Clinic!! Essential Football Educational Resources

[SeoulSoxFan]

I'd love to start a subforum at some point that collects and archives all the great learning materials & posts (including a previous series of threads from KFP, Rev, and others), but until then I'm pinning a thread that does it in a smaller scale.
 
We all know Matt Bowen from BR, and he's starting a All-22 series:
 
https://twitter.com/MattBowen41/status/446403937294241792
 
Starts this Friday, so get y'er bookmarks ready.

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

Another essential guide is Grantland's "Speak My Language" feature, which explains the origin of the Patriots offensive system and how it has evolved from the Perkins-Erhardt system:
 
http://grantland.com/features/how-terminology-erhardt-perkins-system-helped-maintain-dominance-tom-brady-patriots/
 

 

 
A must read for all Pats fans.

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

On free agency contracts: http://mmqb.si.com/2014/03/20/nfl-free-agency-money-contracts/
 

A billion? Not so fast.
 
Although it’s technically correct to say more than $1 billion in new contracts have been handed out, it is misleading. In research I conducted on the 2012 free agent class, there were a total of 76 free agent contracts with a length of three or more years. Two years later, 39 of those players are no longer with the team. Due to the structure of those deals and the fictitious amounts in the later years of contracts, teams can execute contracts with players with no intention of keeping them past one or two years.
 
With zero long-term contracts fully guaranteed, the amounts are just numbers on a page, injected into the public discourse by player agents. Upon agreement, agents contact their preferred media contacts, usually opting for a national name over local media for maximum effect, and depict the numbers as conspicuously as possible. Those reports will then be used for marketing and recruiting purposes. In negotiating contracts, agents would sometimes ask me, “Can I say it’s worth what it could be if he hits all the incentives?” If that helped close the deal, fine by me.

The real money isn’t guaranteed either.
 
So, you say, “the real money” is the guaranteed amounts, reported to be more than $500 million spent this past week? Sorry to again rain on the players’ parade, but those numbers are also not what they appear to be.
 
A “full” guarantee pays the player in the event he is released for either skill (deemed not good enough) or injury (unable to play due to a previous injury). In recent years, teams have managed to avoid full guarantees past the first year of these deals. How? Stay with me here.
 
At the time of signing (now), many of these contracts have full guarantees for 2014—of little value because players signed for any decent amount are not going to be cut this year—and injury-only guarantees in 2015. The latter converts to a full (skill and injury) guarantee for 2015 if the player is on the roster at the start of the 2015 league year. Yes, the likelihood of a player being released after the first year of these contracts is minimal. The point is that however unlikely, teams can release the player after the first year with no remaining financial obligation. Many of the bigger contracts signed this past week, such as Aqib Talib’s with the Broncos, are structured this way. And that, my friends, is not a guaranteed contract past the first year. Thus, that $500 million in guarantees is more like $250 million (one Albert Pujols).
 
As the shopping season now subsides a week into free agency, these are good times for NFL owners: Forbes values 23 of the 32 franchises at more than $1 billion, record-level television contracts are kicking in and player costs, while sounding high for public consumption, are largely illusory beyond one or two contract years.
 

 

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

Another great resources are Rev, KFP, and others' awesome "Clinic!" series of posts. These were one of the first BbtL threads that really got me to look deeper into the game play. Much kudos and gratitude to all who contributed:

• Clinic!! Left Tackle: http://sonsofsamhorn.net/topic/67826-clinic-left-tacle/
• Clinic!! Corner Back: http://sonsofsamhorn.net/topic/68434-clinic-corner-back/
• Clinic!! Pass Rush: http://sonsofsamhorn.net/topic/68134-clinic-pass-rush/
• Clinic!! Tight End: http://sonsofsamhorn.net/topic/67996-clinic-tight-end/
• Clinic! Kickoff Coverage: http://sonsofsamhorn.net/topic/68860-clinic-kickoff-coverage/
• Clinic! Field Goal Interception: http://sonsofsamhorn.net/topic/68887-clinic-field-goal-interception/
• Clinic!--beyond the bs: http://sonsofsamhorn.net/topic/68771-clinic-beyond-the-bs/

 

[mascho]

Matt Bowen with a fantastic write-up on Cover 4.  It also contains links to his previous write-ups on Cover 1, 2 and 3.  I cannot recommend this series enough.

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

I posted this in the D-Line thread but Ross Tucker had an excellent podcast with former Bucs 1st round pick "Booger" McFarland re: d-line play, formations, and responsibilities:
 
http://podcastone.com/Ross-Tucker-Football-Podcast (2nd one on the list). 
 
Tucker's podcast is one of few that goes "deep" into the geeky side of football from time to time. I think it's should be on every football fan's podcast list, along with the superb NFL Around the League podcast and of course PFW (Patriots Football Weekly). 

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

I liked doing this, but I also used to have more time on my hands.
 
Noticed that you forgot one on your list, SSF. Ienjoyed doing the Left Tackle clinic more then some of the other ones.

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

I liked doing this, but I also used to have more time on my hands.
 
Noticed that you forgot one on your list, SSF. Ienjoyed doing the Left Tackle clinic more then some of the other ones.

 
Thanks for that KFP. I knew I wouldn't find all of them. Link is added to the original post. I really enjoyed all of them and learned a ton.