Over the past few days, there has been a lot of discussion about James Harrison and the issues with some of his tackles. I generally do not think it is quite so black and white as "he is a dirty player" or "he is totally misunderstood and the NFL is screwing him." As with anything in life, it falls somewhere in the middle because very few things are black and white.
Nonetheless, that won't stop me from poking the bear that is our newfound Steelers friends. Congratulations are in order for three members of the San Francisco 49ers who were recognized by USA Football for their All-Fundamentals team. Justin Smith, Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman were all included on a team decided by Charles Davis, Herm Edwards, Merril Hoge, Jim Mora Jr. and Carl Peterson. Now, some of the people on this list are clowns (I'll leave it up to you to decide who), but it is still a very cool honor.
Smith was honored for his fundamentals in defeating a block and the bull rush. Willis was honored for his fundamentals in defeating a block and tackling. Bowman was honored for his fundamentals in "gaining ground downhill" and tackling. Here is what the press release said about all three:
Smith possesses a combination of strength and exceptional technique. On the snap, he bursts off the line of scrimmage. He keeps his feet moving and extends his arms to drive blockers back far enough to reach the quarterback.
Willis, the target of many blockers, has the uncommon ability to defeat those blocks and continue toward the ball-carrier. With his technique, he is among the best at using arm extension to gain separation and disengage from would-be blockers.
Bowman consistently puts himself in great position to make plays for the 49ers. Bowman is able to avoid would-be blockers by using his hands and keeping his feet moving. With these fundamentals he is able to gain separation from offensive players and focus in on the ball-carrier to make the tackle.
Check out the entire All-Fundamentals team after the jump.
2011 USA Football All-Fundamentals Team - Offense:
|
NAME |
POS. |
TEAM |
FUNDAMENTAL SKILL |
|
Aaron Rodgers |
QB |
Throwing mechanics |
|
|
Arian Foster |
RB |
Following blocks/ball security |
|
|
Michael Robinson |
FB |
Run blocking |
|
|
Eric Decker |
WR |
Denver Broncos |
Catching with hands |
|
Donald Driver |
WR |
Green Bay Packers |
Catching with hands |
|
Heath Miller |
TE |
Run blocking/catching |
|
|
Nick Mangold |
C |
Run blocking/combo block |
|
|
David Diehl |
G |
Run blocking |
|
|
Carl Nicks |
G |
Run blocking/drive block |
|
|
Jordan Gross |
T |
Run blocking/combo block |
|
|
Joe Thomas |
T |
Pass blocking footwork |
2011 USA Football All-Fundamentals Team - Defense:
|
NAME |
POS. |
TEAM |
FUNDAMENTAL SKILL |
|
Tamba Hali |
DE |
Pass rush |
|
|
Julius Peppers |
DE |
Defeating a block |
|
|
Haloti Ngata |
DT |
Defeating a block/arm over rush |
|
|
Justin Smith |
DT |
San Francisco 49ers |
Defeating a block/bull rush |
|
Sean Lee |
LB |
Tackling |
|
|
Patrick Willis |
LB |
San Francisco 49ers |
Defeating a block/tackling |
|
NaVorro Bowman |
LB |
San Francisco 49ers |
Gaining ground downhill/tackling |
|
Brent Grimes |
CB |
Pass coverage |
|
|
Charles Woodson |
CB |
Green Bay Packers |
Playing the ball |
|
Malcolm Jenkins |
S |
New Orleans Saints |
Breaking up the pass |
|
Eric Weddle |
S |
Footwork in coverage |
2011 USA Football All-Fundamentals Team - Special Teams:
|
NAME |
POS. |
TEAM |
FUNDAMENTAL SKILL |
|
Devin Hester |
KR-PR |
Chicago Bears |
Kick catching/returning |
|
Cullen Loeffler |
LS |
Long snapping mechanics |
|
|
Josh Scobee |
K |
Kicking mechanics |
|
|
Shane Lechler |
P |
Punting mechanics |
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