Scouting Combine

I think that I am avoiding the CBA situation.

As with just about everything involved with the NFL, the Scouting Combine has become a prime time spectacle. The initial intention of the Combine was for the medical staffs of the NFL teams to get their hands on the players to give them medical grades and to look for potential red flags. It also gave coaches the opportunity to interview players to evaluate their personality and maturity levels. Those should still be the intention. For some reason, it used to be very secretive. It was all so sinister. Now, with NFL Network on the scene, it is a circus. Players in jazzy outfits running and jumping. It's a mini-Olympics. The whole thing is televised, even the weigh-ins. I can understand the purpose of some of the drills, but none of it should replace what the players have done in 3-4 years of college football. Performance on the football field should always be the basis for judging a player's abilities. The importance of an offensive lineman sprinting 40 yards is very suspect to me. About the only time a lineman will have to run 40 yards in a game is to celebrate with a runningback in the endzone. Too many coaches have been fooled by incredible measurables put up at the Combine. The phrase "looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane" may be sexist, but it can apply to many players. Another questionable aspect of the Combine is that the players essentially "cram" for the drills in the weeks prior. If they have to train to improve their speed and quickness now, what were they doing the last 4 years? Much can be gained from the actual football drills performed at the Combine. Those are the drills that, shockingly, use a football, or has some application on the field and in a game. I especially enjoy seeing how well receivers catch the ball. It's good to see the footwork of the QBs and offensive linemen. The potential success of both are often found in the feet. There is considerable value found in many of the position drills. The performances at the Combine should simply be a supplement to the entire prospect rating process, not the basis for it.

The very best of the Combine can be found at the end. This is the time for Rich Eisen to run the 40. It has become the classic close to the Combine, and it is a treat.