NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Those seats that didn’t get done for fans for Super Bowl XLV? Well, Fox Sports reports that contractors walked off the job just a few hours before kickoff, and the job simply didn’t get done after issues were found.

Contractors installing additional seating at the Super Bowl at Cowboys Stadium walked off the job just hours before kickoff, according to the fire chief in Arlington, Texas. "Problems were found. They were told to correct them," said Don Crowson, as reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "A guy came up to me and said, 'We are done. We can't do any more. We're out of here. I called the NFL and told them." Before the Super Bowl, Crowson said the city had not had problems with any temporary seating that was installed. Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck has backed Crowson's story. About 1,200 seats, being installed by Seating Solutions out of New York, were deemed not ready, and fans holding tickets for those seats had to be relocated around the stadium. About 400 of those fans found themselves without seats for the game.

Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas, 6′6 238

Games scouted
2009- Texas A&M, Auburn, Troy, Mississippi, Florida, LSU, East Carolina.
2010- Georgia, Alabama, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, UTEP, LSU, Ohio St.

Position Ranking: #1

Technique/Mechanics: Carries the football high, at chest level, and maintains height as he sets to deliver. Shows an over the top release point and stays consistent with his throwing angle with or without pressure. Has a slight loop in his delivery due to the length of his forearm. No windup or overextension, forearm stays near to his body with a fluid motion. Very quick release, football jumps off his hand at the top of delivery. Natural with the play-action fake, as good as you’ll see at any level.

Stands balanced in the pocket with body and feet parallel to the sideline. Strides into his throws with front foot planted, knee bent, and open hips as he delivers the football. Shows an overall smooth drop and set when settling into 5 and 7 step drops. Overall mechanics are good and have continued to progress since 2009. Foot stride in his delivery has shortened up from the previous season, which improved his short and intermediate accuracy. However, due to his height and length (long torso and limbs), Mallett needs a small radius within or around the pocket in order to make consistently accurate throws. He needs a “pitcher’s mound” to properly set feet and maintain a steady launch point- Similar to Tom Brady, Eli Manning, and Joe Flacco in this regard, just more pronounced (bigger feet).

Arm Strength: Rare arm strength. Only a few NFL players can maintain the same rotation on deep throws- if any. Plenty of quarterbacks can throw the football far, but very few can keep the velocity (tight spin) from release point to contact that Mallett shows. Can drive the football anywhere on the field from opposite hash to boundary. Able to throw a frozen rope with no give in its rotation up to 40 yards with the flick of his wrist. Can make every throw with little effort even when technique is off, both in the pocket and when moving to his right side. Showed he could fit passes inside three-deep coverage with four underneath on the post route. Can fit throws in between and over the top of the two deep safeties down the sideline; able to close tight coverage windows. Playbook is wide open with his arm strength.

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