Spread offense complicating player evaluations
It’s no secret that the offense du jour in college football is the spread formation. Making use of elite athletes in space teams like Florida, Missouri and Oklahoma have experienced great success. More and more college programs are turning to the scheme, which in most cases is easier to execute for players.
But when it comes time to make the jump to the NFL some prospects struggle with the adjustment, and NFL coaches and scouts struggle just as much at times to make accurate evaluations. NFL talent evaluators aren’t entrusted with judging a prospect’s abilities at the college level. They have to project it to the NFL, and the spread offense doesn’t do them any favors.
“Scouting college players today is difficult because of where the college game has gotten,” said Bills offensive coordinator Turk Schonert. “You can see this guy is athletic, this guy is fast, this guy has good hands, but as far as technique goes, receivers running the route tree. Sometimes they’re very limited in the routes that they run, so how do you know?”
buffalobills.com
2/21/09
