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Morning Roundup: February 3, 2019

Aaron Donald (image via USA Today)

Tonight is Super Bowl LIII, the New England Patriots vs. the Los Angeles Rams. I think the Rams have more talent, but obviously Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are a pretty lethal combination, too. I’m going to be very interested in seeing whether the Patriots’ offensive line can keep Rams’ defensive tackles Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh out of the backfield. If the Patriots don’t scheme a way of keeping Donald out of Brady’s face, then I think it’s going to be a tough night. The Rams have the best receiving corps in the league, and I don’t think the Patriots’ defensive backs can keep up, so I think New England’s going to have to score a bunch to keep up. My prediction: Rams 34, Patriots 26.

Lo and behold, Stephen Holder wrote about blocking Aaron Donald (LINK), and Ted Nguyen wrote about how the Patriots might stop him (LINK).

Nightly Roundup: February 2, 2019

Ty Law (image via Boston Globe)

Is Stanford going to give up on neanderball? Football Study Hall explores the answer (LINK

).

Former Michigan cornerback Ty Law was voted into the NFL Hall of Fame (LINK).

MLive mailbag on Josh Gattis, Pep Hamilton, and the Michigan offense (LINK).

Good for second chances and stuff, but former star recruit and Michigan State wide receiver Donnie Corley is headed to Texas Southern to play football now.

Can’t wait to ball out this fall at Texas Southern ?✊?? #TXSU21 #TXSU20 pic.twitter.com/jnFepNfz44

— Donnie Corley (@Hit_Squad9) February 1, 2019

This is terrifying:

Photographer Herbert van der Beek captures rare moment Jaguar dives to catch food pic.twitter.com/GjKbKr5PVF

— 41 Strange (@41Strange) February 2, 2019

2020 Recruiting Capsule: Flint Beecher WR/S Earnest Sanders

Flint (MI) Beecher WR/S Earnest Sanders (#11, image via Endless Motor)

Name: 

Earnest Sanders
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Flint (MI) Beecher
Position: Wide receiver/safety
Class: 2020
Offers: Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kentucky, Toledo
Commitment: Undecided

Notes: 247 Sports 3-star, #62 WR, #8 in-state, #315 overall…Also a high-level basketball player with hoops offers from Oakland and Southern Mississippi

Stats: N/A

Strengths: Catches ball well with hands away from body…Very good straight-line speed…Good size with solid frame…Strong runner…Shows ability to plant foot and make 90-degree cuts…Takes short, choppy steps with good change-of-direction skills

Weaknesses: Does not come off ball hard on every play…Needs to improve route running

Overall: I had seen Sanders’s name come across on Twitter and a couple websites, but I had not checked out his film previously. After having checked it out, though, I came away extremely impressed. Sanders has physical skills on par with almost any receiver to come out of the state of Michigan in years, and yes, I’m including Donovan Peoples-Jones. He is not as refined as Peoples-Jones, but they have similar size, and I would give Sanders the edge in short-area quickness. It will be interesting to see how his recruitment develops and whether he leans toward basketball or football. I also like Sanders as a safety prospect and think he has the frame to bulk up to play that position in college, as well.

Highlights:

Nightly Roundup: February 1, 2019

NCAA.com broke down what schools and what conferences are represented on the Super Bowl LIII rosters (LINK).

And SB Nation broke down the starters for each team by their recruiting ranking (LINK).

Ted Nguyen, a writer for The Athletic, broke down how the Patriots might defend the Rams on Sunday night (LINK).

With Leather ranked the top ten football movies of all time (LINK). Thoughts?

Self-Indulgent Post of the Week: Screaming Like a Banshee

What am I watching? 

I’ve been binge-watching Banshee on Prime Video. I started a few months ago when I had some time and saw the first three episodes, but then the holidays hit, and time vanished. It originally aired on Cinemax and ran for four seasons. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s about an ex-con who escapes and then cons his way into becoming the sheriff of a fictional town in Pennsylvania called Banshee. It’s a good mix of violence and sex.

What am I googling? I have been looking up different ways to block inside and outside zone. We tried some inside zone stuff but we weren’t as good at it as we had hoped, so I’m looking at different ways to block it, different RPOs to run off of it, different motions, different formations, etc.

What am I looking forward to? I’m looking forward to what everyone should be looking forward to this weekend: Super Bowl LIII, the Patriots vs. the Rams. I’m not a fan of Super Bowl parties, because I actually like to watch the game rather than be distracted by conversations. Usually I make Buffalo Chicken Dip for the Super Bowl, but this year I want to try something else for a change. I’m not sure yet what I’m going to make, but usually it’s just one big thing since, you know, the no party thing.