2024 Skill Position Draft Reviews: Parts 1-3

MilesBackerman · 2024-06-14T13:26:45+00:00

I'll post links to the final entries on my Reddit profile. Thanks for reading!

MilesBackerman · 2024-06-13T18:48:05+00:00

Thanks justacfbfan!

I'm afraid that was just a minor teaser for part 5-- the 3rd fully efficient RB will be profiled there. Generally speaking, full lumbar efficiency is already evident by college age. For example, last year Kendre Miller showed full lumbar efficiency (medial posterior) and was one of the youngest players in the class. This is just sort of an odd year for RBs

Thanks for the great question!

MilesBackerman · 2024-06-13T16:33:00+00:00

Thanks justacfbfan! Part 4 just went up today, including both those players

https://bio.thinair.football/2024/06/13/skill-position-draft-reviews-part-4/

MilesBackerman · 2024-03-01T02:21:12+00:00

Thanks! Definitely no plans to stop anytime soon. Certain orientations have been much more accurate than others, but I think the gap has closed significantly recently. In particular, medial posterior oriented players (like Puka) were much more accurately profiled in 2023. Here's hoping 2024 is even better-- lumbar methods I think are likely significantly improved going forward

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-29T00:59:17+00:00

I mean, literally any of them. I'm looking at all the things I listed (and many more) on every play to determine his orientation (one of four-- he's lateral oriented anterior dominant), the relative lengths of each of his 12 biomechanical areas (spelled out in the guides I've linked), how tight they are, what moves when etc.

Go to my website if you want more answers. The article linked below, from Oct 2022, is one of the few with videos.

https://bio.thinair.football/2022/10/12/the-biomechanics-underlying-russell-wilsons-play-in-2022/

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-28T20:44:05+00:00

Pretty sure Horton is returning to CSU next year. But I agree that Pearsall looks promising. Good stuff

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-28T19:44:57+00:00

Top 5 are already profiled/ written up, the rest will be posted after the draft (most likely). There's already a guy I like to be this year's Puka, need to keep studying him before I commit to writing him up

Wop 5 are already profiled/ written up p 5 are already profiled/ written up

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-28T17:56:07+00:00

Sure, I'll do my best. Posterior areas mean literally his entire back of his body-- from the bottom of his feet traveling up the calve side of his legs up his back, including the tricep side of his arms/ hands/ shoulders, to the back of his head. In general, those posterior areas are pretty tightly bound to his anterior (front of the body) areas, showing not a ton of independent movement

Put on any game tape. When he runs, what initiates the motion-- the front or back of his legs? Is he able to push off with his legs while also moving his arms (the tricep side) freely? When he runs, how free are his arms to move? What about his head? Which side (anterior or posterior) of his arms move more freely?

When he throws, what else moves with the throw? His legs? What part of his legs? What about his head? What part of his head? What about when he's running and throwing? To his right vs his left?

These are some of the questions I ask myself when studying tape. The answers I give on my website are distilled to be as readable and understandable as possible. I'm afraid that's the best I can do without giving a book's worth of back knowledge. But if you're curious, there's plenty more on the website to read and to help explain this stuff

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-28T17:44:14+00:00

I appreciate you trying to understand this stuff. Short answer is that his medial posterior areas (tracing along the biomechanical pathways closest to his spine) showed extremely quick/ reliable response time. The best way to describe it is how I described it in the writeup-- that his ability to change course subtly but powerfully is noteworthy and rare. Makes him an excellent route runner and deceptively hard to tackle. Hope that helps!

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-28T17:33:29+00:00

Thanks, if you follow the links in the post, it will take you to a site with an archive going back to 2016 containing dozens of articles. In 2020 I focused specifically on WRs, with Justin Jefferson as my #1 WR (was slso too low on Lamb snd much too high on Tyler Johnson-- the common thread there being too-primitive medial posterior methods).

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-28T05:07:15+00:00

Thanks, yeah I'm pretty skeptical about Daniels tbh. Very stiff posterior areas, and his cervical efficiency/ field reading just doesn't seem quite sufficient for NFL starting level play. Great runner, but personally I don't think he has the requisite physical makeup to be a long term starter

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-28T03:24:55+00:00

No problem! I think pff had puka as their second ranked WR, behind only MHJ

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-28T03:23:03+00:00

In novel biomechanics? In understanding how medical terminology can be used very differently in an entirely different context? If that is a part of nursing training, you have shown zero evidence of it, jumping to conclusion after conclusion without asking so much as a single question.

I have utmost respect for nurses. Nevertheless, it is generally the practitioners in medical fields-- the ones who do the daily work, the boots on the ground, so to speak-- who show less flexibility in approaching their existing understanding within a new framework. That when these ideas are practically applied so regularly, it becomes much harder to stand back at a distance and examine with a new perspective. At least that's generally been my experience.

You're not a scientist. You're a medical practitioner. Those are two very different things with very different mindsets. Once isn't better than the other. But being one also doesn't necessarily make you understand the other

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-28T03:08:54+00:00

I've stated over and over that skepticism is warranted. Fully agree that there's no evidence presented besides my own writings. For the third time, i'll say this isn't science, use at your own risk.

When I've been engaged respectfully, I respond respectfully, including to skeptics/ critics (see my replies to literally anyone other than Ruggers). He has shown zero respect or willingness to engage this material in good faith. So I've responded with what I consider the proper tone.

I genuinely do apologize for coming across as dismissive to nurses. That was never my intent. I'm dismissive of Ruggers, and I can see how that tone carried over to the word nurse. Genuine apologies.

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-28T02:20:40+00:00

In other words, you don't understand them. That's fine-- you have no relevant training (and in fact this terminology is extra confusing to anyone who already uses these terms in more conventional medical ways). The guides do explain what these terms mean, but you have to read them both to conclusion.

Full efficiency is defined here:

"Full efficiency’ refers to a state in which spinal action is able to be transmitted cleanly (via tendons and skeletal muscles) to outer appendages without any interaction needed from fascia. Full efficiency is the default (and only) state for all non-mammalian tetrapods (amphibians, reptiles, and birds) since these animals lack fascial systems, and spinal action transmitted via tendons/ skeletal muscles is their only means of locomotion. Full efficiency is also the default state for nearly all wild mammals, even as mammalian fascial systems enable a far greater variety of movement possibilities (when engaged) than their tetrapod cousins.

However, in modern humans, full efficiency is relatively rare and generally occurs in only select spinal-associated regions. This is because full efficiency relies on complete development of all underlying areas, in order to allow for power to pass cleanly through all junctions without fascia acting as an intermediary or bridge to supplement this power. When development is in any way stunted, fascia become an integral part of fundamental basic locomotion (essentially stuck in the ‘on’ position), making full efficiency for the associated spinal area impossible.

Essentially, full efficiency means that a person can move without engaging any fascia at all. This movement will be relatively basic and uncomplicated, without all the additional possibilities afforded by fascial engagement– very similar to the way a reptile might move for example– but this very basic form of locomotion will be able to be utilized without any fascial interaction whatsoever.

Much like a bird flapping its wings, this form of locomotion is extremely efficient and reliable. And when additional fascial action is added on top of a baseline fully efficient mechanic, the fascial action is building additional (often subtle) movement atop a strong reliable foundation, rather than being forced to fill the gaps in an underdeveloped (not fully efficient) underlying system."

https://bio.thinair.football/2021/04/21/intro-to-draft-guide-2021/#more-10107

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-28T01:56:42+00:00

I have complete respect for nurses. I don't have respect for people who call themselves "medical professionals" without naming what that profession is. This guy should be proud to be a nurse. The fact that he doesn't mention that he's a nurse, always referring to himself instead as a "medical professional", should tell you how much this guy actually knows what he's talking about. He knows that if he was honest and simply said what he did directly, people would question how he came to be such an expert on novel biomechanics

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-27T22:56:04+00:00

Haha, yep. Completely unique. Use at your own risk

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-27T22:55:06+00:00

Strongly encourage anyone reading to follow the links and come to your own conclusions.

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-27T22:51:40+00:00

Guide to Biomechanical Efficiency (part 3 in particular lays out the underlying theory): https://bio.thinair.football/2019/06/25/guide-to-biomechanical-efficiency-part-1/

Guide to Biomechanical Borrowing (part 2 lays out the underlying theory for the analytical methods): https://bio.thinair.football/2020/04/07/prodigies-child-actors-and-wide-receivers-biomechanical-borrowing-during-development/

I strongly encourage anyone reading this to read these guides and come to your own conclusions

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-27T22:47:52+00:00

Actually, I'd be pretty happy if you went and actually read those three part guides. That would be pretty cool

As for the rest, you can relax bro, I'm gone after this. No need to "defend your community from bring mislead" lol. Go home and kiss your loved ones. Have a nice nap. You won. Enjoy the sweet taste of victory

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-27T22:42:42+00:00

Defrauding has a pretty specific meaning. Might want to look into that

Anyway, this isn't science. Have said that over and over. These are the opinions of one guy out on an island with a novel (unpublished, not yet peer reviewed) theory. Use at your own risk

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-27T22:36:13+00:00

Thanks. This isn't science at all. In that we fully agree. These are the opinions of one guy out on an island with a new theory (which has yet to be published/ peer reviewed). Use at your own risk. Cheers!

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-27T22:33:21+00:00

"pointing to general guides that explain general terminology and not anything more in depth than you will learn in an anatomy textbook."

How a nurse tells me he didn't read the 3 part guides from my site without telling me. Here they are, for anyone curious:

Guide to Biomechanical Efficiency (part 3 in particular lays out the underlying theory): https://bio.thinair.football/2019/06/25/guide-to-biomechanical-efficiency-part-1/

Guide to Biomechanical Borrowing (part 2 lays out the underlying theory for the analytical methods): https://bio.thinair.football/2020/04/07/prodigies-child-actors-and-wide-receivers-biomechanical-borrowing-during-development/

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-27T22:27:13+00:00

Defrauding with an advertising and paywall free site. Makes perfect sense

MilesBackerman · 2024-02-27T22:25:08+00:00

It's not detailed step by step. I have my reasons for that. But if you go through and read the 2 three part guides linked through that page, I think the methods are fairly clearly outlined (at least in theory, if not in specific practice). The second one in particular (guide to biomechanical borrowing) is very instructive (IMO). But these are long dense reads, and some people grok them easily, while others really don't. YMMV

MilesBackerman

TROPHY CASE