INDIANAPOLIS -- The spread offense that is so popular in college football is beginning to have an impact on the pros, with scouts, coaches and general managers finding it more difficult than ever to project its players to the NFL game.
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| Alabama's Andre Smith entered the weekend as one of the nation's top tackles, but exits as a question mark. (AP) |
Oklahoma wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias said he didn't remember huddling once last season, with the Sooners pushing the ball up and down the field out of the spread. That makes it tough to evaluate anyone in that formation for the next level, and let Buffalo's vice president of college scouting, Tom Modrak, explain why:
"Pass blocking is about 1.2 seconds before the pass is gone, so you don't really get to see that," he said. "Now with pass rushers, you're anticipating that their chances are much more limited because of that. It's a crease run-world because of the wide spreads, and not many people are in tight. So it's a lot more of a wide-open thing, and it makes it more difficult from a player-evaluation standpoint."
I think you see the problem. You want a drop-back quarterback, but you have to look for a pro offense. You want a tight end that plays in close, but you have to look for a pro offense. You want an offensive tackle that holds blocks as he drives his opponent downfield, but you have to look for a pro offense.
"You can make a guess at it," said Modrak, "but where do you guess? You don't guess high. You'd like to see a little evidence. There is a lot of willingness and 'want-to' to do [what the pros are looking for], but guys just haven't had to do it before. So it does make it more difficult."
So what happens? Maybe the pros start emulating the college game. Their players come from there. Their coaches come from there. The Wildcat came from there.
"It will probably ripple into the league into the way we play because you have to accommodate what you have," Modrak said. "I don't know if it will be the spread, but there will be some way of accommodating what you see -- and I don't know what that answer is yet.
"Certainly, the fullback is getting to be a lost position, and having the tight end close to the line is getting to be more and more difficult. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. But what we knew is changing a bit."
Curry keeps moving forward
Another day, another reason to like Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry. Curry's 4.56 on Monday bettered the 40-yard times of Ohio State's Chris Wells (4.59) and Georgia's Knowshon Moreno (4.60), two of the top running backs in the draft.
"He's a beast," cornerback Alphonso Smith said of Curry, his teammate at Wake Forest. "He's the best [defensive player] in this draft ... by far. It's not even close. A lot of people don't know this, but Aaron Curry is probably the smartest player in this draft."
And maybe the best.
Another guy moving up the charts is Cincinnati defensive end Connor Barwin, who put up the best numbers among defensive linemen in four categories -- the vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle -- and who produced the second-best 40.
Barwin, a converted tight end, is an intriguing prospect because he can step in at defensive end, outside linebacker or -- you guessed it -- tight end to make plays.
"The ability to play a number of different positions," he said, "will increase your value."
Laurinaitis has it right
There is a lot to like about Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis, starting with his play then moving to his loyalty to teammates. Laurinaitis was a popular choice as the week's best interview, largely because of how he fielded questions about his decision to remain in school his senior year.
Laurinaitis could have left after a junior year where he was voted the Butkus Award as the nation's leading linebacker, but he didn't. And because he didn't, he probably cost himself a higher position in the draft.
Make no mistake, he's still one of the top two inside linebackers, but he didn't help himself by running 4.8 in Monday's workouts. Me? I don't care. I love anyone who sticks around for a senior season. And I have enormous respect when that guy defends his decision as adroitly as Laurinaitis defended his.
"I have no regrets about coming back," he said. "When you lose two national championships you're like: You know what? Let's go out and try to do it again.
"Not only that, I think I owed it to Ohio State. They gave me a chance. I was only recruited by two colleges out of high school -- Ohio State and Minnesota -- and I think when a team offers you a scholarship and a free chance to go to school and get an education and play football at a place like [Ohio State] ... I felt I owed them that fourth year.
"I was going to stick to that commitment. I told coach [Jim] Tressel I'm going to come here for four or five years, whatever it is, whether I redshirt or not. And when I told him I was coming back, I said, 'I told you I was coming here for at least four years, so I want to honor that.' Free scholarship is something I think too many guys take for granted."
Tell me the last time you heard someone say something like that. James Laurinaitis, we salute you.
It takes two to QB
The consensus on the quarterbacks in this draft is that there are two worth watching, then a cast of thousands applying for backup positions. Kansas State's Josh Freeman is expected to be the third quarterback, but there isn't a whole lotta love for the guy. As one head coach said, he has to step into his deliveries where Georgia's Matt Stafford can make any throw from any position.
Stafford -- the consensus No. 1 -- did not work out here, but USC's Mark Sanchez did. He threw. He ran. He benched. He did everything, just as he promised.
"He even did the long shuttle," said the NFL Network's Mike Mayock. "Hardly anyone does the long shuttle. I think the thing he was trying to show was that he is not the prototypical USC glamour boy. [The message was] 'I'm here to compete,' and I think that's smart. It just screams: I am a competitor."
White, Casey perfect for 'Wildcat'
There was a lot of talk last weekend about the Wildcat offense and who might be the ideal fit for the NFL's latest gimmick. Answer: West Virginia's Pat White or Rice's James Casey. Take your pick.
White was impressive in his workouts at quarterback, but there's a problem, and the problem is this: He's 6-feet, 197 pounds, and he took a beating as an option quarterback. White wants to try to make it as a quarterback, but he understands what he's up against, saying, "I just want to help out anyway I can."
The Wildcat might be his ticket.
"I don't know about being tailored to me," he said, "but it does give me the extra benefits; a little more help getting to the next level."
White won't need help. But he will need a position, and the Wildcat is perfectly tailored to his abilities. Just as it is for Casey, a tight end who is so versatile he played offense, defense, quarterbacked the Wildcat, returned punts, lined up at guard in punt formations and held for kicks.
"I had a nickname," he said. "It was 'Thor.' When I came in at quarterback, and I ran the ball they called it the 'Thor Package.'"
Like White, Casey has a background in baseball -- giving up as a pitcher after trying to make it with the White Sox. The knock on him? Age. He turns 25 on Sept. 22.
"I think the Wildcat formation is definitely something I'm suited for," Casey said. "I'm experienced at it. I played the receiver role. I could also throw the ball really well if need be. I think it's something I'm definitely capable of doing if a team is willing to give me the chance."
Leg Men
The collection of kickers "might be the best I've seen reaching the end zone in my 23 years," Seattle special teams coordinator Bruce DeHaven said. A year ago, there was one kickoff that made it to the end zone; this year "there must have been 20," DeHaven said.
The strongest leg belonged to USC's David Buehler, who hammered the ball so hard and so deep some scouts compared him to Oakland's Sebastian Janikowski. The difference: He didn't attempt a field goal beyond 49 yards in his collegiate career.
Buehler, who put 55 percent of his kicks into the end zone as a senior, was 20-of-22 inside the 40 during his career; he was 6-for-11 from the 41 and beyond. The most accurate kicker at the combine was Utah's Louie Sakoda, who hit 14 of 15 tries.
Andre the giant loser
The big loser this weekend was Alabama tackle Andre Smith. He came to Indianapolis no worse than the second offensive tackle in the draft and a likely top 10 pick. He left as a question mark, in free fall down most draft boards.
Smith's unexplained departure had scouts, coaches and GMs puzzled, though one NFC general manager I spoke to said it only underscored questions he had about the guy. It also boosted the stock of Baylor tackle Jason Smith, who is neck-and-neck with Virginia's Eugene Monroe as the top player at the position. Smith is a converted tight end, and he led all offensive linemen with 33 reps at 225 pounds.
The biggest repercussions, however, are for Andre Smith.
"Best-case scenario; You've got a young, immature kid who hopefully will learn," Mayock said. "Worst-case scenario: You'll have the beginning of erratic behavior that you won't want to deal with over the next four or five years of a contract. And you'll take him off your board."
Crabtree's future
Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree wasn't a loser, but he absorbed some body blows this weekend. It's up to the star wide receiver to prove that a slight stress fracture to his foot isn't, as he said, a big deal -- and he will try to accomplish that by running on his Pro Day on March 26. That decision surprised some people, who think Crabtree might be better off having the surgery now. But there's a lot of money at stake, and Crabtree wants to make sure he doesn't leave it on the table.
"I think that's an interesting decision by the kid," Mayock said. "It shows me he wants to show people he can run. That's a plus in my book. But I'll be interested to see if another doctor says, 'That's crazy.' I have a feeling that his doctors and advisors are going to say, 'Let's rethink this. There's enough tape on you out there. You're a top 10 pick in everybody's mind. You've not all of a sudden become a third-round pick. Let's move forward.'"
They said it
"I'm a fearless person. I'm not scared of linebackers. I don't fear safeties. I have no problem going across the middle." -- Florida wide receiver Percy Harvin.
"I'd be in shock if I had to see Randy Moss. It would be like a dream. I wouldn't know how to react." -- Illinois cornerback Vontae Davis on covering his childhood idol.
"I don't know. I'm just trying to coach the Patriots. I'm not trying to solve the world's problems." -- New England coach Bill Belichick on how he views the trend to younger head coaches.
"Champ Bailey and Ty Law. Mix them together and that's what I aim to be." -- Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins.
"A versatile guy is a guy who can be very versatile and can play any position." -- Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo.
"Nobody goes to school for basketball in Florida. If they do it's not a good school." -- UConn defensive end Cody Brown.
"I will be at camp on time for whatever team picks me." -- Baylor tackle Jason Brown.
