Fingon Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 Scouts Inc. has developed its own grading scale to better distinguish players of similar abilities in the NFL. Below is a breakdown of that scale and a glossary of the alerts Scouts uses to flag players with specific concerns. 100-90: Elite Player Player demonstrates rare abilities and can create mismatches that have an obvious impact on the game ... Premier NFL player who has all the skills to consistently play at a championship level ... Rates as one of the top players in the league at his position. 89-80: Outstanding Player Player has abilities to create mismatches versus most opponents in the NFL ... A feature player who has an impact on the outcome of the game ... Cannot be shut down by a single player and plays on a consistent level week-in and week-out. 79-70: Good Starter Solid starter who is close to being an outstanding player ... Has few weaknesses and will usually win his individual matchup but does not dominate in every game, especially when matched up against the top players in the league. 69-60: Average Starter A valuable roster player but is not dominant against the better players he faces on a week-to-week basis... Gives great effort and you are glad that he is on your team, but he may or may not go to the next level. 59- 50: Good Backup A player who is on the bubble and starts only because of a deficiency at the position ... He lacks complete overall skills, and although he will battle he will hinder his team's ability to play at a championship level if he is forced to be in the starting lineup consistently over a 16-game season ... A player you don't mind having on your team but someone you are always looking to upgrade. 49-40: Below Average Backup/Core Special Teamers Strictly a backup player who is not capable of starting ... If he is forced to start he is no more than a short-term fix ... He may make the team because of special teams contributions or experience ... A player you are always looking to upgrade as he will always be a borderline roster guy. 30: Rookie -- Post-draft No professional tape to evaluate ... Will have a college report but will not get an NFL grade until the spring after his rookie season ... Will carry the 30 grade throughout his first NFL season. 20: Developmental Player A player with very little film to evaluate ... A guy who might show "flashes" in the preseason but does not have any regular-season views ... He has very little experience but he has to be tracked due to his developmental potential. 10: Evaluation in Process -- Need More Information Alerts glossary A - Age/Declining Player (Player may be starting to decline) B - Bulk/Size (Player lacks size/bulk for position) C - Character (Problems on and off the field) D - Durability (Player who cannot stay healthy) E - Experience (Player lacks game or position experience) I - Injury (Player coming off injury that may affect play) M - Mental (Player does not learn and retain the system) O - Overachiever (Player lacks the athletic ability and skills) R - Rookie S - Speed (Player lacks ideal speed for the position) T - Special Teams Value U - Underachiever (Player does not play up to ability) Y - Developmental Player ↑ - Ascending player ↓ - Descending player Here are our top 10 players. 1. Lee Evans 2010 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc. Grade: 79 | Key Comment: He is a speed receiver who would make a lot more plays on a better team with a legitimate No. 1 quarterback. Evans is explosive off the line of scrimmage and can get vertical in a hurry. He tracks the deep ball well and has improved as a route runner. He can make plays with the ball in his hands. He is a legitimate No. 1 receiver on a team that lacks a legitimate quarterback. 2. Paul Posluszny 2010 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc. Grade: 76 | Key Comment: He is a smart player at the inside linebacker position. Posluszny is a high-motor and active player with excellent instincts to find the football. He is not a great athlete for the spot but is rarely out of position because of his first-step quickness and smarts. Posluszny works hard to take on blocks and uses his hands well to shed. He has improved in coverage and looks fluid in his zone drops. The big key is staying healthy, as he has played 16 games only one time in his first three seasons. 3. Dwan Edwards 2010 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc. Grade: 75 | Key Comment: Edwards is a high-effort player who can contribute as an interior lineman and defensive end. While he isn't powerful enough at the point to handle the nose, he is very resilient and battles to the whistle. He has improved his hand usage at the point of attack, shedding blockers better than in previous seasons. Edwards continues to struggle as a pass-rusher and needs to continue to develop more creative moves and counters to contribute in this area. But Edwards has made marked improvements over the past two seasons. 4. Brian Moorman 2010 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc. Grade: 75 | Key Comment: He is an excellent punter with big-time leg strength. He is a good bad-weather punter, which is huge in Buffalo. He can directionally punt when the situations dictates it. He is effective at pinning opponents inside the 20-yard line. He is one of the better punters in the NFL. 5. Jairus Byrd 2010 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc. Grade: 74 | Key Comment: He is coming off an excellent rookie season. Byrd is a free safety who shows excellent range in center field. He is a former corner and that shows in that he has excellent ball skills. He shows excellent instincts to break on the football. Byrd needs to get more physical in run support and is not a great one-on-one tackler in space. He is one of the few consistent playmakers the Bills have in the back end of this defense. 6. Eric Wood 2010 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc. Grade: 74 | Key Comment: He is a versatile, young guard with very good upside. Wood's best asset is his versatility in that he can play all three interior spots along the offensive line. He possesses a nice combination of size and athletic ability. Wood can play in a short area but adjusts well in space. He plays with good leverage in the run game and protects the edges well in the passing game. Of all of the Bills' young offensive linemen, he has the most upside. 7. Terrence McGee 2010 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc. Grade: 73 | Key Comment: He is a short corner who is a very good athlete, showing solid agility and foot quickness. McGee has good instincts and route recognition playing in both man and zone coverage, displaying smooth hips to flip and run despite a lack of great top-end speed. His small size hurts him at times playing the ball down the field. He will stick his nose in versus the run. Overall, he is one of the Bills' more active defensive players. 8. Marcus Stroud 2010 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc. Grade: 73 | Key Comment: He is a run-stuffing defensive end in the 3-4 defense. He is versatile in that he can play a one- or two-gap scheme. Stroud is at his best when the Bills let him play on the edges. He shows very good first-step quickness and plays with very good leverage in the run game. He is still an explosive playmaker who can make plays on the other side of the line of scrimmage. 9. Fred Jackson 2010 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc. Grade: 72 | Key Comment: He possesses very good size for the position. For a small-school product, Jackson possesses very good inline vision and run instincts. He is not shifty guy but can make the first defender miss at the line of scrimmage. He shows very good burst through the hole and knows how to finish his runs by dropping his pads. Jackson has soft hands and is a very good special-teams player. He's not going to ascend as a player, but he is a solid backup. Tied for 10 are: 10. Chris Kelsay 2010 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc. Grade: 70 | Key Comment: He will be an outside linebacker in the Bills' 3-4 defense. He is a player who is used to playing with his hand on the ground. Kelsay is a good athlete, however, and he should be able to make the adjustment. He shows very good initial quickness as an up-the-field player. He is small but uses his hands well to keep blockers off his body. He shows good lateral speed and range. Kelsay might struggle early versus the run as it could be tough for him to diagnose as a stand-up LB. 10. Kyle Williams 2010 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc. Grade: 70 | Key Comment: He is a short and powerful interior defensive lineman. Williams has short legs and arms but plays very low to the ground. He plays with very good balance and does a nice job of playing trough or over blocks. He uses his hands well to control the blocker at the point of attack. He is more of a short-area playmaker. He does not run very well or make a lot of plays outside the tackles. Williams lacks first-step quickness and is not real explosive. He is a blue-collar player who is effective vs. the run and as a pass-rusher. 10. Rian Lindell 2010 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc. Grade: 70 | Key Comment: He converted 85 percent of his field-goal attempts last season. He is a solid poor-weather kicker. He can adjust his kicks based on wind conditions. He is a good pressure player who can split the sticks at the end of halves and games. Some other notable players: Reggie Corner: 2010 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc. Grade: 65 | Key Comment: He is a very good player on the Bills' defense. Corner is a smaller corner but a very good athlete for the position. He shows good catch-up speed. He can flip and run with speed receivers. Corner is better in man-to-man than zone coverage. He is slow to read routes in front of him at times from off coverage. He does a nice job of getting out of his breaks in man coverage. He shows the ability to plant and drive on the football. He has improved in run support. Demetrius Bell: 2010 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc. Grade: 60 | Key Comment: He is an athletic tackle who shows very good foot quickness. Bell comes off the ball quickly, but does not always bring his feet to balance. He protects the outside edge well in pass protection but struggles versus double moves. He is not very physical in the run game. He plays too straight-legged and is not a natural knee-bender, which hinders his ability to get a push at the point of attack. Bell is an average starter who needs to add bulk to go to the next level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timba Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 Well those aren't very impressive grades... but I when they have 79-70 listed as good starters up top but then describe Freddy (rated at 73) as a solid backup I begin to question the evaluations. At least keep it consistent :-/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truth on hold Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 Who is Dwan Edwards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fingon Posted August 25, 2010 Author Share Posted August 25, 2010 Who is Dwan Edwards? a 3-4 DE we signed during FA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timba Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 (edited) Who is Dwan Edwards? The free agent DE we picked up. Former Raven I believe. He had a brief interview on the sidelines during the Redskins game. EDIT Bills sign DE/DT Dwan Edwards: 4 years, $18 million I really like this signing. Dwan Edwards came on last year and was a force against the run for the Ravens. He'll help the Bills transition into their new 3-4 defense. http://walterfootball.com/freeagents2010recap.php Edited August 25, 2010 by timba Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbonestake Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 Grading players is a complete waste of time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDaDdy Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 Well those aren't very impressive grades... but I when they have 79-70 listed as good starters up top but then describe Freddy (rated at 73) as a solid backup I begin to question the evaluations. At least keep it consistent :-/ I love him but how many rushing TDs did our "star" starting tailback have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ganesh Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 Missing from the list is Levitre...Levitre had a very good rookie year and will perform even better this year. Also, I would think Whitner would get a better rating than Reggie Corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fingon Posted August 25, 2010 Author Share Posted August 25, 2010 Missing from the list is Levitre...Levitre had a very good rookie year and will perform even better this year. Also, I would think Whitner would get a better rating than Reggie Corner. Whitner: 2010 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc. Grade: 65 | Key Comment: He only played in 10 games last season. His durability over his career has been somewhat of a question mark. Whitner is a short safety but packs a punch in run support. He runs the alleys well in run support. He is more of a straight-line player. Whitner is at his best attacking downhill toward the line of scrimmage. He is a little stiff in his hips, which hinders him in coverage and as a one-on-one player in space. Levitre: 2010 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc. Grade: 60 | Key Comment: He is Buffalo's starting left guard. Levitre is a good overall athlete for the position. He does a nice job of protecting the edges versus penetration via the run or pass protection. He struggles at times versus bigger and stronger interior defensive linemen. Levitre is better right now in pass pro than in the run game. Slides his feet well in a short area and adjusts well to double moves. He is an ascending player who should continue to get better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timba Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 I love him but how many rushing TDs did our "star" starting tailback have? I'm not arguing over the rating, just how he's rated at the good starter level and then described as a solid backup. A little consistency would be nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thoner7 Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 Moorman's grade would make him an "average starter" when in reality he is one of the top 3-5 punters in the league. Also having Kelsay rated as a higher score than K. Williams is commical. These rates are a bit suspect, seems to me like they havnt watched enough games to make accurate assesments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 Moorman's grade would make him an "average starter" when in reality he is one of the top 3-5 punters in the league. Also having Kelsay rated as a higher score than K. Williams is commical. These rates are a bit suspect, seems to me like they havnt watched enough games to make accurate assesments. They actually gave Kelsay and Williams the same score...but to your point, I would agree that Kyle Williams is better than Kelsay, and should at least be rated higher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Long Beach Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 I agree that the ratings didn't seem too far out of line, with the exception of Moorman who is top 3 in his position setting both team and NFL caliber records during his stint here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Biscuit97 Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 Out of curiosity, what are these scouts backgrounds? Have any actually worked at the NFL level? Should we take their opinion more seriously the Madden nerds? I just find it funny that guys like this & Kiper & McShay have about the same background in football as most posters on this board but some people take their opinion for gospel. Overall, though, we probably don't have a ton of to 200 players but a decent amount who could break through (Poz, McKelvin, Spiller, Williams, Levitre, Wood) with a good year this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincec Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 Whatever you think of the grades, this illustrates the fundamental problem with the Bills- they have no elite players to build around. In these grades, no one is above 80. Championship teams need some top players to win. A bunch of solid, hard working guys only gets you so far... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonidas Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 I just find it funny that guys like this & Kiper & McShay have about the same background in football as most posters on this board but some people take their opinion for gospel. I think being locked in a cellar for eleven months a year watching coaches film on every college player in the country makes you more qualified than the posters on this board. You'll have to forgive me if I disagree with the popular "Kiper/McShay sucks" attitude on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hplarrm Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 I think being locked in a cellar for eleven months a year watching coaches film on every college player in the country makes you more qualified than the posters on this board. You'll have to forgive me if I disagree with the popular "Kiper/McShay sucks" attitude on this one. I assume from this being presented as an ESPN/Scouts product that Tim Graham is either the source of or at least had a significant role in producing these grades. I of course have quibbles with some of the grades presented but overall they seem like a fair assessment by someone who has more than a passing interest in the Bills (for example I would grade Moorman higher based on the scale they have chosen and I would grade Kelsay as an incomplete as this is a charitable grade for his given his DE output, but given he is playing a whole different position but has been plagued with injuries as he learns a new role it really is a crapshoot what type of OLB he will be. Overall, I think this describes a Bills team which actually has a pretty good crew on not unreasonable starter but no real stars to speak of who make their supporting cast better players because they draw a lot of attention. In fact, the problem for the Bills will likely be that since they have no credible #2 WR, Evans will likely get over and under doubled so TDs like the one he got from a blown assignment by Indy are going to be few and far between this year (unless Jackson/Lynch. comeback and his play allows them to put Spiller out wide where it forces opposing Ds to zone up on us as both Evans and Spiller command a dt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swift Sylvan Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 7 players are on defense, surprised Mckelvin and Florence are lower than Kelsay. Out of curiosity what do they rank the QB's? Obviously we all have our own opinions, but these guys do get paid for it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H2o Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 Kelsay's "scouting report" debunks their possible credibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowery4 Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 (edited) Man I read it a couple of times now, do you pay for that (I hope not)? We have no out standing players? And Lee is our Best? um not to mention that Moorman is an elite player at his position. If it really is TG, he is much more of a pessimist than I get from reading his writing with these grades. The best guy on our team last year was Byrd and he is at the outstanding level. Freddy might be second touchdowns or not, you have to consider that a lot of the time ML was brought in near the goal line. Not good if you are FJ and want to score the TD. The whole team had problems in the red zone too. Edited August 25, 2010 by bowery4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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