Spread Offense = NFL BUSTS

I just want to write something really quick before I post my top 10 NFL offensive prospects of 2009. I’ve wanted to write about this for a while but I just didn’t know what to say about it other than the spread offense sucks. But really the spread offenses that more and more college teams are running delay or ruin the development of some of the best prospects in the game. Yes, they put up good numbers and looks fun, but in terms of getting these guys ready for the NFL it is horrible. The kids just aren’t ready for the next level. They are used to that “fast break”, shotgun offense and don’t really learn anything. It’s very gimmicky and does a big disservice to these kids. That’s why when I see draft experts rank Sam Bradford the number 1 QB I want to personally throw a flag at them.

Bradford decided to go back to school so it’s a moot point this year but that’s precisely why I still had Matthew Stafford ranked as the number 1 guy in my book over Bradford. Bradford may turn out to be a good pro but he’ll have to dump a lot of bad habits to make the jump. Stafford is more NFL ready.

The spread also hurts WRs. They never learn to run routes and their numbers are also skewed. I want to love WR Michael Crabtree because his talent seems unstoppable but I’ve been burned one too many times for believing the transition will be smooth. Crabtree is another product of the fast break offense of Texas Tech. Could he make a smooth transition? Yes. He’s tall and fast and on the surface looks like a can’t miss. But just off the top of my head, Redskins WR Malcom Kelly (Oklahoma) had similar credentials as Crabtree. Yes he battled injuries in his rookie year but he also struggled big time running routes. I was a big fan of Kelly’s and got burned. To Crabtree’s credit he is actually a better athlete than Kelly but I still remain skeptical. You know the old saying…fool me once….

That’s just a little bit of info I wanted to layout before I put out my rankings. I’ve been doing research for about 3 weeks and am almost ready to post the results of my top ten. If all goes as planned, expect the post to be up sometimes Saturday.