Patriots scouting report on Manziel leaked?

[Danger Zone]

Gimme a break. If it's legit, then it is embarrassing for the team not only that it got leaked, but also regarding what it says.

I don't think that it is their full scouting report on Manziel, but it could be a couple pages of what someone in the organization thinks about him and threw together.

For someone that seems to have a blunt to aggressive posting style, I'm not sure why you are embarrassed at the concept that the Patriots might be just as blunt and critical in their internal evaluations of Draft prospects.

The Patriot scout did not like Manziel and he thought he had serious maturity issues, so what?

Here's similar language being quoted to a reporter about Clowney.

The anonymous NFC executive told The Times of Trenton’s Mark Eckel that Clowney’s subpar work ethic will hinder his potential in the NFL.

“He’s spoiled, and he’s lazy,’’ the NFC personnel man told Eckel. “He’s never worked hard a day in his life, now all of a sudden you’re going to give him a bunch of money and expect him to work hard. I don’t see it.’

31 other NFL teams are using the exact same kind of descriptive language in their own observations about anyone with serious maturity concerns. Do we really want to edit this kind of subjectively critical observation out of our reports and risk drafting a potential prima donna that never watches film and feels he is too good to be bothered with practice (potentially)?

I personally believe the report is faked (or embellished) and I don't have a problem with any of it except as you've noted, the fact that if true, was leaked, but again I ask, so what?

 

[rdf63]

If its true find out who did it and take action. If its BS, which most likely it is, simply forget about it.

 

[PP2]

Whoever paid that $5k deserves to lose every cent of that money. What an idiot. For those of you who still think it is anywhere near authentic, this refresher from Patriot Reign by Holley should set you straight. Even though the grading parameters have probably changed, the concept is still there:

The lower case alphabet:

First, there is a twelve-letter lowercase alphabet. These are known as 'alerts'. A lower case 'a' does not stand for excellence; a player gets that if there are concerns about his age, too young or too old. A 'c' is for a character concern. An 'x' is for an injury problem. A 't' is someone who will make special teams coach [Scott O'Brien] happy. A 'tt' is a STer so good that he can make the roster for his ST ability alone. A report, for example, reading "6.50ly" should be clear to everyone: that's an overachiever who is a 'Make it+' player, which is a solid pro. He is a transfer student and finished his college career in either Div 1-AA, Div 2 or Div 3 (the 'y' is transer, the 'l' is someone who finished his college career at a lower level of competition).

The upper-case alphabet

The scouts also use 13 letters in the uppercase alphabet, although you can double or triple the letters in some cases to make your point. The top two letters - 'A+' and 'A' mean exactly what you think they would - future HOF players. A 'Q' is someone who happens to be 'height deficient'. 'C' is for circumstance - it could be anything - that has restricted a very good players production. A 'P' is for players such as Adam Archuleta, Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel. They are top projection players who will play a different position in the pros than in college. To quote Pioli: "Bill can do things with 'P' types if they're good enough. We've got two starting linebackers who were projection players.

Grouping players

Scouts are also asked to put players into a specific box, and they have eight groupings from which to choose:

1. Starter: A+9.00-9.99, A8.00-8.99, and Q (height deficient) 8.00-8.99

2. Circumstantial starter - a first year NFL starter whose production has been restricted by circumstance - NCAA rule violation, problems with an agent, personal/family conflict. C7.00-7.99

3. Make It + - a player who won't start right away in his first season but is expected to contribute in year one and an eventual starter: 6.50-6.99

4. Dirty starter - could start, but something about the player is restrictive (maybe not enough speed/athleticism). The manual says this could be the category for over and under achievers 6.00-6.49

5. Make it - a backup who won't win or lose a game for you. 5.50-5.99

6. Free agent - not expected to make the team but could rise to 'make it'. Practice squad or [now defunct] NFL Europe: 5.00-5.49

7. Pats reject - a reject by Patriots standard, but could land somewhere else in the NFL: 4.90-4.99

8. Reject - doesn't belong in the NFL: 1.00

The three dimensions:

Three dimensions of a player - major factors, critical factors and position skills - are graded on a scale from 1 to 9: 1 being a reject and 9 a HOFer. Highlighted in red, atop the grading chart, is a reminder: "The key number is 6. If a player gets a 6 in factor or skill, we will be satisfied with his performance of this skill or critical factor. He is not going to dominate. However, this is a solid level of performance or competition. This is the type of grade that leads a player to the 'Make it +' level".

Major factors are the same for all positions. All players are judged in seven categories: personal/behavior, athletic ability, strength and explosion, competitiveness, toughness, mental/learning, and injury/durability. Critical factors and positional skills vary depending on the position.

So an actual grade would look like this:

 

[Danger Zone]

Whoever paid that $5k deserves to lose every cent of that money. What an idiot. For those of you who still think it is anywhere near authentic, this refresher from Patriot Reign by Holley should set you straight. Even though the grading parameters have probably changed, the concept is still there:

Fascinating insight. Thank you for posting that.

 

[JoeSixPat]

The only reason not to completely discount this is that the Patriots DID INDEED draft a QB in round two

Allowing a true or fake report to leak could have had the effect of allowing Manziel to slide to the 2nd

Do you not think the Patriots, a team that took a QB in the 2nd would have passed on Manziel if he'd dropped?

 

[Froob]

Florio is such a ****. So obviously fake. I hate how he and the media act like BB owes him something. Such a dumb report that is wasn't even worth BB's and the patriots' time to confirm or deny it.

 

[NE_PATS_FAN_54]

It wasn't Florio I was referring to in that quote. Please do try and keep up.

I am not saying I believe it is real, though I think the Patriots' silence on the matter speaks volumes. I am not talking about Belichick, who is silent on all issues, so we know he will never confirm nor deny. I am saying that if it was a fake, I think someone in the front office would have come out and said so (or will come out and say so in the coming days) to save this team the embarrassment this is causing. I am still undecided.

Oh do please forgive me for "not keeping up". Are you really surprised that Patriots wouldn't respond to a fake scouting report that was posted on a site called "brobible"? Seriously? What makes you think they would comment on this? We must not be following the same team. You'd have a hard time getting Belichick to tell you what the weather is outside, nevermind getting him to comment on a fake report.

 

[RayClay]

The only reason not to completely discount this is that the Patriots DID INDEED draft a QB in round two

Allowing a true or fake report to leak could have had the effect of allowing Manziel to slide to the 2nd

Do you not think the Patriots, a team that took a QB in the 2nd would have passed on Manziel if he'd dropped?

I think they would have passed. The fake scouting report was being kind, overall. Can you see the team that trained Tom Brady drafting a quarterback who runs around willy nilly then throws up Hail Marys in a crowd hoping his tall receivers bail him out? I can't.

 

[borg]

The handwriting looks like Tebow's

 

[borg]

And what was that hand motion J Football made when he headed to the podium....rubbing thumb and forefingers......is that the entitled brat gang sign?

 

[RecoveringCowboy]

31 NFL teams are usually not wrong, although they were wrong about Brady.

At least 6 teams needed a QB badly - Jacksonville went with Bortles.

Even when Cleveland picked him, they already picked 2 players in that round ahead of him.

I wish Manziel luck, and he's going to need it....he will be a starting QB on a team that just fired their President, GM, and head coach.

 

[SB39]

You people saying that this is "obviously" a fake are in complete denial. The people who report on such things for a living and have inside access to the Patriots are saying that if it is a fake, it is a pretty realistic and convincing one. People like Mike Reiss and Michael Holley admit they don't know, so there is nothing "obvious" about this at all. Just because it isn't the complete scouting report with all the numbers and official grades doesn't mean it isn't a legit report someone in the organization made.

None other than our very own Mike Reiss thought it was worth asking Belichick about. Mike Reiss is not the type to look like a fool asking Belichick about something which was "obviously" a forgery.

 

[SB39]

And what was that hand motion J Football made when he headed to the podium....rubbing thumb and forefingers......is that the entitled brat gang sign?

That kinda became his signature move in college - perhaps in the aftermath of his money-for-autographs scandal - and he even started getting flagged for it so he stopped doing it on field.

I am ashamed to say I started to feel sorry for the guy with the media obsessing on his drop in the draft. That moment reminded what a ****y ******* he is and why I doubt he will succeed at the professional level.

 

[Danger Zone]

We must not be following the same team. You'd have a hard time getting Belichick to tell you what the weather is outside, nevermind getting him to comment on a fake report.

Have to disagree. Belichick was actually very friendly with me when I asked him if he knew what the weather was outside.

His response, "It is what it is."

 

[borg]

I am ashamed to say I started to feel sorry for the guy with the media obsessing on his drop in the draft. That moment reminded what a ****y ******* he is and why I doubt he will succeed at the professional level.

I thought the exact same thing. At that moment he reverted back to who he will always be, despite the spit and polish.
He should be good for the city though. The tourism board is already hard at work:

 

[Danger Zone]

Real or faked... its mildly prophetic.

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl...l-johnny-manziel-to-tone-it-down hnny-manziel

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported on SportsCenter Friday that the Browns have approached Johnny Manziel about "toning it down," with regard to his actions on social media. Owner Jimmy Haslam was "bothered" by Manziel's recent posting of a "Money Phone" (stack of bills held to the ear) on Instagram. The Browns seem more concerned with Manziel's social media behavior than his well-publicized weekend partying. Approached by the Cleveland Plain Dealer Friday morning, Manziel told the paper "I don't think I'm doing anything wrong," and "I'm not going to change for anybody." Earlier this month, Ben Tate described media coverage of Manziel as "annoying," hinting it may be a distraction in the locker room. ESPN Cleveland's Tony Grossi stated Friday that he's never seen Manziel-like behavior from a Browns player. Grossi has been covering the Browns for 30 years.

 

[Brady6]

I have no doubt the report is a fake, I could never see the Patriots leaking anything unless intentional and they do not even play the Browns in 2014 so I would not expect them to be playing head games with them. That aside, I think people believe it is real because so much of what is said in it is actually true about Manziel. He is Gronkowski as a QB, and I think Gronkowski as a TE is just fine, just not as a QB. Would you want your QB and face of the franchise to behave like Gronk?

 

[Mike the Brit]

Would you want your QB and face of the franchise to behave like Gronk?

(1) Ken Stabler, baby, Ken Stabler ...

(2) When it's time for football Gronk is there and gets down to it. Yes, he's got the temperament of a 6-month-old Springer spaniel but he wouldn't be the player he is on the team he is if he didn't know how to work.

The trouble with Manziel is that all the signs are he's a self-absorbed little twerp -- the new Pacman Jones, not the new Gronk.

(I have to confess that I hope I'm wrong about this, because I think he's uniquely talented and would love to watch him play in the NFL for many years.)

 

[Huckleberry1]

I think the NFL is going to provide Manziel with a rude awakening, he relies solely upon his athletic ability and at the QB position in the NFL that is simply not enough, as Tebow found out.

 

[Brady6]

I think the NFL is going to provide Manziel with a rude awakening, he relies solely upon his athletic ability and at the QB position in the NFL that is simply not enough, as Tebow found out.

I agree completely, Manziel’s athletic talents are greatly exaggerated. He is not nearly the athlete that RGIII, Wilson, Kaepernick, Newton, and Luck. He is going to realize very quickly that a 4.63 forty is not fast enough to out run the DEs and LBs at the NFL level.