2011 Rookie Report #1 [ edit | delete ]
By Adam Knoll | October 10, 2010 at 07:20 PM EDT | No Comments (0 new)
I am very interested, and overly compelled, to make this team as close to a professional one as possible, and with that in mind, it’s time for the first Rookie Report of the 2011 team. Believe it or not, having a certain amount of transparency makes the team feel more embraceable. If any fan wants to come by the site, notices we have some new faces and has not seen us in action, well then just like a pro team does, we have the info on how they are doing. At this point as a franchise (and as a league really), it would be safe to say our amount of fans is not too broad. Yet, it’s the attempt to keep their interest which grows a fan base, even if it is at a trickle pace.
Last season, I believe we did about four rookie reports all told. We found it to be incredibly useful not only as evaluators ourselves, yet the rookies we were talking about found the perceptions insightful, and sometimes used them as a propellant to get better. There is nothing like having a scouting report done in an arena where you can see it anytime you want. Think of it as team bulletin board material.
In addition to rookies, from time to time we may have a report on a veteran, most likely one in which either needed to make the team again, or may not be at the top of the depth chart. Basically it’s a good way for players to see where they stand.
In this report, we have gathered insight from:
Adam Knoll
Jeff Thorpe
Andrew Menard
Frank Kiczula
Matt Splitt
Kyke Ritter
(Note***) - The Positives and Negatives section involves quotes from all the respondents, not from one generalized source. The notes are not to beat upon or oversize a certain point; instead they are to be used as a general consensus and jumping point into the next phaze of our offseason.
Ryan Schuk – Quarterback
Grade (5 Respondents): B- (2.76)
Positives:
Seems to throw a nice ball, has a strong arm
Hard Working
Willing to learn
Is able to make a plays with his legs when the pocket breaks down
Negatives –
Looks deep too often, puts too much air on the ball sometimes
Boots out too much, even when there is no pressure
Issues staring down receivers
Doesn’t look at his check down which was open on many plays
Needs to speed up his Reading and throwing process
Ryan came to us from another GFL franchise and has been very solid. He has the work ethic we require and the talent to switch positions and still play at a high level. While it is true that his Quarterbacking experience is lacking, he has played well enough in our first three 6-man games to prove he has a strong arm and good mechanics. He has shown a desire to listen to direction, which is imperative, yet he does tend to get frustrated sometimes because our playbook contrasts with his personal style. At practice he never takes it light in drills and he’s a quick learner. The only downside to him so far is he is having trouble making the reads required for this offense and his throws sometimes get away from him. However, this is common for a new quarterback, and learning how to read a defense is not the easiest thing to do. I would expect him to be much more polished following our winter hibernation.
Codee Sigler – Center/Offensive Line
Grade (5 Respondents): B+ (3.4)
Possitives:
He’s been amazing
He could be a sure starter in our scheme
Dominating the one on one's
Very strong pass blocker, above average run blocker.
Negatives:
Shotgun is a work in progress
He'll need some conditioning to increase endurance.
Giving what happened to us at center last season, Codee has been a really nice surprise. His one on one blocking skills are superior, and he has had no trouble fitting in around here. The problem with 6-man competition is there are no line adjustments, or second level blocks that need to be made. Yet, for what it’s worth, this format does give us an insight to how a player performs against the guy in front of him. So far, Codee is trumping all of our expectations.
Gary Wensing – Cornerback/Wide Receiver
Grade (5 Respondents): C+ (2.46)
Positives:
Did make a few good breaks on the ball
Always at team functions
Willing to learn
Good coverage skills
Negatives:
Does not listen to instructions well on defense
Missed opportunities due to poor form
Needs to put more force and effort into tackling
Needs some weight training.
Gary has had a very nice exhibition season. The best thing that can be said about him is he never sticks out too much, he does his job, and that’s enough for people to be happy. The recipient of a Schuk TD pass in our first game, Wensing has deceptive speed and has good basics for the Cornerback position. He will need to put on some muscle though, at maybe 140 pounds, he is unafraid to throw himself into a tackle. During a season however, those hits add up, and his tendency to bounce off of ball carriers needs to be worked on
Joe Georgiafandis – Wide Receiver/Cornerback
Grades (4 Respondents): C (2.0)
Positives:
Puts in great effort and actually looked very good on defense
Feisty, will put in the required effort
Negatives:
I think he will need to take a lot of time in the weight room
Physically, he's way too small
Is confused a lot of the time on offense
Would have at least 4 catches if not for wrong routes/not looking for balls/drops
Joe is a bit on the smaller side, yet he has really nice speed and decent quickness. His biggest obstacle is that he hasn’t played ball in over 5 years, and the rust shows. He is not comfortable in his own skin yet, let alone the offensive or defensive schemes which require a player to know their responsibilities. It is clear that with more time, and seasoning, Joe will continue to show promise as he is already a candidate for wideout in multiple sets. However, he will need to spend more time studying as the on the field opportunities to learn are drying up.
Al Lundgren – Cornerback
Grade (3 Respondents): B (3.0)
Positives:
Constantly found him making tackles
Seems to have a good football mind
Negatives:
Got hurt early due to poor tackling form
It’s hard to make an assessment of AL after only one game. By all measures he seems to be very aggressive, knowledgeable and physically sound. We are in the need for a player, most likely a rookie, to step up and play shut down defense from the corner spot. The biggest obstacle for most new players is learning how to play someone else’s system; how fast he moves up the rank will depend upon that quality
Chris Kraemer: Center/Offensive Line
Grade (2 Respondents): B (2.85)
Positives:
Able to just jump in there and perform well
Negatives:
Will have to work on conditioning
We have only seen Chris for one half of one game, yet it was a very solid half against a pretty ferocious rush. Chris will give us the third man to our line that we are looking for and it will be nice having some maulers around for once. His ability to play defensive line is also a nice addition. He will need to work on conditioning to keep pace with our offense.
Will Peebles – Linebacker/Full Back
Grade (5 Respondents): C+ (2.28)
Positives:
He's done well on both sides of the ball
Get's way too much @#$% and is under appreciated
Very knowledgeable and good attitude.
Always at team functions
Negatives:
Timid when hitting and blocking
Saw him get pushed into our running backs and receivers
His size and lack of "Beast" attitude works against him on defense big time
Peebles is actually a vet, yet some of the captains had a few points of interest on him. Peebles has worked his way back onto our roster and has played better than at the end of last season. He is still a bit late making reads and getting up field for tackles, yet, I agree with one of our respondents when it’s said he doesn’t get much credit for what he can offer. He is one of the only true hybrids we have on the roster, able to play Linebacker, as well as Fullback, Halfback and Wideout.
Shane Willis: Defensive Tackle
Grade (3 Respondents): B+(2.66)
Positives:
He is strong and takes up space.
I think if he can slim down a little bit and gain form he could be a diamond in the rough
I see him as a goalline hole plug
Negatives:
Does not get any pressure on quarter backs
Most of the problem is his form
Shane is another returning player from last season, yet he only played a few games and he had some scouting done on him as well. Shane is tenacious, both on and off the field. He hardly misses anything and gives all he can on the field. He is working hard to get into correct form for the long season ahead. Right now he is projected as a short distance DT while we are working with him to get him ready to chase down those pesky scrambling QB’s.
Missing from the Report: Mike Martinez – Joined up on 10/8 and has made the only practice we have had
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