SBNation.com User Blog: fraja926

Phillip Thomas film breakdown

fraja926 — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 01:32:58 -0000

Phillip Thomas

Notes

vs Tulsa

Thomas plays great up in the box and defiantly showed the ability to play in the box at the next level.

He has a great knack for the ball and is great at filling lanes during running plays.

He is good at covering halves playing cover two and is not afraid to lay it on the receivers but within the rules and regs of hitting (unlike a lot of DJ Swearingers hits).

Vs boise state

One thing that I can tell is this kid is very strong, and is great at pressing guys trying to block him and shedding them.

I keep talking about being physical but on a goaline play, he had outside containment, he took on the blocker with his inside shoulder, shedded the blocker who was twice his size, and took a guy down that was 6 1’ 250 pounds by riding him and taking him down with out the guy getting any yards, that is impressive.

A couple plays later he is playing a deep half again as a FS type, the running back shredded the defense and Thomas showed the ability to come up and make the open field tackle as the last line of defense.

I’ll tell you what, after watching this game, he did miss two tackles, but he’s about a sure of a tackler as you can get as a safety.

Vs Oregon

I went back and watch Thomas against Oregon for the third time. Now that he’s a redskin maybe it changed my mind on his performance. Maybe it’s because I’m a homer or maybe it’s not. Regardless, no doubt Thomas missed some tackles that he could have made, but his team did not exactly match up well against Oregon. His teammates really left him out on an island and did not set him up for success. He did come up with a fumble recovery, a sack, a forced fumble, multiple Quarterback hurries, and had some other big plays. I think this game hurt his stock, and I don’t think it should have.

When Thomas does hit you, very rarely do you see the runner or receiver get any other yardage at all. You can tell he has a knack to be a great SS for our team, but could also play centerfielder. Thomas is extremely versatile as a safety, and I can see why the skins regime drafted him considering they want both their safeties to be interchangeable. He needs some coaching up, but when he runs downhill and breaks on a ball, the kid is twitchy, he doesn’t have that long speed, but with his instincts and the ability to recognize routes he is going to be just fine. I really like the angles Phillip Thomas takes if a runner breaks a play. I truly do not understand why he went into the 4th round other then there was a ton of depth in this draft. Thomas is going to start this year in my opinion, there’s no doubt about it.

NFL Draft Profile: Robert Alford, CB, Southeast Louisiana

fraja926 — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 09:20:14 -0000

Measurements: 5’10", 188 pounds
Strength: 4.39 forty with 17 reps on the bench
Projected Round: 2-3

This kid possesses very good press ability. He is good enough to match up on outside receivers and has the talent to be a shut down guy along with being a successful return man. If I were the ‘skins and one of the top safeties does not drop I would highly consider taking him with their second round pick because I feel he is vastly underrated. Not only is his press man coverage good but his ability to play zone and peel off his guy and his route recognition is phenomenal. He most always puts himself in position in zone to make a play on the ball and possesses great quickness and recovery speed which aids him in baiting QB’s to make throws that he can make a play on.

Alford's open field tackling is good not great. From the film I have seen, he has the ability to set an edge on run plays and often slips off the receiver to make the tackle. I get the feel he is not the best of this draft class as far as physicality goes because of his size but he has room to get bigger.

Overall Alford’s coverage skills are well above most prospects in this draft. The problem is the competition he faced wasn’t always the best but he never faltered. From the Senior Bowl footage I watched he held his own and then some against the better competition.

Measurements: 5’10", 188 pounds
Strength: 4.39 forty with 17 reps on the bench
Projected Round: 2-3

Safeties?

fraja926 — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 10:37:41 -0000

As a former DB I want to express my views to all the 'skins fans who are worried about our safety situation. Safety seems to have gone to what we thought would be a strong point last year to one of the weakest positions on this squad. I don't know if I could deal with our team going into the season knowing that Doughty is our starter after seeing him continuously get burnt. Yes, I know he is the only one that can stay healthy and thats fine if he fills in on occasion. However, we truely do have other options.

FS is a position that can be filled by a corner. You can convert a corner into a FS easier then any other position transition on the field. A corner should be able to hold down that position with ease because they help corners over the top or if it is a short route tree by the play call everything is in front of them. Your breaks are easier to get into and there is less a WR can do to you to get your hips turned and burn you. A FS simply has to keep everything in front of them and NEVER let a WR behind you.

That being said, we need to concentrate on drafting/signing a SS. These guys are a smaller/faster version of a LB and must be more athletic to both take on blockers during run plays and cover during pass plays. That being said, we can find a FS especially with our new DB coach and get them schooled up. Our strong safety is really the only position that a certain type of player needs to be found. I'm sure we will make it happen so don't get all bent out of shape about the safety postion at this point right now. This team will make it happen.

SHANNY'S COMBINE INTERVIEW

fraja926 — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 11:36:04 -0000

SHANNY’S COMBINE INTERVIEW

Thanks to Larry from Redskins Park he held an interview with our head coach. Shanny went on to explain that for him, he already knows the talent and the kind of numbers all these prospects are going to put up here at the combine. What he finds to be the most helpful is his face time with players. Are they guys that love football, what are their personalities like, and what makes them tick?

With that being said, we can all speculate as often as much as we want. However, what maybe we should be doing is finding out who Shanny is holding interviews with, and speculating more about those guys. Keep your eyes and ears open. Another interesting point Shanny talked about is how in previous seasons he didn’t have a lot of time to watch film work on all the prospects like he has been able to do this year. That of course, is due to the fact that we got pushed out of the playoffs.

SHANNY’S COMBINE INTERVIEW

RGIII height finally in...

fraja926 — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:30:05 -0000

RGIII is 6'2 and 3/8 according to McShay

RGIII has constantly been talked about on how he is a shorter QB then people want to give him credit for. He can pass,he can run, and he can see.... >

RGIII is a great athlete, a great prospect, a great athlete, a great leader, and a great person. is he a great Redskin? only time will tell... I still think he could fall, however it seems the media has blown him up that here is absolutly no possible way we could get him, without trading up

RGIII is 6'2 and 3/8 according to McShay

RGIII has constantly been talked about on how he is a shorter QB then people want to give him credit for. He can pass,he can run, and he can see.... >

YOU JUST GOT SCHOOLED

fraja926 — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:36:11 -0000

YOU JUST GOT SCHOOLED

As a fan I just want to say that I am so appreciative of this blog and the chance to pick the brains of our fan base. I truly believe that we are some of the most knowledgeable fans in all the NFL. The history that is here and the emotions that flow through all that bleed burgundy and gold is something that cannot be explained to the average person. I could not be more proud of our franchise however, I want to share some insight.

Where is the loyalty? This is a question that I have recently asked myself. Why can’t we root for the guys that are on our team and push them as fans to improve in the offseason? It seems everyone in this day and age lives life in the fast lane. Everything is always greener on the other side of the fence.

I am a firm believer in stability and cohesion. I am not saying we need the same players each and every year. However, I know that for some people it takes them longer to buy into a system, and to develop into a system. You need to give it time. You can’t continuously change coaches and change players and expect to win. You have to find a set of core players, and build around them.

I’m sick of this copy cat philosophy. One team will make a splash, win a superbowl and all of a sudden that is the only recipe to win it all. We need to create our own identity and we need to stand by our coaches, our players, and our fans. We need to create our own identity. The team needs our support. Guys like Cooley who has played through injuries year in and year out. He goes out one year and all of a sudden he’s worthless to our team. Don’t you think he probably had a huge part of Freds success this year? I do. If I see one more person say we need to trade him I might potentially lose it. He is one of those players we need to build around.

Through all the instability our team has gone through Cooley was a rare gem that stuck around through the good and the bad. Maybe he won’t ever be a pro bowler again but he deserves to get a reasonable contract and finish his career here. London does as well and so does Santana. I believe Shanny and our owner are going to provide us with the stability and the foundation of personnel we need to create a contender year in and year out.

In saying that I do enjoy all the speculation on who we can bring in as FA and getting rid of guys that just don’t bleed what we do. I am a huge fan of the NFL draft and these rookies can be much easier to mold into your system. I do like to converse with fellow fans and I am absolutely amazed at the work some of these guys on here do and the research they present to us. Thank you for your dedication and I hope if anything that you get from this it is that the life in the fast lane will come crashing down. Slow your roll and think before you talk. Our players do not deserve to be bashed by their own fans if they are true Redskins. You know which guys these are. They deserve our up most respect.>

YOU JUST GOT SCHOOLED

Matt Barkley Scouting Profile

fraja926 — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 06:34:34 -0000

Matt Barkley

Vs Minnesota

First game of the year, he better light it up. Through watching this game, this guy makes a lot of out pattern throws. I haven’t seen him miss one yet. He makes all the timing throws. I’ve seen a lot of dropped passes, could have had a better statistical day for sure. Barkley is amazing at throwing on the run. I have never seen a qb with so much zip and accuracy when moving outside the tackle and throwing on the run.

VS Utah

I couldn’t find really much footage of this game. Looks like it was a defensive battle. It’s very obvious again that Barkley can’t miss his guys when he’s outside the pocket throwing on the run.

VS. the fighting IRISH

So far watching the game tape of Matt Barkley I’m seeing a guy that would be a phenomenal QB for any team. This guy has great touch, great vision, and great athletic ability. If you go and watch the tape you will see this guy is amazing at working through his progressions and has incredible footwork. He often has players in his face while he works through his progressions and is quick to make his reads, make a decision and get rid of the ball. The only problem I’ve seen so far is his velocity and arm strength.

VS. #4 Oregon

Once again I’ve seen precise throws and an amazing skill to work through progressions and hit the open receiver. Some of these throws are throws to receivers that are amazing and not to wide open guys. I’m talking about professional NFL grade throws and touch that only the most elite can make. He puts it where only his guys can catch it. He doesn’t make all the throws but he is only human. He truly reminds me of Aaron Rodgers with his ability to make plays. He is great at throwing on the run and more then half of the time is throwing off of play action and/or rolling out.

VS Arizona State University

The kid is making great reads but off of play action he’s missing his throws. On a good note he’s with out a doubt making the right reads. The kid can straight up throw on the run though, he has a lot of zip on the ball the last two games compared to the first game film I watched on him VS notre dame. So far halfway through this game he’s defiantly not playing up to par by any means. Through a couple terrible passes and what should have been a pick six. And the Barkley I’ve seen the last two games is back, making great decisions and hitting his receivers moving those chains. An overview of this game, it wasn’t his best one, he missed a lot of throws that should have been made and he tried to force some throws that just clearly weren’t there and they were HUGE mistakes. They were throws that turned into interceptions that changed the course of this game. Not impressed with the overall play of this game.

Vs Arizona

From what I’ve seen out of the tape he is great at setting up screen passes. He throws a lot of slip screens as well but against what I’ve read he isn’t getting his stats from those plays. His red zone play is amazing, and we Redskins fans need a QB that has that ability to thread the needle and make those throws that get us 6.

Overall-

Pros- Watching these first four games it makes me realize this kid constantly had pressure in his face and still makes his progressions and throws. This makes me happy because with the pass rushers in the BEAST, he’s going to already be ready for this. I’ve read a lot about how Barkley just throws quick passes to his wide outs and they gain all the yards. This is not entirely true. He does throw a TON of slip screen passes but they are only for small chunks of yardage. He throws the ball so only his guy can catch it AND it gives them a chance to not only make a play but to make a play and take it to the next level. Matt Barkley can not only take a hit, he has great pocket presence and he consistently had his eyes downfield as he had pressure both from the ends and in his face. This guy is a phenomenal athlete and he can pick up the first down with his feet. He without a doubt has one of the most accurate arms I’ve seen while on the move. He is great at throwing on the run and is a great play action passer.

Cons- He misses guys on the deep ball and lacks that touch that only the best got. I think that comes with building a repo ire with your wideouts. I’ve seen him terrible underthrow his guys but when he overthrows, it’s just out of reach. He’s not perfect by any means but this is so far the only issue I can see with this kid and it’s looking like it’s not getting any better as I’ve gone through half of the season. 30 yards and less and the kid can’t miss but I’m serious he cannot hit his guys after 30 yards plus. He made some stupid throws that were not just stupid they were devastating throws that changed the course of the game.

My opinion- this kid is a number one pick of Luck isn’t in this draft. You can read all the pros I have on him and it just doesn’t do justice to how great of a quarterback Matt Barkley really is. He’s a born winner, he comes from a great program, he makes everyone around him better, and he is a great fit for Mike Shannahan’s team and his sons offense. I’ve read some stuff that he’s like J. Clausen B. Quinn because he comes from a pro style offense and that he has no upside cause he’s already as good as he can be. I disagree, he has great accuracy but I believe he is going to want to strive to be the best. He has deep throw accuracy issues and I think they can be resolved. He is no Notre Dame QB bust. He is no USC QB bust. He is in my opinion the Redskins next, and first franchise QB in over two decades.