Btw, if you're knowledgeable about blocking schemes/offensive linemen, we would appreciate your input. We have two candidates at guard... both very strong pass blockers. One is more talented overall, but he's not really a pulling guard(the other is) and I think we might need at least one pulling guard. PM me for details--I'll bb in ~1 hour.

Round 21, Pick 735: WR Troy Brown





Despite being too small and too slow, Troy Brown made big play after big play in big game after big game.

“On Dec. 21, 1996, in the season finale against the Giants, Brown made one of the great catches in his career. The Patriots were playing for a playoff bye and fell behind by double-digits before making a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback (23-22). On the team's game-winning drive, Brown snared a 13-yard catch on third-and-13 while on his back, extending his arms in the air.” - http://www.boston.com/sports/footbal...f_troy_br.html

“In the 2002 playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Brown ran a punt return back for a touchdown and later recovered a block field goal, which he lateraled to another player who ran it back for a touchdown. The later play blew the game open for the Patriots.”
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/9...triots-tribute


“In Super Bowl XXXVI against the St. Louis Rams, Brown caught a key pass and got out bounds on the final drive of the game resulting in a winning field goal and New England’s first Super Bowl victory.”
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/9...triots-tribute


“In Super Bowl XXXIII against the Carolina Panthers, on the final and winning drive of the game, Brown caught a long pass for a first down but was called for offensive pass interference. Charlie Weiss, the offensive coordinator, dialed up the exact same play again, which Brown hauled in to keep the drive moving. Not surprisingly, the reliable Brown was the go to receiver in that final drive and lead to Super Bowl win number two for the Patriots.”
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/9...triots-tribute


“The play that best represent Troy Brown as a football player came in the 2006 AFC divisional playoff game against the San Diego Chargers. The play came in the forth quarter with the Patriots trailing 21-13. On fourth down and five, with only five minutes to play Tom Brady threw an interception to undrafted. Instead of falling to the ground and cementing a victory undrafted began to run with the ball. Brown then came out of nowhere to strip the ball from undrafted, and the fumble was recovered by undrafted.”
http://mdd2403.wordpress.com/2008/09...riot-for-life/

Need an extra defensive back?
“In 2004, Brown earned accolades for switching to defensive back when the Patriots had a run of injuries in the secondary. He contributed in that role for nine games of the regular season and all three postseason contests.”
http://www.boston.com/sports/footbal...f_troy_br.html

Troy Brown has great hands.
2000 Catch Rate: 71%
2001 Catch Rate: 65%
2002 Catch Rate: 64%

Troy Brown has great quickness and ability in the open field.

Troy Brown has great production.
2001: 101 receptions.
2002: 97 receptions.

"It would be too simplistic to refer to him as a great receiver or returner. Troy Brown was a great football player.” - Robert Kraft
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhekpVqWOYs


Stats: http://www.pro-football-reference.co...B/BrowTr00.htm


Offense:
QB Drew Brees
RB Marshall ” Faulk
WR Sterling Sharpe
TE Antonio Gates
WR Carl Pickens
H-Back/TE/WR/RB/FB Keith Byars
WR Troy Brown

LT Bruce Armstrong
C Kent Hull
RG Mike Goff
RT Mark Tauscher

with Brees wouldn't you want a true deep threat as your WR #3? he's got a sick deep ball, you have 4 possession guys and a RB who goes short.

<3 beetlejuice brown

Sharpe is a deep threat. Both he and Gates can stretch the field. I'd probably add another burner at WR to go with Sharpe if we filled out the entire roster, but I want Troy Brown on my team.

Their average YPC is all around 13-15 which is pretty short range in. Look at some of the WRs on the Saints current roster--they average a lot higher. I don't think they spread the field that much in comparison to some burners still available.

You def can't look at YPC and determine this. All around recievers like Sharpe/Gates (Sharpe moreso than Gates) can stretch the field but also go short, where as a lot of purley deep threats are going to have a lot higher YPC because they only go long.

Take my team and Marvin Harrison for example if you don't believe Sharpe/Gates can go deep. There is obv no doubt Harrison can stretch the field as hes ridiculously fast, yet he only has a YPC career average of 13.2 and a career high of only 14.5 because he catches a lot of short balls along with long balls which hurts his YPC but makes him a much better WR.

Well said. Thank you.

I guess--Gates I don't believe has ever been used as a deep threat, the Chargers use Vincent, and Chambers as deep threats, but if you think he can excel doing that so be it. Sharpe was talented--but a lot of guys who played with Favre excelled in the catch and run. I don't remember Sharpe well enough but I was pretty sure he wasn't exactly a burner and almost a pure possession guy and run and catch guy.

Gates stretches the field by hitting the seam. Sterling can beat you any which way

"Offensive coordinators dream of having a weapon like Gates, for it gives defenses pause. Put a linebacker on him, and odds are he’ll win that battle. And you better be careful if you’re going to play cover-2, for Gates can certainly get down the seam."

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW...ning091704.htm

Gates has definitely been used a lot as a deep threat for a TE and is split wide often. In 2007 he ran 23% Deep Routes and 6% bomb routes. A typical receiving TE is usually totals around 14-18% total for those two, which much lower bomb%.

However, Troy Brown is def. a possession receiver and I think you can usually get an idea of the route distribution for a receiver based on his Y/C.

Do you have stats on Sharpe Jeff? I'm just infatuated with Brees going long--I think he's got the best deep ball of anyone in the NFL right now and the Saints throw it a ton. I would have gotten a pure burner to abuse this--but that's just me. Okay--Gates is a deep threat in comparison to most TEs, I just think with 3 guys who are more possesion than deep--I would have gone deep instead of possession again.

IDK what your splits will be Zoidberg, you got a ton of great receivers but I don't think your WR#3 needed to get a ton of looks therefore I would have gone burner. Faulk is going to catch balls out of the backfield, Pickens is pretty damn good possesion guy, Gates of course is a sick pass catcher and Sharpe is too--don't really need another possesion guy imo.

Nope, too old school.

I agree. I would have taken a deep threat here. I also think deep receivers are just generally more valuable than possession receivers with comparable numbers.

On a related note, FO says they're going to address deep WRs in the offseason--right now DVOA/DYAR punish deep receivers too severely for not catching deep/bomb passes; essentially a 30 yard bomb that isn't caught is penalized the same as an 8 yard route that isn't caught).

they got anyway to adjust for having Dan Orlovsky behind center?

Bueller?

Bueller?

I need to figure this out to make my pick. Right now I think we're gonna run some simplistic zone scheme(the complexity of run blocking schemes is overwhelming--our best bet would probably be some combination zone/man scheme but I lack the knowledge to credibly explain it). With a straightforward Guard like McKinnie, we probably want someone who can pull at the other guard slot? Looking at the diagrams of zone blocking, the guards mostly just double team a linemen and then one of the players in the double team moves downfield to take a LB/DB, so I'm not sure where the pulling part comes in. I know that zone blocking teams often use athletic linemen, but I think this is in part just because small athletic linemen were more plentiful than giants before the zone became more popular and not because maulers can't be successful in a Zone scheme.

No, but there are ways to account for that more or less. I def. think QB needs to be heavily considered because it plays a major role in WR production. Believe it or not, Orlovsky was >replacement level this year(probably in large part because of Megatron).

calling Needle.

is it possible to take every Lions QBs this year and assess them as "one" with the FO metrics? i'd be interested to see what that looks like.

Okay, nm it looks like the player we like better does a lot of pulling, contrary to the frequently ******ed Scouts Inc. scouting reports.

Round 21, Pick 734

Team Bobbofitos/Jeff W selects OG Jahri Evans







Teaser Writeup:

Jahri Evans is one of the most underappreciated Guards in the game today. He is an excellent pass protector and has been the key to the Saints successful interior running in 2006-2008:

Evans has size, power and the athleticism to get downfield on blocks or move laterally on pulls, etc when necessary.

highly disagree with this as I think WR#3 is one of the most important positions because he will being covered by teams #3 CBs and if you look at every team their is almost always a pretty big dropoff from #2 CB to #3 CB and a ton of times the Rod Smith/Javon Walker matchup (whichever is guarded by the #3 CB cause I will have Rod in the slot but teams will prob use their #2 corner on him anyway) will be by far my most favorable matchup and this is coming from someone who has Marvin Harrison but realizes he will be guarded by a #1 CB and take a look at all the great #1 Corners in this league...

That is a huge reason why I went with someone as good as Javon as my #3 WR and def gives me a good advantage most teams won't have.

+1 (Holla atcha boy Welker!)

eh i like manning my 3 corners vs you putting rhodes on gonzo and letting collins freelance

When you add up their DYAR, you get a replacement level QB (~20 dyar). Calvin Johnson was the 11th best WR by DYAR, and he's underrated because he runs ~37% deep routes.

I love my Walker (or Rod Smith) vs DeAngelo Hall matchup vs you for this league as I am in the camp that Hall is very overrated.

And in response to your edit, you def can't single cover all my guys and expect to only have 1 help guy cause that's gonna be real tough on you. You also have to deal with Deuce out of the backfield (a great RB reciever) or Jamal (a very good one) who will be matched up 1v1 also on a LB.

And if you go zone all my WRs/TEs are very good/great against zones as well.

he wont get beat very often on simple routes, his problem was getting beat on double moves because hes so aggressive. but if it is a problem i can just have collins cheat towards deangelos matchups, i think i have that luxury with woodson and rhodes who cover so well. you have rypien who likes to get rid of the ball very quickly and basically i like all my cover guys on your receivers for shorter routes

with 2 elite pass rushers coming at you on most downs, your qb is just not going to have enough time to diagnose the entire field and that is what i think you are greatly overrating. its not like wilfork and washington are going to be easy to handle either. those are 2 guys who are regularly double teamed on every play, and one of your guards is somewhat undersized