Rey Maualuga Pro Day Info

[klinefan]

BB hasn't had this guy in for an interview or anything has he? I know some think those are smokescreens, but I don't think he'd bother with them.

I hope he doesn't draft him...seems like an immature kid. He flies around and makes great plays...when he doesn't miss the tackle and when he isn't blocked. How is that going to work in the pros? There was a rumor that he was spending weekends in Vegas...wait until he has some REAL money. Just a bust waiting to happen. No thanks.

BB drafts guys who are ready to be PROFESSIONALs, I think he's learned a lesson from Chad Jackson and Bethel.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

But you are suggesting Carroll encourages him to freelance (style of defense) so he's doing what he's told, correct? Why wouldn't he do what he's told here?

Is he being told to freelance or does Pete shop for freelancers who fit "his" preferred approach? We know BB shops for people that fit his way of doing things - look at the backstory behind the Bledsoe/Brady decisions. Does anyone seriously think BB would sign Terrell Owens? I don't think it's that different for Pete, Rey fits what he likes his defense to do, I just don't think that fit works for BB.

 

[apple strudel]

If I'm going to select a candidate to train for search & rescue team leader, I'm going to be looking for specific leadership qualities that apply to the job. It's you basic job description/human resources challenge.

So what am I looking for? It's not worth the effort to look at someone who doesn't have the physical tools, so that's a given.
-- Self discipline, on the field, in the classroom, and on the town.
-- Quick to absorb the playbook and requires minimum reps to take it to the field.
-- A hunger to learn and get better.
-- Flexible mentally, adjusts quickly and smoothly to change, doesn't get confused when thrown a curve.
-- Intuitive, reads and understands keys at a glance and reacts almost subconsciously to place himself in the best position to make a play.
-- Directs the other players and puts them in the best position to make a play.
-- Can be trusted with responsibility, big in search & rescue, some people can't handle that pressure and my best guess is that also holds true for BB's Field Marshalls (look at the difference between Eugene Wilson and James Sanders, Geno lost control of the secondary, James was re-signed for pretty good money because he anchored them).

I just see Maualuga as a failure on multiple lines above.

Sure, I don't disagree with this. And this describes Mayo to a T, which is why he's such a special player. Probably even Merriweather to some extent at least considering his dad is a cop.

What I'm getting at though is that in the context of USC it may not look like Maualuga is that guy, but nobody from USC looks like that guy. It's just an atmosphere that almost actively discourages developing these traits. So when we evaluate Rey, I think what we need to evaluate is how well he takes instruction, and how he would respond in a different atmosphere. It's an issue of preojection, and it's very hard to do. Nothing you say indicates to me he can't do it, just that he doesn't. USC kids tend not to, it's just the way it is out there. But it doesn't mean they can't, especially considering that the team a kid is drafted to play on makes such a difference in how h turns out. For example, Atlanta drafted Baker last year.

So I guess a lot is based on how well he interviews. But the whole "he has a soft body" doesn't mean a lot to me - look at Gholston (granted this is an extreme case). The guy looks like a football player who loves football, not a workout warrior. Can he work hard? Good question.

 

[CanadianPat'sFan]

Is he being told to freelance or does Pete shop for freelancers who fit "his" preferred approach? We know BB shops for people that fit his way of doing things - look at the backstory behind the Bledsoe/Brady decisions. Does anyone seriously think BB would sign Terrell Owens? I don't think it's that different for Pete, Rey fits what he likes his defense to do, I just don't think that fit works for BB.

He did let LT back in the day freelance in his defense. That was more to line up miss matches on pass rush downs I realize. I do understand the point you were trying to make and realize Pete Carrol and BB are two very different people and coaches IMO.

 

[apple strudel]

Is he being told to freelance or does Pete shop for freelancers who fit "his" preferred approach?

Good question. Is a guy out of high school a molded, finished football player, or does he still grow? Seau had a rep as a free-lancer and managed to play in very structured defenses at the end of his career. Of course, he needed a lot of knowledge to get to that point, but he did it.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Sure, I don't disagree with this. And this describes Mayo to a T, which is why he's such a special player. Probably even Merriweather to some extent at least considering his dad is a cop.

What I'm getting at though is that in the context of USC it may not look like Maualuga is that guy, but nobody from USC looks like that guy. It's just an atmosphere that almost actively discourages developing these traits. So when we evaluate Rey, I think what we need to evaluate is how well he takes instruction, and how he would respond in a different atmosphere. It's an issue of preojection, and it's very hard to do. Nothing you say indicates to me he can't do it, just that he doesn't. USC kids tend not to, it's just the way it is out there. But it doesn't mean they can't, especially considering that the team a kid is drafted to play on makes such a difference in how h turns out. For example, Atlanta drafted Baker last year.

So I guess a lot is based on how well he interviews. But the whole "he has a soft body" doesn't mean a lot to me - look at Gholston (granted this is an extreme case). The guy looks like a football player who loves football, not a workout warrior. Can he work hard? Good question.

I would say those traits do apply to Cushing, the only reservations I have about him are how hard he works to play at 243. He's an example of a player coming out of a freelance system that shows the self discipline to adapt himelf to a new way of doing business. It speaks volumes that Pete had Cushing and Rivers room with Maualuga on the road to provide adult supervision. I think Matthews has the self discipline, I just think he and Cushing don't fit physically and would have to re-train themselves because they have been encouraged to freelance. The system works against them, but they mitigate it's effect, Rey doesn't, he multiplies it's effect - good for Pete, I think bad for BB.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

He did let LT back in the day freelance in his defense. That was more to line up miss matches on pass rush downs I realize. I do understand the point you were trying to make and realize Pete Carrol and BB are two very different people and coaches IMO.

That was Bill Parcell's system - you'll note Parcells and his staff are taking a hard look at Matthews and Maualuga, so far NE interviewed them at the Senior Bowl/Combine and went to their Pro Day..but not with the DC or the LB coach.

 

[dryheat44]

That was Bill Parcell's system - you'll note Parcells and his staff are taking a hard look at Matthews and Maualuga, so far NE interviewed them at the Senior Bowl/Combine and went to their Pro Day..but not with the DC or the LB coach.

I think LT broke all systems. Fascinating stuff in The Education of a Coach with what Parcells allowed Taylor to get away with in the name of playing Superman on Sundays.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

For example, Atlanta drafted Baker last year.

So I guess a lot is based on how well he interviews. But the whole "he has a soft body" doesn't mean a lot to me - look at Gholston (granted this is an extreme case). The guy looks like a football player who loves football, not a workout warrior. Can he work hard? Good question.

Baker was an OL. He can't freelance by definition - Leinert would have been a pancake otherwise. I also don't worry about OL getting called soft, there aren't a lot of them with chiseled bodies. Further, Baker isn't playing for Scarnecchia who has adapted his OL to the Belichick/Weis system, different Head Coach, different system.

 

[patchick]

This has been an excellent discussion, sorry to interrupt it with this brief OT note.

Probably even Merriweather to some extent at least considering his dad is a cop.

That's actually not true, it was a mis-report at some point apparently confusing him with Sean Taylor. According to various profiles, Meriweather's childhood was very, very different. He had to overcome a lot.

 

[apple strudel]

This has been an excellent discussion, sorry to interrupt it with this brief OT note.



That's actually not true, it was a mis-report at some point apparently confusing him with Sean Taylor. According to various profiles, Meriweather's childhood was very, very different. He had to overcome a lot.

No kidding? I thought it was one of the things that alleviated the whole gun incident. I guess it just goes to show exactly how hard it is to project players, then. Merriweather and Mayo seem to have completely opposite backgrounds (isn't Mayo's family military or ex-military?) but they are both 1st round picks of the Pats and are succeeding.

 

[JMarr]

If I'm going to select a candidate to train for search & rescue team leader, I'm going to be looking for specific leadership qualities that apply to the job. It's you basic job description/human resources challenge.

So what am I looking for? It's not worth the effort to look at someone who doesn't have the physical tools, so that's a given.
-- Self discipline, on the field, in the classroom, and on the town.
-- Quick to absorb the playbook and requires minimum reps to take it to the field.
-- A hunger to learn and get better.
-- Flexible mentally, adjusts quickly and smoothly to change, doesn't get confused when thrown a curve.
-- Intuitive, reads and understands keys at a glance and reacts almost subconsciously to place himself in the best position to make a play.
-- Directs the other players and puts them in the best position to make a play.
-- Can be trusted with responsibility, big in search & rescue, some people can't handle that pressure and my best guess is that also holds true for BB's Field Marshalls (look at the difference between Eugene Wilson and James Sanders, Geno lost control of the secondary, James was re-signed for pretty good money because he anchored them).

I just see Maualuga as a failure on multiple lines above.

Wow. Requiring an NFL prospect to have all the attributes of a Navy Seal before you would consider drafting him? Your arguments against Maualuga are now clearly getting absurd.

I guess by your criteria Randy Moss, Kevin Faulk, Vince Wilfork, Brandon Merriweather, and Nick Kaczer and many others would not be eligible to be New England Patriots.

 

[apple strudel]

Wow. Requiring an NFL prospect to have all the attributes of a Navy Seal before you would consider drafting him? Your arguments against Maualuga are now clearly getting absurd.

I guess by your criteria Randy Moss, Kevin Faulk, Vince Wilfork, Brandon Merriweather, and Nick Kaczer and many others would not be eligible to be New England Patriots.

He's got a point - that's along the lines of what you look for if you can get it. See Mayo. But it's pretty rare. I think it's more important to at least evaluate whether Rey can "do his job" or not. If he can, I don't see the Pats taking him off their board necessarily.

 

[JMarr]

He's got a point - that's along the lines of what you look for if you can get it. See Mayo. But it's pretty rare. I think it's more important to at least evaluate whether Rey can "do his job" or not. If he can, I don't see the Pats taking him off their board necessarily.

We can rest assured that the Pats have done their due diligence and will act accordingly one way or the other.

But you're right, guys like Mayo are the exception. You can't expect any prospect to have nearly combination of maturity, work ethic and talent that Mayo displayed as a rookie IMO.

 

[CanadianPat'sFan]

I think LT broke all systems. Fascinating stuff in The Education of a Coach with what Parcells allowed Taylor to get away with in the name of playing Superman on Sundays.

This is what I think I was just trying to give a quick jab at Box, but he did turn it around on me. I still remember Thiesman saying OK we will put a OT on him....that did not work, so then we decided to give the tackle help with a RB, no that did not work either. Then we started to put the TE with the OT and chip with the RB....that did not work either. LT changed the way offense's played NY so to put Maualauga in his class was not my intent as you guys must know.

 

[DaBruinz]

Why was a proper link not given, the pro day was on the 1st of April and your post was on the 8th of april. The article was not on the front page. I feltt that you picked out the Blister and painted it as if he was using it as an excuse. If you find and read the full article it says the exact oposite.

Why wasn't a proper link given? Because everyone knows that Full Content of Player pages on NFLDraftScout.com (where I read the blurb, not on CBSSPORTS.COM) are only viewable if you have a paid subscription. So, giving you the link would not have done anything for people who didn't have a membership.

NFL Draft Scout Rankings, From Prep to Pro Coverage for Pros by Pros - Powered by the Sports Xchange

There is the link. Go to it. Have fun.

Here is another blurb that says it wasn't an ankle injury that he had worked on, but the blister.

NFL Draft Scout Rankings, From Prep to Pro Coverage for Pros by Pros - Powered by the Sports Xchange

Again, you probably won't be able to read it because its a members thing. And it was posted by Frank Tadych of NFL.com.
Now, where is the link where you got your blurb from?

If you were on this board when the Pro day was happening and people posted updates you would have noticed that people were saying that Rey had not ran yet. I dont think Mayock was lying about Reys ankle.

Who said anything about lying? I simply asked why Mayock was the only one who reported it to be an ankle. Frank Tadych, of NFL.COM, reported that it was the blister that Maualuga had worked on, not his ankle. And it could very well have been that Mayock was going with initial, incorrect, reports.

As for being here on the Pro Day, sorry that I felt that spending time with my Niece in Cali was more important than watching the pro day of some of the most consistently over-rated players who come out of college.

Did I ever say that you said it was 100% at the combine? No I didnt and I was just throwing it out there to show that it was and has been a nagging injury. I wanted rey to participate. He had to get Clerance to do so and he is a MLB not a WR so I think he was trying to tough it out. I would rather him try than just do interviews. He is tough not stupid. Im not going to get in a "pissing match" with you, thats mavs job not mine so leave me out of it.

You threw it out there in a vain attempt to make a point. The only point you made was that Maualuga isn't that tough and is stupid because he shouldn't have run on it when it wasn't 100%. Him straining it at the combine made the initial injury worse and, there fore, made the healing time longer. Instead of 4 weeks and having 3 weeks to train and get himself ready, he re-injured himself and basically was forced to potentially damage the muscle worse in the long term and turn it into a chronic issue.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Wow. Requiring an NFL prospect to have all the attributes of a Navy Seal before you would consider drafting him? Your arguments against Maualuga are now clearly getting absurd.

I guess by your criteria Randy Moss, Kevin Faulk, Vince Wilfork, Brandon Merriweather, and Nick Kaczer and many others would not be eligible to be New England Patriots.

You seem to be more confused than normal , Search & Rescue is just a tad bit different from Navy Special Forces.

Now, to clarify for you: I have experience identifying and training team leaders for search & rescue programs. If you were to pull up a job description for a department that might hire such people (State Police, Fire/Rescue, Sheriffs, National Forest Service, National Park Service, etc.) that job description would list the minimum requirements you would want the person applying to bring to the table in the hiring process. It's no different for an ILB or a janitor or a secretary or a Fortune 500 CEO, each job has specific requirements for that job.

Now I listed things that would seem to describe attributes a NE ILB should have, if in your experience they look like the attributes for a Navy Seal, I can only say that BB is recruiting his ILBs in the wrong places. I personally prefer an ILB who doesn't need to use demolition charges to disengage from a blocker.

I hope that cleared things up for you and allows you to reread my post with greater understanding.

 

[DaBruinz]

Wow. Requiring an NFL prospect to have all the attributes of a Navy Seal before you would consider drafting him? Your arguments against Maualuga are now clearly getting absurd.

Its your exaggerations of what Box says that are getting absurd.

I guess by your criteria Randy Moss, Kevin Faulk, Vince Wilfork, Brandon Merriweather, and Nick Kaczer and many others would not be eligible to be New England Patriots.

Kevin Faulk and Randy Moss weren't drafted by Belichick.

Meriweather, except for the on field helmet incident, was a model citizen. Could you cite something other than that and the gun incident where he was legally defending a friend to support this idea?

How does Wilfork not fit what Box mentioned?

Same with Kaczur? What things in his college career would have precluded him?

It should also be noted by you that BB has cut players such as Willie Andrews, Kenyatta Jones and Danny Baugher for off field incidents.

It should also be noted that Moss and Dillon were acquired and given "Prove yourself" contracts as stipulations for coming to the team.

 

[DaBruinz]

He's got a point - that's along the lines of what you look for if you can get it. See Mayo. But it's pretty rare. I think it's more important to at least evaluate whether Rey can "do his job" or not. If he can, I don't see the Pats taking him off their board necessarily.

BB and Pioli both said that from 2001 to 2007, they evaluated whether or not their standards for playing LB on the Patriots were too high. And they always came back and said that they weren't. Which would explain why the Patriots couldn't find any high level LB talent in those drafts (Bradley excluded). And would explain why it took until Mayo to find someone like that.

 

[apple strudel]

Meriweather, except for the on field helmet incident, was a model citizen. Could you cite something other than that and the gun incident where he was legally defending a friend to support this idea?

Merriweather is a good comparison not only for these reasons (most people thought he was not Patriots material because of them, legal gun or not, in a similar way that Box is questioning his leadership abilities, right or wrong), but also because the Miami program was in such disarray. USC is not in disarray, but what went on in Miami was so far from disciplined football that it was hard to evaluate the players based on what the team was doing or telling them. So we had to do a lot of projection.