SpeedBack ~ Trenton "Shot out'f a"Cannon
Virginia State Trojans ~ 5103/186
Regarding SpeedBacks
A couple Years ago, I dropped the term "FlexBack" and divided all HalfBacks into PowerBacks & SpeedBacks.
I've come to believe that any HalfBack that doesn't bring a Passing Game element to the BattleField is...incomplete.
Hence, the term "FlexBack" ~ although quite cool, I believe!! ~ short-circuits the Evaluation Process.
As to how I break them down, I expect that the terms are pretty self-explanatory:
PowerBacks ~ HalfBacks who do their best Work between the Tackles..
SpeedBacks ~ HalfBacks who do their best Work outside the Tackles.
The PowerBack prototype would be about 5115/220 or so.
The SpeedBack prototype would be about 5010/200 or so.
Those are gross oversimplifications, of course, and many HalfBacks will manifest Attributes of both styles. Indeed, Power and Speed ~ better yet: Agility ~ are crucial to the Success of either kind of HalfBack. But I believe that it advances the discussion and better serves my Fellow FootBall Fanatics if I make an effort to distinguish between types.
This is how I break things down, when evaluating all HalfBacks:
Power: Above all: Core Power. Upper body Power is important, but lower body Power, from the Knees to the Ribs, is absolutely crucial. An HalfBack's Capacity to break Tackles is more about Core Power than anything else.
Agility: Launch Velocity, Fluidity, Acceleration, and Ricochet. Long Speed is all well and good, but at the end of the day, it is Gravy. What wins Championships is Moving The Chains. And Moving The Chains is accomplished far more consistently by the guys who exhibit the Agility ~ and the Focus ~ to consistently pick up 5 and sometimes 10 Yards at a time.
Processing Speed: Diagnostic Velocity. Field Vision. That ethereal Capacity to Rapidly Read & React to the Rapidly Roiling & Boiling Tactical LandScape...and to foresee and envision Lanes developing before they actually do.
Blocking: Having an HalfBack who doesn't Block effectively is like having 10 Men on the Field of Battle. Most HalfBacks just coming out'f College are mediocre Blockers, but this is a crucial Aspect of the Game that they'll need to master.
Receiving: Whether he be a PowerBack or a SpeedBack, an HalfBack that can effectively present a genuine Threat in the Passing Game dramatically increases his Team's Options on any given Play. The more dynamic the Threat, the more valuable to'is Team on the Field of Battle, whether he's just slipping out'f the BackField or splitting out Wide.
Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:
Power
* Core Power is most of it. Tyrannosaurus Rex would've made an Hell of an HalfBack.
* Torso Power doesn't hurt, though.
Agility
* Launch Velocity
* Fluidity
* Acceleration
* Ricochet
* Long Speed
Processing Speed
* That ethereal Capacity to foresee and envision Lanes developing before they actually do.
Blocking
* Power
* Agility
* Combat Skills
* Processing Speed
* Motor
Receiving
* Separation
* Catch Point Capacity
* Navigation
I've come to believe that any HalfBack that doesn't bring a Passing Game element to the BattleField is...incomplete.
Hence, the term "FlexBack" ~ although quite cool, I believe!! ~ short-circuits the Evaluation Process.
As to how I break them down, I expect that the terms are pretty self-explanatory:
PowerBacks ~ HalfBacks who do their best Work between the Tackles..
SpeedBacks ~ HalfBacks who do their best Work outside the Tackles.
The PowerBack prototype would be about 5115/220 or so.
The SpeedBack prototype would be about 5010/200 or so.
Those are gross oversimplifications, of course, and many HalfBacks will manifest Attributes of both styles. Indeed, Power and Speed ~ better yet: Agility ~ are crucial to the Success of either kind of HalfBack. But I believe that it advances the discussion and better serves my Fellow FootBall Fanatics if I make an effort to distinguish between types.
This is how I break things down, when evaluating all HalfBacks:
Power: Above all: Core Power. Upper body Power is important, but lower body Power, from the Knees to the Ribs, is absolutely crucial. An HalfBack's Capacity to break Tackles is more about Core Power than anything else.
Agility: Launch Velocity, Fluidity, Acceleration, and Ricochet. Long Speed is all well and good, but at the end of the day, it is Gravy. What wins Championships is Moving The Chains. And Moving The Chains is accomplished far more consistently by the guys who exhibit the Agility ~ and the Focus ~ to consistently pick up 5 and sometimes 10 Yards at a time.
Processing Speed: Diagnostic Velocity. Field Vision. That ethereal Capacity to Rapidly Read & React to the Rapidly Roiling & Boiling Tactical LandScape...and to foresee and envision Lanes developing before they actually do.
Blocking: Having an HalfBack who doesn't Block effectively is like having 10 Men on the Field of Battle. Most HalfBacks just coming out'f College are mediocre Blockers, but this is a crucial Aspect of the Game that they'll need to master.
Receiving: Whether he be a PowerBack or a SpeedBack, an HalfBack that can effectively present a genuine Threat in the Passing Game dramatically increases his Team's Options on any given Play. The more dynamic the Threat, the more valuable to'is Team on the Field of Battle, whether he's just slipping out'f the BackField or splitting out Wide.
Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:
Power
* Core Power is most of it. Tyrannosaurus Rex would've made an Hell of an HalfBack.
* Torso Power doesn't hurt, though.
Agility
* Launch Velocity
* Fluidity
* Acceleration
* Ricochet
* Long Speed
Processing Speed
* That ethereal Capacity to foresee and envision Lanes developing before they actually do.
Blocking
* Power
* Agility
* Combat Skills
* Processing Speed
* Motor
Receiving
* Separation
* Catch Point Capacity
* Navigation
Trenton Cannon ~ Scouting Report
Power: 33. He's compact, but he's also pretty small, and doesn't project much Power. He's not easily knocked down ~ not at the Division 47 level, anyway!! ~ but neither does he break many Tackles or churn for much yardage.
Agility: 100. Cannon has excellent Speed, and it's the least of his Agility attributes. His Acceleration, Ricochet, and Fluidity are uniformly magnificent. Many straight line Zoomers lack Wiggle. That is not a problem, here.
Processing Speed: 75. He occasionally gets greedy instead of taking what's there, and of course I'm grading'm against Division 47 Defenses, but he consistently reads the tactical landscape rapidly and effectively.
Blocking: 33. Nice Motor, but he's gonna need to beef up and develop his raw Combat Skills.
Receiving: 66 with all sorts of Potential. Cannon's a little raw as a Receiver, as his Routes were of the simple sort, but his Hands are sufficient, and his Chunk Yardage Potential is sensational. His Power is marginal, yes, but his Agility is phenomenal, and his Field Vision is even better beyond the Line of Scrimmage than before it.
Trenton Cannon ~ Prospectus
Trenton "Shot out'f a" Cannon has an enormous gap between his Ceiling and his Floor.
Ceiling? Beast. 1st Rounder. If Cannon can develop enough Power and Combat Skills to become an acceptable Blocker, the sky is the limit with this kid, because while he'll likely never be very effective at running it between the Tackles, his Potential as a FlexBack, on a team that pairs'm with a Tight End or two, or some other configuration that doesn't entail many Blocking responsibilities, is as a 100 Carry/50 Catch/1000 Yards or even 150/75/1500 Yards producer.
He is that explosive...And he's got the brains to make the most'f it.
Floor? Reserve. 7th Rounder. If he doesn't develop enough Power and Combat Skills to become a decent Blocker, then he is very possibly relegated to far narrower opportunities in Spread Formations and the like. Of course the possibility remains that he would find his way to a team that features him and accounts for blocking in other ways. There are a thousand ways to skin a formational cat. But being relegated to "Gadget" duties or less is very possible.
Risk/Reward Ratio? 50/50!! Trenton "Shot out'f a" Cannon matches his spectacular Talent with tremendous Instincts, and he plays with intensity, which things speak positively to his Intelligence and Drive, so I'm more inclined than not to be a believer in'm. Contrasted with this, of course, is the arduous challenge of leaping from Division 47 FootBall to the Big Leagues. All things considered, it seems to me that a team would have to really blow it to not find some role for such astonishing Talent, so I like his chances of earning Collaborator Snaps as a Gadget Guy at the very least.
And the chances are very real that he could become much, much more.
Thank you so very much, Draft BreakDown, without whom my Work would be virtually impossible.
Ceiling? Beast. 1st Rounder. If Cannon can develop enough Power and Combat Skills to become an acceptable Blocker, the sky is the limit with this kid, because while he'll likely never be very effective at running it between the Tackles, his Potential as a FlexBack, on a team that pairs'm with a Tight End or two, or some other configuration that doesn't entail many Blocking responsibilities, is as a 100 Carry/50 Catch/1000 Yards or even 150/75/1500 Yards producer.
He is that explosive...And he's got the brains to make the most'f it.
Floor? Reserve. 7th Rounder. If he doesn't develop enough Power and Combat Skills to become a decent Blocker, then he is very possibly relegated to far narrower opportunities in Spread Formations and the like. Of course the possibility remains that he would find his way to a team that features him and accounts for blocking in other ways. There are a thousand ways to skin a formational cat. But being relegated to "Gadget" duties or less is very possible.
Risk/Reward Ratio? 50/50!! Trenton "Shot out'f a" Cannon matches his spectacular Talent with tremendous Instincts, and he plays with intensity, which things speak positively to his Intelligence and Drive, so I'm more inclined than not to be a believer in'm. Contrasted with this, of course, is the arduous challenge of leaping from Division 47 FootBall to the Big Leagues. All things considered, it seems to me that a team would have to really blow it to not find some role for such astonishing Talent, so I like his chances of earning Collaborator Snaps as a Gadget Guy at the very least.
And the chances are very real that he could become much, much more.
Thank you so very much, Draft BreakDown, without whom my Work would be virtually impossible.
Yank Rank: Contender ~ Deeper Sleeper!!
| Market Value #204 | Yankee Grade 3rd Round |
Please do Note, Fellow FootBall Fiends: This and all CyberScouting Reports issued by this Site are produced by a ludicrously unqualified Amateur, privy to not even the tiniest fraction of Coach's Tape, Scouting Expertise, Face to Face Interviewing, Experience, or Inside Information enjoyed by the Professionals. As such, anything put forth is certainly misinformed, euphonious, derivative Tripe, and should be rejected out'f hand and indeed shunned by all men and women with even reasonable levels of intelligence or Good Will!! I'm trying to discern Power, Agility, Combat Skills, and far more abstract, esoteric Concepts such as Processing Speed and Motor, and Intelligence and Drive, and I'm trying to do so based almost entirely on a fascinating fusion of Tape, Combine Numbers, and Pro Days, while trying to attenuate my findings based on making Allowances for Competition Level, Scheme, Concept, Context, and, above all: Trajectory!!
Please also note, Fellow FootBall Fiends: These CyberScouting Reports are not intended as predictions of success or failure, but as assessments ~ ludicrously amateurish assessments ~ of potential success. FootBall is a rough and often unfair business, and many a worthy Prospect has fallen far short of his potential, sometimes not because of his own failings, but because of those of coaching, scheme, timing...or because huge investments were made on other Prospects.
In other words: If any of my Super Dooper Deeper Sleepers ever fail to fulfill their vast potential, I’m confident that it goes without saying that it wasn’t their fault…or mine!!...Yes, I think that I'm being funny.
In other words: Caveat Emptor, Fellow FootBall Fiends!!
Enter at your own risk!!
Please also note, Fellow FootBall Fiends: These CyberScouting Reports are not intended as predictions of success or failure, but as assessments ~ ludicrously amateurish assessments ~ of potential success. FootBall is a rough and often unfair business, and many a worthy Prospect has fallen far short of his potential, sometimes not because of his own failings, but because of those of coaching, scheme, timing...or because huge investments were made on other Prospects.
In other words: If any of my Super Dooper Deeper Sleepers ever fail to fulfill their vast potential, I’m confident that it goes without saying that it wasn’t their fault…or mine!!...Yes, I think that I'm being funny.
In other words: Caveat Emptor, Fellow FootBall Fiends!!
Enter at your own risk!!
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