Previewing the Combine: The Quarterbacks The annual rite of passage is upon us: The NFL Scouting Combine. In just over a week over 300 hopeful NFL players will descend upon Indianapolis to participate in perhaps the world’s strangest job interview process. For the quarterbacks, the process is relatively simple. They’ll take to the podium and…
Cornerback is the most peculiar position on the football field. It’s an isolated position and one of the only positions where a great player can be neutralized simply by being ignored. Those Saturdays and Sundays of being ignored on the field usually comes with the reward of respect and notoriety in the form of accolades…
Something about the numbers in Super Bowl LIII doesn’t add up. The Patriots had 407 yards of total offense. Tom Brady averaged nearly 7.5 yards per attempt on his 35 passes—basically his career (and 2018) average—and was only sacked once. The Patriots carried the ball 32 times for 154 yards, an impressive 4.8 average (and…
When the New England Patriots have the football during Super Bowl LIII, the marquee matchup might be in the trenches. Arguably the game’s best all-around player, Aaron Donald, squares off against a cohesive Patriots’ offensive line that has performed yeoman’s work in the past few weeks keeping Tom Brady clean. But when Brady drops to…
This may feel like one of the most unnecessary pieces of football history ever written or you may sit here as you read along nodding your head. I’m ready for either eventuality (but praying for the latter). But the entire genesis of this article was realizing it has already been ten years since Larry Fitzgerald…
Everywhere. Thanks for reading everyone. While you are here maybe check out a few of the other articles on the site. Joking aside, studying Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is akin to watching defensive end teaching tape, but it comes from an interior defensive lineman. From his quickness off his snap, his hand…
One of the major storylines in the NFL this season, and not just during Super Bowl LIII, is the job that Los Angeles Rams’ head coach Sean McVay has done with young quarterback Jared Goff. After being selected with the first overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft, Goff seemed like a potential bust in…
Perhaps the marquee matchup of Super Bowl LIII pits one of football’s brightest young offensive minds against a veteran defensive genius. The chess game between Sean McVay and Bill Belichick is going to be a battle for the ages. Both men have shown over the years (a few more years in Belichick’s case) the ability…
Last night the New England Patriots punched their ticket for Atlanta and Super Bowl LIII, knocking off the Kansas City Chiefs 37-31 in overtime. Our Mark Schofield, host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, captured his thoughts in a post-game instant reaction show. Topics covered include: Tom Brady’s night; The offensive line; Belichick’s defensive game…
When it looked like Lamar Jackson had scored yet again, bringing the Ravens a 26-7 lead, I, ironically, felt a sense of relief. “Ok,” I thought, “the Browns are better, but they aren’t quite there yet.” Then came the comeback and Baker Mayfield being inches away from avoiding that last minute interception and giving the…
In case you took a vow to avoid all media as your New Years resolution you’ve already heard that Antonio Brown has been in the news lately. After a spat during practice with a teammate he decided not to show up for team activities during Week 17 and didn’t play in the final game versus…
Four year starters aren’t as common as they used in college football. Players are leaving school early more and more with each passing year. Some teams, when it comes to the draft, value experience higher than others. After enrolling at USC in the spring of 2015, Cameron Smith became a starter that fall and refused…
Each year the NFL scouting community engages in a shuffle, as both personnel and scouts move between organizations. Sometimes these are individual movements and promotions from team to team, but other times these moves indicate a new front office that is looking to make a shift in the team’s philosophy. This tracker I have put together…
Offensive linemen are often the forgotten men. In a game where statistics and accolades can draw your attention toward certain players, it is often those that do the blocking for the guys racking up the statistics who go unnoticed. However, it’s difficult not to notice Northern Illinois offensive tackle Max Scharping (#73) and not just…
If you were asked to build a football player he would end up looking like Josh Allen (#41). He didn’t always look this way. He was lightly recruited out of high school, until his senior season he was mainly a wide receiver, and he was an all-state selection as a junior. As a senior, he…
Here we are, December, and while many fan bases and ownership groups are excited about the weeks to come, there are some who are closing the chapter on 2018 and looking into the future. We have already seen this with coaching moves in Cleveland and Green Bay, which seem like the tip of the iceberg…