As previously explained, the Spike Factor is not supposed to be a perfect indicator of offensive ability, but I would like to think it’s not entirely meaningless as a measure of how well or poorly a team plays. But six teams (Arizona, Cleveland, Carolina, Green Bay, Chicago and Philadelphia) won in Week 2 despite having […] Read More →
Archive for February, 2017
Garoppolo reads to the front side here, and is forced to hold the ball until Hogan can clear on the smash route
Thursday, February 23rd, 2017:I completely understand if some teams have hesitation about trading for Garoppolo, given the extremely small sample size. But there are plenty of positives on the tape, and it’s not like he has come out of nowhere. (Remember, Garoppolo was a second-round pick out of Eastern Illinois.) Sure, Garoppolo is still developing. And there will […] Read More →
Kansas State center B.J. Finney declared when asked about his biggest strength
Monday, February 20th, 2017:In other words, you can’t just block the guy in front of you, you’ve got to be prepared for another defender looping underneath and into your gap. I appreciated this comment because it’s not a skill that you hear mentioned all that often the ability to recognize and react to line “games” like stunts and […] Read More →
Arden Key, LSU’s best defender, taking time away from football for personal reasons
Thursday, February 16th, 2017:LSU outside linebacker and defensive end Arden Key is taking a break from football, the program announced Wednesday. LSU cited personal matters as the reason. “In consultation with our staff and his family, Arden Key has decided to take some time away from football for personal reasons,” Tigers coach Ed Orgeron said in a short […] Read More →
Myles Garrett makes playful plea to Cowboys; also happy to play for Browns
Sunday, February 12th, 2017:Myles Garrett was in a “playful mood” two months ago when he made a plea to play for the Dallas Cowboys. The ESPN video, released Friday, was taken during a relaxed interview session at the College Football Awards show Dec. 8. Garrett on Saturday said the trade was just something he and his friends had […] Read More →
Atlanta’s pass rush since 2010, data via Football Outsiders.
Thursday, February 9th, 2017:This really is a holistic ideology that connects the pass rush with the coverage in the middle and back end, and involves all 11 players on the field at any given time. If you step back even further, it even really speaks to run defense, because if Quinn carries any of Pete Carroll’s philosophies to […] Read More →