Lowering the...umm, Miami-Wisconsin

Bailey has that Mario Williams type big man's athleticism. But he's not as productive as Williams was. Nor as consistent. And Mario Williams wasn't consistent.

 

Heck of a punt by Bosher with hands in his face out of the back of his own end zone.

 

That's partly their fault but partly his own as well, because he never seems to "take" to any position.

 

Hmm, from what I've seen this year he's been at DE more than DT. But I guess I could be wrong on that.

 

Tight Ends killing Miami seems to be a city-wide problem.

 

Really what I feel Bailey's future will be is as a 3-4 DE. He's a hybrid player. He never shows a particular passion for or aptitude with speed rushing or penetration in general. He's always just trying to physically dominate the person in front of him...if it was a legal move to pull off an offensive lineman's arms and beat him with it, he would do that every play. He's vicious like that.

To me, that means he could blossom as a 3-4 End.

 

That's about what I thought. I've seen him at End far more this year, in response to the injuries to Moncur and others.

 

WHAT a grab by Hankerson. This is why I'm so high on him. Just scratching the surface of his ability.

 

Here's what I came away from last night thinking...

When Allen Bailey comes out in 2011, it is my feeling that he'd be best played as a 3-4 DE. That is probably why he has looked so out of sorts over the course of his Miami career, because in college if you don't play in the right system and you're a 3-4 DE by nature, they can keep moving you around and there's a chance you'll still never look natural. Bailey is a brutal player. Vicious. He's not an outside pass rusher and I don't know if he's strong enough to hold up to double teams in the interior at DT. Like I said before, if it were a legal move to remove an offensive lineman's arms and then beat him to death with them, that would be Allen Bailey's signature move. He's tough and he wants to dominate the guy in front of him physically. I would love to get hold of the guy in 2011 as a DE but for now he's going back to school so we can stop worrying about him.

Jimmy Graham will be a special player. What I'm going to talk about here is not the same old athleticism argument, though he's not just "good" in that area, I would say he's "special" in both the athleticism and skill department. You don't see a guy that tall with that good running skills, those kind of ups, and that kind of ability to spot and catch the ball with soft hands so frequently. But I promised I wouldn't talk about that. Honestly, I won't. Real soft hands. Fast. One of the best shot blockers in UM history. Not talking about that. What I'm going to talk about is something much less tangible. A year ago the guy had only played a little bit of football in high school, his most recent experience was probably playing pitch and catch with some friends at tailgates or something along those lines. He was a basketball player, and a damn fine one at that. Last night I watched him, shortly after having reviewed some film of Jermaine Gresham (you know, the Tight End that's supposed to be a dynamic rarity, sure first rounder, best in class, etc) and I'll be damned if I came away thinking that Jimmy Graham wasn't nearly as valuable to a football offense. At the beginning of the year I could watch Graham and his fellow Tight End Dedric Epps side by side, and it would be obvious that Graham is just a limited role player while Epps is the overall more valuable player. How many months has it been since then? Maybe two or three? And now you watch the two and there is absolutely no question which player is more valuable. Graham is out there drive blocking J.J. Watt out to the sideline and into the dirt on a stretch play. Watt gave the rest of Miami's offensive linemen (guys 50 pounds heavier than Graham) trouble all day. Graham was holding O'Brien Schofield at bay, on a night when Schofield was taking everyone to school big and small. He caught another one of those high passes that have the look of indefensible. He was using his hands quickly and fluidly to create separation amongst the linebackers at the second level, within the five yard area. He's not the craftiest route runner yet, and when he was motioned into the backfield and asked to block a blitz from that angle (which had to be the first time I'd ever seen him asked to do that) he struggled and whiffed, but this kind of rise is meteoric in a guy that never even played football until this year. It's the same kind of "natural" that allows Sean Smith to be a DAY ONE NFL STARTER in only his third year playing defense, period. You listen to Graham interviewed some time, and he's extremely well spoken. I heard a radio interview and they were joking semi seriously that he might join them for a radio show because he's such an effective communicator. He's a smart kid, finished his Business degree last year and has a double major in Management and Marketing. I've had a third round grade on Graham for a while, I remember discussing this with Alen a month ago...but I see that third round grade possibly heading north. It won't be the Combine that raises his draft stock, it will be the Senior Bowl. If he soaks up the coaching the way I theorize based on his upward acceleration over the last year, the coaches will watch him take to the NFL techniques and teachings, and put paid to them on the field, and they'll be salivating and lobbying their GMs for a piece of Jimmy Graham. Then he'll go to the Combine, run a 4.70 with like a 36 inch vertical, and that'll be that.

Speaking of O'Brien Schofield, how much was that guy on display last night? He was all over the place, finding weaknesses in the protection big and small. If the scheme called for a back to block him on the outside, he beasted the back and got to Jacory Harris. If the scheme called for a weak and inexperienced guard to block him, he lined up as a 3-technique and beasted the guard to Jacory Harris. He victimized Orlando Franklin's inexperience at left tackle. He dropped back into coverage and looked damn fine doing it, very fast. But, what is he? I don't know that he's strong enough at the point to play SOLB in a 3-4, and I don't know that he's a dominant enough pass rusher to play WOLB in a 3-4. That leaves him as either a 3-4 ILB, or perhaps my feeling is a SLB in a 4-3 defense. Either way, he had to have opened some eyes last night and I wouldn't be surprised to see his name come off the board in the second round.

As I watched Orlando Franklin, I really got the feeling that he was finally playing the position he should be playing, which is tackle. He's always been one hell of a beast at guard. As I said many moons ago, he was my #1 rated guard in the country. He moved out to left tackle and actually I forgot that I had watched him shut down George Selvie and Jason Pierre-Paul from the LT position live and in person at the UM-USF game. My apologies on that one, I'd had more than my share of beer. The fact that Schofield got the better of him a few times, speaks to Schofield's ability when you consider the above. On Franklin, he's such a natural engulfing mauler that you would love to see him kick out to Right Tackle. But if he returns to school and takes up Jason Fox's Left Tackle position, don't be surprised if he looks really good there. He's moved all along the OL in Whipple's scheme. He played Left Guard, at times they've gone unbalanced right and he became a virtual Left Tackle, with his position officially switched to Left Tackle in the last two games, he has switched over to the right side in their unbalanced right looks (a la Jake Long). His absence at the Left Guard position created a HUGE weakness, because UM couldn't fill the void he left, which really speaks to what he has provided for the offense at that position over the course of this year.

I really believe that Sam Shields has an NFL future. That kind of speed, on a guy that has shown the ability to switch from WR to CB and be a starter in the first year he's done it...he's no Sean Smith but he's got some potential. Did you see that kick return TD? I can't get over this. The way he looped around from the front line position just inside the numbers on the right sideline at the 43 yard line, all the way back to an exchange point I believe just behind the 20 yard line, and then all the way over to the left sideline and down the field to the end zone in what turned out to be a gigantic "U" pattern (fitting)...all at a speed which outran everyone in sight...he must have run a total of 140 or 150 yards on just the one play, at a constant blazing speed. That's ridiculous. He's not great in coverage, he gets tested all the time, but he's not terrible in it either. I think with time he could be a good role player on defense or maybe even a starter.

I've been very high on Leonard Hankerson since the first game of the season against FSU...about the same game that I fell in love with Christian Ponder. If this kid runs in the 4.4 range, I could see him all the way up into the second round. He's got such blessed size and power, and the ability to make circus grabs. He has had trouble with hands in the past before this year but he really went out and had a productive year. I like the WAY he runs, the way he looks catching the ball, everything he does to me screams NFL caliber, reminds me of just a solid football receiver like a Reggie Wayne. He's had himself a nice year considering the offense they run and the fact that Jacory Harris isn't where he needs to be yet. And the way Hankerson played last night, he's normally a good blocker but last night he played with a very high energy in blocking...I think he's coming out. He was showing off for the scouts, IMO. He knows the scouts aren't just looking for what you do when the ball comes your way, and that's how he played. He's played solid without the ball coming his way all year, but last night he really seemed to key on it.

That's about the extent of the players I could really key on last night on a first viewing.

 

To me, Jacory has a ways to go before I'm willing to plug him into the first round. Physically and mentally.

He needs to get bigger, stronger, and stop giving up on a play by throwing it up long for a receiver who isn't really open. He needs to see the field a lot better.