Showing posts with label Tad Miller. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tad Miller. Show all posts

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Boise State's NFL Draft scouting report

To help NFL teams with their drafting needs, we have provided the following scouting reports for Boise State players who might hear their names called in this weekend's NFL Draft. Granted, we are not professional scouts, so our opinions might not carry much credence or value. Also hurting our cause? Intense non-objectivity. Oh well. Here goes nothing!

Ryan Clady
Clady has the potential to be a star at the next level. He can dominate an opponent in a number of different ways: with power, with technique, with Jedi mind tricks. WAC competition did him a disservice because flipping Utah State pancakes is a lot harder than mauling BCS competition.

Clady could stand to add some girth and muscle, but he will always have his quickness and athleticism. The NFL is the perfect place for a prospect like Clady, and he should only get better year after year.

Orlando Scandrick

O.S. is fast, aggressive, and confident—attributes that make him an ideal NFL cornerback. He is a younger, saner version of DeAngelo Hall, and he will be an asset in coverage and in run support.

As a safety, Scandrick showed range and toughness, but his greatest Boise State season came last year at cornerback. Scandrick’s steady improvement hints at untapped potential, and provided he can overcome cockiness, riskiness, and shirtlessness, he should make a solid pro.

Marty Tadman

All personal biases aside, Tadman is the greatest football player we have ever seen. We’re not sure if this is because we have attended mostly Seattle Seahawks and 2A high school football games or if Tadman is, in fact, God’s gift to secondaries. We’re going with the latter.

Tadman has the intangible qualities that scouting combines and drills can’t measure. He is football smart, like Stephen Hawking is math smart. His ability to always be in the right place at the right time is invaluable, and he is rarely caught out of position.

Weaknesses? Is being too perfect a weakness?

Dan Gore

Gore may become the second BSU lineman to go in the draft thanks to his room to grow both physically and technically. At well over six feet tall, Gore definitely has the height, and a solid NFL weight training program could bulk him up to pro playing weight. Plus, having played defensive line for years, Gore’s O-line prospects are much more limitless than most people realize.

Also, his last name is a type of torture. That can’t hurt his chances.

Tad Miller

NFL teams would be wise to give Miller a long, hard look. He is a powerful, sound blocker who has proven to be a winner over his years on the Bronco O-line. Also, he regularly checks his GMail account and responds to pretty much any interview request (notably, ours).

Nick Schlekeway

An excellent pass rusher is a valued commodity in today’s NFL, and Schlekeway would certainly revitalize a team’s pass rush. During his BSU days, he showed great speed and power off the edge, and he had the ability to make an impact in a game. Bigger and stronger defensive ends may be available on draft day, but there will be no player who matches the amount of consecutive consonants in Schlekeway’s last name.

Jeff Cavender

A key member of the Broncos line over the past few years, Cavender has made his mark as a jack of all trades. He can seamlessly switch between different offensive line positions, playing everything from guard and tackle to center and giant tight end. His maneuverability masks a remarkable talent for always being in the right position with his excellent technique and footwork.

Of course, we could be talking about Pete Cavender right now and not know it.

Taylor Tharp

If third-string quarterbacks were valued as highly as franchise left tackles, Tharp would be a Top Ten pick. He proved at Boise State that the spotlight is a little much for him, but mop-up duty against third-teamers couldn’t be more up his alley.

He put up great numbers with the Broncos with his quick decision-making, knowledge of the offense, and accurate arm. His sideline tosses lacked urgency, but his deep balls always had enough behind them.

As a bonus, Tharp would make best friends with the kickers.

Friday, March 28, 2008

Coach Pete's spring break plans


The Broncos took time off for spring break this week, and they will resume practice on Monday, leading up to the second scrimmage of the spring on April 4. With seven days off, we are curious to see what Coach Pete has been working on.

Here are our theories on what exactly he might have been up to over the break (listed in order of probability):

  • Installing a new offense
  • Cloning Marty Tadman
  • Reading our interview with Tad Miller
  • Finding a way to get Chris O'Neill more touches
  • Nicknaming fellow WAC coaches
  • Writing a paper for Jeremy Childs
  • Stewing over the attention paid to the Bronco basketball team
  • Spying on University of Idaho practices
  • Naming a starting quarterback

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Tad Miller interview


Former Boise State OL Tad Miller is busy preparing for the NFL Draft and NFL training camps, but he still found time to chat with OBNUG about football, life, and never blocking for Idaho Vandals. The following is an email interview with one of our favorite Broncos:

OBNUG: What are you doing now in regards to football?
Tad: I'm currently training. Since the beginning of January I've been down in Southern California at a facility called Pro Active Sports Performance. Marty Tadman was down there with me, we were roommates. We trained twice a day, six times a week. We got Sundays off to relax.

Marty and I both came back to Boise for the Pro Day and will probably be heading back down to California to continue training at Pro Active until the Draft (end of April).

OBNUG: If you had to block for an Idaho guy, would you do it?
Tad: No.

OBNUG: Compare Coach Hawkins to Coach Pete.
Tad: They were both great coaches. I highly respect Coach Hawk and Coach Pete. Coach Hawk had a lot more sayings and metaphors, Coach Pete is more to the point. Both styles were very effective and I enjoyed playing for both.

OBNUG: When Dan Hawkins left, did the team feel betrayed? Was there any motivation the following year to show him what he missed out on?
Tad: No, he did what he thought was best for his career, and our team was just focused on playing football.

OBNUG: Aside from the Fiesta Bowl, what was your favorite BSU experience?
Tad: Just being able to play football every week and Clady's Lambeau Leap into the endzone.

OBNUG: What was your worst experience?
Tad: Losing to Georgia in 2005.

OBNUG: Which player gave you the most trouble when you faced him?
Tad: Montavis Stanley from Louisville. It was my freshman year and he was a great player.

OBNUG: Which player did you own?
Tad: I played against too many guys to remember just one in particular.

OBNUG: What do you think of Andrew Woodruff?
Tad: He is one of my best friends, he is also a groomsmen in my wedding coming up in July. He is going to do great this year leading the O-line.

OBNUG: Do you know the other new guys on the line?
Tad: Yeah, they are all good guys and they'll have an awesome year.

OBNUG: Do you stay in touch with the other senior lineman?
Tad: Yes, were all good friends. We all hang out and keep in touch.

OBNUG: Did you have any nicknames for each other?
Tad: No, not really.

OBNUG: Are the Cavenders really twins or are they just one person?
Tad: No, they are twins. They are best friends. Each of them have their own
personality.

OBNUG: What is Tad short for?
Tad: I get asked that a lot. It's just Tad, it's not short for anything. I got the name from my Grandpa.

OBNUG: Do you have any kids? Are you going to make them play football?
Tad: No, I'm getting married July 5th of this summer. Maybe a couple years
after that though. And I'll let them play whatever they want.