Gryphon ~ Sua Cravens ~ Southern California Trojans ~ 6006/225
For that reason, and in order to offer NomenClature that speaks not to archaic, obsolete "Positions", but rather to Skill Sets that accurately reflect the dynamic Changes of the 21st Century Game and the Roles they have spawned, I have undertaken to craft Terminology that is designed to break Skill Sets down as they really are.
Defensive Coordinators have, since Time Immemorial, employed highly creative terminology in devising Defenses and in designating Assignments. In that Spirit, I have admittedly indulged myself considerably in devising the following NomenClature. It is undeniably colorful, but I like to think that there's an underlying Logic, as well:
Gryphons ~ The Gryphon of ancient Egyptian Lore is an Hybrid of a Lion and an Eagle, and thus I believe an utterly perfect term for an emerging Role ~ and the attendant Skill Set ~ that I believe is going to become of enormous Importance in the Decades to come: The Hybrid MidFielder/RoverBack ~ that's "LineBacker/Strong Safety" to you Earthlings. The Base Formation is rapidly approaching Extinction: The Sub Package Is The New Base, Ladies & Laddies!! The next Development in the Eternal War between Offense and Defense may very well be an 11th Player ~ that same MidFielder/RoverBack Hybrid ~ playing Full Time!! The Prototype would be about 6000/225, I'd say.
The Gryphon would optimally be able to play RoverBack in "Base" Formations, and drop down to MidFielder for Big Nickel.
Gryphons could thus quite conceivably emerge as the Field Generals of the Defense in the Years to come.
When evaluating Gryphons, this is how I break things down:
Agility: Acceleration, Ricochet, Fluidity, and Verticity ~ that's Turn & Burn Acuity, to you Earthlings!!
Processing Speed: How quickly and effectively one Reads & Reacts to the developing Play.
Run Defense: Power, Agility, Combat Skills, Navigating Traffic, Processing Speed, Motor, and Tackling.
Pass Coverage: Agility, Processing Speed, and Catch Point Capacity.
Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:
Agility
* Fluidity, above all things: Core Agility & Flexibility makes everything possible.
* Ricochet ~ How crisply and how rapidly one breaks in a new direction.
* Acceleration ~ Short Speed or Quickness. Closing Speed.
* Verticity ~ The Ability ~ or lack thereof ~ to Flips Hips and Turn & Burn in Pass Coverage.
Processing Speed
* How quickly and effectively one Reads & Reacts to the developing Play.
Run Defense
* Power
* Agility
* Combat Skills
* Navigating Traffic
* Processing Speed
* Motor
* Tackling
Pass Coverage
* Agility
* Processing Speed
* Catch Point Capacity
Processing Speed: Extraordinary Field Vision in Run Defense, in Coverage, and even in the Pass Rush.
Run Defense: Excellent. His tremendous Field Vision and excellent Combat Skills are prominently evident in Run Defense, as is his remarkable Fluidity, as he rapidly reads and reacts to the Tactical LandScape, twisting and slashing his way through Traffic and flying to the Point of Impact. His Closing Speed is moderate, but his Processing Speed add enormous distance to his effective Range, as he consistently gets a big Jump. He's a Gryphon, not a LineBacker, so he's not pulverizing anyone, but he exhibits awesome Core Power, sets the Edge, and blows up Runs.
Pass Coverage: Exceptional. SlotBacks and Spry Flies will toast'm if he doesn't Jam'm, but he has the Agility to match with most Flex Ends and HalfBacks, the Combat Skills to match with Tight Ends, and the Field Vision and relentless Motor to help anywhere on the Field. And he is extraordinarily dangerous at The Catch Point, combining savage Combat Skills, outstanding Tracking & Timing Skills, tremendous Core Power, and astonishingly reliable Hands.
Blitz Bonus: Not a Category, per se, as the Pass Rush Aspect of most Gryphon's Games are tertiary, but Cravens brings a lethal combination of Combat Skills, Fluidity, and Processing Speed to the Field of Battle that enables him to read the LandScape a Tick faster than most, time his Rush, and exploit Gaps in Time and Distance.
His physical Speed is not at all impressive in and of itself, but his Processing Speed is phenomenal, and in case you've never visited my Site, before: I believe that such extraordinary Processing Speed as Sua Cravens commands adds immeasurably to his functional Speed in the Tactical LandScape on The Field of Battle.
I find myself, as always, amused at the furious Debate that continues to rage over whether Cravens should be a RoverBack or a MidFielder ~ "Safety" or "LineBacker" to you Earthlings ~ as if Gryphons aren't rapidly gaining Prominence as an integral part of 21st Century Defenses. The Sub Package Is The New Base, baby!!
The Amorphous D that I wrote about 4 Years ago is on the Rise...and the Gryphon is at its EpiCenter.
Sua Cravens is able to excel in all Aspects of the Game: He has the Power and Combat Skills to excel at the Point Of Attack and in Pursuit in Run Defense, the Agility to excel in Pass Coverage, and the outstanding Processing Speed to leverage those natural skills to a potentially elite level in both Aspects of the Game and indeed in Rushing The Passer.
While those whose Minds are stuck in the 20th Century try to figure out where Cravens should play or if he can even play at all, I believe that there's a strong Chance that Sua Cravens, a brilliant, passionate, and ferocious Leader, will rapidly find himself playing on virtually every Down, all over the Field...and playing at a dominant level.
Grateful Thanks, as always, for the crucial Work done by the folks at Draft BreakDown!!
Bargain!!
Market Value #53 | Yankee Grade Top 10!! |
This is not is even remotely a Complaint, mind you, but rather a Warning: Caveat Emptor!!