- Joined
- Jul 31, 2010
- Messages
- 8,874
NFL draft previews: Clowney leads the DL
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_8e9b205d-f47b-596f-82b1-228c8249aca9.html
There might not be a scout or analyst on the planet who doesn’t have a man-crush on Jadeveon Clowney, the athlete.
“He’s got unbelievable talent,” says longtime NFL personnel man Gil Brandt.
“In a league where people think that pass-rush off the edge is the most important thing on defense, Clowney has the most juice,’’ said longtime NFL coach Rick Venturi, now an NFL radio analyst. “Clowney is a ’freakazoid’ athlete.”
And from former Rams safety Matt Bowen, who covers the league for the Bleacher Report: “You know who he reminds of is Jevon Kearse in terms of athletic ability and talent. That’s the type of talent you see once every 10 years, really. You know, a man that size, that can run that fast, move laterally like that and explode of the ball.”
Those all are respected voices in the business, men who live the game and study it diligently. But you easily could find hundreds of expert analysts — some real and some imagined as far as “expert” is concerned — plus a like number of NFL coaches and scouts who feel the same way about the defensive end from the University of South Carolina.
But what about Clowney, the football player? That’s where opinions vary. Some question his passion for the game. Some wonder how an impending multi-million dollar contract will affect him. Many claim that he takes plays off.
For decades coaches and scouts and personnel executives have been saying watch the film, watch the film. Check the production. Don’t over-value NFL scouting combine results or workout times.
If so, then how does this once-in-a-decade talent go from 13 sacks and 23½ tackles for loss in 2012 for the Gamecocks to just three sacks and 11½ tackles for loss in 2013?
“He does take plays off,” Venturi said. “I know they say he got triple-teamed and all that. But there’s enough smoke on that guy that there’s some fire there.”
Brandt flat out says that Clowney didn’t look like he was in shape last season. Speaking specifically of a game against North Carolina last season, Brandt said, “He looked like he was horribly out of shape. ... With all that said, you wonder what you’re getting.”
Clowney’s head coach in college, Steve Spurrier, did nothing to douse the debate when he told NFL Network in February that Clowney’s work ethic was “OK.”
Just OK.
Asked at the combine about Spurrier’s remarks, Clowney replied: “I don’t really have nothing to say about it. I believe I did work hard. You pull out any practice tape from last year, you’ll see that. I will always be working hard. No matter where I end up, I am going to work hard and give a team everything I’ve got.”
Clowney said he loves playing football. He said a big paycheck won’t affect him. He denied a suggestion that he was playing it safe in 2013 to avoid injury and protect his draft stock. As for his steep decline in production. . . .
“Going into last season, I had a lot of high expectations of myself,” Clowney said. “Things don’t always happen like you plan. I was really trying to break the (career) sack record for us, for the next guys coming in.”
Instead he had one sack in South Carolina’s last eight games in 2013.
“A lot of game-changing went on when we played teams,” Clowney said. “Quick passes, two-on-one (blocking), opposite-side runs, but that happens. I wasn’t really worried about my stats, I just wanted to win.”
The Gamecocks did plenty of that, with an 11-2 record and a No. 4 national ranking in the final polls.
Being in the right NFL setting, with the right kind of defensive line coach, could be a key in Clowney making the most of all that talent. Bowen mentioned former Rams defensive line coach Bill Kollar, who currently has the same job title with the Houston Texans — who have the No. 1 draft pick.
Kollar is a high-energy, hard-driver who demands accountability and won’t accept anything less than full effort.
Ditto for current defensive line coach Mike Waufle of the Rams, who have the second pick. Waufle is a former Marine — need we say more?
“I’ve studied him pretty close,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said at the NFL owners meetings last month. “Not to make an excuse for anyone, in college there’s like 85 to 90 plays per game. (Clowney) plays all the time. ... When the game’s on the line, Jadeveon plays hard.
“He’s an explosive player, he’s a productive player, he’s an instinctive player. So I think that’s kind of been blown out of proportion.”
In the NFL, opposing offenses don’t run 85-90 plays a game. Besides, almost every pro team rotates on the defensive line to keep players fresh. Throw in all his physical attributes, including 4.53 speed (at the combine) at 266 pounds, and how can you say “no” to Clowney even with the questions that surround him?
Many observers think the Texans, or Rams, won’t be able to say “no.”
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_8e9b205d-f47b-596f-82b1-228c8249aca9.html
There might not be a scout or analyst on the planet who doesn’t have a man-crush on Jadeveon Clowney, the athlete.
“He’s got unbelievable talent,” says longtime NFL personnel man Gil Brandt.
“In a league where people think that pass-rush off the edge is the most important thing on defense, Clowney has the most juice,’’ said longtime NFL coach Rick Venturi, now an NFL radio analyst. “Clowney is a ’freakazoid’ athlete.”
And from former Rams safety Matt Bowen, who covers the league for the Bleacher Report: “You know who he reminds of is Jevon Kearse in terms of athletic ability and talent. That’s the type of talent you see once every 10 years, really. You know, a man that size, that can run that fast, move laterally like that and explode of the ball.”
Those all are respected voices in the business, men who live the game and study it diligently. But you easily could find hundreds of expert analysts — some real and some imagined as far as “expert” is concerned — plus a like number of NFL coaches and scouts who feel the same way about the defensive end from the University of South Carolina.
But what about Clowney, the football player? That’s where opinions vary. Some question his passion for the game. Some wonder how an impending multi-million dollar contract will affect him. Many claim that he takes plays off.
For decades coaches and scouts and personnel executives have been saying watch the film, watch the film. Check the production. Don’t over-value NFL scouting combine results or workout times.
If so, then how does this once-in-a-decade talent go from 13 sacks and 23½ tackles for loss in 2012 for the Gamecocks to just three sacks and 11½ tackles for loss in 2013?
“He does take plays off,” Venturi said. “I know they say he got triple-teamed and all that. But there’s enough smoke on that guy that there’s some fire there.”
Brandt flat out says that Clowney didn’t look like he was in shape last season. Speaking specifically of a game against North Carolina last season, Brandt said, “He looked like he was horribly out of shape. ... With all that said, you wonder what you’re getting.”
Clowney’s head coach in college, Steve Spurrier, did nothing to douse the debate when he told NFL Network in February that Clowney’s work ethic was “OK.”
Just OK.
Asked at the combine about Spurrier’s remarks, Clowney replied: “I don’t really have nothing to say about it. I believe I did work hard. You pull out any practice tape from last year, you’ll see that. I will always be working hard. No matter where I end up, I am going to work hard and give a team everything I’ve got.”
Clowney said he loves playing football. He said a big paycheck won’t affect him. He denied a suggestion that he was playing it safe in 2013 to avoid injury and protect his draft stock. As for his steep decline in production. . . .
“Going into last season, I had a lot of high expectations of myself,” Clowney said. “Things don’t always happen like you plan. I was really trying to break the (career) sack record for us, for the next guys coming in.”
Instead he had one sack in South Carolina’s last eight games in 2013.
“A lot of game-changing went on when we played teams,” Clowney said. “Quick passes, two-on-one (blocking), opposite-side runs, but that happens. I wasn’t really worried about my stats, I just wanted to win.”
The Gamecocks did plenty of that, with an 11-2 record and a No. 4 national ranking in the final polls.
Being in the right NFL setting, with the right kind of defensive line coach, could be a key in Clowney making the most of all that talent. Bowen mentioned former Rams defensive line coach Bill Kollar, who currently has the same job title with the Houston Texans — who have the No. 1 draft pick.
Kollar is a high-energy, hard-driver who demands accountability and won’t accept anything less than full effort.
Ditto for current defensive line coach Mike Waufle of the Rams, who have the second pick. Waufle is a former Marine — need we say more?
“I’ve studied him pretty close,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said at the NFL owners meetings last month. “Not to make an excuse for anyone, in college there’s like 85 to 90 plays per game. (Clowney) plays all the time. ... When the game’s on the line, Jadeveon plays hard.
“He’s an explosive player, he’s a productive player, he’s an instinctive player. So I think that’s kind of been blown out of proportion.”
In the NFL, opposing offenses don’t run 85-90 plays a game. Besides, almost every pro team rotates on the defensive line to keep players fresh. Throw in all his physical attributes, including 4.53 speed (at the combine) at 266 pounds, and how can you say “no” to Clowney even with the questions that surround him?
Many observers think the Texans, or Rams, won’t be able to say “no.”
