Which way to the gun show?Our first juicy tidbit comes by way of RealGM (who contrary to his name is not suspected of being one of the National Football League's actual general managers) who had this to stay about Mr. Coleman:
"Ohio State safety Kurt Coleman stayed with [Mardy] Gilyard nicely."Well played, #4. Although the compliment is almost instantaneously given a backhanded slant with the following sentence: "One longtime NFL WR standing nearby opined that Gilyard is tipping off his moves." Could it be that Coleman was keyed in on Gilyard's so-called tell? Or, more probably, could Coleman had actually simply been reading his mind?
That is, of course, if that account ever even happened. ESPN/Scouts, Inc. ($$$) (whom we do believe have actually filed the applicable articles of incorporation) Todd McShay, Steve Munech, and Kevin Weidi paint, in their hodgepodge of notes, a far different tale:
Mardy Gilyard got off the line better than any other wideout duping 1-on-1 drills against press coverage. He beat both Ohio State S Kurt Coleman and Virginia CB Chris Cook cleanly.
So was Coleman routinely getting the best of Mardy Ballin' or was it the other way around? Because inquiring minds are dying to know, this tale of the tape necessitates a third party's account. The fine folks at Pro Football Weekly (specifically Eric Edholm), had this to add about everyone's favorite 3-year starter at strong safety:
Ohio State FS Kurt Coleman, who looked more like a small corner to me size-wise, made a nice pass defense against Pitt WR Dorin Dickerson. Coleman doesn't look terribly fast, but he prevented what would have been a great catch on the sideline by getting his hand on the ball at the last second.Tell us how you really feel, Eric. So let me make sure we're on the same page here: Coleman looks 1) undersized, 2) plays nicely inspite of his obvious "physical imitations", 3) doesn't appear particularly fleet of foot, but 4) is still capable of making difficult plays as the situation dictates. I'm unsure I'm any nearer to understanding whether Coleman can make it at the next level, or if the fact that college football's off-season has lead us to this if we wouldn't all be better off diving deep into the fine art of macramé.
But we can't just stop there. Edholm had more to add about Coleman in his notes on Tuesday afternoon's sessions. The outcome speaks for itself:
"[Oregon tight end] ran right by Notre Dame S Kyle McCarthy on a deep route on Monday and did the same to Ohio State's Kurt Coleman on Tuesday."Law of averages perhaps? Kurt was evidently mercifully spared of such embarrassment for 60 minutes in Pasadena, but Dickson was apparently able to work his wonders on two promising midwestern safety prospects. The gloom parade persists, Coleman sounds mehtastic, but if the mixed messages and lack of focus beyond the typical human inclination to cover the hive mind's "break out players" could just as easily indicate less is more. If Coleman is, in fact, handling his and doing all the routine things well, the odds of gushing, 140 character become less and less of a probability.
Fortunately local story wizard/97.1 FM presence Lori Schmidt has just that. The Chiefs' beat writer Josh Looney does deliver (in part) with the "not spectacular but rock steady" assessment of we've come to expect from Coleman during the last 4 years:
"I’m not exactly sure why, but Coleman kept catching my attention today. He didn’t make any jaw-dropping plays, but he just seems like a smart, hard-nosed player who could help a team out immediately on special teams. He’s projected as a late-round pick or college free agent by many scouting services heading into this weekend."
More backhanded hand pounds(!). But, uh, late rounder?! Didn't all the buzz have Coleman going no later than the 3rd or 4th just as recently as a month ago? At least it can't get much worse for Coleman. Or maybe it can:
