News & Events
Training Day: Working With the Quarterbacks,
and Not Breathing
Published: February 21, 2012 by Kristian Dyer, Shutdown Corner | Original Article
Up through the NFL draft, Shutdown Corner's Kristian Dyer will be training at TEST Football Academy Powered by Parisi Speed School in New Jersey along with roughly 20 players. All of these athletes are prepping for the NFL combine, different pro days and of course, the NFL draft in April. A former college soccer player, Kristian was a playground legend at quarterback back in middle school but never played a down of organized football. He will be blogging about the life of training for the NFL draft and a career in the league as he lives it firsthand.
MARTINSVILLE, N.J. — Last week, after being tested at the one-month point of the training process and showing progress, shedding nearly two-tenths of a second off my 40-yard dash and adding three inches to my vertical jump, I was feeling ready to take the next step in my draft preparation process. I was ready to begin positional work.
I was going to start training like a quarterback.
For nearly four weeks, I had been pleased with my results at TEST Sports Clubs' Football Academy, where I was working with draft prospects under the watchful eye of trainers Skip Fuller and Geir Gudmundsen. I was also working out at Parisi Speed Schools, where Terrence Fabor was putting me through workouts to help lower my 40 time. Everything, Fabor told me, "was geared towards the combine and being explosive."
All I knew was that the 90-minute circuit workouts with the 20 or so NFL draft prospects had my body ready to explode and not always feeling "explosive" like Fabor said. Surely working with the quarterbacks was going to be easier; after all, on upper body workouts they were separated from the linemen and the rest of the "big boys" for the bench press segment of the routine.
After the kickers, it is the quarterback position that is most often the butt of jokes in the football locker room. They are often the pretty boys of the team and rarely as big or as cut as many of their teammates. Let's be honest, those fluorescent colored "Don't Hit Me" jerseys in practice don't help either. And now as I got ready to bench press with the quarterbacks, I figured it'd be a lot easier than two weeks before when I benched with the running backs where it was a lot of heavy weights and maximum lifts.
But as Dan DiLella, a quarterback out of Albany, told me "the quarterbacks are where the real strength is." That's because their routine isn't based on heavy weights and maximum bench presses. It is a test of sustained strength.
"We need to be careful with our quarterbacks because they are going to make their money off of their arms and shoulders. We do not want to risk injury or affect their shoulder mobility by lifting too heavy," said Parisi Speed School powered by TEST Sports Clubs' program director Mike Baker. "We do not bench the quarterbacks, but we do a lot of single arm movements with them to increase mobility and flexibility in the arms and shoulders. We also do a lot of internal and external rotational exercises to strengthen the rotator cuffs."
So rather than throw 225 pounds onto a barbell and begin benching, my routine was controlled. After working my way up from 30 pounds, I was holding two 60-pound dumbbells and pressing till exhaustion. I got some approving head nods from the quarterbacks after putting up 23 repetitions. The next closest quarterback had 30 repetitions.
DiLella put up 50 repetitions to pace all the quarterbacks. There was work with the cable machines between sets, all designed to strengthen the quarterback's shoulder and rotator cuff.
I also got some fine turning on my form. One important technique the athletes use when teaching the bench press is to keep the shoulder blades down and back on the bench. This allows the back muscles to act as stabilizers and causes the chest to sit higher off of the bench. This decreases the length the bar needs to travel for a full repetition.
I was also told that when I hit the bench press, to not breathe. Wait, say what? I had always been taught to exhale at the top of the motion. This new concept is called the "valsalva maneuver" and it went against everything I had ever been taught about weightlifting.
"Basically we want the guys to set a basement number that they can reach while holding their breath. By holding their breath, intra-abdominal pressure increases resulting in a significant increase in blood pressure. This causes blood flow and oxygen to rush to the area of the muscles being used, increasing strength and explosion," Baker said.
It also leaves me breathless for the upcoming session with Scott Brunner, the former New York Giants quarterback who was the mentor to Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl quarterback Joe Flacco.
Olympic Sprinter Teaching NFL
Prospects Proper Technique
Published: February 18, 2012 by Associated Press, Featured on NFL.com | Original Article
MARTINSVILLE, N.J. -- Other than special-teams players, wide receivers and the guys who cover them, football players rarely break into a sprint. Yet every prospect coming out of college, from the slippery scatback to the behemoth linemen, is measured on his ability to cover 40 yards more quickly than his peers.
With so much riding on those players' times at private workouts, pro days and, most especially, the NFL Scouting Combine, it makes sense to train them.
Teaching prospects at the TEST Football Academy to make like Olympic sprinters is Ato Boldon, who owns four Olympic medals and a world championship.
"I am basically turning football players into sprinters for a while," Boldon says. "When we first talked about it, I didn't know how my expertise could be used."
Boldon then accompanied Brian Martin, CEO of TEST's academies in Florida and New Jersey, to the combine, and his eyes popped open wider than Calvin Johnson's get on a post pattern.
"My first thought: 'Oh my god, these guys are awful,'" Boldon said. "It was 95 percent their technique. It was bad. And I said, 'Now I understand why they want to bring me on board.'
"At the combine last year, my guys did not look like the others. By the end of the combine, I have the fastest guys."
That would include Patrick Peterson of LSU, who went fifth overall to Arizona and wound up tying a league record with four punt returns for touchdowns as a rookie, Stevan Ridley of LSU and Da'Rel Scott of the Super Bowl champion Giants.
This year, he is working with approximately 60 collegians, ranging from Notre Dame guard Trevor Robinson to Sherbrooke -- yes, in Canada -- receiver Simon Charbonneau. Many of his students will be in Indianapolis for next week's combine, but even more must impress at pro days held at school campuses, or in private workouts.
For now, though, the emphasis is on getting the likes of Richmond quarterback Aaron Corp, Arkansas State linebacker DeMario Davis and UMass fullback Emil Igwenagu ready for Indy.
"The first few weeks, football players look at you like you are speaking a foreign language," Boldon says with a laugh. "My job is to get them to trust me, trust the system. I ask them to run in a way that makes no sense to them. Some of them are fast and have run high school track, but most of what high school kids are taught is completely inaccurate.
"We are making a little portion of their brains be sprinters; they are 100 percent football players, but for these purposes, they must learn the proper way to run."
Instead, Boldon seeks to make their running style and strides more efficient, eliminating any wasted movements, especially to the side and with the arms. He gets them early in the morning and, hopefully, by day's end he is seeing a more fluent, skillful sprint through improvement in technique, attention to detail and, Davis says, "lots of hard work."
Training Day: TESTing Day at TEST
Published: February 18, 2012 by Kristian Dyer, Shutdown Corner | Original Article
Up through the NFL Draft, Shutdown Corner'sKristian Dyer will be training at TEST Football Academy Powered by Parisi Speed School in New Jersey along with roughly 20 players. All of these athletes are prepping for the NFL Combine, different pro days and of course, the NFL Draft in April. A former college soccer player, Kristian was a playground legend at quarterback back in middle school, but never played a down of organized football. He will be blogging about the life of training for the NFL Draft and a career in the league as he lives it firsthand.
MARTINSVILLE, N.J.—It has been a month now that I have been training at TEST Sports Clubs and Parisi Speed Schools alongside roughly two dozen NFL Draft prospects, all of whom are getting ready for next week's NFL Combine and upcoming pro days at their schools. The workouts I've been in have been the same as theirs, I've been following a diet and now it was time to see if the gains were legit or if I was walking around with my chest puffed out on a fitness placebo.
It was time to get tested again — and I was nervous. I felt stronger and the workouts were getting a bit easier. One moment sticks out. Two weeks ago I was partnered with Sharrif Harris, a running back out of Southern Illinois. We were in the middle of our upper body circuit and were doing crunches. We lock feet and one person tossed the medicine ball at their partner, who did a crunch then tossed it back.
There's no doubt this exercise was tough and painful. But midway through Harris crunched up and tossed the ball at me and yelled "You got it in you?" There's been no looking back at that point for either of us. Harris has clearly gotten stronger and now, it was time to see if I was too.
I was easily the slowest "athlete" there, my sportswriter self running a 5.95 time in the 40 a month ago, nearly a second slower than even the biggest, most lumbering lineman.
Ray Wegrzynek, one of the top five long snappers in the country and a standout at Division III Kean, encouraged me after my initial testing left me gasping for breath. "Don't worry about it, we're all coming off long seasons and we're in peak shape right now. Give it a month," he said.
Well, nervously now as I stand in the end zone of the TEST facility, fidgeting as I get ready to run my 40, that time has arrived. I have now given it a month.
Several guys had stayed to watch me; a testament to what I hoped was their appreciation for my work ethic this past month. Truth be told, it was probably just morbid curiosity. I was 10 years removed from playing a competitive sport in college and a train wreck compared to these machines.
I get in my posture and, almost as if in a push-up, work my hands back towards the line. I leave my left arm back with one leg out and then I'm off, head down and arms making big pumps for the first five yards. Then I break into form, arms and elbows tight and my fingertips never going above eye level, all while keeping my head down. I run past the 40 and into the wrestling mat about 10 yards beyond the finish line. It felt good; it felt better than 30 days ago.
Michael Baker, a program director at TEST and one of the trainers I often turn to for advice is holding the stop watch. His expression is blank. "5.78 — you're down almost two-tenths of a second," Baker said smiling. I get a cheer from the guys.
In a world where a player can earn tens of thousands of dollars over a tenth of a second, I was .17 seconds closer to what Bowie State linebacker Delano Johnson likes to tell me is "making money." Everything these guys do, every last rep, is about doing it right and getting better, faster and stronger. It impacts their future.
The vertical jump followed, and I wasn't really sure I had made as much progress here from my 24 inches measured four weeks ago. Would the grueling leg workouts translate to the vertical? I played goalkeeper in college at Montclair State University so I had a decent vertical as I needed to come out and challenge for crosses. But this is just straight up as high as you can.
It is important to start low to be "explosive," as Baker puts it -- feet even and you're in a squat type position. You then jump — straight up — while getting full extension of the arms. You want that extra inch — you need that extra inch. I will be given three tries and Baker is standing there ready to see where I notch. The first two jumps came in at 25 inches and then 26.5 inches so something seems to be working, I've made gains. It is the last one that counts the most.
I swear that Dikembe Mutombo would have been proud. I hit 27 inches.
"That's a good vertical," Mike Brown out of Virginia said after. "It's really important as a defensive back to show you can do that, get up there. That extra inch matters — just look at the final play of the Super Bowl this year."
Progress is being made — can't wait to see what the next month brings.
NFL Draft 2012: Pre-Combine Training
Essential for NFL Prospects
Published: February 14, 2012 by Joel Barker, Bleacher Report | Original Article
Not every graduating senior or early
NFL draft entry is gifted enough to be a solid first-round projection. With 3,000-plus former college players vying to be one of April's
224 draft selections, it's hard enough to be drafted at all, much less in the first round of the most analyzed amateur draft in all of
professional sports.
Postseason events such as the East-West Shrine Game, the Senior Bowl and the Players All-Star Classic give graduating seniors a chance to set themselves apart in front of the discerning eyes of NFL scouts, draft analysts and experts.
While those games and the pre-game workouts generate plenty of scouting buzz, February's NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis is the scouting mecca for all things pre-draft. The invitation-only event features over 300 of the top NFL prospects for the upcoming draft.
A player's draft stock can hold steady, skyrocket or bottom-out based on his performance at the combine. While it's not the be-all-end-all for the top-tier prospects, the combine is potentially a make-or-break opportunity for more than half the athletes participating in the workouts.
For prospects in the mid-to-late round projected range, the difference between being drafted in the fourth or the seventh round could literally be just a few hundredths of a second on a stopwatch.
The monetary difference between the two is represented in zeroes, rather than seconds.
However, for those athletes on the fringe, there is hope for improvement. Across the nation there are scores of training facilities where everyone from first-round locks to fourth-round hopefuls hone their craft before the biggest job interview of their lives at the combine.
One such facility is the TEST Football
Academy Powered By Parisi Speed School. With locations in New Jersey and South Florida, TEST/Parisi Football bills itself as "The Choice of
the Pros."
TEST founder and CEO Brian Martin considers his company "a one-stop shop for the medical, physical, mental" preparation needed to make sure the athletes under his tutelage "ace the test."
Martin, a former college football player himself, takes pride in the quality of athlete he recruits and the solid NFL prospects TEST/Parisi turns out on a yearly basis.
TEST's NFL combine program consists of eight weeks of intense training. Football players willing to spend 40-50 hours a week for two months improving their skills are exactly the kind of athletes Martin wants at TEST/Parisi.
"If you’re not ready to work, don’t come to us," Martin said in a recent interview.
Martin continued, "It’s a do or die attitude for the guys who are in the lower half of the draft or not on the draft board. They know they need to hit perfect times in order to be considered by a team."
Martin knows exactly what he's talking about too.
One of Martin's success stories is Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Terrance Knighton.
The former Temple defensive lineman came to TEST before the 2009 NFL combine as a 340-pound, seventh-round prospect. Knighton left TEST at 318 pounds, ran a 4.92 40-yard dash at his pro day and was selected in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
Martin also worked with eventual top-10 pick Patrick Peterson before last year's combine.
"Patrick always brought the intensity. Your typical first rounder is not as locked-in as he was," Martin said. "Your typical first rounder knows he’s a first rounder and doesn't work as hard."
Still, Martin admits that there's one aspect of each prospect's game that is pivotal for success at getting to the next level. "Our philosophy is that speed is everything," Martin said.
He continued, "When it comes to the combine you gotta be as fast as possible—not only in the 40-yard dash but in every drill and skill. At the end of the day our process is to make each athlete as fast as possible."
TEST/Parisi is accomplishing that by utilizing the expertise of world-class sprinter Ato Bolden in its training program. Martin said, "Ato is the best sprint mechanics guy in the world." Three to four days a week, the four-time Olympic medalist helps prospects shave time off their 40 by coaching the proper methods of sprinting.
Of the 60 prospects on the TEST/Parisi roster, only about 15 were invited the NFL Combine. But for Martin and TEST/Parisi, it's always been more about quality rather than quantity.
"We tend to get the grinders. We get good kids. We don't get kids who are polluted early," Martin explained.
When it comes to training for the NFL combine, preparation is key for every athlete. The training provided to these former student-athletes by TEST/Parisi, and others like it, between the end of their college career and the NFL draft has become an essential part of that preparation.
Lessons Learned Will Eventually
Get Players Past TESTs
Published: February 9, 2012 by Omar Kelly, South Florida Sun Sentinel | Original Article
What impressed me more than the position, and skill drill instruction being done at TEST Football Academy during my visit this week was the football and life lessons being taught by a number of former NFL veterans.
“Everyone starts on special teams unless you’re a first round pick. I did,” former Miami Dolphins cornerback Sam Madison said to the linebackers and defensive backs during one of the drills he was running. “You better take it seriously!”
Madison, whom the Dolphins used a second-round pick on back in 1997 indeed played special teams before he went on to become an accomplished starter, and four-time Pro Bowler.
Just about every NFL player except the studs who are too valuable to risk injury play on special teams. Starting receiver Brian Hartline does it. Vontae Davis, a first round pick, does it. Vernon Carey and Paul Soliai have done it for years. But not everyone knows that.
Few people pay enough attention to the third phase of the game.
Madison was dropping knowledge on these draft prospects, who hung on his every word (and he had a lot), and that was just one of about a dozen or so gems I heard in my fly on the wall role at TEST. See video below:
Mark Duper, who I want coaching college receivers because he’s good, was going H.A.M. on his receivers all day, finding fault in just about every thing they did.
“Why do the scouts want to see you catch over your shoulder, I don’t know?” Duper said. “But that’s what they want to see so give it to them.”
Duper was hilarious. He was engaging, and he was right. Duper, who tutored former UM standouts Tommy Steeter and Leonard Hankerson, was giving the TEST receivers exactly what their NFL position coaches will. He was paying attention to the details.
At one point Duper yelled, “You got some good quarterbacks out here now so I don’t want to see any dropped balls.”
He was referring to the four new quarterbacks TEST brought from their New Jersey training facility to work with Chad Pennington, who was working on everyone’s footwork, decision making, and mechanics (I learned a lot).
I’ve been to a number of combine camps over the past decade. One of my fondest memories as a reporter is telling a young Patrick Peterson, who was Patrick Johnson back in high school, what he was doing wrong in his 40-yard run at a Nike High School player combine. Got to sprint through the finish line, going an extra 10 yards.
I learned the trick from Pete Bommarito, who runs an elite combine camp in Aventura.
I’ve got a great deal of respect for each of these combine programs. They teach players how to win the dog and pony show that the NFL Combine has become.
But I’m certain every player at TEST will be better prepared for an NFL camp, and what comes after it because of the instructors they are learning from.
“You ever heard of a guy named Keenan McCardell?” former NFL tailback Errict Rhett asked former FAU linebacker Mike Lockley, who spent 2011 with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but recently got cut.
Lockley worked at TEST last offseason and it helped this undrafted linebacker stick on the Jaguars 53 all last season. He’s presently looking for a new team, and Rhett was trying to keep him encouraged.
“[McCardell] got cut every week! Every week in Cleveland before he got a real shot in Jacksonville,” Rhett told Lockley. “You got to keep pressing.”
That’s great advice for any profession, or aspect of our lives.
G.G.G.
Former Dolphins & NFL Players Training Draft Prospects at TEST Academy
Published: February 8, 2012 by Omar Kelly, South Florida Sun Sentinel | Original Article
TEST Football Academy has used a number of former Dolphins & NFL players as instructors in their combine training program
BOCA RATON —
Former Florida Atlantic tight end Darian Williams saw an opening and took it.
Antwon Blake tried to drive Williams inside, where he supposedly had safety help during an instructional drill. But the former UTEP cornerback got too close and Williams cut sharp on a post route and the quarterback zipped a pass his way.
"That's what I'm talking bout!" former NFL fullback Keith Byars yells while sprinting 30 yards downfield to congratulate Williams, his new understudy at TEST Football Academy, which trains former college football standouts as they prepare for the NFL draft process.
Sam Madison, the secondary coach at TEST, immediately pulls Blake aside for some one-on-one instruction.
The former Dolphins cornerback walks him through the coverage, this time in slow motion. The goal is to make sure he doesn't make the same mistake again.
That's the kind of instruction two dozen draft prospects sign up, and pay a couple thousand for.
It's the reason TEST founder and CEO Brian Martin calls on former pros like Byars, Madison, Mark Duper, Chad Pennington, Errict Rhett, and four-time Olympic medalist, sprinter Ato Boldon, to serve as instructors at his Florida Atlantic University based training program.
"They give you the ins and outs, things coaches are looking for," Ole Miss tailback Brandon Bolden said of the instructors. "It's a blueprint."
TEST is primarily based in New Jersey, but Martin started running a combine camp at FAU two years ago.
His team of trainers, coaches and therapists have worked with everyone from Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson, a first-round pick last year, to Dolphins tailback Daniel Thomas.
Boldon, a Miramar native, is accustomed to training Olympic sprinters, so he initially felt working with football players would be a waste of his time and efforts.
Then he attended an NFL combine three years ago and noticed the horrendous form most football players used in their 40-yard dash sprints, which are used to measure a player's straight line speed.
"A lot of guys have athleticism, but their technique is awful," Boldon said. "It's not a whole lot of effort required [to improve], but your technique has to be flawless."
Learning it takes commitment and discipline. But good technique could be the difference between a 4.66 40-yard dash time and one run in 4.45 seconds, which could be worth millions in NFL salary.
Training facilities like TEST, which are becoming more common throughout the country, work with draft prospects for weeks, if not months, getting them ready for all-star games, the combine, and their school's pro day.
Last offseason TEST became one of the few facilities that trained dozens of NFL players during last year's lockout.
"The weather was a big factor," Martin said, explaining why his facility opened a branch in South Florida, where once a week his clients train on the beach.
"There are a lot of facilities that do what we do, but we're focused on bringing in the proper resources to get them prepared, providing good instruction. These guys need an army around them to succeed."
That's why former pros like Duper are around to explain the proper body positioning for certain catches.
Pennington conducts classroom tutorials with former college stars like LSU's Jordan Jefferson and Richmond's Aaron Corp, helping them improve their understanding of defenses, and the football jargon they'll need to use to impress NFL executives.
"[I'm talking] to them about how to be a professional, the little things, understanding how important the details are. They're magnified now because the competition is greater," said Pennington, who works with TEST clients twice a week.
"The athleticism is greater [in the NFL], which means the details must be paid more attention to because you just can't be a better athlete anymore."
Technique, fundamentals and focus have to be sharp because that's what's needed to move from an NFL team's draft board to their 53-man roster.
"You know I got that BB gun loose. Better get ready," Madison warned his defensive backs and linebackers on Tuesday after South Carolina State safety Christian Thompson dropped a possible interception Madison fired his way.
"That's exactly what it's going to look like coming from those NFL arms. Better be ready!"
NFLs Future Interview with TEST Football Academy CEO Brian Martin
Published: February 3, 2012 | Original Article
The NFL Combine has become an entity of its own. A sporting spectacle that features world class athletes on the pressure packed stage of Lucas Oil Stadium. The athletes that are chosen to participate embark on a whirlwind tour of events that culminates in the most important interview of their lifetimes.
The amount of training and preparation that goes into this event for each athlete is mind numbing. Recently, I had a chance to sit down with the CEO of TEST Football Academy, Brian Martin to discuss the preparation of their athletes.
TEST Football Academy has recently partnered with the Parisi Speed School to train football players at all levels. The primary focus of TEST is training collegiate athletes that are about to embark on professional playing careers. TEST has worked with some of the biggest names in the NFL, including Patrick Peterson, Joe Flacco, Ryan Clady, and James Laurinaitis. With multiple locations in metro New York City and South Florida they help prepare NFL veterans and future draft picks prepare for the grueling life that is known as the NFL.
“It’s important to look at these athletes from a scout’s eye. We’re not training for a track meet.” Martin’s intensity about training becomes crystal clear at this point as the intensity is felt in his voice. It becomes apparent that this 19-year vet takes pride in producing world class athletes. In doing so, they have brought in this impressive list of former players.
TEST’s training staff is a who’s who of former athletes that includes Chad Pennington, Sam Madison, and Olympic sprinter Ato Boldon. What became clear in my discussion with Brian was the value placed on the athlete and the importance of providing cutting edge training for his roster of players.
“We look to bring in coaches that have actual playing experience at the highest levels of their sports. Guys like Chad Pennington and Sam Madison that have been through the fires and can relate to the process these athletes undergo.”
Martin’s investment in his athletes becomes evident when he starts discussing his roster of players taking part in NFL Draft preparation this season. Martin can tell you the ins and outs of each player and proves that TEST approaches the process from a scout’s eye. Spotting talent isn’t the talent in scouting. It’s about the preparation to know every intricate detail of one’s life. An investment of what could be millions of dollars is about to be made and missing on it could be a monumental financial loss. TEST will prepare athletes for every aspect of the process to ensure that there won’t be any pitfalls.
I came away from our roughly thirty minute conversation impressed with the dedication of this group and the measures they take to ensure that TEST athletes are optimizing their performance and peaking at the right time. For TEST athletes is not about being good combine performers but having sustainable gains that they can carry through their pro careers.
TEST Football Academy Powered by Parisi Speed School to Serve as Official Strength & Conditioning Partner at Players All-Star Classic
Little Rock, Arkansas (January 31, 2012)—TEST Football Academy Powered by Parisi Speed School, one of the top training facilities preparing college football players for the NFL Combine in the country, has been selected as the official strength and conditioning partner of the Players All Star Classic. TEST Founder/CEO Brian Martin and Owner/COO Kevin Dunn will be leading stretching and warm-up exercises for all the players throughout the week.
Martin and Dunn will also make a presentation to the players on Wednesday evening on the keys to enhancing their NFL Draft status. Martin, a 19-year sports veteran in the performance industry and a certified strength and conditioning specialist, and Dunn, a bio-mechanics and performance coach, will review the specific drills at the Combine and where each of the players’ weaknesses lie based on reports from scouts and then create personalized plans for each player on how to improve his showing at the Combine.
“The Players All-Star Classic is a great event for pro scouts to get one final look at these top athletes in game day action prior to the NFL Combine,” added Martin. “Our role in training the players, both here and at TEST Football Academy, is to instill these players with the knowledge and confidence to achieve their peak performance on the field and at the Combine. We want to make sure these athletes are physically and mentally prepared for the toughest competition they will face and to exceed all expectations.”
The Players All-Star Classic, a college football all-star game will be played at War Memorial Stadium, AT&T Field in Little Rock, Arkansas at 4:00 PM Eastern on February 4, 2012.
In addition to serving as the official strength and conditioning partner, TEST is helping several of the athletes competing in the All-Star Classic in preparing for the upcoming NFL Combine and pro workout days. These athletes include:
North:
Alex Tanney, QB, Monmouth State (Ill)
Ronnie Cameron, DT, Old Dominion
Josue Ortiz, DE, Harvard
Tahir Whitehead, LB, Temple
South:
Aaron Corp, QB, Richmond/USC
Brandon Bolden, RB, Ole Miss
Jaymes Brooks, OL, Virginia
Tech
Jordan Jefferson, QB, LSU
Jerico Nelson, DB, Arkansas
Tyler Urban, TE, West Virginia
Landon Walker, OG, Clemson
About TEST Football Academy Powered by Parisi Speed School:
Over the past decade, TEST Football Academy and Parisi Speed School have been the nation’s top authorities in preparing college
football players for the NFL Combine. The TEST and Parisi team is made up of the best practitioners in the industry including
performance enhancement specialists, football position specific coaches, nutritionists, therapists and doctors. TEST and Parisi have
produced the fastest 40-yard-dash at 10 different positions, including the overall fastest man at the 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2006 NFL
Combine; the 3rd fastest man at the 2002, 2004 and 2006 Combine and two athletes tied for second overall in 2011 (both weighing in at
over 212 pounds). TEST/Parisi athletes have shattered six all-time Combine record in the 20 and 60 yard shuttles and the 3-cone drill
and have won individual events at 10 different positions. These impressive results have helped 192 of the TEST/Parisi trained players
get drafted over the past 10 years. Past clients of TEST and Parisi NFL Combine Training include Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, Patrick Peterson
and Osi Umenyiora.
Contact: Rachel Gary
201.615.9629/Rachel.GaryPR@gmail.com
Bailey, Kinne help National beat American 20-14 in the inaugural NFLPA Collegiate Bowl
Published: January 21, 2012 by Associated Press
Featured in the Washington Post | Original Article
CARSON, Calif. — Stuck on the depth chart behind Colt McCoy at Texas, G.J Kinne transferred to Tulsa to get a shot at more playing time. After starting for two seasons and making his mark on the school’s record book, he ready to take the leap to the NFL.
Kinne and Syracuse running back Antwon Bailey rushed for touchdowns, helping the National beat the American 20-14 on Saturday in the inaugural NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.
Kinne ranks third on Tulsa’s career passing list with 6,382 yards and 53 touchdowns. He was the 2011 Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year.
“I have no doubt that I can make it. I just need a chance” said Kinne, who completed 6 of 9 passes for 79 yards and was selected the MVP. “Hopefully, tonight I was able to showcase my abilities a little bit.”
Washington’s Erik Folk kicked field goals of 26 and 45 yards for the National, which jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the Southern California showcase for draft-eligible prospects.
Eastern Washington’s Bo Levi Mitchell and LSU’s Jarrett Lee threw touchdown passes to help the American squad rally. Illinois running back Jason Ford ran for 27 yards and Da’Jon McKnight of Minnesota caught four passes for a game-high 49 yards.
“It was a great experience playing with other guys from around the country,” Ford said.
Super Bowl-winning coaches Tom Flores and Dick Vermeil served as coaches. Flores, the first minority head coach in professional football history to win a Super Bowl, guided the American squad. Vermeil, who led the St. Louis Rams to the title in 1999, instructed the National team.
There were at least some football-starved fans in attendance hopeful of the NFL’s potential return to Los Angeles in the coming years. At one point during the second quarter, a contingent of Rams supporters chanted “Bring them home! bring them home!”
“That was a very warm experience for me,” Vermeil said. “We sure need a team back in LA.”
AstroTurf served as the title sponsor for the weeklong events, which included community outreach, a football clinic for local youths and the NFLPA PULSE Awards on Friday night in downtown Los Angeles. The game itself was played at the Home Depot Center on freshly installed AstroTurf in place of the stock natural grass.
The National capitalized in the second quarter when Lee and Southern wide receiver Jared Green misplayed an end-around that was recovered by UNLV’s B.J. Bell at the American 20. Kinne scrambled up the middle for a touchdown on the ensuing play to put the National ahead 17-0.
Kinne said he’s soaking up his final days as a college player and plans on getting serious about preparing for the NFL draft in the coming days.
“I’m just having fun right now,” Kinne said. “I’ll start training next week.”
The American squad got on the scoreboard when Lee found Hampton’s Isaiah Thomas in the back of the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown pass with 1:51 left in the first half.
Mitchell hit Oregon’s Lavasier Tuinei across the middle for 11 yards to pull the American to 17-14 in the third. Folk’s second field goal early in the fourth extended the lead to 20-14.
The American team had a touchdown called back when Mitchell’s strike to Miami’s Aldarius Johnson was nullified for holding. It also had two drives at the tying or go-ahead score end on interceptions by Nick Stephens of Tarleton State.
Late in the fourth quarter, American went for it on fourth down in National territory but Baylor’s Tracy Robertson sacked Stephens. It wasn’t until then that the competitive Vermeil was able to finally exhale.
“I felt like it was the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl,” Vermeil said. “There is no such thing as a competition you don’t want to do well in.”
Bailey, who finished with 50 yards on the ground, ran for an 8-yard touchdown to give the National a 10-0 lead in the second quarter. Folk had kicked a short field goal on the opening drive.
Miami had a game-high five players represented while UCLA had four. Joining Harris from the Hurricanes were Johnson, offensive tackle Brandon Washington, defensive end Marcus Robinson and linebacker Jordan Futch.
For Flores, who has been out of coaching since 1995, the return to Los Angeles and the sidelines brought back a sense of nostalgia. He’s responsible for leading the Los Angeles Raiders to Southern California’s only Super Bowl win.
“It showed me that I missed the game a lot,” he said. “It’s so much fun being on the field with these young kids.”
Chad Pennington Interview with AM640 Sports
To listen to the interview click here.
Emil Igwenagu Interview with AM640 Sports
To listen to the interview click here.
Kee-Ayre Griffin to Play in AstroTurf
NFLPA Collegiate Bowl
Contact: Cathy Bongiovi (CathyB@temple.edu)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (1/12/12) – Temple DB Kee-ayre Griffin (East Orange , N.J.) has been selected to play in the inaugural AstroTurf NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on January 21, the NFL Players Association announced on Thursday. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. PT (6 p.m. ET) on NBC Sports.
The defensive back will be one of 100 draft-eligible players competing at The Home Depot Center on the campus of California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson, Calif.
Standout coaches, both active and former, will come together under the direction of Super Bowl-winning coaches Tom Flores and Dick Vermeil. The staffs will spend a week preparing the 100 draft-eligible players to showcase their talent on the NBC Sports Network and in front of 25,000 fans and scouts.
Griffin started 12 games at corner for the Owls in 2011. He finished the season with 49 tackles, three interceptions, two break-ups, and two blocked kicks. In his final game in the Cherry & White, Griffin returned an interception 30 yards in the win over Wyoming in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl.
Griffin joins fellow seniors OL Derek Dennis (Peekskill, N.Y.), DB Kevin Kroboth (Nazareth, Pa.), TE Evan Rodriguez (North Bergen, N.J.), and OL Wayne Tribue (York, Pa.) to participate in All-Star games this month. Kroboth and Tribue will participate in the Casino Del Sol All-Star Game on January 16, while Dennis and Rodriguez will play in the East-West Shrine Game® on Jan. 21.
The AstroTurf NFLPA Collegiate Bowl is also more than just an all-star game for participants. The week-long educational experience will provide them with valuable information for how to succeed both on and off the field. Coaches Flores and Vermeil will be supported by hand-picked staffs of active NFL players and coaching legends, and everyone contributing to the game is committed to engaging and educating the game’s participants on preparing for the business of football.
The week will also bring the excitement of professional football back to Los Angeles as the player participants interact with the Southern California community through youth clinics and fan appreciation initiatives.
Adding Hollywood glitz and glamour, the NFLPA PULSE Awards will be held in downtown L.A. on the eve of the game. The annual event honors some of the biggest names in the NFL for accomplishments on and off the field.
Exciting partnerships with some of the most recognizable names in sporting events ensures the AstroTurf NFLPA Collegiate Bowl will provide a professional-level experience for its players, fans and sponsors. The Home Depot Center has hosted some of the finest competitions in international athletics, where AstroTurf will unveil an innovative field. AEG and IMG bring elite management teams and unparalleled sporting event expertise to the inaugural game.
Tickets are on sale now and start at only $15. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at (800) 745-3000 and at The Home Depot Center Box Office. Groups of 10 or more will receive group discounted rates and other incentives by calling 1.877.AEG.TICKETS (877.234.8425) or purchasing online at www.aegtickets.com. Additional details can also be found at the event homepage at www.homedepotcenter.com/nflpabowl.
Parisi Speed School and TEST Sports Clubs Combine Expertise for NFL Combine Training
Published: November 15, 2011, Wyckoff, New Jersey
Parisi Speed School and TEST Sports Combine today announced that they will combine their proven NFL Combine expertise to deliver 2011-2012 NFL Combine training programs. With the top three official 40s times in the 2011 NFL Combine, and a Pro-Bowl lineup of specialize position coaches, this partnership is the pathways to the pros for aspiring NFL players.
Parisi Speed School and TEST Football Academy today announced that they will combine their proven NFL Combine expertise to deliver 2012 NFL Combine training programs. With the top three official 40s times in the 2011 NFL Combine, and a Pro-Bowl lineup of specialized position specific coaches, this partnership is the pathway to the pros for aspiring NFL players. The TEST-Parisi NFL Combine Training Program has collectively 20 years of experience and 192 draft picks yielding an unparalleled training experience. The TEST-Parisi NFL Combine Training will run out of facilities in South Florida, and two Jersey Strong Flagship locations in at Parisi Speed School in Fair Lawn, and TEST Sports Clubs in Martinsville, New Jersey.
The NFL Combine Coaching Teams include specialized position coaches, Strength and conditioning and Speed Coaches, Physicians, Physical Therapy, Chiropractic, Sports Psychologists, and Nutritionists. A stellar lineup of NFL Training Coaches includes names such as: Chad Pennington (QB Coach – FL Jets / Dolphins), Scott Brunner (Offensive Coordinator NJ & FL Giants) Ato Boldon (4 X Olympic Sprint Medalist), Skip Fuller (Performance Director Martinsville, NJ - Miami Dolphins), Geir Gudmundsen (Performance Director Fair Lawn, NJ Buffalo Bills – OL Coach) Rich Sadiv (World Champion Power Lifter - Fair Lawn, NJ), Jevon Kearse (ProBowl ) Billy Ard (All Century Team & Superbowl champ - Giants), Eric Dorsey (2X Super Bowl Champ – DL Coach) and Will Shields (Kansas City Chiefs, 12 time Pro Bowler).
The TEST-Parisi NFL Combine and Pro Training programs, which have a client list of NFL Players such as: Joe Flacco, Chris Long, Patrick Peterson, Cliff Avril, Ray Rice, Lawrence Sidbury, Mark Sanchez and Buster Skrine, train their athletes to increase speed, agility, strength, develop position prowess, accent psychological preparation for the NFL Combine, and work with their agents to position athletes for NFL success.
TEST Sports Clubs has also joined the Parisi Speed School Network by implementing a Parisi franchise inside its 24,000 sq ft state of the art facility in Martinsville, NJ. This will be the 10th location in NJ for the Parisi Speed School franchise with over 70 locations across the country. With the Parisi Speed School offering a laser focus on the youth development market and TEST Sports focus on elite and Pro Sports Academies with specific focus on Football, this partnership brings two incredible brands together to offer the most comprehensive athletic development programs in the country.
Further information on this exciting combination for NFL Combine Training can be obtained by visiting TESTfootballacademy.com, emailing dwight@TESTsportsclubs.com or by calling (732) 271-1000 Ext. 233.
Bart Scott Interview at TEST
Sunday Night Matchup—Jets vs. Pats
Bart Scott interviewed at TEST discussing the Patriots and Can't Wait!
Ravens' Quarterback Joe Flacco Carries Load vs. Steelers
Published: September 12, 2011, by Jon Saraceno, USA Today | Original Article
BALTIMORE – Someone say monkey … on Joe Flacco's shoulder pads?
"I don't feel one," Flacco said Sunday. "You guys may have taken it off for me."
For the first time in seven meetings, a Flacco-led Baltimore Ravens team defeated a Ben Roethlisberger-commandeered Pittsburgh Steelers contingent, a 35-7 thumping in an AFC North showdown between archrivals. Still, with no Super Bowl rings and minus Roethlisberger's reputation for last-minute sandlot-style heroics, "Joe Cool" is no "Big Ben" — yet.
Sunday, that was a good thing.
The Ravens' defense hit Roethlisberger often and hard. The Steelers' two-time NFL champion threw three interceptions, lost two fumbles and was sacked four times.
"No one guy has ever won an NFL game," Flacco said.
Maybe so, but this time, the fourth-year passer outdueled the Steelers' veteran gunslinger. It wasn't even a fair fight. Flacco, who emerged from the locker room throwing six consecutive completions, heaved three touchdown passes without an interception for a 117.6 rating. A fourth potential TD in the fourth quarter, to Anquan Boldin, was disallowed because of a penalty.
Under Flacco, the Ravens offense was under control because the quarterback did a masterful job of changing plays. Baltimore's reconfigured offensive line kept him clean and afforded him time to locate receivers.
"Joe was good," said Boldin, who snagged a 27-yard touchdown pass on the game's third play from scrimmage. "We hear the rumbles outside this locker room, saying this and that (about him). Ask them what they have to say now."
Executing offensive coordinator Cam Cameron's shrewd game plan, Flacco occasionally was brilliant with deft passes. Mostly, he was efficient, calm and relaxed. He threw for 224 yards, including 162 in the first half when he also had a 35-yard completion to Ed Dickson that was nullified by penalty.
If nothing else, Flacco, 26, took another step toward becoming one of the NFL's elite passers, and to answering the big question: Is he a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback?
"Joe put this offense on his shoulders today," said Ravens running back Ray Rice, who rushed for 107 yards and scored two TDs, the second on a 11-yard reception in the second quarter. "It was the Joe Flacco Show and I was just a co-star."
Roethlisberger was mere bit player in this Steelers tragedy. He completed 52.9% of his passes for one score, producing a 52.9 rating as the Ravens defense forced a team-record seven turnovers. It was hardly all his fault as he scrambled for his life. Afterward, he called the defeat a "bump in the road."
Despite leading Baltimore to the playoffs for a third consecutive season in 2010, Flacco remained a convenient bull's-eye for critics. They don't like the quarterback's calm demeanor when things go wrong — or right, as they did Sunday.
"Hey, believe me, I am just as excited as the next guy (about beating the Steelers)," he said. "I'm just not going to show it necessarily. This win is going to mean a lot — if we go out there and take care of business like we should the rest of the season."
Last season, Flacco passed for a career-high 3,622 yards and 25 touchdowns.
During the last 14 weeks of the regular season, he was the NFL's No. 2-ranked passer.
His first three seasons as a Raven produced 36 victories, including playoffs (only Hall of Famer Dan Marino had as many in the same amount of time).
Still, the critics circle the Ravens quarterback.
He knows that not even Sunday's result will change that.
"There's always going to be critics," he said. "Turn around, 10 weeks down the road, and something (negative) might happen. OK, it's back again. Who knows? For the time being, maybe, but I doubt it will last too long."
Congrats Joe from the TEST TEAM!
Washington Redskins' Barry Cofield Ready to Tackle New Role
Published: August 3, 2011, by Gary Graves, USA Today | Original Article
ASHBURN, Va. — One obvious difference between Barry Cofield and the player he replaces — a name and subject the Washington Redskins are clearly done with — is his enthusiasm to play at nose tackle or elsewhere up front in a 3-4 defensive scheme.
The free agent has spent most of the past week on the sidelines in a T-shirt and shorts, waiting until he can practice today, per league rules. But Cofield's eagerness might stem most from the chance to be the central focus, so to speak, after being part of the crowd with the New York Giants.
Not that career highs of 54 tackles and four sacks last season in the Giants' 4-3 alignment went overlooked.
"Being in New York (and) playing with those stars we got up there, I didn't get a lot of accolades and attention as it was," said Cofield, alluding to defensive ends Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck. "But the Redskins obviously saw something in me. They watched the tape, and I've played quite well here in Washington and had some of my best games on (FedEx) field.
"If you play this position well, if you play nose tackle well, you get recognition and you end up playing in Hawaii (at the Pro Bowl)."
For now, change is the theme for Cofield and the Redskins: As the six-year veteran adapts to a new city and assignment, Washington moves on from the Albert Haynesworth saga and hopes to rise from 31st in the NFL in total defense. Haynesworth, who clashed last season with coach Mike Shanahan over playing the nose tackle position as well as fitness issues before being suspended for the final four games, was dealt to the New England Patriots last week for a draft choice.
Then Cofield signed a six-year contract worth $36 million, according to The Washington Post, which includes a guaranteed $12.5 million. The Redskins also added former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Stephen Bowen, coming off consecutive six-sack seasons while playing in a 3-4 alignment.
Washington's hope is that their experience and success, combined with holdovers such as 6-6, 315-pound Adam Carriker and 6-3, 360-pound Anthony Bryant, yields tangible results in the system's second season after a disappointing debut Bryant said went beyond the Haynesworth drama.
"I can't put the blame on (Haynesworth), because we just had to get better as a team," said Bryant, on his seventh team, including practice squads, in seven years. "Last year, we didn't know the basics. Now that we know the fundamentals, we just have to go higher to the next level and have more confidence. It's a whole new world."
For skeptics wondering if Cofield, at 6-4, 306 pounds, will be as misplaced as his predecessor, he notes that he played nose tackle at Northwestern and in his 2006 rookie season with the Giants under then-defensive coordinator Tim Lewis.
Being listed as a defensive tackle and nose demonstrates his versatility, while playing 79 of 80 games (with 78 starts) highlights his durability.
"I play a lot of my game on technique," said Cofield, noting his Big Ten Conference pedigree. "I feel like I'm a great technician. I play with great pad level, great leverage, and the low man usually wins. It's not always about size. I feel like I'm strong enough and have the mentality, and when I play with the proper technique and follow ( defensive line coach Jacob) Burney's and (defensive coordinator Jim) Haslett's guidance, I think I'll be successful."
Haslett, who is in his second year with the Redskins like Shanahan, is happy to have Cofield in camp.
"He knows the scheme, which helps. He'll play nose for us and also play some (at) end," the former New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Rams coach said. "He does everything right. He's a great technician, and I just think he's a heck of a player, a big, powerful guy."
As Cofield looks forward to facing his former team in the Sept. 11 season opener at FedEx Field, his new home, that enthusiasm pales compared to the energy he can't wait to unleash today when he finally suits up and gets to work with his new teammates.
After more than seven months of waiting, Cofield isn't concerned with where he plays, just that he's playing.
"It's good to be in the meetings and get a chance to meet everybody and learn visually by watching practice, but we're all itching to get on the field," he said. "Obviously, with the lockout, it's been a very long, drawn-out process, so we're all foaming at the mouth, ready to get on the field."
Ragged Play, Free Agency Frenzy Ahead for NFL
Published: July 26, 2011, by BARRY WILNER, AP Pro Football–Associated Press
TEST Football Academy client Mark Sanchez is ready.
If "futbol" is the beautiful game, football NFL style could be the
ugly stepchild this summer.
And maybe into the fall.
With the 4½-month lockout over, everything about the next few weeks,
perhaps months, in the NFL will be tough. The lockout erased all
offseason activities; dozens of players, particularly rookies or those
whose coaching staffs have changed, haven't seen playbooks yet. And it
prevented players from working out at team facilities with team doctors
and trainers, a key to staying in football shape.
"I think it's pretty much going to be a whirlwind," Bengals tight end
Reggie Kelly said Monday. "It's going to be a lot of not necessarily
chaos, but it's not going to be an ideal type of situation. A lot of
things are fast-forwarded ...
"Obviously, we've never faced anything like this before. We never faced
not having offseason training."
The whirlwind begins Tuesday when teams can start signing 2011 draft
picks and rookie free agents. They also can begin making trades and have
conversations with veteran free agents from all teams. But no signings
can occur until Friday, and there will be no window for teams to
negotiate exclusively with their own veteran free agents.
"It's going to be like speed dating," agent Joe Linta said. "I worry we
won't have the time to think about it like before. And we can't sign
until Friday and can't practice until (next) Monday or Tuesday or so.
"Every coach will need a personal psychiatrist."
Of primary concern is that the product on the field might not match what
the NFL usually provides, and that could be the biggest impact of the
lockout.
"I don't think the product is going to be as good as early, especially
if we have to play a preseason game as it's scheduled on a week's
practice," Cardinals star receiver Larry Fitzgerald said Monday after
the players' executive committee and team representatives approved a
labor agreement with the league. "That's going to be tough."
If fans thought preseason games were hard to watch before, just wait.
And don't wait for the big stars to make many appearances, at least not
until deep into the preseason. The first two weeks of exhibition games
might look like scrimmages — college scrimmages.
"I think we have to be very careful with these training camp practices
and preseason games," Kelly said. "A lot of players don't have
playbooks, a lot of young guys are not acclimated to the NFL yet. You
have to gradually work guys into the NFL system. I could see guys suffer
a lot of injuries, a lot of miscues and blown assignments. That's not
what you want out of NFL football. You want to give the fans a good,
quality game. Even if you err on the side of caution, I think that's
good."
Tell that to the folks dishing out regular-season prices for tickets.
Then again, maybe they should be used to hiding their eyes.
"How much sloppier can it get?" said Vikings linebacker Ben Leber, a
plaintiff in the antitrust lawsuit that 10 players filed against the NFL
on March 11. "You look at the first couple games of the preseason, even
when we have minicamps and OTAs, the quality of play is to the point
where nobody feels good about it. Now that we've missed all this
offseason time, there are going to be even more growing pains for
everybody."
With rookies and fringe players eager to impress, the prospect of
injuries is greater than ever.
"The lack of offseason will seriously affect those that have not
prepared on their own or at a facility," said Brian Martin, CEO of TEST
Football Academies in Florida and New Jersey, places where dozens of NFL
players train. "Based on working with over 60 active NFL guys, I believe
it is roughly 50-50 with those that are workers and those who are not.
Many rely on natural gifts, and they will be affected with the lack of
mandatory conditioning.
"The most common injuries will be pulled muscles, hamstrings and groins
primarily, due to lack of preparation," Martin said. "Players need to
lengthen and strengthen muscles in the offseason to be ready for the
rigors of the NFL."
No one can be ready for the rigors of a free agency frenzy, either.
Normally, on March 1, free agents are courted and wooed by various
bidders. They make visits to team facilities, meet with coaches and
other team personnel, perhaps with the owner. They sometimes even look
at potential housing.
Perhaps most significantly, they take physicals. It's not unheard of for
a team to pass on a free agent because of a sketchy physical — just ask
the Dolphins about Drew Brees' shoulder.
All of that could fall victim to the lockout.
"We'll be trying to get up to speed in 1½ weeks or two," Linta said.
"When they get on the field, it will be like trying to play a game right
after minicamp in May."
AP Sports Writers Joseph White, Joe Kay and Jon Krawczynski contributed
to this story
Jets' Jerricho Cotchery Recovered From Back Surgery, Returns to Football Field
Published: July 22, 2011, by Jenny Vrentas | Original Article
Jerricho Cotchery said he felt like a 7-year-old kid last week,
running and cutting at full speed in the summer heat, catching passes
from Mark Sanchez at a New Jersey high school field.
For five months, the Jets receiver had dedicated himself to the
laborious rehabilitation from
offseason back surgery. After receiving full medical clearance,
practicing routes with his quarterback was Cotchery’s reward.
“When you hit a field, you’re out there in open space and you’ve just
got to turn it on,” Cotchery said this week at TEST Sports Club in
Martinsville, where he has rehabbed and trained. “I was able to do that
and not be cautious. It felt good to be able to go out there and make
cuts and not think about anything.”
Pending the resolution of the NFL’s labor dispute, the Jets may soon be
reporting to Florham Park for training camp — and Cotchery said the back
specialist who performed his surgery gave him the official go-ahead last
week to participate fully. Cotchery, who underwent a microdiscectomy to
shave off part of a troublesome herniated disc, figures the team may
want to ease him back in as a precaution, though.
Cotchery’s recent “A-plus” bill of health is good news for the Jets, who
have three receivers — Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes and Brad Smith —
due to be free agents when the league returns to business. In his seven
seasons with the Jets, Cotchery has been a reliable staple of their
receiving corps, and he was determined to be ready to fill that role
again this fall.
In fact, the 29-year-old said he feels physically rejuvenated, a product
of relieving the painful condition in his back and a meticulous training
and rehab program that corrected movement patterns that had placed
stress on his body.
“The way the season went last year for me, I’m driven to get back on the
field and play the way I’m capable of playing,” Cotchery said. “Not
having experienced something this significant and not knowing how to
battle through it, through the course of a year was draining for me. I
spent a number of hours getting ready physically for the games, and the
mental part suffered.”
Cotchery’s back had bothered him since 2009, when he felt tightness
there after aggravating a hamstring injury in a Monday night game
against Miami. An MRI after the season revealed the herniated disc, but
the bulge was small enough then that surgery was not recommended.
It grew last season. Cotchery had epidurals in the summer and during the
bye week, but the pain sharpened in October. The herniated disc pushed
against a main nerve that ran down his left leg, causing pain in his
hamstring and, by the postseason, in his foot so that he had trouble
walking.
After surgery in February, Cotchery immediately felt a release of
pressure in his back, though it took time for the nerve to calm down. He
rested for six weeks, then began training sessions that sometimes lasted
as long as four hours.
But the rehab, and the lockout, gave him a chance to address flaws in
his movements that have stressed his body. With the trainers at TEST, he
worked on using the strong glute muscles in his buttocks to explode,
rather than his back. He learned to flex his foot up when running, to
avoid putting pressure on his hamstrings and back.
“The past couple years I’ve been dealing with the back, and you get used
to your body not working the right way,” Cotchery said. “But little
things make a huge difference. I’m better equipped moving forward.”
Cotchery says these small adjustments could prolong the length of his
career. In the short-term, he’s looking forward to a healthy football
season, without the painful condition of last fall — or the partially
torn groin he believes was related.
Between Cotchery’s 41 catches for 433 yards and two touchdowns were a
handful of uncharacteristic drops he’d like to have back. While Edwards,
Holmes and Smith have uncertain futures with the Jets right now,
Cotchery has been focused on making sure the unit’s constant presence
can be a consistent force.
“I would have loved to make some plays that I should have made last
year,” Cotchery said. “I think that would have helped us win more games
and help us get a home game in the playoffs.
“But hey, it happens, and I’m excited to get back out there, get back to
doing the things that everybody knows me for: Going out and working
hard, being reliable, making plays. If you’re not doing that, then who
are you? That’s what I’m anxious to do.”
Giants Rookie Running Back Da'Rel Scott Learning From his Idol, the Jets' LaDainian Tomlinson
Published: July 14, 2011, by Mike Garafolo | Original Article
Da’Rel Scott was very eager for the chance to work with LaDainian
Tomlinson — not just because of the teaching lesson the five-time Pro
Bowl selection would provide but also because Tomlinson was Scott’s
favorite running back growing up.
Except Scott left that last part out.
“I didn’t tell him that,” the Giants’ rookie running back said with a
laugh today after a workout at TEST Sports Clubs in Martinsville. “We’re
kind of like buds now. I can’t tell another man that, so I keep that to
myself.
“It was just a blessing, just having him help me out. He’s a great back,
a future Hall of Famer. I was just very blessed to be there.”
Scott should feel blessed to be working with a proven NFL runner while
catching passes from a veteran quarterback — albeit Tomlinson and Mark
Sanchez instead of the Giants’ Brandon Jacobs and Eli Manning. With the
NFL lockout threatening to delay the start of training camps, any
instruction and experience a seventh-round pick like Scott can receive
will prepare him for his abbreviated opportunity to earn a roster spot.
Still, it’s not the same as a normal rookie offseason, and Scott will be
one of many late-round picks and undrafted free agents who will suffer
from the loss of offseason workouts, OTAs and minicamps.
“I’m not focusing on that. I’m giving it to God right now and letting
him take care of it,” Scott said. “I’m just trying to take the negatives
and make them into positives right now.”
Scott has done that by
attending Eli Manning’s workouts in Hoboken this spring as well as
the
wider team workouts at Bergen Catholic in Oradell last month. During
the latter sessions, Scott received a copy of a partial playbook, though
he admits that doesn’t mean much without a coach to explain the concepts
behind the Xs, Os and arrows on the sheet.
But he did get a chance to see how his responsibilities fit into the
whole of the offense.
“You could look at the safeties and you could look at the linebackers,”
Scott said. “It helped a lot, instead of just going against air, and you
could visualize what you had to do.
“Safeties, they disguise it very, very well at the next level. You could
tell they were playing me a little bit. They would rotate and then
rotate again. That kind of gave me a little more, kind of just knowing
what’s going to happen.”
Scott, a self-proclaimed “rep guy” who learns by “taking reps and asking
questions,” hopes his progression will soon continue on a practice field
with his Giants teammates. At this point, he’d like to simply meet
Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw (if he doesn’t leave via free agency, of
course).
In the meantime, he’ll settle for some on-field time with his idol.
“He knew who I was,” Scott said of Tomlinson, “so that made it a hundred
times better.”
* * * *
After my interview with Scott, I spent a few minutes chatting with
TEST’s founder and CEO Brian Martin, who told me both Tomlinson and
Sanchez have been impressed with Scott’s quickness on the field. (The
players work out at a local high school under Martin's supervision.)
Martin said Sanchez told him Scott definitely has the burst to be an
effective NFL back.
Scott knows he must work on the mental part of his game, particularly
with his pass protections, and also on gripping the ball better. Martin
said he’s been swiping at the football when Scott runs past him and has
been emphasizing the “five points of pressure” to cure Scott’s fumbling
issues, which plagued him last season.
“I’m taking it personally,” Martin said of Scott’s ball security.
So will Tom Coughlin. Trust me.
* * * *
I had only a very brief chat today at TEST with DT Barry Cofield, whose
travails we’ve been following closely for over a year now. Back in May,
Cofield said he wanted his “fair chance to go out there and secure my
future,” which will likely be with another team, given the Giants’
needs at other positions.
This week, NFL.com reported the
Redskins are expected to make a strong push for Cofield. As I noted
in the article linked above, Washington will likely be joined in that
chase by a few teams, including the Rams, Saints, Broncos, Bears and
Seahawks.
Last night, in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, Cofield
acknowledged there’s a “great chance that I could be one of our Giants
free agents that would end up moving” elsewhere. But host Bryan McGovern
posed an interesting question: what if the Giants’ best offer is close
to what another team puts on the table?
“You know, that’s hard to say. If the numbers really were close I feel
like I’d definitely be inclined to stay,” Cofield said. “You know, I’m
not trying to envision it being that way just based on what I’ve been
hearing. And, like you said, based on the guys that we do have on our
D-line, the other free agents we have, the money they have tied up at
the defensive tackle position, you know, I have a hard time envisioning
them being able to offer the same type of deal that a team that’s
starving for a D tackle or a team that just has a lot of money to spend
could offer.
“But, you know, honestly if it were close, why uproot your family? Why
change everything that you know and you love? Like you mentioned, our
D-line, we’re a close-knit group, we play well together and we’ve had a
lot of success. So you don’t want to change that just for no reason.
But, realistically, in this league rosters turn over. There’s no
guarantee that if I sign with the Giants to stay with my teammates and
my friends that some of those guys won’t be changing teams in a week or
a year from that day. So you really have to just do what’s best for you
financially.
“You only get a short window to play this game, it’s very dangerous and
then the contracts are one sided, they’re not guaranteed. They can cut
you anytime so you have to do what’s best for yourself and your family
and your financial future. So that’s going to come first and after that
obviously there’s a special place in my heart for the Giants and Big
Blue.”
* * * *
And finally, a few updates on S Chad Jones, who
suffered gruesome injuries in a car accident last summer. Firstly,
if you missed the
profile by Jeff Duncan of our sister paper, The Times-Picayune, do
yourself a favor and check it out.
And for a visual, here’s Jones running
a football-type drill in a video provided by his physical therapist,
John Moran, who may or may not have been driven through a window right
after this video cuts out. Enjoy.
Work Stoppage Helping Some Players Doing Rehab
Published: June 15, 2011, by Barry Wilner, Associated Press | Original Article
MARTINSVILLE, N.J.—Offensive lineman Damien Woody is no Nastia Liukin.
So when the 320-pound Woody tries to balance on a metal strip laying on the artificial turf at the TEST Sports Club workout center, part of his rehab from a ruptured Achilles' tendon, it is, well, a bit awkward.
It's also productive, as are his, uh, leaps on a mini-trampoline, and his squats while holding weights in each hand, his back pushing against a huge, round ball.
And when Jets receiver Jerricho Cotchery imitates the crane pose from "The Karate Kid" to enhance his balance and rotational skills? Simply part of his regimen as he heals from back surgery.
Woody, a free-agent tackle who was hurt in the Jets' playoff victory at Indianapolis last January, and Cotchery are among dozens of NFL players fighting back from major injuries on their own because of the league's labor lockout. Some, such at Colts safety Chip Vaughn, can have contact with the team's doctor because that's who performed his left ankle operation.
Others, including New Orleans' Jon Stinchcomb, went back to his college roots for his rehab.
They all would be recovering and working at their team's facilities had there been no lockout, which is in its fourth month. And each of them normally would be fighting the itch to rush back and join their teammates for minicamps and the like.
This year, as the labor impasse continues, these players might be benefiting from the work stoppage.
"This has given a lot of guys time to heal and to get rid of those nagging little injuries, too," Cotchery says following more than an hour's worth of exercises, during which he displays the intense concentration any NFL wideout must have. "You can go at your own pace, get your rest, and that has benefited a lot of guys."
Adds Woody, with a tired smile, his T-shirt soaked with sweat: "Even if there were an offseason program now, I'd be doing rehab. I don't have to worry about the football side at all, just focus on getting 100 percent, and I'm getting closer. It's an opportunity to freshen up all the other aches and pains you get from playing 12 seasons in the NFL. So, yeah, in a way it's perfect timing to have the lockout."
Woody was released by the Jets on March 1, but he hopes to be back with them once he is fully recovered from what he calls "the most major injury of my career." He intends on playing somewhere in 2011, if there's a season.
So he spends his mornings at TEST, along with Cotchery; Jets star linebacker Bart Scott; defensive tackle Barry Cofield, a former Giant who is a free agent; and several other NFL players. Brian Martin, CEO of the facility and another in Florida, has several former players on his staff, plus a rehabilitating player in Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington.
"We're very careful to make sure we are in no way competing with what the teams do or want their players doing," Martin says. "But they know the players are getting intensive personal care and rehab work here from a highly trained group of professionals. Our only purpose is to help the players who are recovering from injuries to get well, or to keep the other players who come here, like Bart, in the best of shape."
Players who were injured last season have their recoveries paid for by their teams under workman's compensation plans. Vaughn, who is rehabbing in South Florida at Bommarito Performance Systems, is putting in more physical work than in other offseasons. That work simply doesn't involve playbooks and pass defense, because those aspects of his game depend on contact with the team -- which he can't have.
He starts his workout routine at 7:30 a.m. with two hours of rehab on both his ankle and left shoulder, which also was operated on in the offseason. Then comes stretching for an hour or more, followed by lifting weights.
He also does Pilates twice a week.
"If I was with the team, I'd be rehabbing still, but mixed in with meetings and practices," he says. "As far as team stuff goes, there isn't any of that now.
"This whole process is very delicate. I don't want to come back to the team in worse shape or with something lingering from last season to now. You don't want the team doubting how you were working. I can't give the Colts any reason to think I have not been busting my butt."
Vaughn also has been aided by garments made by Evidence Based Apparel that he might not have discovered without the extra recovery time the lockout has provided. He says his shoulders are stronger than ever -- and he's been plagued by shoulder issues since his freshman year at Wake Forest. Such EBA jackets and shirts also have been worn by Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Brian Urlacher and Troy Polamalu.
"The straps are positioned to help correct the posture," he says. "At first, I said, 'What the heck is that?' But they say in tests, if your posture is where it needs to be, your body produces at maximum output.
"My jumps would go higher and higher, and I knew this can't just be my rehab. I am starting to use every muscle in my back and shoulder and deltoids. The shirt helps you keep the kind of posture you are supposed to have."
There's supposed to be football right around now, too, from minicamps to optional workouts. Without that structure, players have had to improvise to get their own regimen in place.
"This lockout is nasty business," says Stinchcomb, coming off left knee surgery. "It poses each guy a little different set of issues and problems.
"The University of Georgia was quick to welcome not only me, but there were other former Georgia players in the training room at UGA. So obviously there was a lot of guys that returned to their college campus to get the rehab ... and you're just trying to make the best of it all the way around."
Cotchery is one of the NFL's most graceful players, yet he struggles with some of the movements Martin and his staff ask him to do. He admits the most difficult are those designed to enhance his balance and stabilization, and he attacks them as if he was going after a Mark Sanchez pass in traffic.
At times, he gets frustrated. A botched exercise is no different to Cotchery on this June day than a drop in November.
"If you don't hit the rep right, you want to do it over and over," he says. "If I feel like I conquered that exercise, it makes me feel better when I come in the next day.
"There's no football, so I want to come in the next day ready to give my rehab everything I can give it."
Group of Jets, Dolphins Players Plan
to Join for Lockout Training in South Florida
Published: May 20, 2011, by Jenny Vrentas, The Star-Ledger
There have been plenty of bizarre developments this offseason, as the NFL and players endure the longest work stoppage in football history. Here's another: next week in South Florida, a group of Jets and Dolphins players and a handful of others will join together for a week of training mimicking organized team activities.
Facilitated by TEST Football Academy, which has outposts in Martinsville and in Boca Raton, Fla., the players will gather at the campus of Florida Atlantic University on Monday and dive into the football drills and position-specific work they would normally be starting this time of year in OTAs at team facilities.
TEST founder Brian Martin said Jets linebacker Bart Scott and offensive lineman Vlad Ducasse, and Dolphins Channing Crowder, Randy Starks and Benny Sapp, plus rookie running back Daniel Thomas, are expected to participate. Bills receiver Donald Jones is also slated to attend, as well as free-agent cornerback Al Harris and former defensive end Jevon Kearse.
The "lockout camp" has its own Facebook page and a working name of "AFC East Blitz," a nod to the division rivals.
"This is the one time these guys will be working together toward something," Martin said. "They'll be battling against each other in a couple months, so it's a perfect set-up."
Well, they hope they'll be playing against each other in a couple months, provided the labor dispute is settled by then. Negotiations broke down in March, followed by the players union decertifying and the owners locking the players out. A district court judge ruled to lift the lockout last month, but the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the ruling through the NFL's appeal, for which oral arguments begin June 3.
Until then, players are trying to keep up with their preparations for the season, despite the fact that facilities have been closed for the offseason workout program, and now OTAs. Next week's camp aims to be a substitute for the latter.
Players will train Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, mixing an hour in the weight room with a longer workout on the outdoor fields, in the Florida heat and humidity. They'll run one-on-one drills between receivers and defensive backs, and linemen, along with bag drills and change-of-direction and agility exercises.
Sprinter Ato Boldon, a four-time Olympic medalist for Trinidad and Tobago, will be on hand for speed work. Pat Peterson, Sr., the father of Arizona's No. 5 overall pick and a speed and position coach, and quarterback Chad Pennington, a coach for TEST, are also expected to stop by. Thursday's workout will be supplemented with boxing and mixed martial arts, and Friday's will be held in the sand at Deerfield Beach.
"The goal is really to get guys together," Martin said. "We're trying to follow the annual football calendar, being mindful of when these guys' bodies are used to transitioning."
Players are paying their own way down to Florida, and the fee for the sessions is the half-price lockout rate. On Wednesday, Martin has arranged to take the players on a fishing trip in chartered boats along the Atlantic coast.
He also plans to keep the players motivated with a week-long competition between two teams of players. The designated leaders? Scott, the Jets' most notorious talker, and Crowder, who infamously took on coach Rex Ryan in a war of words in 2009.
"We haven't gotten shirts made up yet," Martin said, referencing Scott's "Can't Wait" branding campaign that now includes T-shirts.
Jets East: No show, just sweat for
Gang Green's beasts
Published: May 13, 2011, by Kristian Dyer | Original Article
Just call it “Jets East.”
Last week, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez held the second year of what he
affectionately terms the “Jets West” camp, in essence a glorified
passing camp featuring the team’s quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight
ends and running backs. There was plenty of press coming out of Mission
Viejo, CA with Sanchez flying out many of the team’s star players on
offense and new draft picks to run through the playbook and build some
chemistry. Merchandise was for sale on Facebook and sponsorship
opportunities abounded, including notables such as Chipotle signing on
for the exposure.
But 10 states and 2,870 miles away in Martinsville, N.J., a half dozen
Jets players continue to train four days a week. There is no fancy
merchandising and no camera crews. Instead, just House of Pain’s “Jump
Around” blaring over the loudspeaker of TEST Sports Clubs and a series
of weights and dumbbells at the central New Jersey facility.
“This isn’t easy stuff here,” said TEST Sports Club’s owner and founder
Brian Martin. “It isn’t frilly stuff, it’s just straight up hard work.”
The NFL lockout has thrown a monkey wrench into the preparation for
every NFL team, and the Jets, looking to build on consecutive AFC
championship game appearances, are left to look at private sources to
stay in shape. Facilities like TEST are becoming an option for nearly a
half dozen Jets players who come to quiet suburbia to get ready for
Sundays.
The likes of Jerricho Cotchery, Bart Scott, Vlad Ducasse, Jamaal
Westerman, Damien Woody and former Jets nose tackle Kris Jenkins
compromise the core group of Jets training together over the past six
weeks.
“We’re not here because we want to be here or like being here. Hell,
this ain’t Miami Beach or some place warm and sunny,” Scott told Metro.
“But it’s the best place to come here and get ready for the season, to
get ready to play and take that next step, to get in the Super Bowl. No
distractions - I’m here sweating and working, being sloppy today so that
I’m not sloppy come Week 1.”
For some like Cotchery, it is part of a rehab process as well.
The Jets wide receiver played all of last season with a herniated disk
and said this offseason’s surgery to repair the issue “is coming along
really well.” Cotchery is not working out with his other teammates at
TEST, instead going solo with trainer Geir Gudmundsen as he focuses
mainly on core work and he just began running last week. It has been
three months since the veteran had the surgery, but he said he’s turning
the corner.
Cotchery checked into the Jets facility in Florham Park, N.J. two weeks
ago after the lockout was temporarily lifted. He said the Jets training
staff has been in regular contact with the people at TEST about his
recovery from the surgery, seeking updates on his progress. It has
become a vital link between player and team since the lockout prohibits
management and players from communicating with each other.
But there is nothing against a facility like TEST talking with the
appropriate members of the Jets management team about players recovering
from injury.
“When I caught up with the trainers a couple weeks ago at the facility,
they were pleased with where I was at,” Cotchery said. “They were
pleased, definitely pleased with my recovery so far.”
And while “Jets West” drew the cameras and media attention, “Jets East”
comes in with perhaps a chip on their collective shoulders. Some like
Ducasse and Westerman are young players looking to take that next step
in their careers.
Last year’s second-round pick, Ducasse played just two games in his
rookie season. But given some reshuffling along the offensive line, he
looks set to play right tackle, a position he admits he has practiced at
with the Jets last year. To get that edge heading into a training camp
that could well determine whether he starts or not, Ducasse has been
among the hardest working players among the “Jets East” group.
“It’s about progressing and really doing my work,” Ducasse said. “I’ll
be coming into camp this year in much better shape than last year.
Stronger, more prepared. I’m ready this time.”
These Jets are just ready to get back on the field with their "West"
teammates. And once at full strength, they want more than just an
appearance in the AFC title game.
“This is about making that game, being there on Super Bowl Sunday and
finally taking this franchise there,” Scott said. “It isn’t about being
pretty or going out at night. We’re working our a—es off here to get
past those other teams so that we can be on top. I’m sick after what
happened last year and the year before. We were so close and we lost it.
Now we don’t want to be close no more, we want in.”
Giants DT Barry Cofield: 'I want my fair chance to go out there and secure my future'
Published: May 11, 2011, by Mike Garafolo | Original Article
Growing up a Cleveland Indians fan, Barry
Cofield has certainly experienced plenty of hurt.
So perhaps it was fitting he was sitting in Progressive Field last
month, watching his hometown team play, when he received a flurry of
text messages telling him
the Giants had drafted a defensive tackle in the second round for the
second straight year.
Except for one thing: Cofield felt no hurt. Just a pang for a shot to
get what he deserves.
“It almost gave me a sense of closure. It just made me think my time’s
probably up,” Cofield said Tuesday after a workout at TEST Sports Clubs
in Martinsville. “I don’t feel pressure, uptightness or anger when they
draft a guy. I just want my fair chance.
“They gave me my fair chance last year. I went on the field and proved
it. And now I want my fair chance to go out there and secure my future.”
Cofield has been waiting for that chance for more than a year now.
A five-year starter who has 10 1/2 sacks (including a career-high four
last season) and has missed only one game to injury, Cofield has been a
bargain for the Giants since they drafted him in the fourth round in
2006. He completed a four-year contract worth approximately $2.5 million
and then, because of the uncapped season last year, made an additional
$1.7 million for his fifth year of service as a restricted free agent.
Cofield is hardly roughing it, and he understands that. But as he looked
at the depth chart, he might be considered underpaid. He lined up next
to Chris Canty ($7 million average per season) and played ahead of last
year’s second-round pick Linval Joseph, whose signing bonus was nearly
as big as Cofield’s base salary last season.
Now, with the lockout still in place and the draft having preceded free
agency, Cofield watched his leverage shrink when the Giants drafted
Marvin Austin and other teams also selected defensive tackles.
So when he sees players such as Reggie Bush and Wes Welker saying
they’re enjoying the lockout while watching owners use those statements
against the players’ argument of “irreparable harm” caused by the
lockout, Cofield gets riled up.
“It really pisses me off," Cofield said. “My career and some other guys,
it’s the definition of irreparable harm. I’m not going to get last year
back. That’s a year off my career, a year of pounding on my body. And
this offseason I’m not going to get back. Doing the draft before free
agency, that hurts a lot of guys. It definitely hurt me.”
To be clear, Cofield has no bitterness toward the Giants but rather
toward his situation in general. Drafting a player at his position “is
their right, but it should be my right to be a free agent.” So far the
closest he has come was when the Giants worked out a trade with the
Saints before the second round of last year’s draft — a deal contingent
on Cofield quickly working out a contract extension with New Orleans. It
didn’t happen, and Cofield remained a Giant.
“I get put on the clock to say, ‘Hey, decide what you want to do with
the next four years of your life in the next 20 minutes.’ That’s not
free agency, that’s not giving me a chance to do what’s best for me,”
Cofield said. “That wasn’t a fair shake, so hopefully it could be a
better scenario this year. ... It gets to a point where it’s not all
about what you want, being with your friends and having a fairy tale
ending. Sometimes you have to do what’s best for you.”
Asked if he believes he’s played his last down as a Giant — the Rams,
Saints, Broncos, Redskins, Bears and Seahawks are his most likely
alternate landing spots — Cofield would only say that will be the case
if he’s asked to play again under a restricted free-agent tender (likely
slightly less than $2 million). That might very well be the case, which
is why Cofield wants to remind everyone the lockout is a “vacation” for
only a select few.
“I’m doing the same thing (as every offseason) except I’m doing it with
no peace of mind and no security,” he said. “There’s nothing pleasant
about it. ... For some of the guys to say they’re enjoying the time off,
it’s selfish and shortsighted.”
Arizona Cardinals Select LSU Corner Patrick Peterson with the #5 Pick in the NFL Draft
Published: April 28, 2011, by Mike Sando | Original Article
RENTON, Wash. -- Teams with John Skelton and
David Carr topping mid-April depth charts shrugged at the available
quarterbacks early in the 2011 NFL draft.
The Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers had no use for Jake Locker
(eighth to Tennessee). They couldn't make room for Blaine Gabbert (10th
to Jacksonville). Christian Ponder (12th to Minnesota) wasn't in their
plans, either.
I can't blame them.
The quarterbacks in this draft came with question marks. There was never
any consensus where any of them might land after Cam Newton went to
Carolina at No. 1. That was telling.
Arizona snapped up LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson fifth. San Francisco
took Missouri defensive end/outside linebacker Aldon Smith seventh.
Even the Seattle Seahawks, with Charlie
Whitehurst atop their depth chart and Matt Hasselbeck unsigned, decided
against rolling the dice on quarterbacks Andy Dalton or Colin Kaepernick
at No. 25.
“These teams feel like they can get veteran quarterbacks through free
agency or trade,” draft analyst Rob Rang said from Seahawks
headquarters. “They took advantage of the talent falling down to them
rather than reaching to fill a need at quarterback.”
That came as little surprise to those following the NFC West closely.
The Cardinals all but declared themselves out of the running for a
quarterback at No. 5, while the 49ers were known to covet pass-rush
help. They also could have taken Peterson, had he been available.
TThe Cardinals owe no explanations to anyone after landing arguably the
highest-rated player in the draft. Peterson will start from Day 1, pair
nicely with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and likely flourish with Ray
Horton as his defensive coordinator. The Cardinals plan to use him in
the return game, too, freeing LaRod Stephens-Howling to play more on
offense.
“We wanted a player that we felt could make an impact for us, especially
someone now, not someone we had to develop,” Cardinals coach Ken
Whisenhunt told reporters. “Are we going to have other opportunities in
this draft to address the quarterback position? Definitely that’s
something that we’ll look at."
Give the Cardinals credit. They could have won the post-draft news
conference by selecting Gabbert and “solving” their quarterback dilemma.
But if they weren’t sold on him as a top-five talent, they would have
been taking an undue risk. If we’re going to criticize Arizona for
making a need-based pick in selecting tackle Levi Brown fifth overall
over running back Adrian Peterson in 2007, it’s only fair to acknowledge
them siding with value this time.
Of course, Brown was an immediate starter, just like Peterson, while
Peterson might have eased into the role behind a still-productive
Edgerrin James.
"We just feel like at a point when you’re picking No. 5, you’ve got to
have a player that’s going to make an impact on your football team,
especially where we are as a team, and we felt like Patrick was the best
fit for us," Whisenhunt said.
As for the 49ers? Smith, just 20 years old, projects as an outside
linebacker and more under new coordinator Vic Fangio.
"He’s going to have to learn how to play on his feet in certain
situations, but we feel very confident that he can learn to do that,”
49ers general manager Trent Baalke told KNBR radio. "The unique thing he
brings to the table is the ability to line up at various positions,
whether it’s on his feet, 5-technique, move down into the 3-technique
position at times -- just a lot of flexibility and versatility."
Peterson and Carpenter were safe selections. Smith faces an adjustment
period and more scrutiny given how early the 49ers selected him, and how
many players they passed over.
"I would have taken Gabbert and potentially Robert Quinn over Aldon
Smith at seven," Rang said.
Quinn went to St. Louis at No. 14.
"To have
Chris Long on one side as your base end and then have Robert Quinn's
explosiveness on the other side, I mean, he reminds me a little bit of
Leonard Little, but bigger," Rang said. "You watch, Robert Quinn is
going to be a better player for the Rams at 14 than Aldon Smith will be
for the 49ers at seven."
Passing over Gabbert at No. 7 makes re-signing
Alex Smith easier. The 49ers will have other options for veteran
quarterbacks once the trading period opens.
There's still time.
Carr and Skelton will not head into the regular season as starters.
Carr, the only quarterback under contract to the 49ers, is not expected
back. San Francisco could still re-sign Smith, draft another quarterback
Friday or pursue a veteran by trade/free agency. Skelton remains in the
Cardinals' plans and showed promise at times last season, making it less
likely, in my view, that Arizona will select a quarterback later in this
draft. We should expect the Cardinals to go after
Marc Bulger or another veteran.
But if Locker, Gabbert or Ponder blossoms into a franchise quarterback
while the Cardinals, and especially the 49ers, continue to flounder at
the position, look out.
Aaron Rodgers will have company among the quarterbacks that could
have been for San Francisco.
LSU Corner Peterson May Be Best in Draft
Published: April 25, 2011, by Bob Glauber | Original Article
Patrick Peterson's pre-practice ritual was
something trainer Brian Martin never had seen, so it threw him for a
moment.
Peterson, the star cornerback from LSU who is almost guaranteed to be a
top 10 pick in Thursday's draft, would close his eyes, take a series of
deep breaths and almost go into a trance before taking his position for
the drills. Three-cone drill. 40-yard dash. Back-pedal drill. All of
them.
"He does almost a pre- yoga ritual and locks in," said Martin, who
worked with Peterson at TEST Football Academy in South Florida in
preparation for the NFL scouting combine. "But then he goes from this
mild-mannered kid to a beast in an instant. He has the ability to turn
it on and off very quickly. He just goes. It's almost indescribable."
But perhaps no more so than Peterson's performance, which will make him
the first cornerback taken. And for all the attention, debate and
intrigue surrounding quarterbacks Cam Newton , Blaine Gabbert and Ryan
Mallett , and even Jake Locker , Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick ,
Peterson may wind up being the draft's best player.
Although it's a stretch to see him go first overall to the Panthers, who
have a glaring need at quarterback and are seriously considering Newton,
Peterson may not have to wait much longer. The Broncos at No. 2 have
done exhaustive study on Peterson, and director of football operations
John Elway and coach John Fox have met with him.
Peterson undoubtedly will wind up in the top 10, and whoever gets him
will land a premier cover corner with a rare blend of size (6-1, 219
pounds) and speed. His 4.34 clocking in the 40 was the second fastest at
the combine; the fastest was 4.28 by Miami cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke
. Peterson outweighs Van Dyke by 43 pounds.
"I've really never seen an athlete with this kind of size-speed
combination," Martin said. "The guy trains extremely hard. He's almost
like a robot. When it's time to go, he cranks it up."
Looking for an NFL equivalent? Try Charles Woodson of the Packers, the
2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and reigning Super Bowl champion.
He's the player Peterson models himself after, from his ability to cover
and blitz to his explosive capabilities as a returner. Last year,
Peterson averaged 29.1 yards on kickoff returns and ran back two punts
for touchdowns.
"I don't want to be the next Charles Woodson ,'' he said, "but I
definitely want to pattern my game after Charles Woodson .
"He can play each and every defensive position on the field. If they
gave him the opportunity to play D-tackle or D-end, he'd definitely do
it. That's something I want to show the world that I can learn the
scheme and understand the scheme, as well. Playing if they need me to
play dime, if they need me to play corner, strong safety, rover, I'm
definitely down for it."
Sound familiar, Packers fans? Defensive coordinator Dom Capers has used
the 6-1, 200-pound Woodson in many roles, and his versatility has been a
main reason for the Packers' resurgence. During Woodson's Player of the
Year season, he had nine interceptions, three touchdown returns, 18
passes defensed, four forced fumbles and two sacks.
Peterson hopes for similar results once he becomes acclimated to the NFL
. That shouldn't take long, because as a junior last year he won the
Bednarik Award as the nation's top defensive player, the Thorpe Award as
the top defensive back, was a first-team All-American and the SEC
defensive player of the year and special teams player of the year.
No wonder Peterson sees himself as the top defensive back in the draft.
"I'd probably say my ball skills, toughness, I can support the run," he
said. "I'm an all-around cornerback and that's what I wanted to do
coming out of college. I definitely want to continue that trend going
into the NFL."
Best corner coming into the NFL this year? No doubt. Best player? Don't
bet against it.
TEST Client Patrick Peterson Preparing for NFL Draft on ESPN Sport Science
Jets Players Keep Up on Workouts
Published: March 29, 2011, by Roderick Boone | Original Article
MARTINSVILLE, N.J. -- It's a little past noon,
and old school hip-hop is playing on the loudspeakers as seven football
players participate in a grueling workout under the watchful eyes of
Brian Martin .
Usually, Bart Scott and Kris Jenkins and even younger players such as
Jamaal Westerman and Vladimir Ducasse would be immersed in their team's
offseason conditioning program, getting ready for organized team
activities. But because of the lockout, the trio of Jets and free agent
Jenkins, a former Jet, find themselves training at Test Football Academy
a few feet away from adults unaware they're so close to NFL types.
It's an unusual and necessary situation for some of the Jets, given the
great unknown.
"You don't know what the next man is doing and what your teammates are
doing," Scott said Tuesday. "You don't want to come in and be the guy
that's not in shape. So what happens is you work harder and do more than
you actually would do if you were with somebody because at this point,
we are paying somebody to work us out. That's always a big difference.
"You are always going to work harder when you are spending your own
money as opposed to when you are working out and it's just, 'OK, I have
to work out, the team is there.' You take your time. When you are paying
somebody and are nervous about what the next man is doing, you don't
want to show up and be the guy that's the weak link."
So that's why Martin, founder and CEO of Test, has been helping put them
through the rigors. They've worked on agility, mobility, conditioning,
cardiovascular, weightlifting and even incorporate yoga into the
routine.
Additionally, Test offers nutritional education, sports psychology and
checkups, if necessary, by Robert Monaco , Rutgers' team doctor since
1996.
"They have all the assets they need right here," Martin said. "They have
everything that they need. Some of these [other] guys are going to a
Gold's Gym right now and are lifting weights. That's not helping them
work on football skills . . . We are a one-stop shop."
Westerman can attest to that. The linebacker trained here after his
senior year down the road at Rutgers, getting prepared for the NFL
combine. He's spent four days a week during the last few weeks putting
in that work, sometimes with Buffalo receiver Donald Jones , a native of
nearby Plainfield, N.J.
"He's a Bill," Westerman said. "If he starts talking any junk about the
Jets, there's a lot more Jets here than Bills. So we'd have to put it on
him."
If the lockout isn't lifted by the end of April, Martin plans on
including more football-specific work into each player's regimen. He'll
also continue to send weekly progress reports to John Melody, the Jets'
trainer, and will detail how any player's injury suffered last season is
healing. (Such injuries are eligible to be covered by workman's
compensation.)
It's those little things that have Scott, Westerman & Co. feeling as if
they're in good hands.
"These guys have put a lot of guys in the draft, from [Joe] Flacco to
the kids from Rutgers last year," Scott said. "So it's proven that they
know what they are talking about. It was refreshing to come to a place
and go back to the roots of things and grind like college kids are
grinding."
As NFL Lockout Persists, Jets LB Bart Scott Begins Own Offseason Workout Regimen
Published: March 21, 2011, by Jenny Vrentas | Original Article
In a peaceful labor landscape, Bart Scott figures NFL teams’ offseason workout programs would have started today. So the Jets linebacker began his workout and diet regimen this morning — just not at the team’s facility.
After the league imposed a lockout nine days ago, once negotiations with the NFL Players Association for a new collective bargaining agreement broke off, 1,900 players will be making their own training arrangements.
To Scott, who estimated he spent $30,000 on supplemental training outside the Jets facility last year, this spring doesn’t feel too out of the ordinary yet — particularly after his seven years in Baltimore, during which he said the team’s marquee players usually dispersed across the country for their own offseason training, leaving mostly young guys at the team headquarters.
“The only unfamiliar thing to me would be if we don’t have OTAs,” said Scott, who is training at TEST Sports Clubs in Martinsville with teammates Vlad Ducasse and Jamaal Westerman. “Right now, we’re not missing out on anything except free agency. Everything else, I don’t think it’s panic time yet. Technically, if the lockout were over with after the draft, really what have we missed? Some workouts.”
“Now the later it gets, then you have to start deciding what you’re going to do. When are you going to make the transition to doing football moves and stuff? You know it’s time for your body to start doing football stuff. But right now, it’s just getting in shape, getting your muscles right, and building your foundation.”
Organized team activities are generally held in May and June. There are no certainties on if and when the labor dispute will be settled, though a hearing in federal court was scheduled for April 6 for the antitrust suit the NFLPA filed against the league.
One thing Scott is at risk of missing the longer the lockout drags on? A $250,000 workout bonus. An ESPN report last week listed several players who have bonuses in their contract tied to participation in the offseason program — including Scott, whose check is tied to 85 percent participation, and left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, whose $750,000 bonus for 85 percent participation is highest in the league.
“I’m not going to worry about that until we get there — if we ever get to that point,” Scott said. “There’s ways around that type of stuff. That’s not my concern. My concern is getting the deal set, so we can come in and play football. All the other stuff, at some point, everybody has to lose something. The main goal, the main focus, is getting back to football, getting back to your teammates.”
Scott’s agent, Harold Lewis, pointed out the losses players have taken in several areas, including the elimination of certain benefits in 2010 and the change in free agency rules that made fourth and fifth-year players restricted free agents instead of unrestricted last year. He expects those issues, as well as the payment of workout bonuses players may not have the chance to earn if there is no offseason program or may have a harder time earning if it is shortened, would be addressed in a new labor deal.
“There are options,” Lewis said of how those payments could be handled. “The player should not have to forfeit that money. Somehow, some way, that money has to be given back to the players, because they’re not in the breach of their contracts.”
In the meantime, Scott is focusing on the workouts he can do. At TEST Sports Clubs, which works with athletes ranging from youth to pros, he will train five days a week, including strength and conditioning work for more than 90 minutes four times a week and yoga on Wednesdays.
The club offered a “lockout special” half-price fee for athletes enrolling in the month of March. Pro athletes are permitted to write off 100 percent of their training expenses on their taxes.
Scott was recently in Florida at Jason Taylor’s golf tournament to benefit his foundation, and said he has periodically been checking in with many of his teammates. He said no definitive plans have been made for the players to organize their own football workouts, but if the lockout stretches on, “it’s just a matter of sending out a mass text.”
Scott said he didn’t see the letter commissioner Roger Goodell sent to the players last week. “Maybe he doesn’t have my address?” he said, admitting that he could have missed the message in his crowded e-mail inbox. He didn’t see the response from the NFLPA, either.
Scott just knows he has to be ready for the work stoppage to end, and he expects the Jets as a whole will be in fine shape if and when that happens.
“I’m not worried about (my teammates) finding a place to work out; if anything, they may work out harder because they know they have to be ready,” Scott said. “We have familiarly; we don’t have a situation like two years ago where trust had to be built between the head coach and new players. Pretty much everybody trusts each other, everybody is comfortable with the system, has an idea of the system.”
Why Patrick Peterson Should Be the No. 1 Pick
Published: March 13, 2011, by Bo Marchionte | Original Article
Normally [nawr-muh-lee]
1. in a normal or regular way
2. according to rule, general custom, etc; as a rule; ordinarily; usually.
“Not
normally” was the response from one former NFL executive who asked to be
anonymous in regards to NFL teams’ propensity to select a defensive back
as the top pick of the NFL Draft. So, according to that rule, one of the
top players in this upcoming draft may not get selected number one
simply because he doesn’t play a position NFL execs deem worthy enough
to be a number one pick overall. The player who is causing many to
rethink this line of thinking is 2010 Jim Thorpe Award winner (the award
is given to the nation’s top defensive back) Patrick Peterson from LSU.
For some reason NFL higher-ups disregard the merits and ability of
players due to the position they play, and in doing so may decrease
their ability to improve in the process.
The highest drafted defensive backs were selected third overall (twice), and defensive backs have been chosen seven times inside the top five in the history of the modern NFL Draft. Of the seven drafted only 1991’s third overall pick, Bruce Pickens, can be labeled a bust. The other six—Deion Sanders, Terrell Buckley, Shawn Springs, Charles Woodson, Quentin Jammer and Terrance Newman—have lived up to the expectations of being selected inside the top five. One will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this August (Deion Sanders), while another just hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in February after winning Super Bowl XLV (Charles Woodson) and will no doubt be on his way to Canton one day to see his own bust in the great Hall. So, six out of those seven defensive backs have been successes. Those are pretty good numbers. Truth be told, I could rest my case for why Patrick Peterson should be the number one pick off that statistic alone.
“Failure is not an option,” says retired four-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion defensive back Sam Madison. He’s referring to Peterson’s passion to be the best, adding that the former Tiger “has the size, speed and smarts to protect himself from danger” and Madison should know. He saw Peterson up close, training him at TEST Football Academy where he has been on staff the last two years. The ‘avoiding danger’ Madison talks about is Peterson’s exceptional speed, “One thing that shocked me was his recovery on deep balls and watching him open his hips and just close on receivers.”
Something that people won’t be able to see first hand is Peterson’s mental game. “Before drills he goes into like a yoga ritual,” Founder/CEO of TEST Football Academy Brian Martin says, “it’s a zone you can’t describe.” Peterson is “always the leader of the pack,” Martin says. Madison agrees, bringing up the fact that even though Peterson came in five days later due to his Cotton Bowl game, “He leaped into the front. He’s a leader. He wants to be the leader who does it the correct way.”
Why Peterson? Why now? Simple: the NFL is throwing the ball more and a player who some consider the best defensive back prospect in the last 20 years must be considered for the top overall pick. In fact, three of the four highest scoring totals in NFL history over the last two decades have come in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Last year marked the first time in NFL history that five quarterbacks reached 30 or more touchdowns, and total passing yards also reached a league high (113,450).
The chart below shows the increase of passing attempts and yards since 1990. If anyone plans on stopping opposing teams through the air, Patrick Peterson should be the weapon of choice to defend against the ever-increasing aerial assaults that has taken place over the last 21 years in the NFL. The Carolina Panthers are in the NFC South and face Drew Brees, Matt Ryan and Josh Freeman twice a season. Could this decision be made any easier for the Panthers? They must consider selecting the perfect weapon to battle the NFL’s new offensive style.
|
Year |
1990-1999 |
2000-2010 |
2011 -? |
|
Pass Attempts –Decade |
150,897 |
166,099 |
17,269 |
|
Pass Yards – Decade |
952,175 |
1,062,551 |
113,450 |
|
High Attempts – Year |
16,699 -1995 |
17,292 – 2002 |
|
|
Low Attempts – Year |
13,408 – 1992 |
16,181 – 2001 |
|
|
High Yards – Year |
105,976 – 1995 |
111,851 – 2010 |
|
|
Low Yards - Year |
87,249 - 1990 |
102,080 - 2002 |
|
|
Average Attempts Per Season |
15089.7 |
16,609.9 |
17,269 |
|
Average Yards Per Season |
95,217.5 |
106,255.1 |
113,450 |
Receivers A.J. Green and Julio Jones appear near the top of most 2011 draft boards. Rising up draft boards across the NFL, Jones displayed freakish ability at the NFL Scouting Combine. He blazed a 4.34 forty at 6’3” and 220 pounds, while Green didn’t disappoint with his 4.48 forty at 6’3” and 211 pounds. There are two of them, but only one Patrick Peterson to defend them. Let’s stop beating around the bush: there are a lot more receivers at 6’3” with the ability of those two guys at the next level than there are Patrick Petersons to defend them. Top receivers are more abundant than top shutdown corners and defensive ends. It’s not just the receivers that are increasing the numbers as NFL teams load backfields with Reggie Bush and Darren Sproles types at running back, guys who are quick footed and deadly after the catch. The speed of Peterson would help limit the options of offensive coordinators moving forward.
It seems in other walks of life that the rarest of anything is usually the most sought after. So when I hear there are three or four defensive linemen worthy of the number one spot, I want to yell like Mugatu, “They're the same face! Doesn’t anyone notice this? I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!” to quote Will Ferrell’s character in Zoolander. Nick Fairley, Da’Quan Bowers or Marcell Dareus; the choice between those three defensive linemen only underscores how rare a talent Patrick Peterson is. And there’s only one of him.
Peterson has the leadership qualities of Winston Churchill accompianed by the speed, handling and precision of a Bughatti Veyron, the fastest road-legal car in the world—top speed, 431.07 km/h (267.85 mph). The funny thing is, if you take the 431km and move that decimal over two spots to the left, you have Peterson’s forty time at the NFL Scouting Combine (4.31). With that top-end speed, it’s no wonder that Peterson also brings elite return man status to the table as well.
The Panthers’ decision makers should thank the football gods for making this decision-making process so absurdly simple—take Peterson with that top pick!
Photo Courtesy of Mark Scott
Terps' Da'Rel Scott Runs Fastest 40 Yard Dash of RB's
Published: February 27, 2011, by Bruce Raffel | Original Article
At the NFL Scouting Combine earlier today, the University of Maryland's Da'Rel Scott ran the fastest 40 yard dash of all the running backs at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis, Indiana. Scott turned in a sharp official time of 4.34 seconds, way ahead of former Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram (Alabama) who ran a pedestrian 4.62.
Da'Rel is not expected to draw a ton of early attention in April's NFL Draft, but he should be a mid-to-late round draft pick and today's show of speed will only help his draft status. Congrats to the Maryland running back who obviously turned a lot of NFL heads who knew he was fast but didn't expect him to be that fast.
NFL Combine 2011 Results: Patrick Peterson vs. Prince Amukamara, Who Wins?
Published: March 2, 2011, by Mihir Bhagat | Original Article
The 2011 NFL Combine has come to a close which
now leaves us with a much more clear picture of all the prospects
entering April's much anticipated draft. The Combine gives players an
opportunity to boast their athletic skills on a national stage through
various workouts, as well as get a chance to take the Wonderlic test and
possibly participate in interviews.
That being said, teams get a deeper look into their potential draft
choices which makes this event crucial for anyone trying to be drafted
into the NFL.
Two of the premier players in this year's class are LSU's Patrick
Peterson and Nebraska's Prince Amukamara. First off, I'd like to point
out that these are the two best cornerbacks available and will most
likely be swooped up early in the first round.
In fact, Peterson is widely considered one of the best players at the
position to enter the draft in a long time, and possibly since Champ
Bailey in 1999. Meanwhile, Amukamara isn't too far behind. It just goes
to show how special these two are, and how fortunate a team would be to
pick one of them up.
That said, based on what I witnessed during their workouts, here's my
evaluation on who had the better outing.
Peterson displayed why he's one of the best all-around athletes in the
draft as he came in at 219 lbs., yet ran a 4.34 40-yard dash time. He
also added on a 10'6" broad jump, along with a 38-inch vertical leap and
15 reps on the 225 pound bench press. Needless to say, he excelled in
all phases, and in my opinion, solidified himself as a top 10, possibly
a top five pick.
On a side note, I'd like to add that speculation surrounding a switch to
safety has been made, but at the moment, it's more of praise for his
versatility rather than a knack at his skills.
As for Amukamara, he proved doubters that his speed wasn't an issue as
he clocked a 4.43 on the 40. NFL Network analysts Deion Sanders and Mike
Mayock did; however, state that his hips seemed a bit "stiff" in pass
coverage. Nevertheless, he seems like a bona fide top 10 pick, as well.
When it comes down to it though, I believe that Peterson won the Combine
test and will continue to be rated as the better prospect, thus
ultimately being drafted earlier. But as I referenced to earlier, a team
should be ecstatic to pick up either one of these future stars.
Bartholomew Paces First O-Line Group in 40
Published: February 26, 2011, by Frank Tadych | Original Article
INDIANAPOLIS — The first group of offensive
linemen just completed 40-yard dashes at Lucas Oil Stadium, and we have
some unofficial times.
Syracuse center Ryan Bartholomew posted the only sub-5-second time of
the 22 linemen who ran: 4.93 and 4.89. It continues a good run for
Bartholomew, who measured in at 6-foot-1 and 302 pounds Friday and
led all lineman with 34 bench-press repetitions.
Among the highly rated linemen in the group, Wisconsin OT Gabe Carimi
ran unofficial times of 5.12 and 5.24, Boston College OT Anthony
Castonzo posted 5.21 and 5.32, and Georgia OT Clint Boling ran 5.25 and
5.40.
Miami OT Orlando Franklin didn’t run a second 40 after posting 5.15 on
his first run.
The second group of offensive linemen and the tight ends will run later
in the day.
How to Train Your QB for the NFL Combine
Published: February 24, 2011, by BOB GLAUBER | Original Article
INDIANAPOLIS - Wearing a T-shirt, shorts and
a pair of spikes, Idaho quarterback Nate Enderle gets down on his
knees, carefully places his hands on the line, and then gets into a
sprinter's position.
As soon as he hears trainer Brian Martin's whistle, Enderle leaps
out of his stance and performs the three-cone drill, dashing five
yards up the field to a cone, and then back. He then turns to run
around a second cone, runs a weave around a third, and then comes
back around the second cone and returns to the starting point.
Martin looks up from his stopwatch and is ecstatic: 6.99 seconds.
That's the best time Enderle has run so far in a seven-week program
designed to prepare him for the NFL's annual Scouting Combine, which
runs through this weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Enderle is one of more than 300 draft prospects whose talents will
be on display, as teams prepare for the April 28-30 draft. Where
players once did little more than attend regional workouts in
advance of the draft, they now spend several weeks - and several
thousand dollars - getting ready for this weekend's drills and
interview sessions. It's all designed to give NFL general managers,
coaches, scouts and other team executives a close-up look at the
prospects. And most of those prospects - even those like Enderle,
who is projected to go anywhere from the third to the seventh round
- go through rigorous pre-combine programs to enhance their
draft-day stock.
"When I came out, there was no combine," said former Giants
quarterback Scott Brunner , the Giants ' sixth-round pick out of
Delaware in 1980. "There were regional programs where guys from a
certain area would go to meet with teams. You didn't do any throwing
or running. It was more like a physical before the draft."
Brunner is now one of more than a dozen people who are part of
Enderle's training team at the TEST Sports Clubs of Martinsville,
N.J. The company was founded by Martin, who is one of Enderle's
trainers. Brunner was part of a generation of players who simply
waited for a phone call on draft day to see if they'd be taken. No
Internet. No cell phones. No ESPN .
"You just sat around and waited, and at some point the phone would
ring," Brunner said. "You didn't want to leave the house, and we
didn't have cell phones. You just hoped the phone rang on the first
day."
Now all you need to do is watch on television or read the Internet
to see where a player is drafted. It's big business, and players
have responded by going through intense preparation. Enderle ticks
off the people involved in the process:
"Brian. Kevin [Dunn, another trainer and TEST's chief operating
officer]. A physical therapist. Chiropractor. Sports psychologist.
Agent [Joe Linta]. Four or five performance coaches. Scott
[Brunner]. Massage therapist."
Anyone else?
"Oh, yeah, we do yoga , too," he said. "Oh, man, is that tough."
There are orthopedic doctors who are consulted, and other medical
experts if necessary. It's an incredible assortment of specialists,
all devoted to preparing their clients for a weekend of drills that
will go a long way toward determining where they're drafted. Or even
if they're drafted.
They start out with a visit to Dunn, who closely examines each
athlete and determines where they need to improve.
"From an anatomy standpoint, a kinesiology standpoint, it's studying
movement patterns, and knowing what every player at each position
has to do," said Dunn, who uses what he calls a functional movement
screen to assess each player's physical challenges.
Enderle had his own set of issues when Dunn first examined him.
"With Nate and a lot of quarterbacks, they come to us with a lot of
asymmetry," Dunn said. "They're not doing the same thing with one
side rotationally. They're slinging the ball with their arm, rather
than utilizing their hips. All these quarterbacks have a tendency
not to use their hips, what we call their pillar strength."
Said Martin: "If a quarterback plants with his right leg, there will
be quad dominance on that side, their hip flexors will be tighter on
that side. So we spend a ton of time loosening up the hips and
getting everything to balance out right to left."
Enderle appears to have benefited greatly from the program,
according to Brunner, who also worked with Ravens quarterback Joe
Flacco before the 2008 draft. Flacco's stock improved so much during
the off-season that he became a first-round pick after initially
being projected as a second or third-round choice.
"[Enderle] was like most guys, where their drops were inconsistent
and he was off balance a lot," Brunner said. "We had to get him
comfortable with three, five and seven-step drops and putting him
with a good foundation where he could make the reads and get rid of
the ball quickly, effectively and efficiently. Once we cleaned up
his footwork, his body came back into line."
Enderle, 6-foot-5, 233 pounds, thinks he has the capability of
getting into the third round if he has a strong performance at the
combine. He threw at least 20 touchdowns each of the past three
seasons at Idaho, and passed for 3,314 yards as a senior.
"There are so many great athletes across the nation, and you have to
separate yourself in one way or another, and these drills are one
way to do it," he said. "You have to try and separate yourself,
because everyone can play football. All you have to do is get one
team to like you."
Enderle is hoping he finds that team this weekend. Just like the
more than 300 other guys here to show NFL teams what they've got.
Jets' Kris Jenkins Attempts Another Comeback After Second Straight Knee Injury
Published: Thursday, February 17, 2011, 5:00 AM Updated: Thursday, February 17, 2011, 7:47 AM
Kris
Jenkins, wearing a gray Jets Dri-Fit and twin scars on his left knee,
spoke his motivation out loud.
“It’s only pain,” he grunted during a workout this week.
Later: “You’re not going to get anywhere if you don’t work.”
The Jets nose tackle has embraced the rare challenge of coming back from consecutive anterior cruciate ligament tears in the same knee, sustained just 11 months apart.
For weeks, he recovered and rehabbed. Now, he has begun the daunting process of reconditioning and rebuilding his body to be ready when — and if — training camp begins in six months.
Training at TEST Sports Clubs in Martinsville, Jenkins gulped from a red aluminum water bottle and characterized this as a “tortured experiment” to build back the muscle mass he lost in nearly two full seasons spent on the sideline.
But in another breath, he also called it a “vacation,” though the sweat-soaked 31-year-old acknowledged that might not seem to make sense.
“This is a celebration of my life, and what I want it to be,” Jenkins explained. “This is what we consider leaving on your own terms.”
That’s why Jenkins made the decision to return, instead of retire, in the weeks after tearing his knee in last season’s opener against the Ravens.
He has been in the NFL for 10 seasons, faced the mortality of his football career and believes if anyone can make it back onto the field, it’s him. He says so even though his knee is sore, and he’s still at the point where he must evaluate daily if he’s strong enough to jog, or if he should walk.
Jenkins is also aware enough to understand the flip side: That he’s due to earn a base salary of $3.75 million this year, that the Jets must consider if they can count on him staying healthy, that general manager Mike Tannenbaum admitted the team will “take a long look” at his situation.
Jenkins said he and coach Rex Ryan had a “good conversation” about his future before the season ended.
“I’m not even going to lie and act like that’s something I don’t think about,” Jenkins said. “When you’re looking at (the team’s) big strategy, I’m just one person. I’m not going to walk into a situation and be so arrogant to be like, ‘Oh, I’m going to be fine because I’m Kris Jenkins.’ I wish.
“I like what I’m doing; I know when I’m healthy, I can play with the best of them. But I did get hurt two years in a row. It’s a decision they have to make.”
So Jenkins is focusing on the part he can control. Last week, he began an intense regimen at TEST five days a week — including yoga and recovery on Wednesdays — designed to build gradually in two-week intervals until the start of camp.
The first two weeks have been dedicated to stability, mobility and balance. His workouts rely on “cadence reps,” done more slowly to build a base, with 20 to 30 percent of the weight he might normally use. On a scale of 1 to 10, TEST founder Brian Martin explained, the intensity of these workouts is 2.
In the next two weeks, Jenkins will train at a quicker pace and build endurance. The following phase focuses on growing muscles, particularly those in the lower body around the knee, and change-of-direction running and agility. Then, he will move into explosive training, with jumping and bounding, before reevaluating his progress at the two-month checkpoint.
Jenkins did not disclose his current weight, but his goal is 350 pounds — nine fewer than when he reported to camp last year. To that end, he has also refocused his diet, including replacing night snacking with fruits or protein drinks and fueling at the right times so he burns fat during workouts.
Martin says he speaks with Jets head athletic trainer John Mellody every few days about Jenkins’ progress and his next steps. Jenkins is committed enough that he did not travel to Dallas to watch his younger brother, Packers defensive end Cullen Jenkins, play in Super Bowl XLV, because he didn’t want to veer off his routine.
He watched at home in West Orange, though, screaming and cheering like a crazy fan. When Cullen won his Super Bowl ring, Jenkins admitted “a lot of pressure came off.”
“My brother brought a Super Bowl ring into the family,” Jenkins explained. “It kind of put the icing on the cake for everything we’ve been through as a family. We all felt like we were a part of that.”
In the days before the game, Cullen Jenkins revealed he hadn’t heard from their father since Christmas and worried he was missing. Kris Jenkins explained that Darome Jenkins, who raised the boys as a single dad, needed to retreat into his own space in Hawaii to confront some personal issues, and that it was a good thing for him.
Jenkins says he is proud of where his family members are in their lives, and his role in helping them get there: His brother, his father, his wife, his three sons. For the next six months, the four-time Pro Bowler is committed to his own journey, to doing himself and his career proud.
“I still have hurdles,” he said, looking down at his left knee. “I will jump them, or duck under, or walk around. Any way of getting past them.”
Junior Patrick Peterson Makes SR Bowl Rounds
Written by Bo Marchionte. Original Article
Watching Monday’s North team practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, the NFL
Draft Bible had the chance to talk with Test Sports Performance founder
and CEO, Brian Martin. We discussed some of the athletes he had training
at Test’s two facilities, one up north in New Jersey and one down south
in Boca Raton, Florida, for the game this coming weekend for the Under
Armour Senior Bowl. Among the players he mentioned was
Patrick Peterson. “He’s down here working out,” Martin reveled.
No, there isn't another Patrick Peterson. A glance at the roster sheet reveled there wasn’t a player with the last name of Peterson to be found. No late addition from a small school with the same name as the LSU Tigers star. As it turned out, and after a quick laugh, Martin was in fact talking about Patrick Peterson, the junior defensive back from LSU, who declared for the NFL draft and who will make one serious run at being its top selection.
“The combine (NFL Scouting Combine) is so spread out over seven days with over 350 kids coming in there, and defensive backs are the last group. By then the teams know about him but to get to know him personally, I thought this would be a great setting for teams to meet him…at the practice fields, at the lobby,” said Pat Lawlor, President of Galaxy Sports Advisors, who represent the star talent from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
“A couple of teams have sat us down and another reason we came here was he signed with Nike, so we where able to sit down with all the Nike reps and have a good conversation with them.”
Not long after Lawlor’s daughter was born he decided to take a break from representing players on a yearly basis, but Peterson was a player Lawlor was familiar with.
“The first time I saw him play in high school he was down in the area where I live.” Lawlor, who earned the nickname Whitey from his buddies, smiled as he reflected on the first time he saw Peterson play.
“He did everything…played quarterback, running back, cornerback with an interception, kicked off and punted and added extra points. From that time on I followed his career.”
Under the cloudy skies at UMS-Wright Preparatory School Peterson said, “I don’t even remember the last time I stepped onto a high school field. It was wonderful. It kind of opened my eyes and reminded me where I came from.”
The reality that he would be working out alone and privately with Martin on the empty Ervin S. Cooper Stadium “puts everything into perspective,” added Peterson. As Peterson sat on a bench five yards away from Martin, hearing him echo out the next exercise drill as beads of sweat started to build on the former Tiger’s forehead, it occurred to me that we might see this on an ESPN 30 for 30 after Peterson is done playing professional football. Below the bleachers of Ervin S. Cooper Stadium on the campus of UMS-Wright is Titans Athletes, which is owned by Jason Poeth. Poeth’s gym was the type of place Rocky Balboa would have proudly worked out in and called home, just like ‘Mighty Mickey’s Gym’ in the movies. Poeth’s place made the setting of what Peterson was doing that much more entertaining. It was like watching Rocky IV and Peterson played the role of the bearded Sylvester Stallone, battling the elements of Mother Nature while producing the means necessary to achieve the ultimate prize.
“In a playoff game, when he was seven years old, he was running the ball and going towards the goal,” Patrick Peterson Sr. said, recalling a time when he knew his son had something special. “A guy hit him and knocked him off balance, but he started to run backwards off balance and dove into the end zone.”
Peterson Sr. shook his head in bewilderment.
“That was remarkable. Me and the coaches couldn’t believe it, and that was the game winner for us.” The junior Peterson also remembers it.
“Well, the thing about that was I was seven playing on a nine-year old team and I got kicked off the team actually, because I was too young.” Perhaps it was best he was removed, so the nine-year olds could keep their pride.
“I scored four times in my first game going against the bigger kids.”
Before the workouts even began Martin was alone at the breakfast table waiting for the group to meet.
“See this? It’s the first thing I do every morning.”
He was talking about taking a picture of his stopwatch (they call it Big Yellow) from his cell phone with a specific 40 time in mind for Peterson.
“Every day, non-stop,” laughs Peterson about getting the photo sent to his phone. “This morning he texted me a 4.34 and I told him ‘it’s too slow’” laughed Peterson. “I’m definitely determined and focused for that time,” said the 2010 Thorpe Award Winner adding, “I have it on my door each and every day. I look at it, so that’s definitely a dream and a goal I would like to achieve.”
Raising the ‘would a team select a defensive back with the #1 pick?’ question to Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff, he had this to say, “I think they would if it’s the right situation for the team and it’s a definite need. I know it’s also a philosophical idea from team to team. No question, some of the people in the circle I have would be willing to do something like that to get an impact game changer on the team.”
