GridironStuds.com Website Down

Chad Wilson

As many of you have been able to figure out,  the main GridironStuds.com website is down and has been since Saturday October 17th.  GridironStuds.com is currently hosted by a company named Arvixe which was recently acquired by a company called Endurance International Group commonly referred to as EIG.  Apparently being acquired by EIG is the death of a web host as I have come to learn.  In this particular case,  EIG’s purchase of Arvixe has resulted in downed servers wreaking havoc on virtually all websites hosted by Arvixe,  GridironStuds included.

We are currently seeking to have the site restored while simultaneously shopping around for a new,  more reliable and customer service minded host.  While we would like to rush to another host,  we will take our time to find an appropriate one so as to avoid, as best we can,  a future situation as this one.

Rest assured,  GridironStuds.com has outstanding things planned upon the return of the site and into 2016.  The future at GridironStuds.com is very bright and we are excited about it.  We will keep you updated on our progress right here on our blog as the situation develops.

Thanks

Chad Wilson
Owner
GridironStuds.com

The 5 Star Handicap – Why Being Highly Rated Can Be A Curse

Chad Wilson

By: Chad Wilson – Editor Gridiron Studs Blog
Twitter: @GridironStuds

There’s the saying that you don’t know what you don’t know.  Nowhere is that more true than for the high school teenager.  Across the country and the globe, parents are going about the difficult task of trying to tell their teens what lies ahead of them in the real life descending upon them.  On the high school football gridiron,  football coaches are doing the same and for their top players,  the words of wisdom can fall on the deafest of ears.

Being a college football recruit can be a great experience.  Human beings always thirst for acceptance whether we want to admit it or not.  What says acceptance more than newspaper articles, magazine write ups, radio interviews and television appearances.  Such is the life of a top recruit in the 21st Century.  The more publicity,  the further out of touch with reality the recruit becomes.  Some recruits have a solid support system that can do a “decent” job of keeping the teen grounded but many other recruits do not.

High school football features athletes at various stages of physical and mental development.  Often times, there are players who have achieved the physical development a lot sooner than those that are around them.  In the game of football, that gives that individual a tremendous advantage.  For some top recruits it’s easy to go out and play when you are physically better than your opposition in 90 if not 100% of your games.  The games become easy,  the practices become boring and the bad habits settle in.  It becomes difficult to listen to those telling the recruit to work hard, keep grinding, challenge yourself when what the recruit is doing is leading to dominant performances week in and week out.  No matter how much or how hard you try to tell them that it won’t be this way in college,  they just can’t picture themselves not dominating at the next level.

The situation I described is a set up for failure for a lot of some of the top recruits in the country.  A small portion do continue to get by because they are just that much of a physical force.  All top recruits think they are that type of physical force.  Reality awaits them.  Other recruits are pushed through at their colleges because those programs are hell bent on making that 5 star recruit a success.  Reality awaits this player at some point.  Along the way,  the top recruit is not picking up the tools that equal long, consistent and steady success in the game of football.   When they land on campus that freshman season,  they are pounded in the face with reality.  Their lack of a work ethic,  intolerance for film study and distaste for conditioning makes them a 3rd team participant.  This leads to anger, despair and talk of wanting to transfer. Eventually it could lead to giving up on football altogether. The tough news is that your 1 star work ethic is not welcomed at any campus.  It may be tolerated elsewhere like a lower profile school but it will have it’s consequences.

As the media spotlight on high school football players continues to grow like wildfire,  the epidemic I have described in this article continues to spread like the plague.  We are reaching the point now where by the time they have reached their senior year,  these athletes have been getting some 7-8 years of media attention for their play on the gridiron.  The job of keeping a young athlete humble and hard working is getting tougher and tougher these days.

#1 Priority For Your Youth Football Player is Have Fun

Chad Wilson

By: Chad Wilson – Editor GridironStuds Blog
Twitter: @GridironStuds

Youth football is all the craze down here in the state of Florida.  Parks across the state on a Saturday morning in the Fall  are packed with onlookers filled with hope, pride and emotion.  Somewhere in those oversized pads and helmets is the next Aaron Rogers, Adrian Peterson or Richard Sherman.  Ask any or all of the parents in attendance and they’ll tell you that their kid will be the next NFL superstar.

As a father of two that have gone through the youth football ranks,  I am blessed to have the wisdom to reach back to the parents that are now embarking on the youth football journey.  I know my message will fall on many a deaf ear and blind eye because emotion fuels the heart when it comes to children.  However,  if I can reach the mind of a few,  I can help some kids have a chance to succeed in this sport but more importantly have a healthy relationship with their parents.

As a coach of youth football for seven years,  I would like to say I’ve seen it all but that’s not true,  the stories are still coming.  However,  I have seen plenty a parent ruin a kid’s love for the game with undue pressure to perform at unrealistic levels.  I was once told by an assistant coach who’s son was on the team that his son was “The Michael Jordan of the football team.”  Well what do you say to that?  The truth of the matter is that at ages 6-13,  the game will rarely ever be as important as it is to the parent.  Ages 6-18 are the fun years.  Those are the years where there are no bills, office politics, relationship drama, etc.  The last thing a kid needs is to endure hair losing pressure from a parent that’s keeping stats and charting performances of a player that is still waiting for his two front teeth to drop in.

I always told overzealous parents that wanted to predict their child’s assured trip to Canton this line “We don’t know anything until your child goes through two things,  puberty and girls”.  Those two elements have destroyed more certain athletic careers than any injury you can name.  So until they encounter those enormous hurdles,  let them enjoy the ride.

How do we allow the youngster to enjoy his time on the youth football field?

(1)  Support his game day performance good or bad especially if you never make it to practice.  The worst is the dad who I never saw all week going off on his kid on game day.  You have no clue how that performance on Saturday matched up with what was done Monday through Friday.  That 10 yard run that you thought should have been a 60 yard touchdown might be the first time he ever got out of the backfield with a ball in his hand.

(2)  Don’t coach his technique or scheme if you aren’t on the coaching staff.  The best way to screw junior up is by having him do things your way when that’s not the coach’s way.  You won’t believe the incredible techniques I have seen dropped on my coaching staff on a Monday night practice. Now the coaches have to spend the next three days getting the young man back on to the same page.  Needless to say he won’t be ready mentally for Saturday and guess what Pops,  you’ll be going off on him again around 3 PM Saturday afternoon.

(3)  Advise and I mean advise not punish him for the life skill things you see him doing or not doing.  Put away your whistle mom and dad.  The only coaching you should engage in should be on your son’s punctuality, effort, leadership and camaraderie.  These are the life building skills that will be the most important part of your child’s youth football experience.  Advise him on those things.  If you see him finish first in the pre-practice lap or not finish last if that’s where he normally finishes then please acknowledge that!  Tell him how that will make him better.  If you see him encouraging a teammate that just screwed up on game day, tell him how that will make him a dependable adult.  Your acknowledgement encourages this behavior in the future.  It also helps you when you “calmly” approach him about punching a player after the whistle, sitting on the end of the bench by himself or disrespecting a coach.  He will listen if he knows you will also recognize his good.

(4) Sometimes all you need to say when the game or practice is over is “good game” or “great practice”.  That one phrase on you way to a trip to McDonalds could be the Vince Lombardi of motivational speeches.  Now he can’t wait for tomorrow’s practice or next week’s game.  He wants to try and make mom and dad proud again.

As I reflect back on my time as a youth coach and parent,  I realize that the best games the kids played were the “throw up tackle” or “kill the man with the football” games after the real game was over.  I often saw kids that were not very good in practice or games turn into Michael Jordan in the post game “throw up tackle” contest.  One day,  I did have to ask why this was the case and here was the answer:

“because there were no coaches and parents there yelling at me.  I was just having fun”

With that,  the young man said a mouthful,  now will you listen?

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Three Game Highlight Video Is Gold for Seniors

Chad Wilson

By: Chad Wilson – Editor – GridironStuds Blog
Twitter: @GridironStuds

It’s your senior season and you have not received much recruiting attention.  The reasons for this could be multiple.  First,  you may not have played much so far in your high school career.  Perhaps you did play but you did not show much up to this point.  Another reason could be that you are interesting to colleges but they just want to see more.  Whatever the reason may be,  waiting until the end of your senior year to update or correct this perception of you with recruiters is risky business.  You can jump start your senior year recruiting by putting together a 3 game highlight video.

By now you have played three games in your senior season.  Hopefully you have been active enough to display your talent on film.  Don’t wait until your senior year is complete to put together a highlight video.  Doing so could mean that you are well into December or possibly even January.  Waiting until then to display your work is a recipe for disaster.  It is difficult to get recruited in those months if you are a senior.  It’s not impossible but it is indeed,  very difficult.  You can get yourself on the recruiting board at some schools by releasing a three game highlight video.

The rules on the 3 game highlight video are the same.  Try not to pack the highlight video with the mundane, routine plays that any ole Tom, Dick and Harry can make.  After all,  this is an attempt to show a college that you are better than the rest and worthy of playing at the next level.  A four yard run that did not involve any feat of athleticism or strength does little to make your case and may lead a recruiter to believe that this is the best you can do.  So if that’s all that you have through three games then you may want to forgo the three game highlight and realize that you need to step up your play.

If you have a good 10-12 plays that show you are something special,  go ahead and put one together.  Start with the best play first and go backwards from there.  Your 3 game highlight video is not a feature film with a plot and a build up to a climax.  You have to get to the point so if you ran back a punt for 77 yards,  that’s play #1 and not play number 19.  You have to slap that recruiter in the face right now with your abilities.  Keep the film short.  College football teams are in season and the coaching staffs do not have a great deal of time to watch recruiting film when their next conference opponent needs their attention.  A 1:30 long film is just fine so long as it shows off the best of you.  If you have been ballin through these first three games,  don’t waste any time,  make the video and get it out to colleges today.

If you are in need of recruiting help,  again my message is get it now,  do not wait for December and January.  If you aren’t trying to be the last one in line for the new Jordan’s then use the same mentality when it comes to recruiting.  Early bird gets the worm.  GridironStuds.com provides recruiting help for high school football players from coast to coast.  Contact me today and let us put together a strategy for you.  Email cwilson@gridironstuds.com for info.

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Why Recruiting Service Can’t Be ALL Free

Chad Wilson

By: Chad Wilson
Twitter: @GridironStuds

Perhaps I’ll stir up some nests with this article but my real hope is that it appeals to the common sense of most, the good sense of others and the reality for those that are left (fat chance on that one Chad!).  I have heard the word from some who think it’s ok to demonize those who charge “kids” for recruiting help.  Those that charge and do a good job are not the enemy my friend and I’ll explain to you why.

There are several options when it comes to recruiting help.  Let me lay them out to you.  First you can get recruiting help for free.  Nothing really wrong with that unless you expect that help to be of strong quality.  Let’s take a look at this.  If the help is of strong quality then it will at some point be in high demand. If it’s in high demand then it seems many will be using it.  If many are using it then how much help can it be?  Those offering free help are usually doing so with great intentions.  However,  free recruiting help being used by the masses often means sending out a link to your highlight tape along with basic information on you typically through social media.  That’s harmless.  However,  it has limited effectiveness when hundreds are being helped this way.  Hopefully a school will notice your link, click on it and watch you.  Simple math and probability says the more that use it, the less of a chance that is.  A service like this is good but goes best when accompanied by additional help.  For free services to get more in-depth,  it would need the help of additional people and additional people need to be paid and where’s that money going to come from?  This is simple economics at work,  supply, demand and compensation.

Second,  there are services that don’t charge the “kid” but charge the colleges.  On the surface this sounds great.  The recruit doesn’t have to pay for anything,  the recruiting service gets funds to operate and everything seems like Heaven.  Here’s the other shoe that’s about to drop.  A service paid by the schools only, will never have every school as a customer.  In fact,  they will only have a handful of schools as a customer.  So,  guess who that recruiting service is going to send your information to. Guess where that recruiting service needs to steer you to in order to keep that college as a customer.  This is common sense.  So for example,  the best place for you, the recruit, to go to is Utah but they are not a customer of  this recruiting service so Utah won’t get your information.  Instead,  your information will be sent to Syracuse.  Perhaps Syracuse is not a fit for you but they are paying that recruiting service $5,000 per year so guess where you are going.  Services like this, while they may help, don’t have you as their priority.  It’s a tale of common sense.

Finally,  there are the services that charge the recruit for help.  Those are the ones that people with an agenda like to make the enemy.  You hear things like “oh how could you charge the kids?”, “Unbelievable that you would take money from a kid to help them!” and an assortment of other things.  Cast a deaf ear to that noise.  Recruiting services are entitled to charge a “kid” the same way that a trainer is entitled to charge a “kid”.  Both services are in the business of helping the individual that stands to gain the most and that’s ……  you got it, “the kid”.  As with the first two examples,  there are business in this category that don’t do a good job.  It is in your best interest for you to do your research to determine who provides quality work and who does not.  This is like anything else you pursue in life.  You, the recruit, try to find out who’s a good coach, what’s a good school, who makes great shoes, games, etc.  Same applies here.  However,  a service that charges “the kid” now works for the kid.  If they are to stay in business,  they must serve the interest of the kid.  They are not limited in the schools they can approach and since money means limited customers,  it means you don’t get lost in the shuffle of 1,000’s upon 1,000’s of customers.  This is not rocket science,  I promise.

GridironStuds.com provides free services for potential college football recruits.  It’s free to create a profile on our site and add your highlight video.  With college coaches visiting the site,  you do have the chance for a coach to see your information.  On top of that,  we also offer “premium” services.  You know what premium means.  This means you need to pay and it also means you get more in-depth help with your recruiting situation.  That means we are going to put in some extra work to get you seen by colleges.  It also means we are going to do it right.  So the morale of the story is,  there’s nothing wrong with free as the headline may have suggested just taper your expectations when you go this route.  You may get help from a service that charges the schools and not you but you will severely narrow the choices and finally,  a service that charges recruits is not the devil,  it’s actually the one by circumstance that has the biggest burden of helping the intended subject and that is “the kid”!

GridironStuds.com Top 5 NFL QBs in 2015

Chad Wilson

By: Chad Wilson – Editor GridironStuds Blog
Twitter: @GridironStuds

I recently tweeted my Top 5 Quarterbacks in the NFL and as with any ranking of anything, especially in the World of sports,  controversy ensues.  The biggest bone that people chose to pick with me was concerning the fact that Andrew Luck failed to make my top 5.  With all of the discussion that has arisen around this list,  I thought it best to write an article with my explanation of my Top 5 and also added a couple of notes on some of the guys that did not make it.

Before I lay out the list,  I must tell you that I consider decision making to be the biggest factor in being a quarterback in the NFL and thus,  that weighed the most in my rankings. A quarterback is a leader of a team and as with any leader,  the success of the group relies on the decisions that are made by it’s leader.  The President is judged by his decisions, the CEO is judged by his decisions and a father is judged by the decisions he makes.  Many fans, especially in this day and age,  want to equate stats and passing ability as the number one factor and for some,  it’s the only factor.  We live in this Fantasy Football era but fantasy stats don’t bring championships.

Now that you know this,  let me lay out the list

1. Aaron Rodgers

Why is Rodgers #1 because my eyes tell me so.  The easy thing for a fan to see when evaluating Rodgers are the gaudy passing numbers.  He has been at or near the top in QB rating over the last half decade or so.  Rodgers is perhaps the most physically gifted signal caller in the league.  He is probably the best pure passer in the league right now and also possesses an underrated amount of athleticism.  Rodgers uses this athleticism to buy time in the pocket but also to sneak across the line of scrimmage at times and make the defense pay for running man coverages with one or more safeties high.  However,  Rodgers’ greatest gift is decision making.  He just does not turn the ball over and put the defense in a bind. In three of the last four seasons,  Rodgers has boasted a TD / INT ratio of greater than (+30).  No other QB on this list can make such a claim.  It’s amazing that Rodgers only holds one Super Bowl ring but that’s the only knock one can really make on this lights out signal caller.

2. Tom Brady

It would be hard to keep the man with the most Super Bowl rings of any active QB off this list and there’s no reason to.  The reigning Super Bowl champion QB may have sagged some balls but he has proven his worth in this league time and again.  With 4 Super Bowl rings in his jewelry box,  it’s obvious that Brady can make the right moves on the field.  Last season, Brady was asked to hand the ball off more in an era in which balls have been filling the air and Brady complied.  The result was a return to the top of the mountain after a 9 year drought.  Brady has also made an even more important decision at several times during his career and that is to take less at the negotiation table because he knows football is the ultimate team game.  This is something that leaders do.  Not only is Brady an effective passer but he has earned the respect of his teammates to the level where they can all give their most because they know it will pay off.

3. Russell Wilson

This is one of the picks that caught quite a deal of heat.  I guess all these fans work for the Seattle Seahawks front office.  Nevertheless,  playing QB is not all about throwing the football.  Again,  its about making decisions.  Outside of Aaron Rodgers,  Wilson is perhaps the best decision maker in the league right now.  While fans want to be impressed by the throws made by some of the other names that didn’t make this list,  I continue to be impressed by the throws Russell Wilson doesn’t make.  If you don’t believe that QB decisions aren’t the biggest factor in team success, watch the last play of our last Super Bowl. The one time that Wilson makes a bad decision in a key time,  the Seahawks go down. So talk to me about how great their defense is and how great their running back is.  Russell Wilson holds this team in his hands. Not only does he make A1 passing decisions,  he’s as good as they come when it comes to deciding when to pull the ball out on the zone reads.  Quite simply,  Russell Wilson does not put his team in position to lose.  It’s also not like he has a world class receiving corps to throw to.  Some of that defensive success that the Seahawks are experiencing has to do with them facing less plays overall and less plays in their red zone than most other teams.  Credit,  Wilson’s ability to protect the ball and make quality decisions with the football.  This ability to make wise decisions has put the Seahawks in the Super Bowl in consecutive seasons with only one dumb play call and bad decision keeping them from being the first back to back Super Bowl winners in a decade.

4. Joe Flacco

This pick drew the most venom.  I guess it’s easy to attack Joe Flacco if you are Joe fan.  He’s not as sexy as Rogers or Brady or Manning or Brees or Luck when it comes to putting up numbers.  Cut Brady out of that group and Flacco holds as many rings as those other guys.  Since he became the starter for the Ravens,  they have been in the post season all but one year.  During those playoff runs,  Flacco and the Ravens have bounced the evil empire (New England Patriots) twice out of the post season and both times came in Foxboro.  You don’t achieve this feat without a QB that can make wise decisions with the football.  Flacco has shown up in the post season and that’s when you need your QB to be at his best.  The murderous route the Ravens had to take to get to their Championship in 2012 is something to behold.  Baltimore was a wildcard that beat the Colts then went to Denver and New England and out dueled two titans in the QB game to face a San Francisco team that everyone pretty much thought was going to take the trophy.  This doesn’t happen without some good decisions being made at QB.  Not to mention that Flacco has to deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals every year to get into the post season. Here’s a stat many fans don’t know about Joe Flacco.  In post season play,  Flacco has thrown 25 TDs and only 10 INTs.  His +15 spread in that department is better than Manning, better than Roethlisberger, better than Luck’s and better than Wilson’s.  Only Brady, Rogers and Brees rank better than him in that department. Wake up to Joe Flacco folks.

5. Peyton Manning

I guess most would say Manning should be number three on this list.  I am not impressed by gaudy regular season numbers.  They only serve to set fans up for disappointment. Peyton Manning has been entertaining in a video game type of way.  Two seasons ago,  he threw for a ridiculous 55 TDs but when it came nut cutting time,  Manning and the Broncos couldn’t bust a grape.  It has been a familiar scene throughout his career. Manning has a career that mirrors Dan Marino’s.  Impressive ability to throw the football and put up numbers but championships, eh that’s for other people who have QBs that are willing to have running games that lead to solid and timely defense.  Manning’s need to put up the video game numbers have kept him from the multiple rings.  He can look no further than to John Elway for guidance on this.  Elway was a ball throwing exhibitionist in the early part of his career. He was forced to learn that passing is pretty but the inability to have a balanced offense leads to ugly results in the big dance. Manning has not learned this lesson.  He has been at it longer than anyone else on this list and holds no more rings than any of them.  There’s a penalty for that.  Do it when it counts.  However, no one has done it better than Manning in the regular season and for that,  you must acknowledge him on a list such as this.  Besides,  has won a Super Bowl in his lengthy career.

Other Notable Near Misses


Ben Roethlisberger

A strong case could be made for Big Ben who holds multiple rings and had a monster stat year last year.  However,  I can’t put him ahead of Manning for obvious reasons and I put Flacco on over him because Ben makes those questionable decisions in the crunch that hurt.  In his post season career,  he has thrown 19 INTs against 21 TDs.  If you’ve watched him play you have marveled at his pocket wizardry but there have also been many times when you have had to scratch your head on some of his decisions. He was mighty close though.

Drew Brees

He was another one with an impressive resume that one could say deserved Top 5 recognition.  Brees and Sean Payton have presided over a gimmicky offensive attack by NFL standards that has dazzled folks in the regular season but has disappointed in the post season.  With the magical numbers Brees has put up over his career,  one would expect more post season success but that has not been the case.  Brees and the boys have only made the playoffs in 5 of the 9 years since he arrived in the Big Easy and are 6-4 in post season play.  Match that up against the Ravens being the playoffs in 7 of Flacco’s 8 years and owning a 10-5 post season record over that time.

Andrew Luck

This was the name most expected and wanted on the list. Pump your brakes.  For starters, you stat whores love Luck because he wins you Fantasy games on Sundays.  Luck has thrown the ball over 600 times in each of his three seasons in the league.  Of course he’s going to put up some stats doing that.  What Luck does not have that every other person mentioned in this entire article does have is a Super Bowl ring.  Luck certainly has the looks of a franchise QB and someone who’s going to have some great success in this league but he’s not yet a Top 5er.  For one,  he plays in a cuddly soft division.  Who wouldn’t put up numbers in a division that also has foot rests like Houston, Tennessee and Jacksonville?  Indy went 6-0 vs. those stone cold cupcakes in 2014 and managed a mere 5-5 vs. everyone else.  To drive home that point,  Indy was clobbered by post season foes Dallas (42-7), New England (42-20) and Pittsburgh (51-34) in the regular season.  What other guy on this list has that happening to him?  Not to mention that in the last two seasons,  Luck and the Colts have been embarrassed in their final game of the season.  A QB should be measured by his team’s success otherwise, guys like Matthew Stafford and Jay Cutler start finding their way onto lists like this. Perhaps Luck will be a top 5 guy one day but not on my list, not today.

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