NFL

M.V.P. – Drew Brees, QB, Saints. Aaron Rodgers won the real MVP award, but Drew Brees has my MVP vote, which means much, much more. Look, I’m not saying Brees is better than Rodgers by any means. If I had to pick one quarterback to start a team with, it would be Rodgers. But that’s…

Strengths: Speed to turn the corner Rare athlete Agility to sink his hips/shoulder to get leverage on tackles Strength Has a powerful bull rush A developed repertoire of pass rushing moves Nice rip move Good spin move Propensity to make splash plays Active hands Has the strength to anchor and hold his ground vs. the…

Strengths: Good frame with long arms Excellent technician Light on his feet Athletic Shows good instincts Natural knee bender Flexible and fluid Great kick step – good range Extremely productive at times Overwhelming as a run blocker when he wants to be Gets to the second level Comfortable in space Nice hand punch Understands angles…

Strengths: Elite speed Cover corner; rarely allows separation Can run with receivers in and out of breaks Phenomenal ball skills Capacity to make clutch game-changing plays Excellent hands Fast feet Can quickly flip his hips to turn and run Very athletic Extremely agile Can play bump-and-run Body control Can turn and run with receivers on…

Strengths: Extremely accurate Quick release Smart decision-maker; protects the football Good field vision Phenomenal at making progressions through a defense Extremely mobile with scrambling ability Uncanny ability to throw on the run Bails out blockers with ability to avoid sacks Very intelligent; understands the chess match Made play calls from playbook; not just a few…

Strengths: Ideal build and size Quickness to the hole Vision Tough, physical runner Runs behind pads Proper pad level Has good straight-line speed Can break off long runs Shiftiness Capable of handling a large amount of touches Excellent hands Phenomenal receiving ability Willing blocker in blitz pickup; has potential to be very good Didn’t take…

Strengths: Excellent size Phenomenal hands; rarely ever drops a pass Skilled at defeating jams Advanced route-runner; sudden out of breaks Physical with cornerbacks Breaks tackles; gets yards after contact Dangerous with ball in his hands Smart Athletic Quick feet Good-sized target Leaping ability Tough red zone receiver Quality blocker Adept at finding soft spots in…

Strengths: Sideline-to-sideline speed Quickness to the hole Fabulous closing speed Tough run defender Has the ability to take on and shed blocks Good instincts Tackling technique Ideal size Plays with shear violence Hard hitter Quick feet Strong pass defender Understands zone concepts Adept at reading quarterback’s eyes Gets good depth in his zone drops Fabulous…