Matt Waldman's Rsp Cast

Matt Waldman uses a pair of masterful receptions from Larry Fitzgerald's college tape to illustrate the value of receivers who can track the ball directly over their head. . Not All Receivers Are Good Ball Trackers This post features Larry Fitzgerald, but it begins with a player finishing up his career in the CFL.  Whenever I think about tracking the football I think of this one-time NFL prospect with an early-round contract. For NFL fans, the receiver is a recent punchline. It's not meant to be. This player is good enough to get paid to play football, which is better than most people who've ever donned a helmet and pads. It's vital to have this perspective about evaluating football talent because fans and media are too quick to react to the extremes with information. Media corporations generate a lot of revenue by fostering environments that encourage reactionary thinking. "Best or worst" thinking is a plague of our present society but it's profitable. This receiver was an elite NFL athlete with promisi

  TD Wire’s Laurie Fitzpatrick returns to Matt Waldman’s RSP Quick Game in Week 3 to break down the resurrection of the ground game, Trevor Lawrence and Jalen Hurts, the highs and lows of QB and WR development, Atlanta's offensive woes, and thoughts on Kenny Pickett, Geno Smith, and Cooper Rush. Topics: Why is the NFL running the ball more this month than in recent years? Details on the rise of TE/FB usage. Details on the rise of gap blocking. Trevor Lawrence and Jalen Hurts have a lot of window dressing in their offenses, can this remain effective? Why is quarterback play not as strong as it used to be but wide receiver play is getting better? Breaking down the "Josh Allen Plan," and why it's more than a statement that fits any struggling second-year quarterback. Is Kenny Pickett ready to be a winning starter? What to look for. Are the Cowboys a real threat with Cooper Rush? And of course, if you want to know about the rookies from this draft class, you will find the most in-depth anal

A weekly phone conversation between fantasy veterans Bob Harris and Matt Waldman is a quick and dirty run-down of NFL players, units, or teams. Week 4 Reactions https://youtu.be/vDmWsu5OkC8 1. Patrick Mahomes scrambling antics/heroics 2. Geno Smith 3. Rashaad Penny 4. Will Dissly 5. Darnell Mooney 6. T.J. Hockenson 7. Kyle Pitts 8. JaMarr Chase 9. Noah Brown 10. Tony Pollard 11. Zach Wilson 12. Kenny Pickett 13. Teddy Bridgewater 14. Joe Mixon 15. Josh Jacobs 16. Tyler Allgeier 17. Caleb Huntley 18. Marcus Mariota 19. D.J. Moore 20. Dameon Pierce 21. Chig Okonkwo 22. Jonathan Taylor 23. Alec Pierce 24. Bailey Zappe Enjoy. And of course, if you want to know about the rookies from this draft class, you will find the most in-depth analysis of offensive skill players available (QB, RB, WR, and TE), with the 2022 Rookie Scouting Portfolio for $21.95. Matt’s new RSP Dynasty Rankings and Two-Year Projections Package is available for $24.95If you’re a fantasy owner and interested in purchasing past publication

Footballguys staff writer Adam Harstad joins RSP Film and Data as Matt Waldman’s cohost for the 2022 football season to discuss practices that will make you a better fantasy GM and NFL fan. There are a lot of excellent writers and analysts in the fantasy industry. There are few that I hold in as high a regard as Adam. He’s a forthright human being with a tremendous intellect whose approach to analysis in this space differs from most. He’s also an excellent fantasy GM in re-draft and dynasty formats. Unlike Dwain McFarland, whose work delves into the statistical process, Adam spends a lot of time examining results and dealing with broad themes of decision-making that help us become better fantasy players and fantasy analysts: The difference between Knowledge (Matt's strength) and Metaknowledge (Adam's strength) and how it plays out in football analysis. The difference between being contrarian and contrarian for contrarian's sake. How do we deal with our analysis when it conflicts with conventional wisd

Matt Waldman defines the Route Stair-Step in this edition of the RSP NFL Scouting Glossary with the help of a play from TCU NFL Draft Prospect, Quentin Johnston. What is the Stair Step? The Route Stair Step is a method of manipulating defenders playing man-to-man or zone coverage. The receiver establishes position with the initial track (stem) of their route heading inside or outside, turns downhill to sell the threat of the vertical route, and then hits the brakes with a sharp turn inside or outside at their breakpoint. The path of the route as well as the method of manipulation of the defender are figuratively and literally stair-stepping the manipulation of the defender. The Stair Step is an effective storytelling device for intermediate routes. It reinforces the receiver's consistent effort to sell the potential of the vertical route with every rep while using that potential for the deep route against the defender. The Stair Step on Film Here's TCU's Quentin Johnston delivering a well-designed Stair St

Campus to Canton's Felix Sharpe and the RSP's Matt Waldman discuss the differences between scouting Devy prospects and NFL Draft prospects, the underrated Michael Penix, Jr., and what quarterbacks Justin Fields, DJ Uiagelelei, and Anthony Richardson and their coaches have in common.  Every other week, Felix @sharpereview of @campus2canton will be joining me to discuss college and NFL talent, many of them underclassmen (Devy). The show will be focused solely on these aspects of fantasy football so you can get familiar with them for your Devy, dynasty, and re-draft leagues. This week's topics: The trap doors of Clemson QB DJ Uiagelelei's game. How Uiagelelei, Anthony Richardson, and Justin Fields are dealing with similar coaching challenges in contrast to Josh Allen's development in Buffalo. How Tyler Van Dyke's benching in Miami tells us a lot about the rise and fall of draft capital for college players. The differences in scouting for Devy and the NFL: Necessary perspective when the hype machine is

A weekly phone conversation between fantasy veterans Bob Harris and Matt Waldman is a quick and dirty run-down of NFL players, units, or teams. Week 3 Reactions 1. Alec Pierce 2. Clyde Edwards-Helaire 3. Jelani Woods 4. Amari Cooper 5. Jacoby Brissett 6. DeVante Parker 7. Laviska Shenault 8. D.J. Moore 9. Khalil Herbert 10. Darnell Mooney 11. Josh Reynolds 12. Irv Smith 13. K.J. Osborn 14. Tyler Conklin 15. Garrett Wilson 16. Mack Hollins 17. Derrick Henry 18. Robert Woods 19. Devin Duvernay 20. Jahan Dotson 21. Travis Etienne 22. J.K. Dobbins 23. Tua Tagovailoa https://youtu.be/hqWAb987QcY And of course, if you want to know about the rookies from this draft class, you will find the most in-depth analysis of offensive skill players available (QB, RB, WR, and TE), with the 2022 Rookie Scouting Portfolio for $21.95.  Matt’s new RSP Dynasty Rankings and Two-Year Projections Package is available for $24.95If you’re a fantasy owner and interested in purchasing past publications for $9.95 each, the 2012-2020 R

Matt Waldman's RSP Cast kicks off a new podcast series devoted to scouting reports of past NFL players and what made them great. This month, Matt reviewed the film and explains why Bears' Punky QB Jim McMahon's greatness is vastly underrated.  Jim McMahon Was A Cultural Stamp of the 1980s He arrived at the Chicago facility in a limousine drinking cans of Budweiser. George Halas, the father of the NFL, greeted him with a gruff assessment: He had a bad eye, he was too small, and his arm was suspect. Halas wondered aloud if his new quarterback was better off in the CFL. McMahon probably knew Papa Bear was testing him and didn't hesitate with his answer. "Then why did you draft me, old man?" McMahon took over Mike Ditka's offense, an unimaginative scheme that probably inspired the worst of McMahon's teammate and future head coach, Jeff Fisher. Shackled with a predictable run game despite having an all-time great in the backfield, McMahon changed the plays as he saw fit. His aggressive forays downfield couple

Footballguys staff writer Adam Harstad joins RSP Film and Data as Matt Waldman’s cohost for the 2022 football season to discuss practices that will make you a better fantasy GM and NFL fan. There are a lot of excellent writers and analysts in the fantasy industry. There are few that I hold in as high a regard as Adam. He’s a forthright human being with a tremendous intellect whose approach to analysis in this space differs from most. He’s also an excellent fantasy GM in re-draft and dynasty formats. Unlike Dwain McFarland, whose work delves into the statistical process, Adam spends a lot of time examining results and dealing with broad themes of decision-making that help us become better fantasy players and fantasy analysts: Why Adam encourages fantasy GMs to spend a vast majority of one's FAAB on one player, save the rest for rotating streamers on kicker and defense, and devote more energy to preemptive picks in FCFS. The difference between descriptive and predictive stats. Why yards per carry can h

Montreal Alouettes' head of scouting Russ Lande and the RSP's Matt Waldman discuss Brian Daboll's management tack with his wide receiver corps, scheme and matchup players, notable scouting reports of the past, gamesmanship between coaches and GMs, and behaviors that attract/repel NFL teams.  This week's Scout Talk provides valuable perspective on how the league operates when it comes to player scouting and coaching as well as the challenges of hiring leaders at all levels of the organization. The likely positives but the potential negative of Brian Daboll's handling of Kadarius Toney and Kenny Golladay. Scheme Players vs. Match-up Players The difference. How long does it take for the league to neutralize schemed players? Can a scheme-reliant quarterback be a perennial starter in the NFL? Player behaviors that attract/repel NFL teams. Matt's evolution with scouting contact balance in running backs. Russ' approach regarding elite athletes vs. finesse technicians with scouting offensive tackl

Matt Waldman's RSP NFL Scouting Glossary details the release stance and motion that he seeks from NFL Draft prospects at wide receiver, using Ohio State's Jaxon Smith-Njigba as an example. Why is the Release Stance Important? Wide receiver play bears a lot of similarities to pass rushing. Receivers and pass rushers are both trying to gain ground on an opponent from a static stance. Both positions have to manipulate the opponent to generate an advantageous path. And both positions have to know maneuvers where they attack and defend their leverage. The stance is the foundation for all of these requirements and it means that the stance has to do three things: Facilitate explosion and pose a threat that every release will lead to a vertical route. Eliminate the potential for any wasted movement that can give an opponent a first-move advantage if playing the receiver tight. Disguise the receiver's true intentions with a neutral body position and that net neutral for receiver play is "every route potential