Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
As Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells always said, "If a player shows you who he is, believe him."
The ambiguity of this quote is striking---because it works two ways.
In other words, if a player steps up and shows that he can be productive---you believe in the talent.
Conversely, if a player is unproductive---you question his ability to make a positive impact on your team.
This week, S Tony Jefferson made some plays at the safety position that told the coaches who he is, talent-wise.
As we know talent isn't everything---attitude and approach matter---chemistry with teammates matters.
Based on the first few weeks of training camp, therefore, here are the surprise players who have shown up:
G Paul Fanaika
WR Juron Brown
WR Charles Hawkins
WR Kerry Taylor
DE Ronald Talley
LB Zach Nash
LB Kenny Demens
CB Javier Arenas
CB Justin Bethel
S Tony Jefferson
In my opinion, all of these players will make the roster, save possibly Demens, whom the coaches may hope to sneak through waivers and onto the PS.
Making cases:
QB Ryan Lindley
RB Alfonso Smith
G Senio Kelemete
C Mike Gibson
NT Padric Scott
CB Bryan McCann
Underperforming:
RB Ryan Williams
G Chilo Rachal
TE Jeff King
NT David Carter
LB Reggie Walker
CB Jamell Fleming
2013 Draft Picks
1. Jonathan Cooper---starter at LG. Solid and improving each day. Coaches starting to showcase his skills in the offense.
2. Kevin Minter---challenging to start at ILB---brings much needed thumping and finishing ability to the middle of defense.
3. Tyrann Mathieu---could well wind up being the MVP of the nickel and dime packages---is showing the talent of a first round pick. Super productive.
4. Earl Watford---big, strong pile mover who is making steady progress. Adjusting from small college competition to the pros is rarely easy or swift. See Justin Bethel. Watford becomes the Bethel of next year's team, imo, and there is no way the coaches will risk trying to pass him through waivers.
5. Alex Okafor---starting to make a push. Looks the part. Strong and active.
6. Stepfan Taylor---has emerged at the clear #2 RB---has been showing why he is Stanford's all-time leading rusher---has wiggle, vision and strength.
7. Andre Ellington---perfect compliment to Mendenhall and Taylor because of his speed and elusiveness.
8. D.C. Jefferson---yes he's had the drops, but has shown up to be quite the physical specimen and is now showing exemplary work habits.
All these draftees are going to make the roster...which goes to show not only the talent that this group possesses, but the talent of the new GM Steve Keim in building a draft.
The ambiguity of this quote is striking---because it works two ways.
In other words, if a player steps up and shows that he can be productive---you believe in the talent.
Conversely, if a player is unproductive---you question his ability to make a positive impact on your team.
This week, S Tony Jefferson made some plays at the safety position that told the coaches who he is, talent-wise.
As we know talent isn't everything---attitude and approach matter---chemistry with teammates matters.
Based on the first few weeks of training camp, therefore, here are the surprise players who have shown up:
G Paul Fanaika
WR Juron Brown
WR Charles Hawkins
WR Kerry Taylor
DE Ronald Talley
LB Zach Nash
LB Kenny Demens
CB Javier Arenas
CB Justin Bethel
S Tony Jefferson
In my opinion, all of these players will make the roster, save possibly Demens, whom the coaches may hope to sneak through waivers and onto the PS.
Making cases:
QB Ryan Lindley
RB Alfonso Smith
G Senio Kelemete
C Mike Gibson
NT Padric Scott
CB Bryan McCann
Underperforming:
RB Ryan Williams
G Chilo Rachal
TE Jeff King
NT David Carter
LB Reggie Walker
CB Jamell Fleming
2013 Draft Picks
1. Jonathan Cooper---starter at LG. Solid and improving each day. Coaches starting to showcase his skills in the offense.
2. Kevin Minter---challenging to start at ILB---brings much needed thumping and finishing ability to the middle of defense.
3. Tyrann Mathieu---could well wind up being the MVP of the nickel and dime packages---is showing the talent of a first round pick. Super productive.
4. Earl Watford---big, strong pile mover who is making steady progress. Adjusting from small college competition to the pros is rarely easy or swift. See Justin Bethel. Watford becomes the Bethel of next year's team, imo, and there is no way the coaches will risk trying to pass him through waivers.
5. Alex Okafor---starting to make a push. Looks the part. Strong and active.
6. Stepfan Taylor---has emerged at the clear #2 RB---has been showing why he is Stanford's all-time leading rusher---has wiggle, vision and strength.
7. Andre Ellington---perfect compliment to Mendenhall and Taylor because of his speed and elusiveness.
8. D.C. Jefferson---yes he's had the drops, but has shown up to be quite the physical specimen and is now showing exemplary work habits.
All these draftees are going to make the roster...which goes to show not only the talent that this group possesses, but the talent of the new GM Steve Keim in building a draft.
