The scouting scam

[PonyExpress]

I believe Nolan Nawrocki, the head draft analyst for Profootballweekly, contributes to the scouting reports for nfldraftscout.com and espn.com's "Scout's inc." as well. He sells his work to these other services in slightly varied form for their use with the understanding that his name be omitted. IOW, consumers who may choose to buy multiple services for a variance of opinion are in fact getting the same recycled info packaged differently. This creates the false impression that there is a consensus about a player when in fact multiple scouting reports are derived from the same source.

I should add that I appreciate Nawrocki's work, and applaud his industry and business savvy. However, buyer beware.

 

[BelichickFan]

Re: Nolan Nawrocki and the scouting scam

Why do you believe this ?

 

[PonyExpress]

Re: Nolan Nawrocki and the scouting scam

Because I have read the scouting report on Chris Houston in both Profootballweekly's draft preview and in nfldraftscout.com. The similarities are uncanny, as well as the final comparison with Ahmad Carroll. That kind of comparison is the work of a single individual with a strong and unusual opinion. DaBruinz alerted me to more of the same the other day with his reference to the fact that there was a consensus among paid sites that Siler is poor in zone coverage. Further investigation leads me to the conclusion that there is a pool of scouting info that is shared between these various sites by people in the industry, perhaps similar to the pool Ron Borges claims to have drawn from in his plagiarism scandal. This practice has been hinted at in the past, the purchasing of scouting reports by these sites from "professional" scouts working anonymously in order to augmnet their paychecks.

 

[BelichickFan]

Re: Nolan Nawrocki and the scouting scam

Do you have the Lindy's preview ? It doesn't say who wrote the player reports but the stuff in the from is by the NFLDraftScout guys so I was assuming the player reports were too. I haven't acutally compared them to the on-line NFLDraftScout stuff though.

 

[BelichickFan]

Re: Nolan Nawrocki and the scouting scam

As I mentioned in another thread, if you want a true "other opinion", get the Sporting News preview, it's done by GM Jr.'s Russ Lande. He has some solid references but some very different opinions than the others.

 

[PonyExpress]

Re: Nolan Nawrocki and the scouting scam

On further consideration, I think there's a strong likelihood that an actual BLESTO or NATIONAL scout has sold his write-ups to various companies anonymously, and these various outlets are all paraphrasing his work to lesser or greater extent. The reason Lande and TheHuddleReport seem so bizarre in comparison is that they are actually producing original work, whereas the others are merely regurgitating the same info. Maybe Nawrocki isn't the man behind the curtain after all, but just another munchkin.

 

[DaBruinz]

Re: Nolan Nawrocki and the scouting scam

On further consideration, I think there's a strong likelihood that an actual BLESTO or NATIONAL scout has sold his write-ups to various companies anonymously, and these various outlets are all paraphrasing his work to lesser or greater extent. The reason Lande and TheHuddleReport seem so bizarre in comparison is that they are actually producing original work, whereas the others are merely regurgitating the same info. Maybe Nawrocki isn't the man behind the curtain after all, but just another munchkin.

Well, I'd agree with you except for 2 things.

1) Scott Wright does his own scouting.
2) Frank Cooney and Rob Rang do their own scouting.

 

[PonyExpress]

Re: Nolan Nawrocki and the scouting scam

Well, I'd agree with you except for 2 things.

1) Scott Wright does his own scouting.
2) Frank Cooney and Rob Rang do their own scouting.

I don't disagree. But there may be an original write-up which sets the board for them, to which they add there own salient observations. This would be a plausible way of constructing so enormous a data base of material. For example, if Rob Rang does his own scouting, why does he write that Chris Houston will be a bust like Ahmad Carroll, but then rank him as an elite prospect?

 

[PonyExpress]

There is of course, another possibility: That I am wrong, that my observations are lazy, and I am doing these various people a disservice by implying they are crooks. That would be a disgrace, and one for which I would be very sorry. Sometimes you can be too clever by half and show your @$$.

 

[Fencer]

What happened to Dave Te' Thomas? His writeups -- including for NFL.com and/or (CBS) Sportsline -- rocked.

 

[PATSNUTme]

I don't think he's involved in Scouts Inc. They have some different takes and rankings of players.

I would like to know who is "Scouts Inc". I think McShay is involved, but how much, I don't know.

EDIT: Just checked and got this info on Scouts Inc. Noland is not listed as a contributor.


http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/scouts/news/story?page=ScoutsInc

 

[DaBruinz]

Re: Nolan Nawrocki and the scouting scam

I don't disagree. But there may be an original write-up which sets the board for them, to which they add there own salient observations. This would be a plausible way of constructing so enormous a data base of material. For example, if Rob Rang does his own scouting, why does he write that Chris Houston will be a bust like Ahmad Carroll, but then rank him as an elite prospect?

A few things.
1) Rang does the scouting, but not necessarily the rankings
2) Rang isn't the only one who does scouting for that site.
3) A player's "STOCK" isn't necessarily determined by the scouting service. Its more determined by the feedback they get from team scouts and officials.

 

[captain stone]

I would like to know who is "Scouts Inc". I think McShay is involved, but how much, I don't know.



http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/scouts/news/story?page=ScoutsInc

Gary Horton of Scouts Inc. used to run the NFL Warroom for The Sporting News, before he helped form Scouts Inc., first used by espn for the 2004 draft.

Russ Lande's GM JR. did the 2006 draft for NFL.com and CBS Sportsline, if memory serves. While their write-ups were thorough, I found their grades/rankings too confusing.

Wasn't Dave Te Thomas part of the Draft/Sports Xchange, and wasn't that part of NFLDraftScout.com?

Who's Scott Wright?

 

[dryheat44]

Re: Nolan Nawrocki and the scouting scam

As I mentioned in another thread, if you want a true "other opinion", get the Sporting News preview, it's done by GM Jr.'s Russ Lande. He has some solid references but some very different opinions than the others.

I haven't used him this year, but in past seasons, The Huddle Report's Drew Boylhart has never been afraid to march to his own drummer.

 

[BelichickFan]

Who's Scott Wright?

nfldraftcountdown.com

 

[BelichickFan]

Re: Nolan Nawrocki and the scouting scam

I haven't used him this year, but in past seasons, The Huddle Report's Drew Boylhart has never been afraid to march to his own drummer.

I like him too - I much prefer a nice hard copy, though, so I can lounge around on the sofa flipping through pages vs. sitting at my computer all night.

 

[captain stone]

nfldraftcountdown.com

Thank you, BF.

 

[PATSNUTme]

Re: Nolan Nawrocki and the scouting scam

I like him too - I much prefer a nice hard copy, though, so I can lounge around on the sofa flipping through pages vs. sitting at my computer all night.

I'm with you there. I save all of mine going back to 1998.

I really love taking out the 2000 guide. I was smarter than BB/Scott for one day. I had a QB named Tom Brady circled and a note "5th round patriots". :rocker:

BB & Scott waited an entire round and picked him with a comp pick.

I also had Patrick Pass as a 7th rounder- right where they took him.:rocker:

 

[BelichickFan]

Re: Nolan Nawrocki and the scouting scam

I'm with you there. I save all of mine going back to 1998.

I have every PFW draft preview since 1981 on my bookcase . . . I think 1982 was the year Kenneth Sims was the next HoF DL

 

[captain stone]

Re: Nolan Nawrocki and the scouting scam

I really love taking out the 2000 guide. I was smarter than BB/Scott for one day. I had a QB named Tom Brady circled and a note "5th round patriots". :rocker:

BB & Scott waited an entire round and picked him with a comp pick.

I also had Patrick Pass as a 7th rounder- right where they took him.:rocker:

Nut, where did you have Adalius Thomas? I thought that anytime after the 3rd round would have represented good value. When he was chosen by Baltimore at 186, one spot ahead of Antwan Harris, he was my BPA, regardless of position.