers, it was good to see a bit of a bounce-back performance from South Carolina's Syvelle Newton. After struggling mightily with drops, his hands were better and his routes were crisper Wednesday. Newton was better not only in individual drills, but also came through with some impressive catches during the scrimmage. One crossing pattern over the deep middle was a particularly impressive play.

Among the pass defenders, Alabama State's Michael Coe made an immediate impression. Coe showed good footwork, a nose for the football and the quick, strong hands to break up passes. He was the most impressive corner on the field at times -- quite a statement considering the flashes shown by C.J. Wilson, Bo Smith and Dashon Goldson.

Wyoming's John Wendling was effective, but never made the game-altering plays I was hoping to see out of him this week. He seemed to be a step late at times on passing routes, and wasn't allowed to showcase his physicality because of the no-tackle rules in place for much of the scrimmage. However, this was a rule happily ignored by other defenders on occassion.


FINAL TAKE:
Of course, the point of the players signing up to play in any all-star event is to improve their draft stock. Each of the following players was pointed out by scouts as having helped themselves with their performance thus far (listed alphabetically):

Michael Allan, TE, Whitworth
Travarous Bain, CB, Hampton
Steve Breaston, WR, Michigan
Michael Coe, CB, Alabama State
Ola Dagunduro, DT, Nebraska
Dashon Goldson, CB/S, Washington
Steven Harris, DT, Florida
Jacoby Jones, WR, Lane
Ben Patrick, TE, Delaware State
Brian Robison, DE, Texas
Bo Smith, CB, Weber State
Kyle Young, C, Fresno State

 

[Crossbones]

Thanks for all the info HBoy.

Man, you're MM-esque these days.

Appreciate all the effort.

 

[Turo]

Wow, great read! Mind if I share this elsewhere with credit given?

 

[BigTron]

Kyle Young almost too big and strong for center! Jake Grove please report to the office.

 

[Limee]

Isn't using colour as metro as using smilies?