STRENGTHS
Creed has solid overall athletic talent and shows the leadership skills through his play that offensive centers need, to be a good offensive lineman for the team that selects him. He has good quickness out of his stance and is one of the better centers at dealing with a big nose guard or power defensive tackle playing straight up over him. Creed is “quarterback smart” by that I mean he knows the offense like a QB. He has the size you look for in a center, along with the foot quickness and overall strength to be effective when run blocking or pass blocking.
CONCERNS
Creed is inconsistent when pass blocking moving to his left against those 1gap attack, defensive lineman. It’s a simple technique issue that is easily corrected. It requires him to change the angle of his first lateral step to more of a 45 degrees angle instead of straight down the line. He does it to the right side but for some reason on the left side, he doesn’t.
BOTTOM LINE 2.08
Stand straight up in your living room with your feet shoulder apart. Take a straight lateral step and stop your self before you move your back foot. You are now in a lunging position and off-balance. Now take the same stand and make your first lateral step at a forty-five-degree angle (No not backward 90 degrees, or a crow hop step, just simply 45 degrees) without moving your other foot. You will feel the difference right away in your balance and you will notice, how your feet are still under your hips with the ability to push that player to the ground or manipulate him past your QB. Too many centers take that step down the line against 1 gap opponents and get beat because they are off-balance and lunging. Creed has no problems going to his right and using that technique but to his left for some crazy reason he is inconsistent and that’s when he gets beat. It also makes him snap the ball offline sometimes because he is trying to play faster, to take that incorrect lateral step. Creed is a hell of a football player and center. As soon as he corrects this minor flaw, his offensive coordinator will not have to keep the back in to help him block on third and long downs. Class is dismissed.
