ARCHIVOS MR PLAYBOOK (2008)

Every year there are a lot of experts working on analyzing the best prospects for the NFL, they travel all around the US looking for skilled players, sometimes even to Mexico or Canada in search of the next great star of football... also, each year they do what is called a 'scouting report' which is exactly what it sounds like, in which they list his pros and cons, and teams can use this to make a better selection on their draft day.

This is a fun example of an NFL bust, and how these reports are not always accurate, and even sometimes completely whack. Rashaun Woods, was a WR in the NFL for a little bit, he was drafted with the 31st pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2004 and now plays for the Hamilton Tiger Cats on the Canadian Football League. Here is the extract of the scouting report posted on NFL.com on 2004:

Rashaun Woods

Positives: Has a well-defined body with solid lower body and calf development and room in his upper body to add additional bulk … Has good quickness in and out of his breaks, showing sudden movements to get open and gain yardage after the catch … Gets off the line of scrimmage and into his routes immediately … Runs outstanding pass routes, showing crispness and explosive stop-and-go agility … Reads coverages well, making proper adjustments on the run … Can turn a short catch into a big play with his speed … Has strong hands and the ability to catch away from the body's frame … Remains focused and has great toughness catching in a crowd (will take the hit and hold on) … His speed and hip swerve allows him to elude defenders after the catch … Has excellent leg drive and strength to break arm tackles and drag defenders for extra yardage … Willing blocker who will not back down from a fight, getting good position and hand placement on the defender … Role model-type who can handle pressure … Has the separation speed to defeat most defensive backs in the deep zone … Relishes his role as the go-to receiver and has proven to be the difference-maker with the game on the line. Negatives: Few, if any flaws in his game, but could do a better job of tracking the ball in over his shoulder on deep routes (has misjudged these passes on more than one occasion).

They describe him as the ideal player that is going to come to your team and make an immediate impact as a playmaker, he looks as the answer to all your needs, a guy who almost has no flaws... tracking the ball over your shoulder is the most important thing in Football... apparently hahahah...

Anyways, he was cut by the 49ers in 2006, picked by the Chargers and dropped in the same year, then picked by the Broncos also on 2006, until he was finally sent to NFL Europe and played for a year with the Hamburg Sea Devils, this past year he played with the Toronto Argonauts and has now been cut and picked up by some other team called the Tiger Cats... next up: The Tigres of the UANL in Mexico, or maybe even Avispones. (Local Jokes haha)

So every team should be aware of the scouting reports, not because it looks great it means its great, because on that report what they offered was a Flying Rolls Royce and what the 9ers got was like a banged up AMC Gremlin or a Ford Pinto.


- the Rookie