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USC Recruiting 2002-2009 Defensive End
by bluemax on Feb 9, 2010 5:41 PM PST
3 comments
After a long break between these I'm back with the (6th?) part in my look at USC's recruiting (well more like commits as I don't include info on players who were recruited but went elsewhere) from 2002-2009 under Pete Carroll. This time I'm back with Defensive Ends. Originally I was planning on doing the whole defensive line in one post but there ended up being enough to separate them out. I also found the portion of the USC site where they keep all the official player stats which has helped tremendously in compiling a better picture. I'll try and have defensive tackle soon.
3 comments | 0 recs
Alu and the Quick Snap Gas
by John Morgan on Feb 9, 2010 10:45 AM PST
17 comments
Tyson Alualu doesn't have a bad body, but he isn't cut. He's high motor, but revved too long and the pistons can seize. His future is as a rotational tackle. Alu brings it every down, but when every down starts stacking up, he loses some of the fire that makes him, some of the motor that makes him great.
1. 1st and 10 at UTAH 24 Eddie Wide rush for 1 yard to the Utah 25.
Left defensive end in a 4-2 look, Tyson reads run, disengages from the right tackle and runs laterally to engulf Wide after one.
2. 2nd and 9 at UTAH 25 Jordan Wynn pass complete to Jereme Brooks for 27 yards to the Cal 48 for a 1ST down.
LDE, good jump, Alu swims right tackle Bergstrom, frees himself to the quarterback but can't close before Wynn passes down field.
3. 1st and 10 at CAL 48 Sausan Shakerin rush for 6 yards to the Cal 42.
(Quick snap) Alu is caught off guard and doesn't factor.
4. 2nd and 4 at CAL 42 Sausan Shakerin rush for 8 yards to the Cal 34 for a 1ST down.
Utes are attacking with hurry up and Alu is suffering. He's somewhat slow off the snap and can't escape Boogerstrom's block.
5. 1st and 10 at CAL 34 CALIFORNIA penalty 5 yard offside defense accepted.
In desperation, Bears nose tackle Aaron Tipoti jumps offside to kill the clock.
6. 1st and 5 at CAL 29 Jordan Wynn pass complete to David Reed for 15 yards to the Cal 14 for a 1ST down.
Alu is again slow off the snap and again doesn't separate. He's breathing hard. He's gassed.
(Hurry up)
7. 1st and 10 at CAL 14 Sausan Shakerin rush for 1 yard to the Cal 13.
Still at left end, now in a 3-4 look, Alu shows little power off the snap and barely contributes.
(Hurry up)
8. 2nd and 9 at CAL 13 Eddie Wide rush for 2 yards to the Cal 11.
Back in a 3-3, Alu is again slow off the snap and his power is hustle power. He's digging deep.
9. 3rd and 7 at CAL 11 Jordan Wynn pass incomplete.
Play call confusion freezes the hurry up and the Utes snap with one second remaining on the play clock. Our hero regains himself. Cal breaks in a true 3-4 and rushes only three. Alu rips inside separating from Bergstrom, splits the double team when right guard Zane Taylor attempts to assist and gives Wynn the eye, forcing him out of the pocket right. Boogerstrom shows his pro skills by plunging his left hand into Alu's neck hole, grabbing hold of his shoulder pads and falling backwards tackling both. It's not flagged. It's never flagged. Damage done, a panicked Wynn throws errant incomplete.
17 comments | 0 recs |
Tyson Alualu and the Unregistered Explosives
by John Morgan on Feb 9, 2010 7:30 AM PST
0 comments
Production isn't stats. A player isn't productive because he fills out a stat sheet. A player is productive because he contributes, and sometimes, those contributions are invisible but to the dedicated observer.
1. 1st and 10 at CAL 30 Eddie Wide rush for no gain to the Cal 30.
Tyson Alualu drives right tackle Tony Bergstrom back, uses his right hand to rip up and under Berstrom's shoulder pads and cuts in tackling Wide.
2. 2nd and 10 at CAL 30 Eddie Wide rush for 2 yards to the Cal 28.
Utes are in a shotgun look, but Alu reads the draw and runs right to intercept. He doesn't tackle, but helps create the pile that effectively tackles Wide after two.
3. 3rd and 8 at CAL 28 Jordan Wynn pass complete to Luke Matthews for 9 yards to the Cal 19 for a 1ST down.
California is in a 3-2 look with the outside linebackers pressuring the edges. Alu is playing left outside linebacker and fakes a couple sprinters lunges before the snap. Just as the ball is snapped, he drops into a three point, and the coincidence spooks Alu causing him to stumble out of his stance. He recovers, swims inside but does not factor.
4. 1st and 10 at CAL 19 Eddie Wide rush for a loss of 2 yards to the Cal 21.
I'm tempted to call this a student body right, but it's really just a sweep. Alu is playing LDE in a 4-2 look. He stands up and throws off tight end Kendrick Moeai, cuts into the backfield, forces pulling center Zane Taylor to engage him, thereby removing a vital lead blocker, forces the entire play further wide, and without receiving credit from commentator or statistician, singlehandedly detonates the Utes sweep.
5. 1st and 10 at CAL 19 Eddie Wide rush for a loss of 2 yards to the Cal 21.
Out.
6. 3rd and 6 at CAL 15 Jordan Wynn pass complete to Luke Matthews for 5 yards to the Cal 10.
Out.
7. 4th and 1 at CAL 10 Eddie Wide rush for 4 yards to the Cal 6 for a 1ST down.
Alualu substitutes in barely in time for quick snap by the Utes. He pushes pile, separates, but does not factor in a coldblooded conversion. I love smart coaching.
8. 1st and Goal at CAL 6 Jordan Wynn pass complete to Kendrick Moeai for 6 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Left defensive end in a true 3-4 look. Alu follows the offensive line right, sees Wynn rolling out left, spins away from the right tackle, stumbles, and watches as Wynn tosses it in for the score.
0 comments | 0 recs |
Free Stallworth for the Team that can Stomach Him
by John Morgan on Feb 8, 2010 9:18 PM PST
34 comments
I would think the man that forgave Jerammy Stevens every sin would not cut Donte Stallworth for punitive reasons, but it's certainly possible. There's little other reason to cut a talented player in an uncapped season short on free agents. If nothing else, Stallworth could fetch a late round pick in trade. He only cost $1.4 million against the cap in 2009. A pittance. He isn't far removed from a run of productive if unsteady seasons with the Patriots, Eagles and Saints. Stallworth doesn't have to be good to be valuable for a team like the Cowboys that could use him in four receiver sets opposite Miles Austin. Maybe he'll end up a Cowboy, but a smart team would put themselves somewhere in the middle. Nab a pick for housing Stallworth for a couple months.
I'd rather not revisit the morality of Stallworth's crime, but it's necessary. He killed a man. He killed a man drinking and driving. His blood alcohol at the time was 0.12, lower than either Lofa Tatupu or Owen Schmitt at the time of their respective arrests. Probably lower than some left their Super Bowl parties. But he killed a man and that's the fact that survives the wash. He was convicted of manslaughter and served 24 days in jail. People hate when a star athlete gets of easy. I personally hate that all DUI convictions don't come with jail time and that manslaughter is considered an additional offense on an inherently dangerous act. It's like shooting at someone but missing and being charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm.
So there it is, all laid out, the ugly, moralistic truth. Stomach the man and his past and Stallworth is a talented wide receiver that could fill out a corps or probably be traded for a draft pick. Of course, as this stuff goes, I wouldn't be surprised if he was blackballed right out of the league. He did kill a man.
34 comments | 0 recs |
Alualu: Jumps, Controls and Stunts
by John Morgan on Feb 8, 2010 4:33 PM PST
3 comments
Tyson Alualu shows great awareness. He contributes between stats by creating piles and engaging pull blockers. What can look like a slow jump is revealed to be expert recognition. Alualu knows when to take it down a notch, control his gap and not run himself out of the play.
1. 1st and 10 at UTAH 11 Eddie Wide rush for 5 yards to the Utah 16.
Alu is aligned over left tackle Zane Beadles. He looks slow off the snap, but why is quickly revealed. He's controlling against the run. Alu holds ground but does not factor.
2. 2nd and 5 at UTAH 16 Jordan Wynn sacked for a loss of 5 yards to the Utah 11.
Tyson aligns on Beadles outside shoulder -- five-tech. The Utes are aligned in an empty backfield and Alu explodes off the snap anticipating pass. He bursts into Beadles inside shoulder, swims, separates, blocks out the passing lane and forces Wynn to abort his pass attempt and pull the ball back. Wynn scrambles left but is trip-sacked by a lunging Kendrick Payne.
3. 3rd and 15 at UTAH 6 Jordan Wynn pass incomplete.
A false start puts Utah in desperate down, distance and field position. Alu again stands, this time off right tackle. At the snap, the right defensive end attacks right. Alu charges as if edge rushing, then smoothly redirects, shows nice footwork avoiding the end's legs, and efficiently and effectively loops towards the right guard. Wynn targets the middle, but it's as much throw away as pass.
Drive over.
1. 1st and 10 at UTAH 25 Jordan Wynn pass intercepted by Eddie Young at the Utah 31, returned for 31 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Alu starts at LOLB, but lowers into a three point as tight end Kendrick Moeai motions from the right slot to right tight end. Alu charges off the snap, wards off an attempted cut block, turns to watch the pass zing over him, sees linebacker Eddie Young undercut the rout and immediately pulls in front of the running linebacker to block his path to the end zone. Young overtakes Alu just as the two reach the goal line.
3 comments | 0 recs |
Powerhouse Seeking Position: Tyson Alualu
by John Morgan on Feb 8, 2010 1:56 PM PST
11 comments
Hater culture is rampant. Blame the internet if you wish, hate on it if you must, but individuals devoted to the downfall of others, that suckle on failure's sour teat with greedy mouths and jagged teethe, are as old as man --old as endeavor. Work hard, extend yourself, take a risk, and there's always strangers to spit on your effort. People that savor the misery of others more than they ever could their own meager accomplishments.
The NFL Draft births experts, but it fattens haters. Most draft picks fail. Even most first round draft picks fail in light of expectations. World beaters beaten; today's Aaron Curry tomorrow's Brian Bozworth.
You won't find any hate here. I love this defensive tackle class and think it could be the greatest defensive tackle class in the history of the NFL. Ok, hyperbole always has a home during draft time too. Greatest ever, any hater will hiss, is hype overripe to fall. Let's remove the greatest and settle for great.
So I start this year's run of tape review with defensive tackles. Pete Carroll is a 4-3 under proponent, and he inherits a talented roster replete with potential. One position it's never properly filled though is three-tech or under tackle. It needs another body beside Brandon Mebane to rip through single blocks and shorten clocks, widen rushing lanes and test the tensile strength on a few pretty boy's mouth guards. It needs someone that lives in opponent's backfields.
Gerald McCoy and Ndamukong Suh are sensations. Word's out about the Beast named Suh, but McCoy is nearly his equal and a year younger. Talent like them is amazing and if Seattle mortgages the offense another season to acquire one, well I'll just toughen up an accept it a sack at a time. But the smarter play is to grab elite talent on offense and see which member of this monster tackle class falls.
I have a feeling Tyson Alualu could be had in the third. Kid has a profile I absolutely love. Alu2 played end in California's 3-4 system, but from his size, a thick-cut 6'2"/291, to his build, he wears his weight in his legs and core, to his game, Alu dominates at the point, but has in-the-box agility and cannot edge rush in a traditional NFL sense, he's an NFL defensive tackle. And if not a special one, if not a generational talent like McCoy or Suh, then a damn fine one that could be a centerpiece player in a top ten defense. Well, maybe.
I scouted the Poinsettia Bowl. Alu was pitted against NFL draft prospect Zane Beadles. Or, on some snaps he was. In six plays, Alualu played ROLB, LDE, LOLB, RDE, RDE and LILB. He was a weapon positioned for maximum wreckage. You know how these matchups work: two men enter, one leaves without his future.
1. 1st and 10 at UTAH 19Eddie Wide rush for 3 yards to the Utah 22.
Alu is positioned at right outside linebacker in a 3-3 front, or what Carroll would call stand up defensive end. Quaint. He gets a good jump off the snap and powers into freshman tight end Kendrick Moeai. He stands up and then forces back Moeai, narrowing the hole, but otherwise doesn't factor.
2. 2nd and 7 at UTAH 22Jordan Wynn pass complete to David Reed for 3 yards to the Utah 25.
Alu is in a three point at left defensive end in a 4-2 look. He gets another good jump, pushes back and then swims through right tackle Tony Boogerstom (nee Bergstrom) and forces a dump off before tackling Wynn after the pass.
3. 3rd and 4 at UTAH 25Jordan Wynn pass complete to Eddie Wide for 45 yards to the Cal 30 for a 1ST down.
Standing again, still on the left, Alu is a little slow off the snap, attempts edge pressure but does not factor as the motioning Wide sprints behind the line and receives a shovel pass for 45.
4. 1st and 10 at CAL 30Jordan Wynn pass incomplete.
Our epic matchup is on, as Alu is finally face to face with Beadles on the defensive right. Cal is in a traditional 3-4 look and Alu is in 4-tech alignment. He bulls through Beadles, disrupts play action and forces Wynn scrambling to his right. Alu stumbles in pursuit and is little threat to catch up and pressure the scrambling quarterback from behind.
5. 2nd and 10 at CAL 30Eddie Wide rush for a loss of 1 yard to the Cal 31.
Same Cal look same Alu alignment same matchup against Beadles and the same result, as Alu stands up Beadles, rips through as Beadles pulls into the second level, and worms through and behind Wide on the read option, wrapping securely and hip tossing Wide to the turf.
6. 3rd and 11 at CAL 31Jordan Wynn sacked for a loss of 3 yards to the Cal 34.
Alualu is standing, just off the nose tackles hip, in a 3-3 look that has him playing left inside linebacker. He shows a couple teasing sprinter steps, faking blitz, and then, at the snap, turns his hips and runs into a hook zone. He moves well, and Wynn sacks himself scrambling out of bounds.
First drive concluded.
11 comments | 0 recs |
Saints Crowned
by John Morgan on Feb 7, 2010 6:47 PM PST
56 comments
Never lose hope Seahawks fans.
56 comments | 0 recs |
Walter Jones Announces Retirement Via Twitter
by John Morgan on Feb 7, 2010 1:34 PM PST
78 comments
The greatest player to ever play for the Seahawks, the greatest left tackle in the history of the game, Walter Jones, has announced his retirement via Twitter.
I have come to the conclusion it is time for me to retire from football.
May retirement bring you a fraction of the joy you've brought Seahawks fans. We love you Walt.
78 comments | 1 recs |
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