Shrine Game anonymous poll: SEC's best and worst players, coaches of 2016
ST. PETERSBURG — With so many players, scouts and media on hand for the East-West Shrine Game, it was the perfect time to do a poll.
Anonymously, of course, because that tends to produce more honest answers. Players worry about quotes being taken out of context. NFL teams, more often than not, don’t like their scouts talking on the record with reporters.
As for members of the media like myself? It’s our job to pontificate all day, every day in print, on the radio and on television. Since readers, listeners and watchers, respectively, have a near limitless appetite for football — even in the offseason — there’s an equally limitless need for content. Plus, everyone loves a good poll.
Who was the best player in the SEC for 2016? Nobody needed to be anonymous to state the obvious: Alabama defensive end Jonathan Allen.
However, while Allen got most of the votes, he didn’t get them all. One scout opted for Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett. One player decided to go with LSU running back Leonard Fournette. “He had a really good game against us,” he told Saturday Down South.
As for the most underrated player in the conference, there was no clear-cut winner — no one got more than a single vote. One scout went with LSU cornerback Tre’Davious White. One reporter offered up Vanderbilt running back Ralph Webb. One player answered Arkansas receiver Drew Morgan. Another highlighted Auburn running back Kamryn Pettway.
“When we first played him, we didn’t know he was that good,” the player said of Pettway. “He turned out to be really good.”
If there were underrated players in the league, then there were overrated players, too. But even under the condition of anonymity, players get skittish answering that question. Scouts and media members, of course, love it.
One scout didn’t have a lot of superlatives to spread about Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly. “I would’ve said that even before the injury,” he said, referring to the torn ACL Kelly suffered in November. One reporter was down on Florida wideout Antonio Callaway — not only as a pass catcher, but he’s “overrated as a return man, too.”
By the way, one player did decide to answer the question. He wasn’t particularly impressed with Texas A&M receiver Josh Reynolds.
Back to the topic of underrated, apparently the least appreciated coach in the SEC is Vanderbilt’s Derek Mason. From scouts to reporters to players, he was the runaway choice. “I love watching his defense play,” one reporter said.
The final question for the poll was necessary heading into 2017: What team in the conference is capable of knocking off Alabama? While scouts and reporters could go with any program, players were prohibited from naming their own school. As you might expect, few had a ready-made response. Everyone needed sufficient time to think.
“Nobody from the East, obviously,” one reporter said. He might be right. Not one scout, reporter or player chose a club from that division.
A handful of votes were cast in favor of LSU, “although that’s what I thought this year,” one scout said. Even if there’s a lot to like about the Tigers, we’re still yet to see a consistent passing game in Baton Rouge.
In the end, the Bayou Bengals were edged out by Tigers of a different stripe: Auburn. There were times last season — especially during that six-game winning streak — when coach Gus Malzahn and Co. looked like they had what it took to take down the Crimson Tide. Perhaps JUCO transfer Jarrett Stidham at quarterback is the difference this time.
For what it’s worth, one player said Nick Saban (below) of Alabama was the league’s most underrated coach. “No question,” he said. Even at $7 million per year, he’s underpaid.
Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
PICK SIX
- Former Arkansas offensive tackle Dan Skipper spent some time inside at guard during Wednesday’s practice. It’s not unusual for offensive linemen to be shuffled around at all-star games. Still, at 6-foot-10, it was odd to see him along the interior. Not only could leverage be an issue blocking stout defensive tackles, but quarterbacks may have trouble throwing over Skipper.
- The aforementioned Morgan has been solid through three days of workouts, running crisp routes and putting sure hands on display when asked to catch the ball. On Wednesday, a coach from the East team complimented Morgan for blocking downfield on a running play. Scouts definitely notice such things when below-the-radar players are right in front of them for the first time.
- Former Florida defensive end Bryan Cox Jr., who hasn’t done much to impress anyone in St. Petersburg, got into an animated shoving match with an offensive lineman during team drills. Sure, such things are commonplace a few days into events like this. But even after the scrap was over and everyone went back to their respective huddles, Cox was still shouting profanities.
- Former Ole Miss cornerback Tony Bridges need some instruction when matched up with receivers in the end zone. He kept trying to turn around and find the ball with one hand on fade routes, but the East coach wanted him to keep his eyes on the receiver and use both hands to knock it free. NFL receivers have ball skills the likes of which Bridges didn’t see much in college.
- So many SEC offenses — across the country, too — fail to utilize a traditional huddle to call plays or use a real cadence at the line of scrimmage. As a result, some players have to learn how to play the professional game. Former Auburn guard Alex Kozan was having trouble on the hard count with a quarterback under center and guilty of a few false-start penalties.
- Former Alabama receiver Gehrig Dieter was approached by a scout from the Carolina Panthers at the end of practice. Former Vanderbilt offensive tackle William Holden talked to a rep from the Los Angeles Rams, as did former Florida defensive tackle Joey Ivie IV. Former Ole Miss wideout Quincy Adeboyejo chatted with both the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks.
* Saturday Down South will be in attendance all week for the East-West Shrine Game, so look for more updates on your favorite SEC alumni.
John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.
