Blair White and Brandon King impress Chris Polian at 2010 Colts Rookie Mini-Camp
by Brad Wells on May 6, 2010 1:02 PM EDT
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PrintMy annoyance with Dan Dakich's skills as a member of the media aside, his interview with Chris Polian two days ago did provide us with some interesting news about the rookies and how they looked at the Colts rookie mini-camp last week. When asked by Dakich what rookies popped out at him during the rookie mini-camp (which was closed to media, by the way), Chris had a few surprise names.
Chris Polian:
I think Blair White had a good weekend, and caught the ball well; the undrafted free agent from Michigan State. I’m kind of focused a bit more on the undrafted guys now. Brandon King, the corner from Purdue, did well. Obviously, you cant see much on offensive and defensive linemen in that setting. And all the linebackers move very well, have the quickness and explosion we’re looking for. So, what we really took out of the weekend was were gonna have some really good and hard competitions for backup spots. Special teams performance play will play a significant part in those decisions. We feel excited about the depth we have going into camp and some of the competitions that will be there.
So, it seems players like Vuna Tuihalamaka and Kavell Conner also impressed. Tuihalamaka is my dark horse for making one of the the final roster spots going into September.
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I don’t know if someone fanshotted/posted this earlier, but I have been surprised that the colts blogosphere has been sleeping on Blair White. I was super impressed with him at MSU and he was the subject of an interesting predraft profile on 5th Down, the NY Times NFL blog:
http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/blair-white-an-overlooked-gem-in-the-draft/
Looks like a Colts receiver to me.
Actually there has been a fanshot on it
Not sure if you read the coments on the udfa thread we had immediatluy after the draft, but ally of us were high on White after we viewed his highlight reel
by metal_militia on May 6, 2010 1:18 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Yeah I've been
kind of MIA while recovering from the Super Bowl loss. I’m actually super pumped about both White and Brandon James. I know Ray Fisher had the gaudier return stats, but James played against much better talent in the SEC and still looked like the fastest guy on the field. If he makes the team, I could see him being a weapon on offense in addition to the return game. Not an every down player, but someone who gets like 10-12 plays a game.
by indianalawyer on May 6, 2010 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions
"but James played against much better talent in the SEC"
No, actually he didn’t. How many SEC teams finished last year having beaten a top 15 opponent in their bowl game? The Big Ten had four. How many SEC teams finished in the top ten last year? The Big Ten had three. The Big Ten defeated two conference champions last year. How about the SEC?
Yes, the SEC has some excellent competition. However, especially last year, as a conference it was certainly not better than the Big Ten.
by the_iowa_hawkeye on May 6, 2010 1:41 PM EDT up reply actions
i didn't say that
he played against better teams. He played against better physical talent, i.e. faster, quicker athletes. NFL level athletes. In the 2010 Draft, the SEC set a record with 49 players drafted vs. 34 for the Big Ten.
Especially with a position like kick returner that relies almost exclusively on speed and quickness, I think that it is a valid point to make.
by indianalawyer on May 6, 2010 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed.
I thought it was common knowledge that the SEC is the toughest, most competitive football conference in the NCAA. I mean, Peyton says it’s the closest conference to the NFL, so it must be true. ;-)
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on May 6, 2010 2:19 PM EDT up reply actions
But of course.
"I am in favor of censorship ‐ not against what is supposed to be sexy or dirty, but against what is idiotic." -Jean Renoir
Random fact of the week from the empty void that is my mind: Finals suck.
Yeah,
this was the main reason the Pete Carroll’s whining about the BCS used to piss me off. Now, if $C had competed in say, the SEC or Big 12 or even Big 10 for that matter, I think their winning ways would have disappeared…
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on May 6, 2010 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm not much of a CFB fan,
but just saying that a conference is faster than another sounds like a huge (and probably inaccurate) generalization to me,
"I am in favor of censorship ‐ not against what is supposed to be sexy or dirty, but against what is idiotic." -Jean Renoir
Random fact of the week from the empty void that is my mind: Finals suck.
well if I had time..
I would look up 40 times for all the SEC draftees and the Big Ten draftees and put them into a spreadsheet, but i doubt that my boss would like that. :)
Instead, I’m basing it just on observation and the following line of reasoning:
(1) The SEC routinely has the best recruiting classes.
(2) The recruits deemed to be the “best” are so labeled because of their physical gifts.
(3) A disproportionate amount of these recruits come from the South, which is the recruiting base of the SEC.
(4) Therefore, the SEC gets better athletes.
Better athletes does not mean better teams. However, anyone who watches a fair amount of college football would probably agree that the SEC has more speed than any other conference.
by indianalawyer on May 6, 2010 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions
but back to my intiial point..
don’t be surprised if Brandon James is the starting returner for the colts in 2010.
by indianalawyer on May 6, 2010 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Brandon James looks like he can be an NFL KOR and PR for years.
His quickness and speed are a perfect fit and he could be a weapon out of the backfield or at WR. He reminds me of a mix between Clarence Verdin and Devin Hester. Very explosive, elusive and quick.
If Russia attacked Turkey from the rear, Do you think Greece would help?
Did anyone give the memo to South Carolina?
And while Georgia Tech isn’t a part of the SCC, they are a part of the “southern athlete” nonsense. Did they get the word that they were supposed to be more athletic and faster? What about Florida when they played Iowa and Michigan? And LSU playing PSU? Perhaps they didn’t realize they were supposed to be more athletic.
And of course there is Miami, it would seem they also didn’t get word that they were southern and therefore supposed to be more athletic and faster while Wisconsin was kicking their can this last year.
Sorry, I don’t buy it for a moment. Yes, there is clearly some fine talent in the SEC. But to say it is “much better talent” than anywhere else is just buying into hype.
by the_iowa_hawkeye on May 6, 2010 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions
The "talent" isn't any better in the SEC than in the Big Ten
And the results on the field prove it. Judging only by how many are drafted is nonsense since that is as much a factor of graduation as it is talent. The SEC sent, on average,4 players per team to the NFL. The Big Ten sent, on average, 3. Not that big of a difference. Some draft classes are bigger than others because of age and graduation.
The whole “SEC” athletes are “faster” and more “physical” is bulls..t. Bob Sanders said it best: “They aren’t so fast when they’re on their ass.”
by the_iowa_hawkeye on May 6, 2010 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions
oops hit post too early
I never said anything about physicality. Having watched a fair amount of both Big Ten and SEC football over the last few years, I would feel extremely confident saying that the SEC has faster and quicker players, while the Big Ten has more physical, fundamentally sound players.
I would also feel confident saying that, in terms of overall team quality, the SEC is perennially overrated.
That being said, my point was, when comparing Brandon James and Ray Fisher, who play a position where speed and quickness are of paramount importance, you should view their respective numbers in light of the speed/quickness of their competition.
by indianalawyer on May 6, 2010 4:11 PM EDT up reply actions
And I don't buy for a second that the SEC is any faster than the Big Ten
I don’t base my opinion on subjective anecdotes, but from the results on the field. Like Bob said: They aren’t so fast when they’re on their asses.
by the_iowa_hawkeye on May 6, 2010 6:22 PM EDT up reply actions
WHAT RESULTS ON THE FIELD?
What results on the field tell you there’s as much speed in the Big Ten?
The SEC gets track stars as recruits and puts them out there. It’s not necessarily any use to them, but statistically, those kids end up running faster when timed.
I don’t even care, because faster doesn’t mean he can play football worth a shit. But when they talk about the team speed in the SEC, they’re not just making shit up.
Saying that the Big Ten has tougher and fundamentally sound players is not an insult, so I’m not sure why you’re being so uppity. Those traits prove to be much more useful for success later on.
But again, I ask: what results a) show that the Big Ten is better (your bowl record argument is out the window, courtesy of npb) and more ridiculously b) show that the Big Ten is just as fast? Did they have track meets during their head to head bowl matchups?
Day-after draft grades are probably even dumber than mock drafts.
Actually, on average, that's a huge difference
Your argument is flawed. The results on the field prove very little, drafts are very telling measures of overall talent, and averaging 33% more people drafted is entirely significant in every statistical sense.
Look, Big Ten football is boring. They don’t attract the elite athletic talent the way the warm climates in the SEC does. That’s just the way it is, and is more an indictment of the weather than the conference.
That said, at the NFL level, that elite athleticism means a lot less. Plenty of super fast WRs from the glamour SEC schools flame out while mid level talent from the Big Ten succeeds. The coaching and style of play up here is often much more suited to the NFL and prepares them better. Also, as a player, you learn a lot more when you’re actually having to do something on every play, unlike the track star Florida wideout who can just outrun everyone and never once has to catch a pass while covered. In the NFL, people like Bob put them on their ass.
Not sure who ever said the SEC was more physical though… never heard that one before.
Day-after draft grades are probably even dumber than mock drafts.
The results on the field prove very little
I stopped reading right there.
by the_iowa_hawkeye on May 6, 2010 6:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh, then you must win then
What results on the field are you even talking about? Aside from PSU-LSU, what results prove your point?
Day-after draft grades are probably even dumber than mock drafts.
What results on the field are you even talking about?
It’s called winning. Perhaps you’ve heard of it. It is what allowed the Big Ten to place more teams in the top 10 than any other conference last year.
by the_iowa_hawkeye on May 10, 2010 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Top to bottom
it still beats the Big Ten.
The Big Ten got better and the sub-elite SEC got worse, but that conference is still better overall.
The SEC teams typically played up in their bowl games too, due to everyone shifting up a slot with Bama in the title game. IIRC they were sending middle of the road teams like the 7 and 8 slot to play 4s from other conferences.
I don’t care enough to look this up, so maybe I’m wrong. But as I recall, the biggest difference in the Big Ten last year was simply that Iowa got more awesome. Penn St didn’t really strike me as that good, OSU was their usual good but not elite self, and otherwise it was roughly the same.
Are you somehow contending that Texas and Cincinnati were not conference champions? Because that’s 2 the SEC beat in bowls just off the top of my head. East Carolina might count too… but I’m not sure any conference has a chance to get slotted against more than 2 conference winners during bowl season. There aren’t that many 1s to go around.
Anyway, the main point is that bowl records are not that meaningful, due to all the tie-ins and factors that go into predetermining the matchups, nor are the polls that reliable, because they’re voted on by morons. Your best argument would actually have been that Penn St beat LSU, though as I recall that was largely because the slop slowed LSU down. (Not that I think LSU was any good.)
Day-after draft grades are probably even dumber than mock drafts.
Everyone shifts up a slot in the Big Ten as well
Because the Big Ten sends two teams to BCS bowls every year.
by the_iowa_hawkeye on May 6, 2010 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Auburn vs. Northwestern:
Auburn, generously, was 8th in the SEC (many teams tied at that slot and I don’t know about the tiebreakers. At best, they win them all and get to be 8th).
Northwestern was 4th in the Big Ten.
THAT is playing up.
(LSU-PSU was 3v3.)
Last year, the SEC got substantially weaker in the 2nd tier. After Alabama and Florida, the two best teams in college football, there was a giant dropoff, whereas in previous years 3-5 were still very very strong, top-10 worthy teams. But the bottom of that conference, from 8-12, is still roughly on par with the 5-10 of the others.
Combine that with the fact that, oh yeah, they probably had the two best teams in all of football, and yeah, that’s still the best conference. Even in a down year.
Day-after draft grades are probably even dumber than mock drafts.
The SEC had two teams:
Alabama and Florida. After those two teams everyone else was nothing but average.
by the_iowa_hawkeye on May 10, 2010 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions
And Northwestern was NOT in 4th best team in the Big Ten
That would be Wisconsin. The Big Ten had FOUR teams with 10 wins or better last year. How many did the SEC have? Yup, just two.
by the_iowa_hawkeye on May 10, 2010 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions
the slop slowed LSU down
Yes – of course…and PSU didn’t have to play in the mud as well. They had force fields that kept the mud off them.
by the_iowa_hawkeye on May 6, 2010 6:24 PM EDT up reply actions
You're an idiot.
If the two teams had the exact same style of play and strengths and weaknesses, then you’re right, it wouldn’t matter.
LSU sucked last year anyway. You’re right that the SEC had a down year. And the Big Ten improved from the overrated crap they’d been sending out in previous years. Talent-wise, the SEC still wins.
Not that talent ultimately means anything, of course.
Day-after draft grades are probably even dumber than mock drafts.
Dude....
Do not let your homerism delude you into believing such a false thought. The Big 10 is not even close to being on the level of the SEC. The best the B10 has had to offer the past few years is OSU and they have gotten absolutely PUMMELLED by the SEC squads who played them. That doesn’t mean the Big 10 is a bad conference, teams like Iowa and OSU were good, but still nowhere near the level of the SEC teams. And seeing as the national champ was from the SEC, you’re an idiot for thinkin the B10 is better.
B10 beat two conference champs? Uh…..so did the SEC Einstein. And one was in the national championship game and the other was an undefeated conference champ. Both teams were better than Oregon and GTech. SEC went 5-4 in bowls and B10 4-3. B10 had 3 top ten, but none in the top 5. SEC had two in the top 5. Heisman winner came from SEC. National champ came from SEC.
If you seriously think the Big 10 is better, you are a complete idiot. Your homerism is making you dumb.
"A lot of times, Kenny, we have no idea what we're doing. But the DEFENSE doesn't know that we don't know what we're doing.....and that's next level." -Peyton Manning
Speaking of deluded homerism
Nothing funnier than a homer AND a hypocrite all rolled into one. And is the Big East still a legitimate conference?
by the_iowa_hawkeye on May 7, 2010 1:11 AM EDT up reply actions
It's every bit as legitimate as the ACC
You can’t use that argument without weakening your own.
Which, I should note, is an unpopular one even in a blog filled with people from Big 10 country.
Day-after draft grades are probably even dumber than mock drafts.
The ACC is twice the conference the Big East is
However, I wasn’t even talking about the ACC, I was talking about the supposed superiority of speed had by athletes from the south – you know, the advantage that YOU brought up just a few post previous.
Last I checked Georgia was in the south.
by the_iowa_hawkeye on May 10, 2010 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Hypocrite?
Where in the HELL did I mention the Big East as a legitimate conference? They have absolutely nothing to do with the argument. Either you were trying to respond to someone else and replied to me on accident, or you are not too bright and need to learn the definition of hypocrite.
Just because you have no counterarguments for me proving you wrong, it doesn’t help your case make up a new argument that has nothing to do with anything you or I said, or anyone cares about. Next time just say you’re wrong.
"A lot of times, Kenny, we have no idea what we're doing. But the DEFENSE doesn't know that we don't know what we're doing.....and that's next level." -Peyton Manning
Go easy on him...
Wait, damn, I can’t make a mean Iowa joke cause I respect Shake too much.
But if not for that…. (mean Iowa joke)
Day-after draft grades are probably even dumber than mock drafts.
Don't let that stop you from cracking an Iowa joke.
I’m sure he can handle it.
"A lot of times, Kenny, we have no idea what we're doing. But the DEFENSE doesn't know that we don't know what we're doing.....and that's next level." -Peyton Manning
Where did you mention the Big East?
What conference do you think Cincy is in? Wow. Either your a complete idiot or an absolute tool. Which is it?
by the_iowa_hawkeye on May 10, 2010 3:47 PM EDT up reply actions
are you you referring
to the Fighting Nerds of Northwestern?
(kidding. love the hawkeyes)
by naptown_ninja on May 7, 2010 8:03 AM EDT up reply actions
So could we have two Kings on the back-up D roster?
Brandon and Mitch?
by the_iowa_hawkeye on May 6, 2010 1:18 PM EDT reply actions
We should create a new package on defense
Call it he kings formation
by metal_militia on May 6, 2010 1:19 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
White...
White sounds good, but I have a very hard time getting too excited about a guy at the WR position right now. With Wayne, Garcon, Gonzo, and Collie, the team is already stacked in this area. Add the fact that I’m pretty high on Giguere, and I just don’t see it likely that White will make the roster. I could see him spending two years on the PS, and then hitting the active roster when Gonzo leaves in FA or something.
What I’m excited about is the FA DBs. I have Newton, King, and Caldwell all making the roster in my early prediction. I’m particularly excited about Mike Newton, who I think could be a pretty good FS in the future. Not that physical, but a good tackler and very good in coverage (with good ball skills). I also think that King is going to win the 5th CB job.
We should be more excited about the DBs
They’re going to be a lot more important to the team than any #5 WR.
Also, it looks like our STs should be better this year, the draft seemed to be geared towards that short comming.
Faith
I think White has a good shot at making the roster. I just don’t see the Colts only carrying 4 WRs, especially after the horror that was Hank Baskett. I guess the key difference is that I’m not as high on Guns as you are. I think White has too much talent to leave on the PS. Someone would snatch him up. If he proves to be a good ST player and a solid WR, then I think he has a slot.
I agree that King gets the 5th CB job. I think he might even have a chance for the 4th slot of Thomas doesn’t elevate his game.
by 2ndBlueGeneration on May 6, 2010 10:15 PM EDT up reply actions
^ THIS
i’m tellin’ ya… 2 years from now, White will be a major player in our passing game, and we’ll be talking about what a steal he was in 2010.
Careful what you wish for... a government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take everything you have.
White
You guys could be right about White – he may be very good. I just don’t see him getting on the field in the next year or two, as he is basically Collie from the sound of things. (But Collie’s got a year of experience and a lot of playing time.) There seem to be a lot of entries for that #5 WR spot, but if White wins it, he still will end up on the bench for a couple of years.
oh that dilusional SEC IS BETTER crap!
that is so 2009. the sec is NOT better than the …anything
suc homerism will never die. dont waste your time _the_iowa_ hawkeye (even though your posts were spot on) because in the south…they think a time period of a few years…is FOREVER
nothing will top tebow crying at the end of his next to the last game of his college career. the big CHOKE. nothing. oh they can run fast in the good ole south but when the bandwagon wheels fall off bring out the hanky
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