Scooby

[UAtrue]

Some ESPN love.

Arizona LB Scooby Wright is no one-hit wonder



http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... ore-season

[Chicat]

I would have been wearing a salad bar sneeze guard as a mask if I was sitting that close to Lou Holthz.

[ghostwhitehorse]

Some ESPN love.

Arizona LB Scooby Wright is no one-hit wonder



http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... ore-season

Ted Miller lives in Scottsdale. . . he has always brought the love.

[azcat49]

Scooby is going to face scheme after scheme to slow him down and lower his impact in the game.

I think though if his teammates see him wprking hard this offseason then they too will motivated to improve, or embarrased that they got outworked

[Coop Cat]

Todd McShay's way too early 2016 Mock Draft:

28. Denver Broncos (Projected record: 10-6)

Scooby Wright, ILB, Arizona: He won the Bednarik award in 2014 as a true sophomore for being the best defensive player in college football. He isn't an elite athlete, but his effort level and playmaking instincts are outstanding. He's effective at pressuring the quarterback as a blitzer as well as when he's lined up as an edge rusher -- he totaled 14 sacks last year.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2015/inside ... -nfl-draft

[Merkin]

Todd McShay's way too early 2016 Mock Draft:

28. Denver Broncos (Projected record: 10-6)

Scooby Wright, ILB, Arizona: He won the Bednarik award in 2014 as a true sophomore for being the best defensive player in college football. He isn't an elite athlete, but his effort level and playmaking instincts are outstanding. He's effective at pressuring the quarterback as a blitzer as well as when he's lined up as an edge rusher -- he totaled 14 sacks last year.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2015/inside ... -nfl-draft

First UA first round draft pick since Antoine Cason?

[catinfl]

Todd McShay's way too early 2016 Mock Draft:

28. Denver Broncos (Projected record: 10-6)

Scooby Wright, ILB, Arizona: He won the Bednarik award in 2014 as a true sophomore for being the best defensive player in college football. He isn't an elite athlete, but his effort level and playmaking instincts are outstanding. He's effective at pressuring the quarterback as a blitzer as well as when he's lined up as an edge rusher -- he totaled 14 sacks last year.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2015/inside ... -nfl-draft

That's funny because he is an elite athlete.. Had top 10 highest SPARQ score in his class.

[TyrantCat]

Not an elite athlete?! More ammunition for "2 Star Scoob". Keep adding to that chip on his shoulder.

[Puerco]

After all the media coverage, you'd think the press would pick up on the fact that Scooby is in fact an elite athlete.

[Chicat]

After all the media coverage, you'd think the press would pick up on the fact that Scooby is in fact an elite athlete.

Shhhhh . . . let everyone underestimate him again. No need for double teams or special schemes to stop Scooby. He's just an average athlete that had an improbably and totally lucky year that he'll never be able to come close to repeating.

[azthrillhouse]

After all the media coverage, you'd think the press would pick up on the fact that Scooby is in fact an elite athlete.

Lazy reporting combined w/ racial stereotypes. Too lazy (irony!) to pull it up but I could swear at least one national publication 2 years ago in their season preview said something like "the Wildcats passing game should improve w/ pure passer BJ Denker at the helm".

Obviously incorrect stereotypes of black athletes are far more pervasive and 1000x more harmful, but they happen w/ white guys too on occasion.

[splitsecond]

After all the media coverage, you'd think the press would pick up on the fact that Scooby is in fact an elite athlete.

Lazy reporting combined w/ racial stereotypes. Too lazy (irony!) to pull it up but I could swear at least one national publication 2 years ago in their season preview said something like "the Wildcats passing game should improve w/ pure passer BJ Denker at the helm".

Obviously incorrect stereotypes of black athletes are far more pervasive and 1000x more harmful, but they happen w/ white guys too on occasion.

Agreed. The media did the same thing with the Kiko Alonso trade. That guy was one of the best ILB I have watched play before he got hurt, and he is never given credit.

[ANGCatFan]

[wyo-cat]

Scooby Slam!

[catinfl]

He's not athletic.

[ANGCatFan]

espn blog with the top 100 things they are looking forward to this football season. Arizona's only appearance is:

86. Scooby Wright, former two-star recruit, terrorizing Pac-12 quarterbacks

I love the @Twostarscoob handle, but I'm getting a little tired of seeing it mentioned in every article. After last year Scooby is no longer an underrated recruit, he is simply one of the best players in college football.

Also, is that really the most interesting national storyline on Arizona?

Even for Scooby the question isn't if he is going to get more sacks, the question is can he improve on last season with every team game planning around him.

For me the biggest Arizona question is how much better can the Arizona offense get with a QB back for a second year?

Also from espn on evaluating odds for Heisman candidates:

Scooby Wright III, Arizona LB (66-1): Some candidates need a year or two to make themselves known to voters and the general public. Robert Griffin III was an example.

With that in mind, there’s a growing awareness of Wright after his sophomore season with 163 tackles, 29 tackles for a loss (14 of them sacks) and six forced fumbles.

Those are stronger numbers than the ones that put Notre Dame’s Manti Te'o in the hunt. Wright won the Nagurski, Lombardi and Bednarik awards in 2014. Will he win the Heisman in ’15? He’s a defensive player, so be realistic. But can he get to NYC as a finalist? Absolutely. If you can find that as a prop, go for it.

and another blurb from espn's article on the 100 numbers to know for this season:

27. The Wright stuff: Bronko Nagurski Award winner Scooby Wright III had 27 solo tackles for loss last season, four more than any other FBS player. Since the start of the 2000 season, only Western Michigan’s Jason Babin and South Florida’s George Selvie have had more solo tackles for loss in one season.

[ANGCatFan]

Espn blog looking at which defenders will be causing the most disruption in the backfield this year.

Wright III, Arizona: What makes him so impressive is he does it from the middle linebacker position instead of at defensive end or hybrid OLB. He tallied 14 sacks last season to go with 29 tackles for a loss. It’s not like he’s a big secret, either. Teams scheme for him, and he finds ways around those schemes with his ultra-high motor.

I disagree with Gemmell's post on Scooby only in that I think early in the year he was a secret. I don't think teams were focusing on stopping Scooby until later in the year. The only 2 teams I remember being really effective were Oregon and Boise in our last 2 games. Scooby had no sacks and only 3 TFLs in those 2 losses.

This year Scooby will be a big part of every team's offensive game plan. If teams try to run away from him or double and triple team him, Matthews, Turituri and the other linebackers will need to step up their games. Also, I'm buying the hype on Turituri and think he is going to be a bull of a 3rd down edge rusher and will see a big jump in his 5 TFLs and 3 sacks from last year.

[ANGCatFan]

Bruce Feldman and Stuart Mandel draft the top college football players in an off season boredom exercise. Feldman picks Scooby 2nd and the 3rd pick overall. Why did he pick Scooby 2nd.

I'm doing myself a favor, because now he will be pissed off that he's not my No. 1 pick: Arizona OLB Scooby Wright. He might not be as high on your board, but with 163 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, six forced fumbles and 14 sacks, Two-Star Scooby is a five-star guy in my eyes.

[ANGCatFan]

Scooby's pro prospects discussed on the espn blog:

Paul writes: Lots of love for Scooby Wright over the awards season and preseason ... but I see very little written about his pro prospects. Any thoughts?

Ted Miller: Oh, he's pretty firmly on the NFL radar.

ESPN's Todd McShay projected him as a first-round pick in his "Way too early 2016 Mock Draft," going 28th to the Denver Broncos. He wrote: "He isn't an elite athlete, but his effort level and playmaking instincts are outstanding."

Mel Kiper included him with his "A dozen more considered" for his initial 2016, 25-man "Big Board." Wrote Kiper, "If it's about production, you won't do better than Wright, who led the nation with 29.0 TFL in 2014."

Yet the NFL isn't just about college production -- or even dynamic game tape, which Wright unquestionably has. Wright will need to prove he's a four-down LB in the NFL, one who has the athleticism to cover receivers in space. You'll hear anonymous NFL scouts questioning his speed and his hips.

But if he puts up huge numbers again this fall and then runs a 4.6 or even a 4.7 40-yard dash at the combine, my guess is someone will take him before the second round is over.

That said, considering he's grounded his obsessive college motivation in being "Two-star Scoob," my feeling is he'd be destined for a Hall of Fame career if he tumbled into, say, the seventh round.

[ANGCatFan]

Here's a Miami Dolphins' site looking at the top inside linebackers for next year's draft. Three of the top 5 are from the P12 and probably the least flattering profile of Scooby we will see this preseason, but at least we get to see his bench and squat numbers.

Scooby Wright III, ILB, Arizona

Not only is Wright one of the more vocal players for the Arizona Wildcats, he’s also one of the team’s stronger performers in the weight room. Wright benches 420 pounds and squats over 600 pounds. He’s added more weight to his frame and is now 250 pounds at just 6-foot tall. Wright who runs high 4.6 in the 40-yard dash stays in good relationship with the ball carrier and is rarely outflanked. He has outstanding run/pass recognition and does an excellent job of disengaging from guards. Wright has a tendency to dip his head at the onset of contact, which can result in some missed tackles. He will also need to improve upon his footwork in coverage as he occasionally loses ground in transition.

[ANGCatFan]

Scooby has gotten a lot of press (and deservedly so) this offseason for his gaudy numbers and numerous awards, but NFL.com recognizes him for the desire and effort that made everything happen. He comes in #2 on their all-intangibles list.

2. Scooby Wright III, LB, Arizona

Armed with an unrelenting work ethic and a chip on his shoulder the size of a cinderblock, Wright embodies what scouts call a "high motor." In two years, he has gone from a disregarded recruit offered a scholarship only by Arizona to the only true sophomore ever named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. One need not be a star player to rate high on intangibles, but Wright checks both those boxes.

p.s. Thanks AG for pointing out the story on twitter.

[ghostwhitehorse]

Also No.2 on the "Scariest Players" list. . .http://www.nfl.com/photoessays/0ap30000 ... st-players

2. Scooby Wright, LB, Arizona
The particulars: 6-1, 246, junior
The skinny: The man is a big-play machine. Wright had 14 sacks, 29 tackles for loss and six forced fumbles last season. What offensive player in his right mind wants to see Wright on the other side of the ball? Plus, he's nicknamed "Scooby," and any football player willing to be nicknamed "Scooby" has to be a tough guy.

Only No. 4 in Best D Player list and not the the most physical list at all.

Hrmmm. . .

[ANGCatFan]

[ANGCatFan]

The story only outlines when the watch lists for all the major awards comes out, but Scooby being the face of the watch lists and Arizona football is always great to see.

[ANGCatFan]

Bleacher Report on the hardest hitters in CFB. Nothing new except a Scooby highlight video I hadn't seen before.

Though Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright may not be the hardest hitter on this list, the sheer number of times he tackles opponents means that he’ll have as many big hits as any player.

Wright led the nation in tackles as a sophomore last season (163). He finished No. 2 in solo tackles (99), No. 1 in tackles for a loss (29), No. 3 in sacks (14) and No. 1 in forced fumbles (six).

His stats aren’t driven by his size—he’s 6’1”, 246 pounds—but instead by his exceptional tenacity and awareness. He earned last season’s Bronko Nagurski Trophy (best defender), the Rotary Lombardi Award (best lineman or linebacker), the Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player of the year) and the Jack Lambert Award (top linebacker).

He did all this for a defense that struggled to a No. 80 rank in scoring.

Wright was a 2-star inside linebacker prospect from Santa Rosa, California, in 2013.

[ANGCatFan]

The Big Lead with the top 50 players in CFB.

4. Scooby Wright [LB – Arizona] Led the nation in tackles (163) and TFL (29). He was a mere third in sacks (14). Not bad for a two-star recruit.

3. Ezekiel Elliot [RB – Ohio State] Zeke got healthy. The offensive line coalesced. He ran for 696 yards and eight touchdowns over Ohio State’s three post-season games. May be to blame for some unfortunate crop top situations in Ohio gyms.

2. A’Shawn Robinson [DT – Alabama] Robinson has the size to play nose, the versatility to play anywhere on a three-man line and the neckbeard of an MLB middle-reliever.

1. Joey Bosa [DE – Ohio State] Bosa had 13.5 sacks and 21 TFL as a sophomore last season. Theoretically, he may get better. The Buckeyes are loaded, and the pressure to repeat will be immense. The POTUS is a fan.

[ghostwhitehorse]

Nothing we didn't already know of course: http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id ... -arizona-4

[Puerco]

Heisman chatter from Athlon.

Wright could well have hype approaching that which followed Clowney into the 2013 campaign. Should he live up to the billing, and Arizona again find itself in the hunt for the Pac-12 championship, Wright could be a history-maker.



- See more at: http://athlonsports.com/college-footbal ... x7FcW.dpuf

[Chicat]

If we are in the hunt for another South crown, too much of the credit will go to RR and the offense for Scooby to get any true Heisman buzz. He'd have to go above and beyond what he did last year (a superhuman feat) and he'd have to singlehandedly will us to at least a few victories. That is way too tall an order.

[Merkin]

Scooby will be hard pressed to even get close to this numbers from last year. Just too many ifs in the LB corp as AngCat noted in his 50 days post so the O can key on him. Seems Scooby won't be on the DL near as much either.

Solomon will be better this year too, so the UA O will be on the field longer, making for less on field time for Scooby.

[ANGCatFan]

Yard Barker picks 7 great plays from past years to get you excited about College Football. One of the top plays they picked was the Scooby snag in 2013.

[catinfl]

Scooby will be hard pressed to even get close to this numbers from last year. Just too many ifs in the LB corp as AngCat noted in his 50 days post so the O can key on him. Seems Scooby won't be on the DL near as much either.

Solomon will be better this year too, so the UA O will be on the field longer, making for less on field time for Scooby.

How are there ifs in the lb corp if we return everyone and gain Miller, Ware, and Cobb

[ChooChooCat]

Scooby will be hard pressed to even get close to this numbers from last year. Just too many ifs in the LB corp as AngCat noted in his 50 days post so the O can key on him. Seems Scooby won't be on the DL near as much either.

Solomon will be better this year too, so the UA O will be on the field longer, making for less on field time for Scooby.

How are there ifs in the lb corp if we return everyone and gain Miller, Ware, and Cobb

Seriously, the entire LB corps has returned and we didn't even have every one healthy last year (Miller). I do agree it'll be hard for Scoob to put up the same numbers he did last year, but not many people in history have put up that sort of numbers once in their career let alone in consecutive years. The LB corps sure won't be the reason for that though, especially considering every one was keying on him last year as well.

[ANGCatFan]

NFL.com looking at who will be the All-American linebackers. One of the favorites is of course:

Scooby Wright III, Arizona: It is simple: Wright (6-1, 246) is a great football player. Though not a tall, long prospect like others listed here, his nose for the ball and explosion on contact are both fundamentally sound and fun to watch. Wright, the consensus All-America selection and winner of the Nagurski, Lombardi and Bednarik Awards in 2014, finished near the top of the FBS rankings in tackles (163), tackles for loss (29), sacks (14), and forced fumbles (six). He can punch off blocks inside to get to running backs, spin off blocks on his way to the quarterback as an outside rusher, or explode through gaps on stretch plays to track down ball carriers trying to get outside. In short, he does it all.

[ANGCatFan]

The Sports Chat Place ranks the top 10 linebackers in CFB. Nothing new on Scooby and not an important site, but I'm posting it because it makes a good point. The top 3 linebackers in the country may all be in the P12 South.

1. Scooby Wright, Arizona Wildcats - Scooby Wright went from being a low recruited player to possibly the best defensive player in college football. Scooby led the country with 29 tackles for loss, six forced fumbles and 163 tackles last season. Wright is simply all over the place and has a nose for the football. Scooby is one of just a few defensive players who can really change the outcome of a game by himself, as he truly never stops making plays.

2. Myles Jack, UCLA Bruins - Myles Jack has made a name for himself as a two-way player, as he’s shined in a limited role at running back. As a linebacker, Jack is one of the best players when pursuing a ball carrier and is one of the harder hitters at his position. Jack had 87 tackles last season and seven pass deflections. Jack is an old school style football player and helps give UCLA that edge.

3. Su'a Cravens, USC Trojans - What’s with all these Pac-12 players, huh? Anyway, Su'a Cravens is a versatile player, as he was recruited to play safety and kind of spends time playing all over the field despite being listed as a linebacker. Cravens had 17 tackles for loss last season, which was tied for 17th in the country and he has seven interceptions in his first two seasons. Cravens is great at playing close to the line and dropping back in coverage due to his instincts. Linebacker or safety, the USC defender has to make this list.

[OSUCat]

[MrBug708]

What's crazy is that all three are a little undersized for your typical LB.