Offensive Center ~ Deyshawn Bond ~ Cincinnati BearCats ~ 6012/300
The Gutters are riddled with the Corpses of Teams that were built around so-called "skill" Players ~ teams that delighted their Fantasy FootBall Fans every Year, all the way until January...until The Only Games That Really Matter.
It is then, of course, that the Capacity ~ or lack thereof ~ to Move The Chains and protect the QuarterBack against PlayOff Caliber Defenses rears its ugly head. And another Team built for Fantasy FootBall bites the dust.
This is how I break things down, when I'm evaluating Centers:
Power: Above all: Core Power. Torso Power is important, but Core Power, from the Knees to the Ribs, is absolutely crucial. All the upper body Strength in the world will still fail if you simply can't dig in your Heels. But Core Power enables an Offensive Lineman to project Power in the Running Game and to reject Power in the Passing Game.
Agility: Launch Velocity, Acceleration, and above all: Fluidity or Core Agility. Core Agility is even more essential to sustained good Health ~ and to sustained good FootBall ~ than Core Power. The ability to react with Serpentine smoothness is a tremendous Asset in all Aspects of the Game, and certainly in the Hand to Hand Combat that characterizes Trench Warfare. All the Power in the World goes only so far if you're lurching around like FrankenStein.
Frame: Vertical Leverage, Hands, Arm Length, and WingSpan.
Combat Skills: Horizontal Leverage, Paw Positioning, Paw Persistence, and FootWork.
Processing Speed: How quickly and effectively one Reads & Reacts to the Rapidly Roiling Tactical LandScape!!
Motor: Endurance and Drive: How much Work has been put into Conditioning, and how it manifests itself.
Run Blocking: Applying it all: Power, Agility, Frame, Combat Skills, Processing Speed, and Motor.
Pass Blocking: Power, Agility, Frame, Combat Skills, Processing Speed, and Motor.
Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:
Power
* Core Power ~ lower body Power. Core Power trumps Torso Power. Tyrannosaurus Rex had exceptional Core Power.
* Torso Power ~ upper Body Power. Important, but not crucial. T Rex had lousy Torso Power...yet was King.
* Anchoring Strength in the Passing Game. The capacity to Stand One's Ground.
* Drive Power in the Running Game. The capacity to drive your man back.
Agility
* Fluidity, above all things: Core Agility & Flexibility makes everything possible.
* Launch Velocity ~ Speed into Contact off the Snap.
* Acceleration ~ Short Speed or Quickness.
Frame
* Vertical Leverage. Height is crucial, but it's actually better, I believe, to be an Inch shorter than an Inch Taller.
* Hands. The larger the better, generally, but compact is never a bad Attribute in The Trenches.
* Arm Length. Absolutely crucial. He who boasts the longer Arms initiates Combat.
* WingSpan. Arm Length + Torso Width. A more complete Measurement.
Combat Skills
* Lateral Leverage. Angles. Getting Square or better with the Target.
* Paw Positioning ~ It's all about Angles & Leverage.
* Paw Persistence ~ RPMs: Activity & Persistence.
* FootWork ~ RPMs: Activity & Persistence.
Processing Speed
* Reading & Reacting to Defensive Schemes & Stunts quickly and effectively.
* Field Vision: Finding Targets & approaching them effectively.
Motor
* Intensity.
* Duration.
Run Blocking
* Power ~ Drive Power to project Power in the Running Game.
* Agility ~ especially Acceleration DownField or to the Flank.
* Frame ~ especially Vertical Leverage.
* Combat Skills.
* Processing Speed.
* Motor.
Pass Blocking
* Power ~ Anchoring Strength to reject Power in the Passing Game.
* Agility ~ especially Fluidity to Mirror the Pass Rusher.
* Frame ~ especially WingSpan.
* Combat Skills.
* Processing Speed.
* Motor.
Power: Impressive Core Power and impressive Torso Power. Exceptional Anchoring Strength. Mediocre Drive Power.
Agility: Impressive Launch Velocity, Fluidity, and Acceleration.
Frame: Mediocre. Optimal Height for Vertical Leverage, but a marginal WingSpan.
Combat Skills: Mediocre. Impressive Paw Velocity. Mediocre Positioning, Persistence, Lateral Leverage, and FootWork.
Processing Speed: Mediocre, both in terms of Processing Speed in quickly and effectively diagnosing Blitzes, Stunts, and Twists, and in terms of Field Vision, in reading and reacting to the Tactical LandScape and finding Targets.
Motor: Competitive. No Issues that I discerned with his Intensity or Stamina.
Run Blocking: Competitive. He doesn't exhibit the Drive Power to excel on a Power Scheme Team, but he certainly has the Fluidity and Acceleration to excel on a Zone Team Scheme, if he improves his Combat Skills and Field Vision.
Pass Blocking: Competitive. His WingSpan is a Liability, but he possesses an exceptional combination of Fluidity and Anchoring Strength, and if he improves his Combat Skills and Diagnostic Velocity, he could excel.
It's simply a matter of whether or not he's got the Intelligence and Drive to develop his Combat Skills, Diagnostic Velocity, and Field Vision to develop his impressive physical Talents, and while I wasn't able to dig deep enough to get a clear Impression, one way or the other, I didn't stumble over any Red Flags. He certainly seems worth a Shot!!
Grateful Thanks, as always, for the crucial Work done by the folks at Draft BreakDown!
Market Value UFA | Yankee Grade 4th/5th Round |
This is not is even remotely a Complaint, mind you, but rather a Warning: Caveat Emptor!!