Sometimes 140 characters isn’t enough space to dump all the football grey matter rumbling around my brain, and I have to venture back into the realm of article writing and put pen to paper and fingers to keyboard. Here are some off-season musings I’ve had related to OTAs, rookie drafts and player values.
Rookie talk……
I like Christian McCaffrey. I like his running style in space, his versatility as a receiver and even his ability to grind between the tackles. I like the landing spot, his fit in the Carolina running scheme and I’d feel the same way even if the Panthers had drafted an additional five cloned copies of Curtis Samuel. Heck, I even like the way his silly “Run CMC” nickname flows from my lips as I pound on my keyboard.
McCaffrey’s vision and balance produce quite a harmonious melody, working in unison to create a type of running back “spidey-sense” which allows CMC to adjust to defensive penetration at the line of scrimmage. McCaffrey consistently presses even slight creases, creating cutback lanes at each level of the defense. If you combine the threat of Cam Newton keeping the ball and McCaffrey’s ability to read, react and press a crease – it creates a perfect storm of terrible defensive pursuit angles. Aggressive play calling or hesitation by the defense, it really won’t matter as Cam and McCaffrey – in an inside zone scheme – will force a bevy of poor angles on defensive front-sevens. And even if the Panthers want Cam to run less, he could be a more effective threat with fewer attempts alongside an angle crusher like CMC.
Many have discussed Newton’s lack of touch and insistence on forcing velocity in the short passing game as a negative to McCaffrey’s involvement as a receiver. There’s a big difference between “hasn’t” and “can’t” when it comes to evaluating Cam’s short game skills. I’m betting it’s a fixable shortcoming and not a fatal flaw. I am, however, willing to admit it may take some time for Cam to work off the rust since he’s losing practice time rehabbing from shoulder surgery.
Finally, I’m not too worried about Jonathan Stewart or Cam and their propensity to dominate goal line work. McCaffrey’s a threat to score from anywhere on the field and not all touchdowns come from three yards out and a cloud of dust.
Other rookie thoughts….
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Leo Paciga
Leo is a member of the FSWA.
Latest posts by Leo Paciga (see all)
- Training Camp and the Dreaded Season-Ending Injury - July 30, 2018
- Off-Season Musings of a Fantasy Football Curmudgeon - June 3, 2017
- The NFL Combine from my Couch - February 16, 2016

K T
June 3, 2017 at 8:35 am
Hope to see more of these brain dumps. Fun to just read through a bunch of thoughts.
Leo_P
June 3, 2017 at 9:33 am
Thanks for taking the time to check it out. My plan at the moment is to try & do this more frequently, schedule permitting.
Don Sorensen
June 3, 2017 at 11:07 am
I’ve been wondering what part of this site focuses on training camp and when it happens pre season games. New to this site.. I’m hoping for great idp content. By the way nice piece.
Johnny D
June 3, 2017 at 10:19 pm
Very nice piece! Agree with other posters, would love to see more of these.
Hey on Yeldon, why do you think he’s a buy low? The threat of Fournette coming in and taking all the RB snaps as a 3-down back doesn’t scare you away?
Johnny D
June 3, 2017 at 10:25 pm
oh yeah, and what would you be willing to pay for Yeldon in this year’s rookie draft picks?
Leo_P
June 4, 2017 at 5:33 am
Yeldon turns just 24 this fall and is coming off a 50 catch season (80+ in his 1st two seasons as a pro). So few teams rely on just one RB for a reason. I’m still scooping up Yeldon where I can even though all the attention is on Fournette. The only deal I’ve made for him involving this year’s rookie picks involved a late 3rd (3.08 & 5.10 for Yeldon & ’18 4th) and that took place mid draft.
Charity Kipp
July 3, 2017 at 12:38 pm
Good points. Especially that bit about trimming back the fantasy noise to just a few trusted sources. I have a tendency to gorge myself on analysis 🙂 That being said, I look forward to reading more of your ramblings.