Brian Gutekunst, Making No Sense

[pbmax]

Not off to a terrific start here, as he makes a hash of the numbers he is being given. If he was Wolf, he would have ignored numbers entirely, told a Madden story about how a chicken on a practice field helped them discover Cliff Branch and gave them a play idea. Then he would close with speed kills but you have to be careful not to just get track guys.

For the record, the Sportsradar stuff is game numbers, not 40 times, Brian. And I suspect that the slowness is most attributable to the Packers favorite route being an 8 yard stop and turnaround, looking for directions from the QB.

Using data from Sportradar, which gathers information from computer chips in the players' shoulder pads, the article found the Packers’ pass catchers to be the slowest in the NFL last season. The average speed of their receivers was 11.74 mph, more than two-tenths of a second slower than the Oakland Raiders, who ranked 31st, and 1.58 seconds behind the league-leading Los Angeles Rams.

“To be honest with you, I didn’t see it,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said of the study. “It doesn’t bother me. I think we always want to get faster, but I’m not too concerned with what outside sources have to say about our group. I know there’s really good football players in that group, guys that have done a lot of good things in this league. I think speed is important, it’s a very important part of the game. At the same time, being a well-rounded football player is (just) as important.

“People obviously make a big deal about the (40-yard dash) time. The 40 time is really to kind of confirm what you see on film. And if there’s a difference between the 40 time and what you saw on film, then you just go back to the tape and try to figure it out. I think people put too much stock into that 40 time.”

http://www.packersnews.com/story/spo...rs/1065776001/

[pbmax]

As for the subject of that report, it sounds like they should sign DJ Chark's cousins, who are all faster than he is.

Chark first recognized his gift of speed around the age of 6, when he would race his older cousins around the yard. He never beat them, which made Chark fume as he returned home, but the difference in age offered context that foretold of his athletic success.

“My parents used to say I would get mad when I lost and I used to just go out and just run back and forth trying to redeem myself,” Chark said. “I think that’s when I realized I had pretty good speed.”

[mraynrand]

Not worried. I think you're reading too much into that. BG wasn't confusing 40 times with the sportrac crap. He was making some broad statement about 40 times. Translates roughly to your "speed kills but you have to be careful not to just get track guys."

Anyway, the role of 'reporters' now is not to report, but to generate controversy. Beware.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Not worried. I think you're reading too much into that. BG wasn't confusing 40 times with the sportrac crap. He was making some broad statement about 40 times. Translates roughly to your "speed kills but you have to be careful not to just get track guys."

Anyway, the role of 'reporters' now is not to report, but to generate controversy. Beware.

Agreed. Also, he could be all about getting speed guys, but it would do no good to show his hand ahead of the draft. The proof will be in who he drafts.

[mraynrand]

Agreed. Also, he could be all about getting speed guys, but it would do no good to show his hand ahead of the draft. The proof will be in who he drafts.

Right. And BG trained at the feet of the master, so it's unlikely that he'll stray too far.

TT has always had tension picking guys with athletic skills over football knack. When you draft at the end of rounds, you have to find 'unconventional' ways to pick Pro Bowl level guys. One method is to bring in raw athletes (Shields) and another is to pick young guys and expect they'll mature (Clark). You have to get a reasonable number of these guys right, or you'll never replenish your roster, but I suspect the bust rate is higher. The other guys who have 'good measurables' won't fall to you and the guys who 'look solid' will have a lower ceiling.

[3irty1]

The average speed your WR's moved over the course of the season is a pretty worthless stat. How fast your WR's can run is one tiny component lumped in with things like: How much press coverage does your team face? How much of their yards come after contact? How many direction changes were in the routes they ran?

[pbmax]

The average speed your WR's moved over the course of the season is a pretty worthless stat. How fast your WR's can run is one tiny component lumped in with things like: How much press coverage does your team face? How much of their yards come after contact? How many direction changes were in the routes they ran?

I have to go look at what's available on the methodology. For some of that (routes) they could make adjustments. The speed numbers could be an average of their top speeds during the game. Not the entire distance by time they ran.

[pbmax]

Agreed. Also, he could be all about getting speed guys, but it would do no good to show his hand ahead of the draft. The proof will be in who he drafts.

Not worried. I think you're reading too much into that. BG wasn't confusing 40 times with the sportrac crap. He was making some broad statement about 40 times. Translates roughly to your "speed kills but you have to be careful not to just get track guys."

Anyway, the role of 'reporters' now is not to report, but to generate controversy. Beware.

Someone has to be the 10th Man.

[mraynrand]

Someone has to be the 10th Man.

good call. Already too many zombies on the roster.

[Cobra Kai]

Agreed. Also, he could be all about getting speed guys, but it would do no good to show his hand ahead of the draft. The proof will be in who he drafts.

The proof is actually in the pudding.

[denverYooper]

good call. Already too many zombies on the roster.

They could at least bring in more zombies from 28 Days Later.

[mraynrand]

They could at least bring in more zombies from 28 Days Later.

See, that's the problem with the new CBA - it used to be you had 28 weeks to train new zombies. Those zombies are more ferocious pass-rushers.

[George Cumby]

Fast zombies are wrong. Zombies are slow, plodding and as inexorable as your own mortality.

Fast zombies pander to the vapid, adhd, instant gratification mindset of millennials and the iGeneration.

Just say ‘No’ to fast zombies.

[bobblehead]

Not off to a terrific start here, as he makes a hash of the numbers he is being given. If he was Wolf, he would have ignored numbers entirely, told a Madden story about how a chicken on a practice field helped them discover Cliff Branch and gave them a play idea. Then he would close with speed kills but you have to be careful not to just get track guys.

For the record, the Sportsradar stuff is game numbers, not 40 times, Brian. And I suspect that the slowness is most attributable to the Packers favorite route being an 8 yard stop and turnaround, looking for directions from the QB.



http://www.packersnews.com/story/spo...rs/1065776001/

My take away was that MM sucks as a coach. We have 2 speed demons but he insists on playing slow plodding old receivers.

[bobblehead]

The average speed your WR's moved over the course of the season is a pretty worthless stat. How fast your WR's can run is one tiny component lumped in with things like: How much press coverage does your team face? How much of their yards come after contact? How many direction changes were in the routes they ran?

How much time was spent "fading" along the zone while ARod scrambled?

[texaspackerbacker]

My take away was that MM sucks as a coach. We have 2 speed demons but he insists on playing slow plodding old receivers.

Excellent Point! - get Janis and Davis on the field, on offense.

Excellent Point also in your other post - that "fading" due to Rodgers scrambling, of course, puts the blame squarely on the O Line.

[mraynrand]

Excellent Point! - get Janis and Davis on the field, on offense. .

My prediction is that Janis will never be more than a 10-20 catch/year WR. Davis still has a shot, but his window is closing.

[Pugger]

The average speed your WR's moved over the course of the season is a pretty worthless stat. How fast your WR's can run is one tiny component lumped in with things like: How much press coverage does your team face? How much of their yards come after contact? How many direction changes were in the routes they ran?

If just straight speed was the be all and end all Janis would be an All-Pro WR.

[Vincenzo]

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with looking at the overall team speed as a problem.
However speed is just one factor to consider here. When defending for example, body positioning and where the defenders eyes are focussed would be a higher priority in my opinion.
In the AFC Championship game Stephon Gilmore made perhaps the play of the game when he reached out and swatted the ball away.
Point is that speed often has very little to do with the majority of plays on the field.

[oldbutnotdeadyet]

My prediction is that Janis will never be more than a 10-20 catch/year WR. Davis still has a shot, but his window is closing.

My prediction is Janis will never be given a chance to see what he can do, isn't his contract up this year? My guess is he goes to another team. Davis, meh...