Rufus NFL Draft Journal

[Jay C. Upchurch]

click on the link...

http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10078250

[OK2U]

Ahmen!
So good to hear someone talk about football skill and the draft, rather than the "track meet" combine.
Ru might be a little undersized, but I think he has the dedication it takes to be successful in the NFL.

[SoonerTerry]

Go RUF!!!

BTW OK2U.. we have the same sig... for a few more seconds.

[Desert Sapper]

The smarter you are on the field, the faster you can move. You can run as fast as you want off the field, but your mind allows you to play a lot faster than your body really is. It allows you to get to places -- for example, a person might run a 4.4, but he has to think before he takes a step and that slows him down. That's something that makes guys successful in the NFL, having a great mind. You don't have to be the fastest overall guy -- take Zach Thomas from the Dolphins. He's like a 4.7 or 4.8 guy, but he makes tackles left and right because he's smart.


That's the best explanation of what makes a good linebacker I've heard in a while. Instinctively moving to the ball and knowing your assignment is ten times as important as another tenth of a second or two in the 40. If you took the 10 best LBs of all time in the NFL, there might be one that runs 'fast' according to the draftniks.