7-on-7

FreeChavez

We've all seen what AAU has done to college basketball, not to mention the rating system. The vast amount of kids who come out as studs in high school and fail to even be contributors on their college teams is the norm these days. Are we starting to see more of the recruiting world move over in football now as well?

We're seeing more recruiting experts push players who excel without pads. It reminds me of AAU and how everyone looks great b/c there isn't a real point to the game(and zero defense). it's an exhibition, and yet all the recruiting sites take it as if it really matters.

Is there any value to what can be seen on the 7on7 game, or is it just as worthless as the AAU bball garbage?

HuskyInAZ

Paging @JamesChristianson

Mosster47

As an OC and QB coach the only thing I never wanted my kids doing in the summer was 7-on-7. There was this little shit school that was unbeatable in 7 on 7 they'd just run a cross with their RB right were the line would be and they'd always go for it on 4th. You'd have linebackers in pass coverage five yards off the LOS.

In big cities there are an endless supply of 6'2" black kids who are good athletes and they all dominate 7 on 7. It sucks for QB's because they are flat footed and their internal clock doesn't work.

It is fun for the kids and it helps keep them in shape. It's so fast paced you never get any teaching in.

whatshouldicareabout

I don't think 7-on-7 camps are inherently bad, but I don't believe they should be used as a means to evaluate talent for football.

I think the hype and excitement over 7-on-7 is directly related to the lack of sizzle during the offseason and the need for recruiting sites to create content over the summer to sell subscriptions.

ScroteDawg

whatshouldicareabout said:

I think the hype and excitement over 7-on-7 is directly related to the lack of sizzle during the offseason and the need for recruiting sites to create content over the summer to sell subscriptions.

Kim, true?

HuskiesADW

Think of it from this standpoint:

7 on 7/AAU attracts many athletes to participate in/on these events/teams. As a result "recruiting experts" have an easy environment in which to "evaluate" talent. From business perspective it is very smart to promote 7 on 7/AAU as they give them easy access to the athletes participating.

More 7 on 7/AAU = More "insider information" = More long articles that don't really say much = more idiots that pay for recruiting "information" that will be common knowledge a couple hours later = profit

So to some it up 7 on 7 = profit for 247/scout etc.,

NeGgaPlEaSe

Honestly think you are jaded by Sark's recruiting. I think we will see less burn out, non contributing 4 stars under Pete

CheersWestDawg

7-on-7 is/was a useful drill teams use to teach their skill position players route concepts, timing, etc in the passing game.

Usually you'll see the O and D line on the other side of the practice field working on pass blocking & pass rush during this time at practice.

Both of these practice drills along with other drills have a huge flaw. What is that flaw? They're all just drills. The game is 11-on-11. There are pads. There is randomness in many of the physical movements. You can't be a pussy. You're going to get hit. Think Kam Chancellor looked like an all star in 7-on-7? Maybe he did...but the fact that he can nearly decapitate a guy like Vernon Davis is worth more than any bullshit info you'll get by watching him run around in shorts and a t-shirt in the summertime.

So when fat teen boy stalkers like Eklund and Fatters are reaching under their gunts and spraying each other with crisco-flavored semen over some 15 year old kid in a 7-on-7 league, we all know here that it's just flat out bullshit.

fivehundredmileDAWG

CheersWestDawg said:

7-on-7 is/was a useful drill teams use to teach their skill position players route concepts, timing, etc in the passing game.

Usually you'll see the O and D line on the other side of the practice field working on pass blocking & pass rush during this time at practice.

Both of these practice drills along with other drills have a huge flaw. What is that flaw? They're all just drills. The game is 11-on-11. There are pads. There is randomness in many of the physical movements. You can't be a pussy. You're going to get hit. Think Kam Chancellor looked like an all star in 7-on-7? Maybe he did...but the fact that he can nearly decapitate a guy like Vernon Davis is worth more than any bullshit info you'll get by watching him run around in shorts and a t-shirt in the summertime.

So when fat teen boys talkers like Eklund and Fatters are reaching under their gunts and spraying each other with crisco-flavored semen over some 15 year old kid in a 7-on-7 league, we all know here that it's just flat out bullshit.

Up voted for crisco flavored semen.

CharlesMincy

I have seen kids get scholarships from video of 7 on 7 competitions. Coaches are starting to give 7v7 a lot of credence. Though I think it is good for a lot of recruiting purposes. Getting to see more height and weight. Seeing competition that may not be a the recruits league...exposure. But it is NOT football. Many high school teams who win in the various passing leagues are terrible during the season and the opposite is true also.

Is it becoming like AAU? Yes! Is that a good thing? Maybe. The passing game has had a TREMENDOUS boost from QB's being able to compete and throw the ball year round. Being able to compete under strained circumstances is some of the best mental prep you can get. But, for many other positions it is not that helpful. But it is a way of the kids being able to play without having full contact and some of the were tear that Spring Ball exposes them to.

JamesChristianson

HuskyInAZ said:

Paging @JamesChristianson

As far as the usefulness of 7v7 as a recruiting tool, I would have to defer to the one who has played in the NFL and coached in some capacity at all levels (Charles Mincy). I would have to agree with him above and with his 11/21/2014 article on the home page "Charles Mincy: My Experience in Football, Part 2". Nothing compares to seeing a player play in a game.

Does the NFL combine really tell you how a player will ACTUALLY PLAY in an NFL game? Nope. Tom Brady's the best example of that. But, it is partly a way of seeing SOME skills...speed, strength and agility. They haven't done away with the combine yet.

Similarly, I could say that 7v7 is just another way to evaluate some aspects of a player's game and give some kid a chance with other "stars" when his team doesn't help him standout. For example, a good WR who has a horrible QB may stand out in 7v7 if his QB is, say, Jacob Eason.

I will say that the closest thing in 7v7 to an actual game is one-on-one battles with a CB and WR. And you can see whether a WR can break ankles, run crisp routes, read a D and feel where a QB is going...and you can see a DB's closing or recovery speed. In the Ford Sports Performance 7v7 team that I have been covering (as mentioned in another post), Salvon Ahmed is standing out like the freak athlete that he is, even with Gilchrist locking down the other side of the field.

If you think about it, players are evaluated mostly in training camps. Depth charts are created in spring and summer. So, that's not even 100% game situations, until you scrimmage and that's often not even real game speed and intensity, just like the regular season is not the playoffs. So, if players can be evaluated before the season starts, they can be partially evaluated in 7v7. And it's a chance to get high level competition without the full contact, as Charles mentioned. So, I don't think it has absolutely no value.

It's also worth mentioning (or may go without saying) that the coaching can dictate the quality/worth of the 7v7. If you just have kids playing loose "pick up" like games in practice and just running around getting open in games, that's not gonna give the scouts any good looks and the experience for the players is worthless. But, if they are actually training, working on footwork, reads, etc. with good game plans and working hard with intense precision, the work product is going to be close to game-like play, than with the sloppy 7v7 team/staff who are there just to kill time. You can't play full contact in pads year around. The kids gotta do something in the offseason. So, there's nothing totally futile about 7v7, if you're really putting in work.

I'm already seeing a difference in quality of work put in, among teams, this early in the 7v7 season. The programs/teams who put in real work are giving the scouts a little something to see, for sure.

HuskyInAZ

It seems the only people who value the 7v7 thing are those who financially benefit from it's relevance, namely recruiting services.

dnc

HuskyInAZ said:

It seems the only people who value the 7v7 thing are those who financially benefit from it's relevance, namely recruiting services.

Coaches value it.

It's not a substitute for game film or seeing a kid play live, but it has some value. Just nowhere near as much as the TBS services would have you believe.

HuskyInAZ

Fair enough.

JamesChristianson

FreeChavez said:

We've all seen what AAU has done to college basketball, not to mention the rating system. The vast amount of kids who come out as studs in high school and fail to even be contributors on their college teams is the norm these days. Are we starting to see more of the recruiting world move over in football now as well?

We're seeing more recruiting experts push players who excel without pads. It reminds me of AAU and how everyone looks great b/c there isn't a real point to the game(and zero defense). it's an exhibition, and yet all the recruiting sites take it as if it really matters.

Is there any value to what can be seen on the 7on7 game, or is it just as worthless as the AAU bball garbage?

@_UnderTheRadar_ (from our L.A. Headquarters) just Tweeted this on February 15:

"Spoke w/a Pac12 coach today re 7v7. 'It can be a good tool to eval. a kids hips & change of direction,always helps to have additional intel.' "

Meek

JamesChristianson said:

FreeChavez said:

We've all seen what AAU has done to college basketball, not to mention the rating system. The vast amount of kids who come out as studs in high school and fail to even be contributors on their college teams is the norm these days. Are we starting to see more of the recruiting world move over in football now as well?

We're seeing more recruiting experts push players who excel without pads. It reminds me of AAU and how everyone looks great b/c there isn't a real point to the game(and zero defense). it's an exhibition, and yet all the recruiting sites take it as if it really matters.

Is there any value to what can be seen on the 7on7 game, or is it just as worthless as the AAU bball garbage?

@_UnderTheRadar_ (from our L.A. Headquarters) just Tweeted this on February 15:

"Spoke w/a Pac12 coach Sark today re 7v7. 'It can be a good tool to eval. a kids hips & change of direction,always helps to have additional intel.' "

dnc

Meek said:

@_UnderTheRadar_ (from our L.A. Headquarters) just Tweeted this on February 15:

"Spoke w/a Pac12 coach Sark IrishDawg22 today re 7v7. 'It can be a good tool to eval. a kids hips & change of direction,always helps to have additional intel.' "