A Thought on Talent Evaluation

[catent]

Something I've found interesting is the strong play of J. Meyers and T. Hall, respectively. Both players were provided opportunities to play after injuries to the guys in front of them (Harry/Edelman, and Bentley).

As far as I can tell, both have played well, and Hall in particular looks much, much better than Bentley - you're essentially getting much more athleticism and speed without sacrificing anything against the run. This got me thinking about talent evaluation/identification.

What do others think about this? IMHO, coaching and identifying talent, while certainly related in some regards, are also unique in others. I hope the coaching staff uses this as a learning opportunity insofar as talent evaluation and providing opportunities for players is concerned.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

Meyers and Harris only played because Sony and Harry went on IR. Also because 4 straight losses put McDaniels on the hot seat.

.

 

[moosekill]

I believe Meyers was held back because he is slow and average and probably doesn't show in practices. With no preseason, I would imagine it is difficult to see how he actually performs in games and how he and Cam mesh. The injury to Edelman let him get in the game and do what he does. Plus if Cam could throw more than 10 yards, or into somewhat tight coverage Harry might actually be used, but he can't so unless he is open by 5 steps Cam isn't going to get him the ball.

Harris was hurt at the beginning of the year, I believe, so Sony got the carries. They they were splitting them, and then Sony got hurt and Harris has blossomed. However, this is why you don't just have one running back. All the Sony haters should remember that.

 

[farn]

All reports were that Harris was going to be the lead back - until he got hurt. His ascendance isn't overly surprising. Meyers, I thought, showed well in preseason last year, if I remember correctly. But he was not in the circle of trust in 2019. It'll be interesting to see how Hall, the LB, progresses. Is he a Fletcher (serviceable & replaceable) or is he a Ninko (scrap heap discovery) ?

 

[Triumph]

Harris is the NE RB that we always wanted. He is consistent and tough. Dependable and good.

I keep Harris, Meyers, Johnson, Burkhead, White, Taylor, Byrd moving forward into 2021. Harry and Sony can bring some 30 gallon trash bags and clean out their lockers.

 

[luuked]

Something I've found interesting is the strong play of J. Meyers and T. Hall, respectively. Both players were provided opportunities to play after injuries to the guys in front of them (Harry/Edelman, and Bentley).

As far as I can tell, both have played well, and Hall in particular looks much, much better than Bentley - you're essentially getting much more athleticism and speed without sacrificing anything against the run. This got me thinking about talent evaluation/identification.

What do others think about this? IMHO, coaching and identifying talent, while certainly related in some regards, are also unique in others. I hope the coaching staff uses this as a learning opportunity insofar as talent evaluation and providing opportunities for players is concerned.

Keep in mind how limited and compressed this offseason/preseason was.

On offense you needed to resolve a QB "competition" -- which despite it being a blowout still took more than one week of even reps across 3 QBs -- and on defense they had to compensate for opt outs like Hightower. No preseason games and no joint practices meant even fewer reps.

And once the season starts, the time to "evaluate" players is even more limited as you are using most of the time to put gameplans in.

There is a saying -- most probably from Walsh as I heard it via Mike Lombardi -- that goes somewhat like "you are often one injury away from a better football team".

 

[upstater1]

Something I've found interesting is the strong play of J. Meyers and T. Hall, respectively. Both players were provided opportunities to play after injuries to the guys in front of them (Harry/Edelman, and Bentley).

As far as I can tell, both have played well, and Hall in particular looks much, much better than Bentley - you're essentially getting much more athleticism and speed without sacrificing anything against the run. This got me thinking about talent evaluation/identification.

What do others think about this? IMHO, coaching and identifying talent, while certainly related in some regards, are also unique in others. I hope the coaching staff uses this as a learning opportunity insofar as talent evaluation and providing opportunities for players is concerned.

ILB is a unique position that's hard to evaluate.

How willing is a guy to take on NFL level lineman? How good is he at diagnosing plays? Can he identify the appropriate guy to cover quickly on play action? Must be pretty hard for scouts and coaches to figure that out.

 

[p8ryts]

Something I've found interesting is the strong play of J. Meyers and T. Hall, respectively. Both players were provided opportunities to play after injuries to the guys in front of them (Harry/Edelman, and Bentley).

As far as I can tell, both have played well, and Hall in particular looks much, much better than Bentley - you're essentially getting much more athleticism and speed without sacrificing anything against the run. This got me thinking about talent evaluation/identification.

What do others think about this? IMHO, coaching and identifying talent, while certainly related in some regards, are also unique in others. I hope the coaching staff uses this as a learning opportunity insofar as talent evaluation and providing opportunities for players is concerned.

coaching staff-learning opportunity? So Bill Belichick (a great TEAM builder) will improve once he takes advantage of this learning opportunity?

 

[203Pat]

Last night was what I was hoping for from a personnel side. Get the rookies some playing time and see what they can do, see if Meyers can develop into a solid receiver, and let Harris be the bell cow back.

 

[mgteich]

I believe Meyers was held back because he is slow and average and probably doesn't show in practices. .

Meyers is better because he has a quarterback that really, really wants to work with him.

 

[moosekill]

I also don't necessarily think the Patriots are going to have a bell cow back. I think they will always split carries between 2-3 backs. with one getting slightly more carries then the others.

 

[Clonamery]

Meyers is better because he has a quarterback that really, really wants to work with him.

So you're discounting all of Meyers work and recent self-realization. What a shallow, bitter take.

 

[Ian]

So you're discounting all of Meyers work and recent self-realization. What a shallow, bitter take.

No, it’s a good point. It’s a lot easier to stay motivated and build confidence when your QB believes in you. Credit Meyers for the work, but Newton loves and believes in him and you can see their chemistry on the field paying off.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Something I've found interesting is the strong play of J. Meyers and T. Hall, respectively. Both players were provided opportunities to play after injuries to the guys in front of them (Harry/Edelman, and Bentley).

As far as I can tell, both have played well, and Hall in particular looks much, much better than Bentley - you're essentially getting much more athleticism and speed without sacrificing anything against the run. This got me thinking about talent evaluation/identification.

What do others think about this? IMHO, coaching and identifying talent, while certainly related in some regards, are also unique in others. I hope the coaching staff uses this as a learning opportunity insofar as talent evaluation and providing opportunities for players is concerned.

Where did you get the bolded statement from? Hall is smaller, weaker, and slower than Bentley in the 10yd, 20yd and 40yd dashes at the combine. They had equivalent quickness measurements. Hall might be more instinctual, might be more gritty, but Hall is a huge downgrade in athleticism.

 

[203Pat]

Where did you get the bolded statement from? Hall is smaller, weaker, and slower than Bentley in the 10yd, 20yd and 40yd dashes at the combine. They had equivalent quickness measurements. Hall might be more instinctual, might be more gritty, but Hall is a huge downgrade in athleticism.

Yeah he ran a 4.9 at his pro day and pro days are usually generous with the stop watch. He is probably in Brandon Spikes territory.

 

[NashuaPats]

Where did you get the bolded statement from? Hall is smaller, weaker, and slower than Bentley in the 10yd, 20yd and 40yd dashes at the combine. They had equivalent quickness measurements. Hall might be more instinctual, might be more gritty, but Hall is a huge downgrade in athleticism.

Hall didn’t run at the combine and sprained his achilles when running the 40 at his pro day, so those recorded numbers likely aren’t an accurate reflection of his speed. I don’t how fast he is. I was looking for info on it when I came upon this info.

Terez Hall | Combine Results | LB - Missouri

NFL Scouting Combine and Pro Day scores, percentiles and metrics for Terez Hall, LB, Missouri.

nflcombineresults.com

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“Hall (6'2/230) started off with a bang, posting a vertical jump of 39.5 inches and 9-feet-11 in the broad jump according to Tony Pauline of Draft Analyst. Unfortunately, it was followed up with Hall spraining his Achilles in his first 40-yard dash attempt. "The game plan is for Hall to run for scouts on a yet to be determined date in the future," writes Pauline.”

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Hall didn’t run at the combine and sprained his achilles when running the 40 at his pro day, so those recorded numbers likely aren’t an accurate reflection of his speed. I don’t how fast he is. I was looking for info on it when I came upon this info.

Terez Hall | Combine Results | LB - Missouri

NFL Scouting Combine and Pro Day scores, percentiles and metrics for Terez Hall, LB, Missouri.

nflcombineresults.com

Fantasy Sports

Find all the latest Rotoworld fantasy sports news, live coverage, videos, highlights, stats, predictions, and results right here on NBC Sports.

www.rotoworld.com

“Hall (6'2/230) started off with a bang, posting a vertical jump of 39.5 inches and 9-feet-11 in the broad jump according to Tony Pauline of Draft Analyst. Unfortunately, it was followed up with Hall spraining his Achilles in his first 40-yard dash attempt. "The game plan is for Hall to run for scouts on a yet to be determined date in the future," writes Pauline.”

Thanks NashuaPats, my mistake I scanned the results quickly without realizing I was looking at the Pro Day results.

If we look at the 10 yard split and assume he pulled the achilles after that (the 10 yard split is more representative of game action for an ILB than a 40 yard dash IMO), then he and Bentley are equivalent in speed and quickness, and Bentley is significantly bigger.

I am not pro-Bentley or pro-Hall, but I am anti-false narratives which say Hall has "much more athleticism and speed" than Bentley. I think you can agree that "much more athleticism and speed" is not true? When erroneous takes are posted on PatsFans, it seems like everyone believes what you want to hear, and the myth is started.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

Thanks NashuaPats, my mistake I scanned the results quickly without realizing I was looking at the Pro Day results.

If we look at the 10 yard split and assume he pulled the achilles after that (the 10 yard split is more representative of game action for an ILB than a 40 yard dash IMO), then he and Bentley are equivalent in speed and quickness, and Bentley is significantly bigger.

I am not pro-Bentley or pro-Hall, but I am anti-false narratives which say Hall has "much more athleticism and speed" than Bentley. I think you can agree that "much more athleticism and speed" is not true? When erroneous takes are posted on PatsFans, it seems like everyone believes what you want to hear, and the myth is started.

You can't just go by size. Bentley shies from contact. The guy is always chasing after the RB who blew by him. Tedy wasn't big either. Or Wagner in SF. Can't go by size. NKeal is huge but plays timid. Size doesn't mean much. Speed too. Meyers can't run a 40 but is always open and has great hands.

 

[p8ryts]

Thanks NashuaPats, my mistake I scanned the results quickly without realizing I was looking at the Pro Day results.

If we look at the 10 yard split and assume he pulled the achilles after that (the 10 yard split is more representative of game action for an ILB than a 40 yard dash IMO), then he and Bentley are equivalent in speed and quickness, and Bentley is significantly bigger.

I am not pro-Bentley or pro-Hall, but I am anti-false narratives which say Hall has "much more athleticism and speed" than Bentley. I think you can agree that "much more athleticism and speed" is not true? When erroneous takes are posted on PatsFans, it seems like everyone believes what you want to hear, and the myth is started.

I prefer Hall over Bentley regardless of numbers

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

I prefer Hall over Bentley regardless of numbers

That is fine. He might be more instinctive, or might be able to diagnosis the play from formations, which makes him faster to the play. My only comment is that false narratives of "much more athleticism and speed" should not start.