By Ethan Hammerman
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I am going to try and write this as straightforward as possible, but this opinion does have some sort of explanation behind it, and it stems from a personal dislike of the use of “lacks play-to-play effort” when evaluating prospects.
Sometimes, I feel that when pundits use this line, they are simply trying to find an excuse for a talented player’s lack of production, and they don’t feel like actually probing the player’s weaknesses to see what the problem could be. Two prime examples of this are Michael Johnson and Marvin Austin. Johnson, who was selected in the third round by the Bengals in the 2009 NFL Draft, was often criticized for not showing enough effort in plays, and that was believed to be the reason why he slipped. In reality, any Georgia Tech fan could agree that Johnson did not have effort questions: the bigger problem was that his size (6 feet 7 inches) prevented him from getting consistent leverage on plays, and he could be bullied in the run game.
Austin’s case is a bit more interesting. My theory is that the effort questions were fueled, in many ways, by the full-season suspension that robbed Austin of his senior year. Looking at the game tape, it seemed to me that his issues were less about effort and more about his inability to gain leverage against offensive linemen. He played far too high at times, and could get pushed around by maulers who had strong bases. In my view, he and now-Jet Muhammad Wilkerson were the same exact prospect, except one had baggage and “effort questions” and the other did not.
Why am I going on and on about this? Because I want to make it clear that, when I use the term “effort question,” I am not doing so lightly. In all of the 2012 prospects that I have scouted thus far (and I still have many more that I have to view), only one has really pinged my effort radar thus far, and it is not a player that many will expect.
Shayne Skov, whether justifiably or not, sort of fits a stereotype of middle linebackers. To the casual fan, he is a gritty leader who wears eye-paint and plays hard. He has a nice story behind him: a high-character guy who attended a private high school and served as a liaison between kids and faculty members while playing football on the side, a linebacker who spent much of his childhood growing up in Mexico due to his father losing his job after the dot com bubble burst. There are some nice sentiments there, and a lot of reasons to like Skov. And I do like him, to an extent. However, when I turn on the tape and watch him play…there are some issues.
Usually, the mark of an elite effort player is their ability to fight back from blocks. That is what separates the James Harrisons from the Aundray Bruces, a desire to truly fight to the end of each and every play, even when a big ugly may have gotten his hands on a guy. Heck, this is almost a pre-requisite for pass rushers in the NFL. My main issue with Skov is that, in a given play, when a blocker gets his hands on him, he’s done. It happened three times in the Virginia Tech game and even more in other games that I have watched. Notre Dame, Oregon…you name it. Skov will literally stop what he is doing and put his hands on his hips rather than chase down the ball carrier after being blocked.
Some may construe this as intelligent since, perhaps, Skov is saving his energy for later plays. However, I still find it problematic. Why does he need to do that? He is a football player with the aspirations of becoming a professional athlete. In the NFL, one cannot take a play off. Yet Skov does so. It would not be such an issue if Skov was elite at going through gaps, but he is not. At this point in time, he is much more of a one-dimensional run stuffer than a complete middle linebacker. This could change over time (since, again, he is only a sophomore), but I am skeptical. I am just not sure if he has the athleticism to hold up as a gap-shooter from play to play. He had 7.5 sacks last season, but three came in the bowl game (against a weak Virginia Tech line) and both in Notre Dame came off of pressures by other members of the defensive line and Skov being opportunistic. I see a lot of Rey Mauluaga when I look at Skov, except Rey has a good motor, and I cannot say the same for Shayne.
Skov, at this point in time, is probably best served at just continuing to improve as a prospect and staying at Stanford for all four years. Maybe, over the next two seasons, he displays that “top effort” that so many great middle linebackers have. However, until then, I will remain skeptical and continue to get angry when pundits slap the “effort question” on players who do not deserve to be criticized for that reason. If effort is a real problem, then it is a problem. However, if it is not, then do some real tape-watching and refuse to follow the crowd.
“Effort question” is the most overused phrase in draft prospect analysis. Let’s all work together to end it, one person at a time.
