PowerBack ~ Ty MontGomery ~ Stanford Cardinal ~ 6000/222
Regarding PowerBacks
Change of NomenClature: I'm dropping the term "FlexBack" and dividing 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
Ty MontGomery Scouting Report
Power: Impressive. I rated it higher a few months ago, when I still foolishly categorized MontGomery as a WideOut, but of course WideOuts deal with smaller guys ~ Defensive Backs ~ whereas God only knows what unspeakable Beasts an HalfBack might run into. Hence, the Grading Scale for HalfBack Power is considerably more demanding.
Agility: Competitive. Impressive Acceleration and Long Speed. Mediocre Fluidity.
Field Vision: Magnificent.
Blocking: Exceptional. Impressive Power, excellent Combat Skills, and a tremendous Motor!!
Receiving: Exceptional and potentially tremendous. Hey, nobody's a more severe Critic of MontGomery's WideOut Game than I, but mediocre Reception Skills for a WideOut translate to pretty damned good for an HalfBack!! The Routes are considerably simpler, and the distance the Ball has to travel is generally far less, and it just so happens that Route Running, Tracking & Timing, and Hands are the 3 tragic Aspects of MontGomery's Reception Game!! He would immeasurably benefit from switching to HalfBack in all 3 Aspects...as would his brilliant Coaches!!
Agility: Competitive. Impressive Acceleration and Long Speed. Mediocre Fluidity.
Field Vision: Magnificent.
Blocking: Exceptional. Impressive Power, excellent Combat Skills, and a tremendous Motor!!
Receiving: Exceptional and potentially tremendous. Hey, nobody's a more severe Critic of MontGomery's WideOut Game than I, but mediocre Reception Skills for a WideOut translate to pretty damned good for an HalfBack!! The Routes are considerably simpler, and the distance the Ball has to travel is generally far less, and it just so happens that Route Running, Tracking & Timing, and Hands are the 3 tragic Aspects of MontGomery's Reception Game!! He would immeasurably benefit from switching to HalfBack in all 3 Aspects...as would his brilliant Coaches!!
Ty MontGomery Prospectus
In case anyone's having a serious case of Deja Vu: Yes, I did write up Ty MontGomery a few months ago!!
But that was before it became obvious to me that he would be best employed and deployed ~ as unlikely as the event may be ~ as an HalfBack, a role for which Mother Nature and his own Nature clearly intended him.
As a WideOut, MontGomery is an Hot Mess: His Route Running is shaky at best, his Tracking & Timing are deficient, and his Hands are FootBall-Retardent when the Ball is in the air. Yet once he gets the Ball, wonderful things happen, which would seem to be why his Market Value was rocking in the 2nd/3rd Round Range back when I wrote'm up.
Ironically, his Stock has since then descended precisely to the Range ~ 4th/5th Round or so ~ that I had suggested was a far more accurate representation of the Value his Receiving chops brings to the Field of Battle.
Switching to HalfBack would be incredibly beneficial to MontGomery's Game. As I broke it down, up above: The Routes are considerably simpler, and the distance the Ball has to travel is generally far less, and it just so happens that Route Running, Tracking & Timing, and Hands are the 3 tragic Aspects of MontGomery's Reception Game!! He would immeasurably benefit from switching to HalfBack in all 3 Aspects...as would his brilliant Coaches!!
Mind you: I cannot claim that I am overwhelmed with Optimism with MontGomery's Chances as a prospective and almost certainly theoretical HalfBack. His Fluidity & Ricochet seem mediocre to me, and the ability to change directions both smoothly and explosively is of course essential to an HalfBack Prospect's Prospects.
But they aren't nearly as essential for a PowerBack, who does his best Work between the Tackles.
I can very easily foresee Ty MontGomery carving out a successful Career as dynamic 3rd Down PowerBack. His Blocking is exceptional, his Receiving Game, raw for a WideOut, is advanced for an HalfBack and would become a Strength.
And as a Runner, he's got enough Power and enough Speed to be very effective surging up the middle on Passing Down Draw Plays, after which his extraordinary Field Vision can be unleashed in the Open Field.
And I believe that the combination of his Capabilities ~ Impressive Blocking, exceptional Receiving skills for an HalfBack, and phenomenal Field Vision ~ would render'm a dynamic and dangerous Weapon on Passing Downs.
To Double Down on the Irony, The Market and I seem to've virtually switched Positions since January!!
Grateful Thanks, as always, for the crucial Work done by the folks at Draft BreakDown!!
But that was before it became obvious to me that he would be best employed and deployed ~ as unlikely as the event may be ~ as an HalfBack, a role for which Mother Nature and his own Nature clearly intended him.
As a WideOut, MontGomery is an Hot Mess: His Route Running is shaky at best, his Tracking & Timing are deficient, and his Hands are FootBall-Retardent when the Ball is in the air. Yet once he gets the Ball, wonderful things happen, which would seem to be why his Market Value was rocking in the 2nd/3rd Round Range back when I wrote'm up.
Ironically, his Stock has since then descended precisely to the Range ~ 4th/5th Round or so ~ that I had suggested was a far more accurate representation of the Value his Receiving chops brings to the Field of Battle.
Switching to HalfBack would be incredibly beneficial to MontGomery's Game. As I broke it down, up above: The Routes are considerably simpler, and the distance the Ball has to travel is generally far less, and it just so happens that Route Running, Tracking & Timing, and Hands are the 3 tragic Aspects of MontGomery's Reception Game!! He would immeasurably benefit from switching to HalfBack in all 3 Aspects...as would his brilliant Coaches!!
Mind you: I cannot claim that I am overwhelmed with Optimism with MontGomery's Chances as a prospective and almost certainly theoretical HalfBack. His Fluidity & Ricochet seem mediocre to me, and the ability to change directions both smoothly and explosively is of course essential to an HalfBack Prospect's Prospects.
But they aren't nearly as essential for a PowerBack, who does his best Work between the Tackles.
I can very easily foresee Ty MontGomery carving out a successful Career as dynamic 3rd Down PowerBack. His Blocking is exceptional, his Receiving Game, raw for a WideOut, is advanced for an HalfBack and would become a Strength.
And as a Runner, he's got enough Power and enough Speed to be very effective surging up the middle on Passing Down Draw Plays, after which his extraordinary Field Vision can be unleashed in the Open Field.
And I believe that the combination of his Capabilities ~ Impressive Blocking, exceptional Receiving skills for an HalfBack, and phenomenal Field Vision ~ would render'm a dynamic and dangerous Weapon on Passing Downs.
To Double Down on the Irony, The Market and I seem to've virtually switched Positions since January!!
Grateful Thanks, as always, for the crucial Work done by the folks at Draft BreakDown!!
Yank Rank: Soldier ~ SemiSleeper!!
| Market Value 4th/5th Round | Yankee Grade 3rd/4th Round |
Please do Note: This and all Evaluations 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 of Good Will!! I'm trying to discern Power, Agility, Combat Skills, and far more abstract, esoteric Concepts such as Processing Speed and Motor, 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 Allowances for Competition Level, Scheme, Concept, Context, and, above all: Trajectory!!
This is not is even remotely a Complaint, mind you, but rather a Warning: Caveat Emptor!!
This is not is even remotely a Complaint, mind you, but rather a Warning: Caveat Emptor!!
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