Ryan and the cornerback guru.

[RayClay]

Great article on the guy who trains Revis, Logan Ryan and many others.

“I said, ‘Your attitude needs to be these three things — it’s not going to make sense right when I say it — but,” Sullivan said, “it needs to click because it’s all you: You need to play with competitive, careless intelligence.’?”

Regardless of any player’s physical or technical skills, that can be difficult to truly absorb — especially the “careless” part.

Ryan takes to guru’s ‘careless’ approach

 

[jimnance]

Great article on the guy who trains Revis, Logan Ryan and many others.



Ryan takes to guru’s ‘careless’ approach

Great read. I'm gonna say it: this years starting CBS are BETTER than last years. Ryan is a huge upgrade over browner and mb is almost as good as revised was in 2014. I can't wait to see this defense at full strength in the playoffs.

 

[farn]

I won't go as far as that - I really felt comfortable about the CB situation last year. But I love how this group has performed and how confident I am, especially in light of how worried I was this summer.

Ryan has made amazing strides. And Arrington, according to Reiss, has been an afterthought 4th CB this year. Add Revis' absences/slowing and Browner's decline - this was truly the best case scenario. Let's put it this way : The CBs on this team haven't even been close to the biggest concern and have not been the "reason NE lost". Good times if the gang gets together by January.

 

[Zuma]

I agree Ryan is playing better then he ever has. He plays different then Browner but is still an upgrade. Is Butler playing better then Revis of 2014? Maybe...maybe not. But he IS playing better then the 2015 Revis.

Those 2 are playing fantastic.

 

[Mike the Brit]

Great read. Congrats to the Herald for giving a home to that kind of sports journalism.

Two thoughts.

It's incredible that established NFL players go to get coaching from outside their teams. The idea of the "off-season" (and the prohibition on working with players during that time) is a joke -- though it's baked into the CBA. Made sense when NFL players were effectively semi-pros but it's ridiculous now. Obviously, though, this guy is good.

Getting the balance between thinking and doing is at the heart of sports. Bledsoe famously told Brady "F*** that -- go out there and sling it." when the game was on the line with the Rams. And that was great advice, because you need to be very well prepared, very well trained and disciplined -- and loose and confident at the same time.

Part of the greatness of BB is that he -- who's as cerebral a coach as they come -- never forgets that and, win or lose, he looks for intensity and competitiveness in the team above all.

 

[jimnance]

Due to injuries, this years cb group doesn't have the depth if 2014. But yo me, there's no question mb/lr are a better pair than dr/bb. If tarell brown and Coleman were healthy- than this years entire group is better than 2014 IMO. At any rate Coleman should return soon. Looking at the youth of the whole group and the overall youth and talent of the entire defense- 2016 has the potential yo be the best pats d all- time! Hopefully they find acway to keep cjones, high and Collins.

 

[RayClay]

Great read. Congrats to the Herald for giving a home to that kind of sports journalism.

Two thoughts.

It's incredible that established NFL players go to get coaching from outside their teams. The idea of the "off-season" (and the prohibition on working with players during that time) is a joke -- though it's baked into the CBA. Made sense when NFL players were effectively semi-pros but it's ridiculous now. Obviously, though, this guy is good.

Getting the balance between thinking and doing is at the heart of sports. Bledsoe famously told Brady "F*** that -- go out there and sling it." when the game was on the line with the Rams. And that was great advice, because you need to be very well prepared, very well trained and disciplined -- and loose and confident at the same time.

Part of the greatness of BB is that he -- who's as cerebral a coach as they come -- never forgets that and, win or lose, he looks for intensity and competitiveness in the team above all.

As we see with Ryan, there's a fine line between almost washing out and being a starting corner. There have always been QB specialists, Moss had his guru and this guy obviously gets results.

It's a short career and position coaches do not have the time to personalize training or develop their mystical techniques [ha ha]. A ten year career is probably optimistic, with injuries. Those who are dedicated excel, those who just cruise get left behind.

Speaking of Bledsoe, I liked the guy, but he pissed the last half of his career away, while Brady ascended, because he did not take some sort of dance or mobility class as Brady has obviously done fairly recently, even if it was just training himself off season. Brady was never much more mobile than Bledsoe. One worked on it, one didn't.

 

[patfanken]

I really like the way the Patriot DB's are shaping up for both now and the future. Clearly they are getting decent play out of both Ryan and Butler, while the safeties have been playing at even an higher level. Taken in context with the entire defense, and you can see how the total product has been an improvement over last season. Some observations.

1. Butler started the season as a HUGE question mark. To date, those questions have been answered...and in a good way. BUT....he has a long way to go before he should be mentioned in the same breath as Revis. As we often do, we take things to the extreme. And that includes our expectations of Butler. He is what he is, and right now that is as a competent NFL starting CB. The things I like best about him are how hard he competes each play, how well he tackles, and the fact his improvement from game to game has been noticeable.

2. Ryan is ANOTHER example of how good coaching and a LOT of "want to" can make someone who was thought of as a JAG (not that that's a bad thing) into a key performer. Ryan play has gone far beyond any of our expectations this season. Such that, at this point of the season, we have gone from a team with zero CB's to one with 2 solid guys, who are playing well now, and will only get better with more experience.

3. Ryan is also an example about how we often put labels on a player far too quickly. He came out of Rutgers as a productive but physically limited CB who played most in zone defenses. Not especially fast or quick, Ryan was another over night NFL success story that was 3 years in the making. Another example of how sometimes it takes YEARS for it to "click" for a player. (sometimes it never does)

4. While the CBA restricts player contact with their teams in the off season, it has opened up a new cottage industry of players who want to seek specialized position coaching by guys like Will Sullivan. Guys like him are part of the new reality in the NFL. I think an important aspect of Ryan's improvement this year that I got from this article was that he went from working with Sullivan 2 weeks each off season, to 3 MONTHS.
It might be an over simplification, but the guys who work the hardest often are the guys who improve the most.

5. I believe I can offer DLmen an off season program that would significantly improve their production during the season by teaching and coaching ONE skill. That is to improve their ability to move on the snap. Defensive players who are quickest off the snap have a huge advantage on offensive linemen, especially when they are at home. Believe me that is a skill that can be improved if worked at.

It has long been a pet peeve of mine that a lot of NFL DLmen don't explode off the ball. It drive me crazy to watch them go offside when all they have to do is look at the ball, or the OLman's hand. As a 200 lb NT and DE in college, it was be first off the ball or go for a ride, so I know the value of getting off the ball first hand. Sometimes I think with all their natural athletic gifts, today's players don't see the value as much as they should. And with the limited time and so much to teach, today's coaches might overlook this seemingly small detail.

If you watch Von Miller closely you can see he has worked hard on this skill and I believe it has a great deall to do with his success as a pass rusher. When he is successful, he is always first to initiate contact, and because he's so fast off the ball. Often the OT is in full back up mode struggling to keep up with him. I think one of the reasons Chandler Jones has improved his pass rush game this season is that he is much quicker off the ball this season.

6. I am wistful thinking about how good this secondary might have been if Terrel Brown has been able to remain healthy. It might have restricted Ryan to 3rd CB, but it would have made the whole of the secondary that much stronger. It also makes me look with great anticipation about the future of this secondary. The next few years will find this area of the defense a strength rather than the perennial weakness.

7. Finally I think we should all send a thank you note to Will Sullivan, and hope that next off season, Ryan returns to him... and brings along a few of his teammates.

 

[RayClay]

Following up on Brady's mobility training, wouldn't you think one writer would ask if he took dancing lessons, or he danced with Giselle? They complain that Belichick shuts them down, but when you have the same questions you know he won't answer and the same lack of imagination, you get the same stock answer and ten articles from different writers read exactly the same.

Imaginative sportwriting seems a thing of the past.

You just don't get information about all Wilfork's abilities by asking the typical questions. In what I call "the greatest interview of all time" the reporter doesn't stop at Wilfork fielding punts, playing quarterback or defensive back, he keeps going until Vince's dancing training is revealed.

I'll try to find it.

 

[Mike the Brit]

Following up on Brady's mobility training, wouldn't you think one writer would ask if he took dancing lessons, or he danced with Giselle?

Time for a plug for Boston's greatest fitness, yoga and exercise guru!

 

[RayClay]

Not impressed.

Could he do a plie at 35o pounds? 12:00

This is a plie, followed by the greatest interview of all time. Enjoy.




LINK

Vince Wilfolk & C.J. Young, Pats DL/WR

It's CJ Jones, I believe. Headline writer got it wrong.

 

[DarrylS]

Ryan was joined by Tavon Wilson and Devon McCourty working out with Revis.. if I remember there were grumblings on this board about they working out with him, I believe i remember the world traitor used..

 

[PP2]

Great find, RC.

 

[Mike the Brit]

Not impressed.

If you're not impressed with this, Ray, then there may be something wrong with your impression receptors.

 

[RayClay]

If you're not impressed with this, Ray, then there may be something wrong with your impression receptors.

It was a joke, my friend. Is he a slot, or more of an outside corner? Either way, send him to Foxboro and we'll get him a uniform and some shoes.