A positive that occurred to me yesterday...

chuck

I don't see Shaq Predator Thompson or Peters going pro after this season unless they're both hoping a killer combine can vault them from the final day into the middle rounds.

Shaq is nowhere near physical enough to be an NFL linebacker, still takes bad angles, and still blows gap assignments. Peters is just a good corner that won't make enough highlight reel plays to get his name at the top of any lists.

TTJ

Thompson doesn't have the straight-line speed to be a dominating NFL linebacker.























Nor a dominating college safety.

chuck

I think he's fast enough to be an NFL linebacker, but not fast enough to be one who isn't particularly good at stuffing the run. He has Donald Butler/Mason Foster type speed but nobody is gonna compare him to those guys in any other department.

EsophagealFeces

TTJ said:

Thompson doesn't have the straight-line speed to be a dominating NFL linebacker.

Disagree. His closing speed is ridiculous, but we rarely get to see it. I think that he's still thinking too much and afraid to cut it loose. He played pretty well yesterday, but he's disappointing about 81% of the time.

TTJ

He changes direction very well. Elite overall athleticism. He's plenty athletic enough to play in the NFL. I agree he seems tentative at times.

You could see his lack of breakaway speed, though, on his long TD run yesterday. He had a step on the pursuing EWU defenders (whom I'm told are so athletically inferior), but they basically stayed close all the way down the field.

EsophagealFeces

TTJ said:

He changes direction very well. Elite overall athleticism. He's plenty athletic enough to play in the NFL. I agree he seems tentative at times.

You could see his lack of breakaway speed, though, on his long TD run yesterday. He had a step on the pursuing EWU defenders (whom I'm told are so athletically inferior), but they basically stayed close all the way down the field.

I agree that he doesn't have top end breakaway speed, but that doesn't matter for a LB. It's all about fast twitch acceleration, which he has in spades.

PurpleReign

He has crazy LB speed, as you saw against EWU when he closed in on Vernon Adamas in the blink of an eye and cut him down on the sideline before he could get to the edge.

RoadDawg55

TTJ said:

He changes direction very well. Elite overall athleticism. He's plenty athletic enough to play in the NFL. I agree he seems tentative at times.

You could see his lack of breakaway speed, though, on his long TD run yesterday. He had a step on the pursuing EWU defenders (whom I'm told are so athletically inferior), but they basically stayed close all the way down the field.

He's 230 pounds and had an easy path for a TD. I doubt he ran full speed the whole time either. I don't remember anyone coming close to him the whole run. I knew it was a TD after he broke the first down line.

Southerndawg

RoadDawg55 said:

TTJ said:

He changes direction very well. Elite overall athleticism. He's plenty athletic enough to play in the NFL. I agree he seems tentative at times.

You could see his lack of breakaway speed, though, on his long TD run yesterday. He had a step on the pursuing EWU defenders (whom I'm told are so athletically inferior), but they basically stayed close all the way down the field.

He's 230 pounds and had an easy path for a TD. I doubt he ran full speed the whole time either. I don't remember anyone coming close to him the whole run. I knew it was a TD after he broke the first down line.

Phil Bleenor knew it was a touchdown when Jim Owens was still coaching.

MikeDamone

How are their hips?

doogsinparadise

TTJ said:

He changes direction very well. Elite overall athleticism. He's plenty athletic enough to play in the NFL. I agree he seems tentative at times.

You could see his lack of breakaway speed, though, on his long TD run yesterday. He had a step on the pursuing EWU defenders (whom I'm told are so athletically inferior), but they basically stayed close all the way down the field.

So faster than Lavon Coleman?

TTJ

doogsinparadise said:

So faster than Lavon Coleman?

I'm sure he is. But who's talking about Coleman leaving early? Or moving to safety?

HeretoBeatmyChest

Shaq stays but Peters is gone.

The_Undertaker

HeretoBeatmyChest said:

Shaq stays but Peters is gone.

I agree for Peters. He looks ready to me.

chrisvashon

They're both likely gone. The NFL is plenty guilty of drafting based on hype, and Shaq has plenty of that.

chuck

chrisvashon said:

They're both likely gone. The NFL is plenty guilty of drafting based on hype, and Shaq has plenty of that.

Hype isn't enough anymore with all of the film that's out there. They see everything. He's been pretty shitty the first two games, playing competition that should be way below his level, and he's a third year starter. It's not going to go unnoticed. He'll have to step it up a ton or the hype won't be enough.

PurpleJ

A positive that occurred to me yesterday: changed the channel to USC/Stanford at 21-0 and left it there.

Swaye

PurpleJ said:

A positive that occurred to me yesterday: changed the channel to USC/Stanford at 21-0 and left it there.

I should have followed your lead.

gmo

TTJ said:

He changes direction very well. Elite overall athleticism. He's plenty athletic enough to play in the NFL. I agree he seems tentative at times.

You could see his lack of breakaway speed, though, on his long TD run yesterday. He had a step on the pursuing EWU defenders (whom I'm told are so athletically inferior), but they basically stayed close all the way down the field.

Must be the hips.

- C to the F