Allen Bailey, Anyone?

[Peachhead]

Poor lad! The shame, if he only ... wait a minute! :enranged:

Scientific research suggests rocks get significantly more intelligent when grouped together with other rocks and placed into a square enclosure.

 

[sg14]

Sounds like a very high floor but very low ceiling entity?????????

Scientific research suggests rocks get significantly more intelligent when grouped together with other rocks and placed into a square enclosure.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Sounds like a very high floor but very low ceiling entity?????????

But hits like a ton of bricks. :bricks:

 

[FredFromDartmouth]

Can you tell I'm having a lot of trouble placing a draft value on this guy?

Not that hard; he is a beastly strong DE/LB prospect. Late first or early second.

The guy who is impossible to place is the one-armed butt-kicker: Adrian Clayborn. Talent and ferocity should place him in round 1 but the one-armed factor could drop him to 3.

 

[sg14]

If he is as slow as you say why did BB spend the time to check him out??

I don't use links without an address so did not check out the video, but was there a large sample of the lowlights?

Good God. He is lethargic off the line, its actually amusing.

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

I don't know where to put him either, but it's probably on Day Three. I have concerns about motivation, motor, and production vs. top competition.

I watched him exclusively while Miami was getting routed by Notre Dame, I honestly thought that he was counting 1-Missisippi, 2-Mississippi, 3-Mississippi before he decided to get out of his stance after the ball was snapped. Unless he finds a new motor that starts on time, he won't make it in the NFL.

 

[FredFromDartmouth]

I watched him exclusively while Miami was getting routed by Notre Dame, I honestly thought that he was counting 1-Missisippi, 2-Mississippi, 3-Mississippi before he decided to get out of his stance after the ball was snapped. Unless he finds a new motor that starts on time, he won't make it in the NFL.

Good observation. I watched some videos and he definitely has a slow first step. Occasionally he is quick off the ball so I wonder if the athleticism is the issue.

He looks beastly strong with good instincts. He runs OK; not outstanding but pretty well for his size.

He interviews are little disconcerting but just because he has a slow country drawl does not mean he is mentally slow.

 

[the wrothbroughterer]

Good observation. I watched some videos and he definitely has a slow first step. Occasionally he is quick off the ball so I wonder if the athleticism is the issue.

He looks beastly strong with good instincts. He runs OK; not outstanding but pretty well for his size.

He interviews are little disconcerting but just because he has a slow country drawl does not mean he is mentally slow.

It definitely isn't an athleticism issue. He's arguably one of the top 3 most athletic defensive front 7 players in the draft when you consider his combine measurables. It also seems to be backed up by tape.

It's an instincts issue, in which case he wouldn't make a good fit, a coaching issue that left him ill prepared to make adequate jumps off the ball, or a mixture of both. I don't think its a motor issue, he fights in the trenches that much is clear.

According to NEPatriotsDraft, he had a 1-on-1 film session with BB, the results of which I don't think anyone will find out until after the draft and some measure of success in a Patriots uniform. But you'd have to think that if it got that far, BB and the Brain Trust had to be interested in his intelligence, right?

 

[Brady2Welker]

If he is as slow as you say why did BB spend the time to check him out??

I don't use links without an address so did not check out the video, but was there a large sample of the lowlights?

If you mouse over the link you can see it's link, common' dog. You could easily fake a hyperlink in the same way he wrote it in. I believe in you.

 

[sbpatfan]

His physical attributes would lead you to believe he's explosive, but it seems like he's a second behind everyone off the snap. Can you teach an athletic player to be explosive?

 

[Snake Eyes]

His physical attributes would lead you to believe he's explosive, but it seems like he's a second behind everyone off the snap. Can you teach an athletic player to be explosive?

Eh, yes and no.

We have a certain number of fast/slow twitch fibers that are genetically determined but we also have some muscle fibers that can essentially become one or the other depending on the activity we do, if one lifts weights slowly the body will get better at that but worse at explosive movements. That being said, you're not going to take a skinny Kenyan whose family all look like marathon champions and turn him into a Vernon Gholston look-alike even with the best possible training.

Then there's the body's "response time", which can be increased with the right training but yet again, someone with very poor response time is not going to become elite even with the best training.

Finally, part of what we call "instincts" is the ability of the person to stop having their conscious brain question their unconscious brain. Take a look at cassel when he first started in 08, you'd see slight jolts of tension go through his body when surveying the field and then he'd make stupid throw. His unconscious mind said "throw" but he didnt trust himself, he felt the need to think of it consciously, and what was exactly the right move 1/20th of s second previously was now exactly the wrong move. So, becoming confortable with oneself and allowing their instincts to take over, which is different from improving one's instincts, is also possible.

All that being said, I'd avoid Bailey.

 

[Seneschal2]

If he is as slow as you say why did BB spend the time to check him out??

He's not slow overall running a 4.71 at 285 lbs. Just appears slow getting off blocks w/ an apparent lack of explosiveness, etc. Of course, this opinion is shared by the profilers, youtube viewers, and thread participants.

Obviously BB see's some worthy skills in him, or he wouldn't check him out this closely -- which is why I'll look past Bailey's negatives and keep an open mind. This time of year, there's lots of maybes on these prospects:

Maybe BB sees some tools to work with here.

Maybe BB sees him as a proven versatile player (at DE and DT), whose athleticism would allow BB to employ him in different ways.

Maybe Bailey is very coachable with an impressive football IQ, and with some technique training, he'll become a better pass rusher. And yes, BB did say a year ago that pass rush techniques can be taught.

Maybe Bailey's experience as a 255 lb high school LB is more LB experience than most of the other candidates. On that note, maybe BB would want him to drop from 285 down to 270.

Maybe the FACT he's very strong at the POA fits a BB requirement, while some other prospects are weak in this area.

Lots of maybes -- and probably too many for most here to consider. It's understandable that the average fan wants plug and play prospects. There is however an NFL coaching staff waiting for these rookies to arrive at the Pats threshold, a staff able and ready to teach those capable of developing...

Maybe Bailey fits and maybe not. Same can be said for quite a few prospects the Pats have shown interest in. Keep the door open...

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

According to NEPatriotsDraft, he had a 1-on-1 film session with BB, the results of which I don't think anyone will find out until after the draft and some measure of success in a Patriots uniform. But you'd have to think that if it got that far, BB and the Brain Trust had to be interested in his intelligence, right?

Not to challenge NEPatriotsDraft's write-up, the reports I recall occurred after Miami's first Pro-Day attempt was canceled by weather. BB stayed on and had as many as six Miami defenders in a film room watching their game tape and discussing football. I've not read specifically of a 1-on-1 session with Bailey. All of Bailey's comments about film work with BB have been linked back to this group session.

I've little doubt NE is interested in Bailey the athlete and put forth the effort to accurately determine his football IQ, I believe he's one of the "confirmed" visits, which would have allowed more film study time with various coaches.