I evaluated Pat Elflein for the 2017 Inside the Pylon Draft Guide. I broke the former Buckeye down by watching a series of six games. A five-game minimum is typically the benchmark I like to hit when fully evaluating a player. This allows for exposure to the player dealing with the pain and various ailments…
The Cleveland Browns made the right decision staying with Myles Garrett and not taking Mitchell Trubisky. In the end, I believe the Trubisky hype was all media-driven and that the Browns were locked in the entire time, which is what I maintained throughout the process. Cleveland allowing teams to come up around them for Deshaun…
Series Introduction: A scheme fit is when a player’s traits and abilities line up with a certain coach’s style and scheme. Imagine if every NFL team could draft a player that fit perfectly into their scheme. That would benefit both the teams and the players simultaneously, as general managers and coaches wouldn’t be putting a…
You can count on one hand now the days remaining until day 1 of the 2017 NFL Draft. Over these next few days, teams will be finalizing their strategies and big boards if they haven’t already. Who do these teams want on day 1? Are they looking to draft the best player available (BPA)? Or are…
As the confetti is cleaned up from the turf in Houston, and the 2016-2017 NFL season is finally put to bed, the football world now turns its eyes onto the upcoming NFL draft. While many football fans begin to focus on the draft around this time of the year, the NFL draft has become a 24/7,…
The 2016 NFL regular season has come to a close and the Chicago Bears finished with a very disappointing 3-13 record, which is the franchise’s worst record for a 16-game season. However, there was a bright spot during an otherwise dark season, and that was the performance of fifth-round rookie running back Jordan Howard out…
For the first time in three months the Dallas Cowboys lost a game a week ago, creating a potential quarterback controversy between Dak Prescott and Tony Romo. At least that’s what Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones and Head Coach Jason Garrett are being asked about. To which they both essentially responded there isn’t one. A rational…
Author’s Note: The title of this piece has been changed. This is not a list of my top candidate’s for the position of GM, but reflective of research into GM hiring dating back to 2006 and the clusters of candidates that Owners seemingly gravitate towards. As of this publication, all 32 General Managers are still…
Part of the fun of watching a football game is second-guessing the play calling. From the comfort of their couches (or Twitter), fans will criticize an offensive coordinator for running too much or too little, not helping a struggling lineman enough, not using a dangerous weapon, or any number of other sins. One curious play…
We produce a lot of content at Inside the Pylon: articles, features, videos, and podcasts. In the course of generating all that content, we sometimes say things that turn out to be wrong, sometimes incredibly so. So far in 2016, these are the things I personally have been the most wrong about: 5 – I…
Different than defensive holding or pass interference, the penalty constitutes contact initiated beyond five yards from the line of scrimmage while the quarterback (or any player who receives the snap) is still in the pocket. Per the NFL Rulebook, contact is legal within five yards of the line of scrimmage, as long as the it…
A street free agent is a non-college eligible player not currently signed to an NFL contract. They may be available because they were released from their previous team (or did not play the previous league year), and either cleared waivers or did not qualify for the waiver system. Street free agents are free to meet…
Predicting the outcomes is not easy, and if it was then no one watch the games. Entering the season, not many expected the Vikings to be the last team standing undefeated, yet here they are. Justin Twell examines some of the play designs that have led to the Minnesota Vikings offensive success through the team’s first…
As a follow up to Brandon Thorn’s Under the Microscope series, Brandon and Jon Ledyard take you inside the film room to learn the details of offensive / defensive line play. Brandon and Jon aim to run this series at least once a week, with a poll going out Sunday night for fans to vote…
In his Sack Lunch series, Jon Ledyard looks at a particularly impressive pass-rushing performance from the past weekend’s games, highlighting techniques, moves, or athletic traits that brought each player success. In this installment, Jon looks at the traits that make interior defensive lineman Mike Daniels special, focusing on a sack against the Minnesota Vikings. Green Bay Packers defensive lineman…
After a devastating injury to starting QB Teddy Bridgewater, the Minnesota Vikings will be looking to rely on their running game and their stars on defense to return to the playoffs. Following a lackluster performance against the Tennessee Titans, the Vikings will turn to quarterback Sam Bradford to help improve the performance of Adrian Peterson. Before perhaps…