The 2013 NFL Combine

Every football player has a dream of someday playing in the NFL. They all want the opportunity to play at the highest level and reap the rewards from playing professionally. This weekend is the next step for all the college athletes that have performed on the field and drawn the attention of NFL scouts and NFL organizations. Combine weekend can thrust people into the spotlight or drop them from all NFL talks.

Would you be nervous if you knew you were walking into a potential $10 million dollar interview? Wait a minute...not just an interview but also having to perform on all of these things:

· Body Measurements
· Neuropsych baseline testing
· Complete orthopedic & internal medical examinations
· Special medical tests – as needed
· Wonderlic Test – to assess learning and problem solving skills.
· Isokinetic lower extremity testing
· Personal interview
· Bench press
· 40 yard dash
· Vertical jump
· Broad jump
· 3 Cone drill
· 60 yard shuttle run
· Position-specific drills                                                                          Source for list: Mike Ryan Fitness

Tyler Bray

The goal, of course, is to be drafted early. First round picks will be able to command four year deals worth over $20 million, while third round picks may only get $500,000/year. Any negative report, slip in performance, incorrect answer or poor test score, can result in dropping to later rounds or dropping out of the draft completely.  Athletes are scrutinized over every detail of their career and life. Everything is fair game, including their personal life, use of social media, juvenile crimes, personal relationships, etc. Players become “investments” for team franchises, and the organization needs to look over every detail of their potential million-dollar investment.

Denard Robinson

In addition to the behind the scenes scrutiny for players, they have to be able to perform under a new level of intense pressure on the field. College prepares athletes to perform on the field, but nothing really prepares a player for the pressure that comes with throwing a touchdown in front of 50,000 screaming fans, making a game winning field-goal in the NFL playoffs, or scoring the game winning touchdown run in a huge NFL rivalry game. Athletes have prepared themselves to perform on the field, but are they ready for extreme pressure that comes with the NFL experience? Players are going to be exposed in all ways, and their performance and response under pressure in the spotlight is what will determine their fate. Performance on the field will seem easy to when it’s compared to the entire NFL experience.

  

Manti Te'o

Manti Te'o (LB, Notre Dame) will be watched carefully to see how he handles the questions raised by his social media nightmare.

Tyler Bray (QB, Tennessee) has the size at 6'6 and the arm strength of an NFL QB, but many scouts question his accuracy. The combine will give him the opportunity to throw with different WR's in front of all teams and scouts. How he handles that will determine his fate.

Denard Robinson has been a QB for Michigan all his career, but now has to make the transition to WR for the NFL. Denard will have to show the scouts that he can play the position, make the cuts, be strong enough to block, understand route concepts, and prove that he has the hands to play in the NFL. This is a huge weekend for Denard!

Getting Back to the Basics: All Fundamentals Team

USA Football is an organization that is very focused on improving player safety in the sport. I have posted many of their links and articles because I think the emphasis on learning proper fundamentals is extremely important to overall safety in the sport. One of their safety-focused campaigns is to select an All Fundamentals Team comprised of 26 NFL players who exemplify proper football techniques for youth to emulate. 

The All Fundamentals Team for 2012 can be found here.  I wanted to share the list with you and add some thoughts on which players I thought represented the "best of the best" when it comes to fundamentals.

1. Charles Tillman (Corner, Chicago Bears)
Tillman had an amazing year, and that is mainly because he is so fundamentally sound at his position. Tillman has an amazing ability to break down on the ball carrier, commit to tackling and then punch the ball out as he is tackling. Seeing a player punch at the ball as he is tackling is a great reminder for all defenders! Watching Tillman should remind all coaches to teach kids to eliminate space, break down, never stop their feet, commit to tackling the opponent, show NO HESITATION, drive through the ball carrier, and then punch or rip the ball out. Tillman has perfected these skills, and he is a great example of excellent fundamental tackling!

2. Haloti Ngata (Nose Tackle, Baltimore Ravens)
Haloti Ngata is one of the most unselfish players in the NFL. Ngata is able to control two gaps on the defensive line, while still engaging offensive linemen to protect his LB. The NT position is asked to take on two offensive linemen and not allow them to get off the line to block the LB. The LB is then the one that is able to make all the tackles. Ngata is able to do this better than anyone and is still able to get pressure on a QB. He is able to bring a combination of size, strength, speed and great technique to dominate his opponents. It is also good to watch how Ngata gets his hands on the offensive linemen, staying below the offensive lineman's shoulders to have leverage, and then continues to drive the offensive lineman to disrupt the offensive play. Ngata is another great player demonstrating the value of football fundamentals. 

3. Matt Ryan (QB, Atlanta Falcons)
Matt Ryan has very good fundamental skills. I enjoy watching Matt Ryan take 3, 5, and 7 step drops.  As you watch him, he keeps the weight on the correct parts of his feet, then when ready to throw, transfers weight towards his front foot, so he is able to make a great throw. Ryan's eyes are always reading the defense, while he keeps two hands on the ball with the ball tight to his body. When setting to throw, Ryan has no wasted motion. The ball is elevated and gone, with no "hitches" or elongated movements in his throwing.  Ryan is really the ideal QB for young QB’s to watch and learn from because of his solid fundamentals and his poise! Not only does he have excellent football technique, Ryan does a very good job of keeping his composure, not getting rattled and leading his teammates.

4. London Fletcher (LB, Washington Redskins)
London Fletcher has been playing in the NFL for 15 seasons and has a streak of 240 consecutive games. Fletcher is the catalyst for the Redskins defense, and is considered to be the heart and soul of the team as a leader. Fletcher's longevity is attributed to great health, luck and solid fundamentals. Fletcher is very instinctive and rarely misses a tackle. The Redskins are able to keep their middle linebacker on the field, no matter the situation. If it is an obvious passing down, he is able to make the drops that are needed for a LB to cover specific areas or key on the running back out of the backfield. Week in and week out, Fletcher is on the leaderboard for tackles.

5. Chad Greenway (LB, Minnesota Vikings)
Greenway has always had solid fundamentals dating back to his days at the University of Iowa. He has been able to excel in the NFL as a defender that is able to eliminate space between himself and the ball carrier, and then finish the play by making the tackle. If you watch Greenway, he is very good with keeping his head up, driving his hips through and continuing through the ball carrier, so there is no chance to miss the tackle. Greenway is an excellent player for young kids to watch with the proper technique of playing the LB position!

As you can see from the All Fundamentals Team list, these players are successful from a performance standpoint as well as safety.  You can work a lot of drills and skills in football, but the essence of excellent performance will always break down to solid fundamentals!

Super Bowl Preview

It's hard to believe that Super Bowl weekend is here! There is plenty of excitement for this year's game, and you have probably already heard many of the media storylines for the game. I wanted to give you a quick preview of what to anticipate for the game itself...I think it will be a great game to watch!

The saying in football is that, "Defense wins championships." If you watched the second half of the NFC and AFC Championship games, you saw the truth behind this saying. Both San Francisco and Baltimore were able to hold their opponents from scoring a TD in the second half of their games. Both teams have an identity of strong, aggressive defenses that can get pressure with their front four defensive linemen and can dominate a game. While the defense definitely contributed to victory in the championship games, it really was the offensive changes and performances that defined the two teams through the playoffs.

San Francisco’s starting QB Alex Smith suffered a concussion during the regular season, and many doubted Coach Jim Harbaugh's choice to stick with the backup after Smith was able to return. That backup, Colin Kaepernick, has brought an entirely new dimension to the 49er’s offense. Kaepernick is able to create a little magic when a play looks all but dead, so he keeps the offense on the field and rolling. Kaepernick’s extremely athletic combination of running and passing, along with the strong 49er's running game has made the 49er’s offense a difficult team for others to predict and match.

Baltimore was on a three game losing streak deep into the 2012-2013 season, and Coach John Harbaugh felt a change was absolutely necessary. It wasn't a small change. He decided to fire his offensive coordinator, which is basically unheard of at that point in the season. In hindsight, it is easy to say that this was a bold and amazing move, and he was absolutely correct. The change in their offensive look makes Baltimore appear even more impressive offensively then defensively. Joe Flacco looks very relaxed, he has a great pocket to throw from, he is giving his star receivers a chance to make plays, and most importantly they are finding ways to get Ray Rice the ball within their new offensive scheme.

Two of the playmakers that I think will be fun to watch in this game are Anquan Boldin and Michael Crabtree. Since the beginning of the playoffs, both receivers have clearly become the "go to" guys for their teams, and they are presenting themselves as nearly unstoppable forces. Both defenses will always know where these receivers are on the field, but the question remains whether anyone will be able to stop them.

This should be a great game, with many off field storylines. We could discuss the coaching brothers, Ray Lewis, or Alex Smith. But really this game comes down to two very talented teams that are going to put on a tremendous show. Both teams are very well-rounded in all facets of the game.  This Super Bowl will truly come down to which team is able to create turnovers and capitalize from the mistakes of their opponents.  Looking forward to a great game! Enjoy!

The NFL Journey: Catching Up with Dale Moss

Riggs Premier Football is extremely excited to have Dale Moss joining our coaching staff during his NFL off season this spring. I have worked with him before, and I greatly respect and appreciate his athletic talent, work ethic, determination, and integrity. This is a tremendous opportunity for area athletes to work with a top quality athlete and person. This past year has been an amazing journey for Dale, so I asked him a few questions to get some insight into his thoughts at this stage of his football career:

Pre-season game with the Packers

Can you catch us up on how things went during your first year in the NFL?
Overall I think things went well. I grew a lot as a player and even more as a person. Only having a year of football experience under my belt since high school, I really felt I needed this year to improve. I made great impressions everywhere I went, which only gives me confidence going into this upcoming year.

Did you feel prepared for the things you experienced this past year, both on and off the field?
I felt prepared physically and skill-wise, but being so new to the game, there were a lot of situations that I hadn't experienced in college. Off the field was not a big adjustment because I'm a pretty low key guy, so outside of football I would just hang out with teammates.

If there was one thing you didn't know that you wished you had going into this...what would it be?
If there was one thing I wish I had known going into things, it would probably just be a better understanding of how to play the slot position. I learned a lot as the year went on, and if you can play outside and the slot, you can create a lot of problems for teams.

What are you most looking forward to for next season?
My main goal is to obviously get on our active 53 man roster which I feel really confident about, and then I just want to continue to grow as a player and help my team win.

East-West Shrine Game

What are you doing with your off season break?
I'll be back home until the end of March, and basically I'll just be hanging out with friends and family, training, and coaching. It's nice to get a little bit of a break, but I'm continually trying to get better. So while its called an "off season," I'm still making sure I'm working hard every day!

You are a very motivated person. What are the things that motivate and inspire you?
My friends, family, and home state are huge motivating factors for me, but I'd say the biggest one is probably people who doubt me and say I can't do something. I'm a very motivated and confident person, so when I get negativity or doubt thrown my way, I try and use it as fuel to get better. That's why I went out for football in the first place in college. I'm a firm believer that if you put in the time and make a few sacrifices, there will be no option but to find success.

What advice would you offer a 6th grader who says he wants to grow up and be just like you?
I'd say first and foremost, you want to be as good of a person as you can be. People underestimate how far being humble goes in all aspects of life. From there you just have to believe in your abilities, be coach-able, and work hard! Don't be afraid to take the route most people avoid because its tough. Those challenges make you grow as a player and person, and they separate you from the competition.

What do you consider your greatest success so far? Your greatest disappointment?
My greatest success so far has been getting to the NFL and getting my foot in the door. There are a lot of things I want to accomplish, and I'm on the right path. My biggest disappointment was missing out on state high school championships in football and basketball. Those are things that I really wanted for my teammates and community, more than myself. Now my goal is a Super Bowl!

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned from your involvement in sports?
Without a doubt, it's accountability and discipline. Those are things that will help you throughout life, but when you have multiple teammates and coaches depending on you, it is just huge! Accountability and discipline get you to the next level and help you grow as a team and individual.

These are some great insights at this stage of Dale's NFL career, and we are really looking forward to working with him this spring and watching him share his many talents and abilities with our athletes.  No option but success!

Things to Watch in the NFL Playoffs

There has been some great football in the NFL playoffs so far, and the Conference Championship games should continue the playoff excitement! These are a few things to watch for in the games this weekend:

San Francisco at Atlanta:

Both of these teams have worked to overcome media obstacles this season. San Francisco has been continually answering the question of whether their QB switch was the correct move or not. Colin Kaepernick clearly showed last weekend that Coach Harbaugh made the right decision in his selection. In that game, Kap became only the second player in NFL history to rush and pass for more than 150 yards in a playoff game.

Atlanta was saddled with the reputation of facing extreme difficulty in winning their first round game. This game looked to be the same as previous years when the Falcons were losing with less than a minute left in the game. This time around however, Matt Ryan was able to lead the team into field goal position with three long completions, and they made a game winning field goal with six seconds left.

So with those obstacles aside, what will we see in this game? Both teams bring a very physical style of play, but have very different styles of offense and defense. San Francisco relies on pressure from their defensive line, while LB’s Bowman and Willis make all the tackles. Atlanta will try to create pressure by disguising their looks and bringing different blitz schemes at Kap. Offensively, San Francisco relies on a balanced attack of run and pass, but they include their extremely athletic QB in the run game. Atlanta will include a balanced attack but will not feature Matt Ryan as a runner. Atlanta will look to stretch the field a little bit more with their star WR’s Jones and White. Both teams have all league TE’s in Gonzalez for Atlanta and Davis for San Francisco. These two players are the security blankets for the QB when they get into trouble.

San Francisco is favored, but they have three major elements to overcome. First: Travel. The trip from west coast to east coast will take a toll, and this is an advantage for Atlanta. Second: Visiting team. Atlanta has a very loud atmosphere inside their dome, and San Francisco makes a lot of their offensive calls at the line of scrimmage. Third: Underrated opponent. They are facing a very athletic, talented team. Atlanta is a team that has really flown under the radar this season, which is odd to say for a team that has the best record in football. Atlanta has the tools offensively and defensively to cause havoc for the 49ers.

Baltimore at New England

I believe the spread is more than nine points, which is absurd for a Divisional Championship game. We are seeing Tom Brady, one of the greatest offensive players of all time vs. Ray Lewis, one of the greatest defensive players of all time. Everyone is focused on these two players, but the really interesting matchup is going to be New England’s much improved defense vs Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, and the Ravens' new look offense. Baltimore fired their offensive coordinator during week 15 of the NFL season, and the team seems to really be responding.  That will make for some interesting football!

New England just lost star TE Rob Gronkowski for a second time, and we will see the effects against a veteran-led Ravens defense that played very well against Denver. New England does a great job of answering the call and has done an excellent job of instilling a run game in their offense this year. That run game has allowed Tom Brady to unleash one of his strengths--a play action passing attack. Look for New England to try to open the run with the short passing game, establish their run game, then try to finish the Ravens off with the play action pass.

Baltimore is trying to rally around their emotional leader on his last run at a Super Bowl title. Ray Lewis came back from injury and announced his retirement, effective at the end of the season. Since this announcement, the Ravens have beaten a solid Colts team and upset the #1 seed Broncos at Denver. Baltimore was able to get the win with a solid defensive performance and some huge plays from Flacco to Torrey Smith. Baltimore struggled in their special teams vs Denver, allowing a kickoff return for TD, and a punt return for a TD. Facing New England, Baltimore will have to be clicking on all cylinders. If Baltimore hopes to win, they need Ray Rice to have a great game, they need other players to step up and make big plays, and they need their special teams to be EXCELLENT.

The Divisional Championships should give us another great weekend of NFL football! Looking forward to some excellent matchups and prime performances. Nothing better than playoff time in football...enjoy!

Five Tips to a Successful Off Season

With the new year underway, it is a great time to check in and see how off season training/activities are going. While there is no "off season success" formula that applies to every athlete, I would offer the following suggestions for things athletes can be doing right now to improve during the off season:

1) Have a Plan
If you do not have a plan for the off season, it will be gone before you know it. Get a calendar and draw yourself a map of your off season schedule! Include camps, individual training and workouts, and any other activity that is improving your skill or performance. It is fine to schedule some down time or weeks that don't push you to the max, but don't completely stop your training or put things off too long or you will miss the opportunities presented in the off season to really improve your skills and strength.


2) Set a Goal
As you map out your off season schedule, set some realistic goals for your improvement. Your overall goal might be to reduce body fat, gain muscle mass, maintain overall aerobic fitness, improve your speed, or develop sport specific techniques. Then give yourself some dates or milestones to measure your progress and help you stay motivated toward your overall goal. On any given day, an athlete can challenge himself on the number or type of drills he runs, or attempt to run faster, clean up footwork, or attempt a new skill. Those daily/weekly challenges can really add up to reaching that overall goal, so go after it!

3) Train your Weakness
After you set your goals, take the time to train your weaknesses. If footwork is your weakness, then find some time in every workout to address and improve your footwork. There is no time during the grind of the regular season for athletes to do that kind of remedial work. If you take the time and focus on your weakness during the off season, you will certainly improve your overall performance, and you may even turn that weakness into a strength!

4) Play Ball
Play ball...any kind... organized and competitive, or just for fun. I strongly believe that especially with younger athletes, participating in other sports is hugely beneficial. They learn the qualities of sportsmanship from every kind of sporting activity, they develop other skills and muscle groups that might not be developed with just playing football, and they challenge themselves mentally and physically in new and different ways. All of those things ultimately contribute to an athlete's complete development, and that overall development is what ultimately leads to personal success.

5) Think Ahead
For younger athletes, that means working to improve themselves individually and thinking about how they can contribute to their team in the upcoming season. There are bound to be changes with coaches or players, so looking ahead to the ways that athletes can positively contribute to a successful season is a great way to help those younger athletes get a sense of vision and commitment to a team and a program.

For high school athletes, the off season is critical for those planning to play college football! Many athletes don't realize how early in their career they need to start planning for college. There are a number of great resources available for high school athletes including MonsterPreps, Active and the NCAA Recruiting site. These are some of my favorite tips compiled from those sources:

* Prepare for NCAA Clearinghouse
* Start researching NCAA academic requirements during Sophomore year
* Get registered with the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse during Junior year
* Make sure to request ACT/SAT scores be sent to the Clearinghouse
* Attend camps wherever you can--promote yourself by sending film or clips to college coaches
* Remember college football is played at many levels--don't restrict yourself to just one level
* Don't forget that your high school coach is also a full-time teacher. Coaches will do what they can to assist, but athletes need to be proactive and responsible for their own recruiting process.

So athletes...enjoy your off season, but remember that you will enjoy the next season more if you have used your off season time productively--to improve your skills and athletic performance!

2012: A Year in Review

Chicago Bears WR Dale Moss

When the ball dropped on 2011, I'm not sure I had any idea how different things would be one year later. This year saw the launch of Riggs Premier Football and the creation of the Sanford POWER Football Academy. It has been a challenging and rewarding venture, and it is fun to look back at how far we have come!

I have been asked frequently over the years to train football players, and the demand for off season training is at an all time high. Watching my son play youth football convinced me I could contribute to instilling fundamentals for young athletes and find opportunities to work with higher caliber athletes as well.

When we launched the program in July, the Fieldhouse was still under construction, so we started trainings at the USF Sports Complex in the intense summer heat. We started off with five clients and also had a unique opportunity to work with Dale Moss right before he headed to the NFL. It was really awesome to see how the training could benefit athletes who were 8 years old all the way up to the pros! 

Will and Coach Sanders

The Fieldhouse opened on September 4th, and after training during the very hot summer, that was a welcome event! The Fieldhouse is a remarkable facility, and it is great to have a partner like Sanford that shares common goals for local athletes and develops the facilities to back up those goals. The Fieldhouse is essentially a NFL training facility and gives our athletes the very best opportunities in this area to train.

We hosted a community Grand Opening event at the Fieldhouse for around 200 kids in late September, spent a lot of time talking with parents and athletes at FCA and Junior Football games, and basically started telling people what the Sanford POWER Football Academy offers. Our client numbers continue to grow, we have fine tuned our program offerings to meet client needs, and we just hosted a first of its kind Holiday Camp event this past week. We brought in 150 athletes, ages third grade through high school, and ran two days of camps and passing tournaments. It was really tremendous to see so many young athletes coming in to compete and work their craft in the winter months! 

BVHS and LHS in 7 on 7 Holiday Passing Tourney

As I reflect on 2012, I have been very fortunate to have surrounded myself with talented people. This is not something I can do alone, and I have excellent coaches and assistants who are key to delivering the very best product to our clients. It is also a privilege to work with athletes who are very committed to getting better, and families who share a passion for football and want their kids to learn the "right way" to play 

the game. When we combine all those qualities, we are seeing great results all the way around!

So what does 2013 have in store? We will be continuing our 7 on 7 competitions, we will be hosting both full contact and non-contact camps this summer, we hope to develop satellite workouts in the area, and of course, we will maximize our individual and small group trainings at the Fieldhouse.

Thanks to all who have been part of the 2012 journey. We look forward to even better things in 2013!