|
 Feature
The 2008 Senior Bowl
Review
by Sam Monson
30/1/2008
On a wet and windy day in Mobile, Alabama, the 2008 crop of college seniors got together after a week of evaluation to play their last game in their college uniforms, the 2008 Senior Bowl. The game was a final chance for the players to show off and make an impression on the NFL scouts in a game-time situation, add one more roll of tape to the stack that will make up their overall draft stock before they head to the Scouting Combine, where game play means nothing, and measurables are everything.
(Link to Mon & Tues practises, Link to Wed & Thurs practises, Link to Winners & Losers article)
The Game
This year saw one of the most exciting Senior Bowl finishes in recent memory. The South drove 90 yards inside the game’s final 3 minutes to score a TD and win the game with nothing left on the clock. Before that final drive the difference between the two sides had been the QB play. The South had been able to move the ball, but kept turning the ball over and never capitalising on their drives.
The North jumped out to a 7-0 lead when Chad Henne hit Lavelle Hawkins from Cal for the TD, capitalising on an interception thrown by South QB, Colt Brennan, before the South drew level with 8 minutes left in the 2nd Quarter. Sedrick Ellis then caused havoc on the first play he wasn’t double teamed, forcing a safety by sacking Andre Woodson in the end zone to give the North a 9-7 lead going into Half Time.
The North scored their final points at the beginning of the 4th Quarter when Chad Henne hit Mizzou’s Martin Rucker for the TD to give the North side a 16-7 lead. After pegging back the lead with a FG the South team held the North on a 4th down attempt deep in South territory to set up the game-winning drive.
After missing three times from inside the 2 yard line, Mike Martz called an end around to Andre Caldwell, and the Florida Gator fought his way across the line for the TD.
What the Diner Saw
-
Even in warm-ups Eric Ainge (pictured right) has problems throwing a ball with a spiral.  Just getting loose on the sidelines with fellow South QB Andre Woodson he’s slinging wobblers around. That can’t inspire confidence.
-
Gosder Cherilus started the day at RT, which suggests that’s where he’s seen by most scouts in the NFL.
-
Colt Brennan started the game for the South, and Mike Mayock made the interesting comparison with Jake the Snake Plummer. As if to confirm the concept, Brennan throws a pick on the next play.
-
Though Chad Henne (pictured right) scored a TD on his first play on the drive following the turnover, it was a horribly thrown deep ball, and made a TD by the Cal WR, Hawkins.
-
Tulane’s RB, Matt Forte may not have long speed, but he’s one of only a handful of big backs in this draft, and he’s quick in small spaces, with great feet and some power.
-
Brennan showed his trademark accuracy on an intermediate length route. When he doesn’t have time to think about it he seems to eliminate all the extra hitches to his mechanics, and that’s when he delivers the ball quick and accurately.
-
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie makes the first quality DB play of the game, showing great speed to get to an out route before the football and knock it away. He also laid the wood on a short play, showing a perfect form tackle.
-
Jordy Nelson makes a nice play, again showing an instinctive knowledge of where to go to be open, even when thing break down.
-
JD Booty might be at his best throwing on the move, which is interesting for a guy who’s not very athletic. Of course he then goes and tries to prove otherwise by throwing a pick in the end zone. The throw was there, but he just under threw it into the short coverage.
-
Red Bryant showed the ability to get a big push and penetrate to blow up some plays.
-
Trevor Laws also made himself look good all game, he was disruptive, and always found himself around the ball.
-
DE from Eastern Michigan, Jason Jones continued on a good week of practice by forcing the issue and causing Andre Woodson to fumble early on. Jones has looked as good as anybody on the edge all week.
-
Choice, from GT made a pair of great moves on one solid run play, stiff arming one of the better tacklers in the game LB Jordon Dizon, to the ground, and then running over the corner for a couple more yards on the back end. Choice also showed some nice ability in the pass game, hauling in a pass for a decent gain.
-
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie Hereby known as DRC, gets himself a pick, but in honesty, the QB just dropped it into his hands deep. DRC always had position on the ball, but did show great vertical leaping and did well to high point the ball.
-
Sedrick Ellis was held quiet for most of the first half through double teams, but as soon as he was left one on one, he blew past his man and sacked Woodson for the Safety.
-
Flacco struggled a bit on the day, but did show off his arm, particularly on one play where he was backing up, and threw a bullet to his receiver along the sideline.
-
 Lane Kiffin (pictured right) was the only member of the Raiders coaching staff not to be decked out in Raiders Equipment, sporting Raiders decals. Plus he refused to comment on the rumours he’d been asked to resign. All in question might have denied it, but really, is this a case of no smoke without fire?
-
Adarius Bowman might just have fully redeemed himself with his TD catch, that ended up being ruled an incompletion. To hell with the officials, he made a great catch on a high, fast-moving ball, secured it, got his feet down, and held it when he hit the ground. That was a great red-zone play, and that’s where Bowman is trying to sell himself to NFL scouts. After a rough start to the week, that play was a great answer.
-
Mike Mayock finally moved Ellis above Dorsey in his DT list, something you get the feeling he’s been wanting to do all week.
-
Eric Ainge does seem to have all the intangibles of a QB though. He might be a guy who just gets it done on game-day, but looks horrid in practice. Big Ben Roethlisberger is notoriously awful in practice, but look what happens on Sundays. Maybe Ainge is the same. He still throws a truly ugly ball though.
-
Chad Henne seems like the best QB in the huddle at the Senior Bowl, being able to marshal his players in and out, and having a good control of the snap count, drawing the South offsides with a hard count.
-
Martin Rucker TE from Mizzou may never have elite measurables, and won’t run over anybody in the blocking game, but he does seem like a safe set of hands. If he can time well he could make himself some money.
-
Kendall Langford, from Hampton came up big when it mattered, stopping the North short on a 4th down attempt late in the game with a strong arm.
-
Harry Douglas, WR from Louisville made some nice plays, especially when it counted, coming up big with a reception in the final South drive.
Players of the game
1. Sedrick Ellis – Ellis was unblockable one on one. He was kept quiet for most of the first half, but as soon as he was left without a double team, he forced a safety. He is a monster in the middle, and single handedly disrupted several key plays that the South had by getting pressure up the middle. He built on his outstanding Senior Bowl week to become the best DT in the draft at this point in time. It’s now up to Glen Dorsey to prove he belongs at #1.
2. DRC – DRC showed first rate corner skills in this game. Along with Ellis, he built on an excellent week and showed he has what it takes to be amongst the elite in the CB stakes. What was most impressive about his performance was the sheer range of skills he showed. He showed change of direction skills, the ability to drive on the ball, the ball-skills to high-point the ball for an interception, and the ability to form tackle. DRC is going to be looking at first round money when April rolls around.
 3. Matt Forte (pictured right) – The big RB from Tulane showed some impressive skills during the game. He fought for yardage, is big enough to run over people, but also demonstrated the kind of quick feet in the hole, and short space explosion that will make him an attractive proposition in the NFL. There are rumours that the Cleveland Browns have been keen on him, and it makes sense, because like Jamal Lewis, whilst he might not have the long-speed, he is quick in small spaces.
4. Eric Ainge – I don’t really like this choice. Everything about Ainge looks wrong. He throws an ugly ball, he threw some passes that should have gotten him into trouble, and he missed some targets, but you just can’t look past what he achieved in the final minutes to lead the South to the win. He threw some quality passes into tight windows, and he showed the leadership required to win the game when no other South QB had. I’m not sure Ainge will ever be a QB that you’ll like watching, but there’s a chance he can convince someone that he’s a QB who just knows how to play the game.
 5. Andre Caldwell (pictured right) – Caldwell stepped up when it mattered. Leaving aside the final play of the game, when he received the end around and fought through a tackle short of the goal line to secure the win, he also made a couple of key grabs on the final drive, including some catches in traffic. He showed safe hands when it mattered, despite being led into some pretty small windows, with nothing on the other side but a big hit.
Martz Madness
The Diner’s never been one of Mike Martz’ biggest fans. The ‘Offensive Genius’ has always seemed more unhinged lunatic than passing guru, and it remains to be seen whether he can salvage something of his damaged reputation in the NFL in San Francisco, but he has acquitted himself very well at the Senior Bowl this week, and at no time better than in the game’s dying seconds.
With the South needing to punch it in from the 2 yard line for the win with less than 20 seconds left in the game. Martz and QB Eric Ainge missed 3 times in the air, leaving them with a 4th down attempt in the dying seconds. Martz calls for the I-Formation 3 passes and out, he’s finally going to try and punch it in. Hell no, that’s not Mike Martz style! Martz calls an end around to WR Andre Caldwell who gets his way into the end zone and the South emerges victorious.
Martz may be a crackpot coordinator, who steadfastly refuses to run the ball, but any time you get a high five from Mike Singletary, you know you’ve done good.
|
