EA announced a “new” mode for the upcoming Madden 25, Connected Franchise. Its not really new though. It’s actually the old “owner mode” franchise that the game had for over a decade before it was removed a year ago. 

The basics of the this mode are what they’ve always been:

• Be in charge of the team’s finances; keep it profitable by selecting the team’s marketing, ticket and concession prices, sponsors, etc.
• Hire and fire staff, including the GM, coaches, scouts, and trainers.
• Upgrade your stadium, build a new one, or even move your entire franchise to a new city and start over.

As long as they manage to fix those things, all of the new modes and features will likely be well received. Fail to do so, and EA is going to lose a large number of their core fans who buy their flagship game.

One way or another, this is going to be a big year for the Madden Franchise.

Nov 11, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Bruce Irvin (51) celebrates a sack against the New York Jets during the third quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

My statistical study of 2012 defenses continues. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the mathematics of all that drive data I posted a couple days ago. There’s plenty of good information there, but I can’t regress the data to wins without first accounting for offense and special teams. Doing that expands the data set ad infinitum, which removes the validity of what I was hoping to find.

There’s a way to do this, and I’ll find it. I’m just not there yet.

In the interim, I’ve decided to look into the last variable I can think that of needs to be addressed in this study. That would be the starting field position for opposing offense. The reasoning is pretty simple, give the offense a shorter field, and they’re likely to score points more often.

Below is the average starting field position for each team’s defensive drives. (There’s probably a better way to word that.) I expected the Seahawks to be near the top of the list, and sure enough they are there at #1.

My first thought when I saw the results was that the difference between the best (Seattle, 24.2 yard line) and the worst (Phily, 31.86 yard line) wasn’t enough to matter. It’s only 7 yards, right? Then I realized the cumulative effect that the difference could have over almost 200 possessions.

To show that, I calculated the difference in total yards over the entire season. Putting these numbers in perspective, the Eagles almost spotted their opponents Marshawn Lynch’s entire rushing production for the year, and that’s before those opponents ever ran a play. That’s a lot of yards being given to their opponents for free over the course of the season.

I have to say, the Seahawk’s special teams don’t get nearly the credit they deserve for being great last season. We know the Seahawks defense was among the best, and the Seahawk offense was as well at the end of the year. The special teams units get overlooked though, and that’s a shame. One look at the “total yards” column below, and it’s easy to see how important they are to the success of this team.

Special teams aren’t the only factor here in creating this average starting field position, though they are the biggest factor. Each team’s offense played a roll as well, since turnovers tend to be the cause for the shortest of the short-field scenarios. I don’t actually have the data, but I’d wager that teams who’s offenses have a high percentage of 3-and-outs are mostly down near the bottom of this list as well.

I’m probably going to have to collect all this same data for the offenses just to see how it comes up. It wont have any bearing on this study of defensive variables, but it’ll be very interesting.

What does all of this mean for the defenses? That’s simple. Good special teams can help inflate how good a defense is perceived to be. If the defense is already great, then forcing the opponent to travel farther to get points is just mean.

The Seahawks are apparently mean. I can live with that.

* All starting field position data was provided by Football Outsiders! I didn’t have the time to go though all the game logs to collect this particular data, so I owe them a huge thank you for making this data available.

Jan 13, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Seattle Seahawks starting defensive backs Earl Thomas (29), Brandon Browner (39), Richard Sherman (25), Kam Chancellor (31) take the field for warm-ups prior to facing the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC divisional playoff game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The narrative being pushed by the media this past weekend, both local and national, is that the Seattle Seahawks have a serious and growing performance-enhancing drug (PED) problem. They site the 7 PED suspensions that have happened during Pete Carroll’s tenure. 

Unfortunately, the real facts don’t back up this storyline. Four of the cited suspensions have nothing to do with any so-called PED problem the Seahawks might have:

• Offensive lineman Allen Barbre tested positive in 2011, the year before he joined the Seahawks. The Seahawks signed him before the suspension was announced. The team cut him rather than putting him on the roster.
• Fullback Via Taua tested positive just after being signed to the practice squad. He had been a free agent just trying to land with a team before that. 
• Offensive lineman John Moffitt tested positive for a substance that is legal in the NFL if the player has a prescription. Moffitt has a prescription, and has had it for years. The only reason he was suspended was because he and the team doctor didn’t properly file all the necessary paperwork on time. 
• Cornerback Richard Sherman appealed his suspension and won, something that is supposed to be virtually impossible given today’s tests and testing protocols. Sherman was able to prove that his test sample had been tampered with. 

That leaves just 3 legitimate positive tests during Carroll’s tenture as head of coach of the Seahawks: safety Winston Guy, cornerback Brandon Browner, and the recent suspension of defensive end Bruce Irvin. Those  3 suspensions would put the Seahawks right in the middle of the pack with the rest of the NFL teams.

If the Seahawks do have a problem, it is not properly educating rookies on the NFL’s PED policies. 2 of the 3 legitimate suspension have come from rookies, as was John Moffitt’s paperwork problem. Even that fact goes against the accusations of a PED culture in Seattle, since once players are acclimated into the team they are unlikely to test positive.

But why let facts get in the way of good storyline.

Dec 9, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback John Skelton (19) is hit by Seattle Seahawks defensive end Chris Clemons (91) after passing the ball during the 1st quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday I took at look at the number of drives that each team’s defense was on the field for. Those results were interesting, but they didn’t tell us much about what those drives resulted in. We were able to infer some of that based on the total points given up by those teams, but honestly, I want something more concrete than that.

I decided to take a look at how each of those drives ended. It doesn’t matter if a defense isn’t on the field much compared to other teams, if that defense still gives up a lot of touchdowns. (I’m looking at you Cowboys.) Ultimately, I believe the true measure of the quality of a defense is somewhere to be found in this particular data set. 

Unless I’ve made a horrible mistake here, drives can only end in 7 different ways: a touchdown, a field goal attempt, a punt, a turnover, a failed 4th down attempt, a safety, and at the end of a half. That’s a fairly limited number of possible outcomes, meaning I should be able to eventually tease out some very meaningful evaluation tools from this. We’ll see, there’s still a long way to go.

I was hoping to have some meaningful result to tell you about, but that’s going to have to wait until tomorrow. Compiling all this data took more time than I originally had available. Just getting this compiled and posted was all I could handle. I left off the safeties, since there’s only a couple total from the entire season and I’m already pushing the limits on the width of this table.

I did manage to give you the percentage for each outcome, though I’m not sure while that seems like a big deal in my head.

Jan 13, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Seattle Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas (29) intercepts a pass intended for Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White (84) during the fourth quarter of the NFC divisional playoff game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

I previewed this study yesterday (it should take me about a week to run all the stats and write up all the results), but now it’s time to get the first look at some of the numbers. I thought we’d start at the basics, and look at the number of drives that each defense was on the field for, and how that related to the number of points scored.

The Seahawks rank 1st in both categories. They were on the field for the least amount of drives (164) of any team, and also gave up the fewest number of total points (245). That shouldn’t come as a surprise if you read yesterday’s preview, since it was that combination that got me interested in undertaking this exhaustive study in the first place.

The league average drives was 181.2. That means that the Seahawks defense played approximately a game and a half less than the average NFL defense. This is significant. That’s a lot less time on the field, and a lot less opportunities for the opposing team to score points.

The Arizona Cardinals were on the other end of the spectrum, their 205 defensive drives was by far the most in the league. That’s 23 more than average, which is almost 2 full game’s worth of possessions. It’s also 41 more drives than the Seahawks defense was on the field for, or about 3 and a half games worth.

That is a mind boggling result to me. I never expected the difference to be that extreme.

I ran a correlational study there’s a a reasonable correlation between the number of drives and number of points given up. Notice I said reasonable, not high. The variables are correlated, but they are not highly correlated. That just means that there are other competing factors going on here, which should come as no surprise. 

There are some interesting outliers. Only 3 defenses were on the field more than that of the Bears, and yet they were 3rd in total points allowed. That’s pretty damn impressive. I think it has to do with that defense’s ability get turnovers to end drives early, but that’s just a guess at this point.

Another interesting outlier are the Arizona Cardinals. Despite being ont he field more than any other defense, they were right in the middle of the pack in terms of points allowed. That’s pretty impressive if you think about it. I bet the Cardinals will miss former defensive coordinator Ray Horton more than they expect they will.

On the other end of the spectrum are the Dallas Cowboys. Only the Seahawk’s defense was on the field less, and yet they were 24th in scoring defense. That’s impressive, but its a “damn they were awful” sort of impressive.

Here’ the full data for all 32 teams:

Jan 6, 2013; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) is sacked by Seattle Seahawks defensive end Bruce Irvin (51) during the fourth quarter of the NFC Wild Card playoff game at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL announced today that Seattle Seahawks defensive end Bruce Irvin has ben suspended for the first 4 games of the 2013 season for violations of the league’s substance abuse policy. It is unknown what substance he tested positive for at this time. Irvin has announced that he will not appeal the suspension.

This statement from Irvin was released though the team:

“I want to apologize to my teammates, coaches and Seahawks fans for making a mistake when I took a substance that is prohibited in the NFL without a medical exemption. I am extremely disappointed in the poor judgment I showed and take full responsibility for my actions. I will not appeal the discipline and instead will focus my energy on preparing for the season so I can begin earning your trust and respect again. I look forward to contributing to the team the moment I return.”

The suspension to start the season will hurt Seattle more than if it had come later in the year. Fellow DE Chris Clemons is likely to begin the year on the Physically Unable To Perform list as he works back from a torn ACL injury. That means that the Seahawks will begin the season without their top 2 sack leaders from last season.

The Seahawks signed both Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett this past offseason to help with the pass rush, but they now appear to need additional help for the first 4 games. I wonder if John Abraham’s price has come down enough that John Schneider will consider adding him.

Jan 13, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Seattle Seahawks starting defensive backs Earl Thomas (29), Brandon Browner (39), Richard Sherman (25), Kam Chancellor (31) take the field for warm-ups prior to facing the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC divisional playoff game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Over the next few days, I’m going to be taking a statistical look at the Seahawks 2012 defense and how it compared to the other teams in the NFL. I already did this with the offense back before the draft, and the results showed that the Seahawks offense was better and more efficient then they were given credit for.

The defense, I fear, might be on the other side of that coin. We’ll see where the data takes over the next  week or so. Before I get into the numbers, I wanted to write a bit about why I find this stuff so interesting, and thus why I spend my time running all these stats. 

Whenever a discussion gets going about how good the Seattle Seahawks defense was a year ago, the conversation seems to always end when someone brings up a certain fact:

#1 in points allowed in 2012

That’s all that matter, right? If the opponent can’t score, then they can’t win. Yards given up doesn’t matter much if the other team cannot get the ball into the endzone. Is anyone going to argue with that? I don’t think so, but I also don’t think it tells the entire story.

The problem is that points allowed isn’t necessarily a good measure for the quality of a defensive unit, since there are other variables that inflate and deflate that number that has nothing to do with defense. Sure, the quality of the defense is likely the biggest factor here (how could it not be?), but are all the other factors combined enough to skew the data? I believe that will be the case.

For instance, the offense plays a significant role in points allowed in a number of ways. If an offense can’t regularly move the football and keep possession of the ball, than the defense will be on the field more and tend to “wear down” as the game goes along. You could have a defense that gives up more points than it’s talent and overall performance would indicate.

Another variable here would be turnovers. A offense that turns the ball over a lot, would put pressure on the defense by providing the opponent with a short field. Less distance to the endzone would mean a higher probability of scoring, regardless of the defensive talent.

Then there’s the “pace” of the offense to consider. The Seahawks deliberately shortened games in 2012 by running down the play clock as much as possible. They had the 2nd slowest offense of any team in the NFL, and I’m sure that doing so limited the number of possessions opposing teams had. Less possessions generally means less points.

Special teams would play a roll here as well. Field position would seem to be factor in scoring potential. Good special teams units would mean a longer distance for your opponent to cover in order to get into the endzone, and thus would decrease their probability of scoring.

How do all of these factors fit together? I have no idea just yet, but that’s what I’m hoping to find out.

I will leave you will this nugget though: The Seahawks defense was only on the field for 164 drives in 2012. That’ the least of every team in the league, and 4 less than 2nd place. The NFL average was just over 181. That’s 15 drives the Seahawks defense wasn’t on the field for compared to the NFL average.

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; A general view of a goal line pylon with the Super Bowl XLVII logo at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday I pointed out that Vegas has the Seahawks at 10 wins for this upcoming season. I decided to do some more digging, and found that there are currently odds available for games for weeks 1 through 16.

I starting compiling all the necessary info from Cantor, but then it was pointed out to me that  the National Football Post, has already done that for me. Pretty awesome stuff. Check out that link if you want to see the lines for every game.

Here’s short version for the Seahawks:

• Despite only predicting 10 wins, the Seahawks are favorites in 13 of 15 games.
• Being a favorite 13 times is tied for the most of any team. Other with 13 are San Francisco and Denver.
• Seattle is the underdog just once, tied with the 2 teams listed above, but that isn’t the lowest total. The Patriots are never underdogs, though they do have 3 “pick” games, more than any team.
• The Seahawks are favored on the road vs. Houston and against the Giants.
• The Seahawks are favored at home against the 49ers. The road game vs the 49ers is the only time Seattle isn’t favored.
• Seattle’s game on the road vs. Atlanta is a “pick” game.
• Seahawks are 14 point favorites vs. the Jaguars, which is scary.

Some Notes For the NFC West

• The Cardinals are never favored. The Jaguars are the only other team that is never favored.
• The Cards do have 3 “pick” games: Jaguards, Rams and Colts.
• The Rams are favored in just 4 games: AZ, Jaguars, Bucs and Titans
• The 49ers are only underdogs for their game in Seattle, they also have a “pick” game on the road vs the Saints.

Other Random Notes:

• The Colts and Vkings, both playoff teams from a year ago, are both only favored in 5 games.
• The Jets are somehow favored in 5 games.
• Oakland is favored in 2 games, which makes little sense.
• The Bills are favored twice, but the first time isn’t until week 9.

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Nov 13, 2011; Seattle, WA, USA; NFL shield logo referee cap on the field during the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

Apparently it’s never too early to bet on the NFL. Training camps are still months away, but casinos were more than willing to take your money if you’re willing to give it to them.

Cantor in Las Vegas has released the first over/under lines for team win totals. In that way are predicting the win totals for each team.

It should come as no surprise that the Seahawks are near the top of the list. Vegas has Seattle winning 10 games, which is actually 1 less win that they had a year ago. That number seems low to me, but I’m not going to be dumb enough to argue with a Vegas bookmaker.

Teams with the same win total are listed in the reverse order that a winning “over” bet will pay. For example, the payout on selecting the 49ers to win 12 or more games is less than the payout if the Broncos do the same.

September 10, 2011; Athens, GA, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks running back Marcus Lattimore (21) runs with the ball against the Georgia Bulldogs during the fourth quarter at Sanford Stadium. South Carolina defeated Georgia 45-42. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

It’s time for the third and final installment of my draft evaluations for the division rivals of our Seattle Seahawks. Obviously, it will take a couple years before we know how this draft will fully work out. These are just my impressions based on my pre-draft evaluations of these players.

The media seems to love the 49ers draft, but that’s rarely a good thing. My reflections on their draft are a little less rosy. The team seemed to be content with mostly finding “bust-proof” players, but in doing so failed to find many high ceiling players as well. It was a very Tim Ruskell sort of draft for the 49ers. And no, I’m not just being a Seahawks homer here. Take a look at the Rams and Cardinals evaluations, both of them were very positive.

Best Pick

This is an easy one, Marcus Lattimore, and it’s not even close. I really wanted Seattle to take Lattimore, and was very unhappy that he went to the 49ers. He likely wont play a down in 2013 as he continues to rehab from his massive knee injury, but he’s going to be a star in 2014 and beyond.

Worst Pick

For me, that would be 1st round pick Eric Reid. It’s hard to be too critical, since he’s going to be a multi-year starter, but when you move up to take a player at #18, they should be a special player, and I just don’t see that in Reid.

He’s a decent player, but I doubt he makes a Pro-Bowl on his own merits, though he might end up getting there a couple times because the 49ers front seven is so damn good. I had three other safeties rated higher than Reid when he was taken.

Without A Position

The 49ers’ selection of Tank Carradine is certainly an interesting one. The real question is, where is he going to play? Tank is built to be a 4-3 defensive end, but the 49ers use a variant of the 3-4. He’s likely too big, and not quick enough to play outside linebacker, and he’s not big enough to play 3-4 defensive end.

From what I’ve heard, the team hopes that he can add 10-15 pounds over the next year and then take over for Justin Smith at DE, but I question if he can add that much weight to his frame and retain the explosiveness that made him worthy of such a high selection.

I’ll admit, I really like Tank. He’s a guy I’d have loved to see in a Seattle uniform, so don’t think that I’m hating on him as a player. That’s not true at all. I’m just not sure how well he fits into the scheme the 49ers run.

Overall Impressions

When a team drafts 11 players in one year, it should be able to get more than two players who are capable of long term contributions. I don’t see that here. Instead, the 49ers played it safe, as if they were afraid to roll the dice and take a chance on anyone. In a way, the Seahawks and the 49ers had very opposite drafts.

Quinton Patton, Corey Lemonier, Nick Moody, Quinton Dial, etc. are all high floor, but low ceiling players. All are capable of contributing right away, but none offers significant upside beyond what they are right now. Good role players? Yes. Eventual starters on a playoff team? I just don’t see it.

The 49ers significantly upgraded their depth, but outside of Lattimore and Reid, I’m not sure they did much else.

May 10, 2013; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks tight end Luke Wilson (82) is tackled by linebacker Kyle Knox (43) during a rookie minicamp practice at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Remember when getting draft picks signed was a big deal? While the new collective bargaining agreement has led to some interesting problems for the NFL and its players, this isn’t one of them.

On Friday, before the start of the rookie mini-camp, the Seahawks had already signed 7 of their 11 draft picks.

• 3rd round pick DT Jordan Hill
• 4th round pick WR Chris Harper
• 5th round pick DT Jesse Williams
• 5th round pick TE Luke Willson
• 7th round pick G Ryan Seymour 
• 7th round pick LB Ty Powell
• 7th round pick G Jared Smith

• 2nd round pick Christine Michael
• 5th round pick Tharold Simon
• 6th round pick Spencer Ware
• 7th round pick Michael Bowie

I’ll admit, I don’t miss the old system one bit. The prolonged negotiations, the worries about getting picks signed before training camp began, and the holdouts. All of them are things that the NFL is better off without.

May 10, 2013; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks offensive lineman Jared Smith (66) waits to snap the ball during a rookie minicamp practice at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Seahawks concluded their rookie minicamp yesterday afternoon. It’s a chance for the draft picks and rookie free agents to get a jump start on learning the offensive and defensive schemes, but it’s tough to draw other conclusions about the players.

There’s no pads, and the workouts are strictly non-contact. Plus, there’s no veteran players here to compare the rookies too. So while it’s easy to say that a player stood out, it difficult to tell if that is because they are going to be playmakers on Sundays, or just because the others in camp at the position  were simply lesser players.

Here’s some notes from the three days of camp:

• If you’re looking for a list of those players who attended, the official roster was tweeted as a couple pics by Curtis Crabtree on Friday:
  • part 1
  • part 2
• Most of the players at this mini-camp are non-roster players. These players were there officially as a tryout. It’s hard to believe that more than 1 or 2 will be added to the roster.
• Pro basketball player turned TE Darren Fells, who was cut last Wednesday, was present as one of the players who were there as a tryout.
• It’s notable that 2nd year LB Korey Toomer was present for this training camp. A 2012 5th round pick, Toomer didn’t make the team out of training camp, but was on the practice squad for most of the year.
• Jared Smith, the former defensive tackel who’s trying to make the switch to offensive line, spend the mini-camp playing center.
• As we expected from the moment that he was drafted, Spencer Ware is going to be a FB. He spent most of the mini-camp at the position.
• TE Luke Willson was one of the stars of the minicamp. He showed great hands and route running, as well as tremendous speed.
• The early lead for the battle to be Russell Wilson’s backup is now owned by Jarrod Johnson. He impressed throughout the weekend. I’ll have more on him in the coming days.
• Pete Carroll mentioned after practice that Jordan Hill is likely to be the team’s nose tackle in passing situations. This was the role that Clinton McDonald played last year, and could mean that McDonald’s roster spot is in jeopardy.

Tyrann Mathieu

May 10, 2013; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals cornerback Tyrann Mathieu (32) looks on during rookie minicamp at the Cardinals Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Keith talked about Tyrann Mathieu’s issues and why he won’t fit in the league in his Cardinals draft review, not to mention the fact that he thinks the Cardinals wasted their 3rd round draft pick on him. There’s no way to disagree with the problems that this kid has been dealing with, however the possibility that this was a mistake by Arizona doesn’t mean it wasn’t a great opportunity and fit for somebody… like for example Mathieu himself.

Even people that “don’t get it” in life can change if given the right situation. It doesn’t get any more right for Mathieu than dropping out of the top 2 rounds (where he planned on being) but still onto a team where he could be a difference-maker immediately. True, not all individuals with similar issues succeed in turning it around just because they are put into this same situation, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a great opportunity for somebody to do it and that they won’t.

And so, for this troubled kid, lining up in the face of a pro-of-pro’s and future Hall of Famer, as well as down the line from his former teammate at LSU on a day-to-day basis may trigger something of a switch inside him to get it together. Don’t forget also that Bruce Arians seems to have positive effects on his players. But Mathieu remains one of those ultimate boom or bust candidates that could be an all-pro or out of the league in 6 months.

He’s got the right fit, but it’s up to him now to make it work. I hope he does, because it’s never good to see these guys fall off when they could’ve been good.

Apr 25, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Tavon Austin (West Virginia) is introduced by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as the number eight overall pick to the St. Louis Rams during the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

It’s time for the 2nd installment of my evaluations of the drafts of the division rivals of our Seattle Seahawks. Obviously, it’ll take a couple years before we know how this draft will fully work out. This is just my impressions based on my pre-draft evaluations of these players

A year after taking a big risk on Janoris Jenkin, and having it pay off for them big time, the Rams showed that it wasn’t a one time thing. With another pair of risky moves this season, Fisher is showing that he’s not scared of a little risk. While that strategy might “bite” him eventually, it’s allowing him to infuse that roster with talent very quickly.

Best Pick

3rd Round pick Stedman Bailey is flashy, but he’s a polished route runner with great hands. While he might not have the high ceiling like others WRs in this draft class, he’s probably the most NFL-ready of the WRs. He’ll make an instant impact in the passing game.

Worst Pick

It’s very difficult to say any of the Rams picks were bad. “None” is apparently the answer here.

Boom or Bust

Both of the 1st round picks taken by the Rams were high risk/reward players. Linebacker Alec Ogletree, taken 30th overall, is easilly the most athletic of the LBs in the draft this year, but comes with serious character issues that scared off most NFL teams.

Wide Receiver Tavon Austin, taken 8th overall, is a similar boom or bust player. His athleticism is rare, and could make him one of the top players in the league. He’ll also be one of te smallest players in the league (height, weight, and strength all all better suited to be an MLB shortstop) and his route running leaves much to be desired. Time will tell on if the Rams got a Percy Harvin type playmaker, or just a Devon Hester type kick returner.

Overall Impressions

It’s easy for Rams fans to be excited for this draft. They got some exciting pieces. The draft will ultimately be remembered by if Ogletree and Austin work out. If both “hit,” this might be the best draft they’d had in a decade. If not, then it might be the worst in that same time span.

Either way, this team is improved over 2012, and is poised to contend for a playoff spot.