Comparing Eli Manning

by Drew Boylhart 

I just have to laugh. I can’t help it!  The “experts” are jumping all over Eli Manning.  They are suggesting that Ben Roethlisberger and Tony Romo are much better and that Eli is not going to get any better than he is right now.  I just heard Boomer Esiason suggest that Eli is not as good as his brother Peyton!  Let’s think for a minute and put Eli on the Steelers or the Cowboys instead of the Giants.  Let’s compare the defense that the Giants have to the defenses that the Steelers and the Cowboys have.  And let’s pretend for just one minute that Eli Manning has been part of a team that, for the last three years, has had DBs and LBs as talented as the ones playing for the Cowboys or the Steelers. 

Random Thoughts

by Drew Boylhart 

• I’m not sure how Keyshawn Johnson was able to get a job on ESPN but I know one thing, he is really bad.  He is so afraid to say anything that might annoy the NFL, former teammates or anybody in the Media that it is sickening to watch.  He is doing all of this just to try and get himself into the HOF and it is really sad. Keyshawn, you are not worthy for HOF consideration.  You were a solid WR but not a great one.   Now go get a job because you suck at this one.

• On the other hand, one of the most refreshing talents on the air is Shannon Sharpe of the CBS crew.  He tells it like it is and gives his honest opinions.  He is funny,  intelligent and thoughtful when he gives his opinions.  I will grant you he is not the most articulate sports analyst, but he’s doing fine.

Drew’s Ten Rules for Player Profiles

by Drew Boylhart 

Some members have been e-mailing me lately and asking me how I do my profiles.  They want to know if I do them from edited tapes or from highlight films or what?  So I thought I would take a few minutes just to tell you how I come to my conclusions of a player for the draft. 

I think the reason I am asked this question is because a lot of times, I’m not in step with other draft sites and media on a player.  Let’s take for example two players this past year:  Chad Greenway (LB Iowa) and Vince Young (QB Texas).  When I first profiled Chad and Vince, my profiles did not agree with what was being said all over the world about these two players.  In my profile of Chad, I questioned his tackling ability and said that he was not a top ten player.  I did say that I thought he would be a solid player, but not an impact player for the next level. At that time, Chad was being listed all over the place as a top ten pick.

The Huddle Report’s Approach to the NFL Draft

by Robby Esch 

What would become The Huddle Report actually started in 1993, when I began working to rate players for the draft. As a fan of the NFL and of the NFL Draft for years, I wanted to evaluate whether or not my favorite team was getting good players in the draft.  I had worked as a scout for college sports; therefore, when I started the ranking system, I was looking at it from a scout’s point of view and using a scout’s available tools.  I would rate the players from watching film or in the few college games I would see in person each year.

Then, when I worked the next draft with the early Draft Value Boards I had developed, I quickly found out a couple of things:  1) Despite my best efforts, the 50-100 players I had rated were not enough; and 2) most importantly, some of my grades varied greatly from how NFL teams graded the same players.  This was acceptable if I wanted to be a scout, but my goal was to have a pretty good idea of whom my favorite team would pick when their pick came.  So, I changed my approach and started putting together a list by studying the NFL teams – which players they liked, how they rated them.

Player Profiles Bring The H.E.A.T

by Drew Boylhart

Some of you may have the misconception that I think I’m a scout because I write profiles, or player evaluations. Just to set the record straight, I do not consider myself a scout. A scout does far more work on an NFL draft-eligible player for the draft than I do. I don’t interview players or coaches or parents. I don’t do background checks on players or interview high school coaches or friends of players. I’m not on the road eight months out of the year looking for players all over the place or getting lost in a rental car trying to find a small college for a player that in most cases does not have the talent to play in the NFL, but must be checked out just in case. I don’t stay up all hours of the night missing my family and friends trying to get reports done for a GM.