A Combine Cameo - Notes from Day 1

by KaptainKirk on Feb 23, 2012 8:32 PM MST in 2012 Denver Broncos NFL Draft Coverage

Feb 23, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Denver Broncos coach John Fox speaks at a press conference during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

In lieu of a slow news day and in the interests of making Horse Tracks a bit briefer while still getting the most out of it, I thought I would highlight all the news from the NFL Combine and place it in one convenient spot this evening using the same format.So without further ado, let's get to it.

Live from Indianapolis: Combine Day 1
Live updates and more from the media room — a.k.a. a converted club-level lounge — from the Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium:

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | 2012 Combine Report: Day One
The strange, bustling, somewhat manic town of SuperBowlia has disappeared.

ProFootballWeekly.com - Thursday's Combine notebook
Projections from draft experts have Stanford's Coby Fleener at or near the top of this year's tight-end rankings.

Welcome to the Combine | ProFootballTalk
The VW bus arrived late last night. I’m back in my winter home of Indianapolis until Sunday representing PFT here at the Scouting Combine.

Let’s talk: Combine kicks off with news conferences galore
The 2012 NFL Scouting Combine is underway, with a packed lineup of head coach and general manager press conferences on tap for Thursday.

Notebook: Fox at the Combine
Head Coach John Fox met the media on the first day of the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine, broaching a variety of topics.

Combine notes: John Fox addresses Tebow, the Quinn controversy, Broncos future | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
ou knew it would happen. Among the many Tim Tebow questions asked of Denver Broncos head coach John Fox at the scouting combine in Thursday,

Cubicle Combine: Me Vs. The 2011 Denver Broncos Draft Class - Predominantly Orange - A Denver Broncos Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.
On Saturday, the NFL Combine drills get under way with 300 of the country’s finest prospects tossing on those Under Armour vests, running the 40-yard dash, taking comprehensive physicals, and interviewing with team executives looking to add the critical missing piece to their rosters. If college was crafting the resume, this is the job interview.

Big Ten players and the NFL draft - ESPN Video - ESPN
A look at why the Big Ten has struggled to produce offensive skill players selected in the first round of the NFL draft.

Numbers Never Lie - Can Andrew Luck Save The Colts? - ESPN Video - ESPN
Michael Smith and Jeffri Chadiha debate if Andrew Luck can save the Colts.

Richardson will work out for NFL teams March 27.

Former Alabama RB Trent Richardson will work out for NFL teams March 27, a league source said Thursday

David Molk aiming to break Combine bench press record | ProFootballTalk
Michigan’s David Molk is still recovering from a foot injury that will prevent him from going through most of the workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine. But he plans to make the most of the one thing he can do.

ProFootballWeekly.com - Allen is one of draft's top pass protectors
Uncle, Shon Williams, played football at Miami (Fla.). Jeff was a four-year varsity starter as an Illinois prep. Enrolled early in January of 2008. Appeared in 11 games as a true freshman that fall, starting the last nine games at right tackle.

Combine notes: Jim Schwartz on Cliff Avril — ‘He’s very important to us’ (video) | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
The first coach to talk at this year's scouting combine was Detroit Lions head man Jim Schwartz, who's been part of a rather amazing rebuilding effort in the Motor City.

Rich Eisen and Fast Times at the Combine - NYTimes.com
The scouting combine, once a relatively poky event on the N.F.L. calendar, has picked up a lot of speed in recent years.

ProFootballWeekly.com - Wise TE Fleener's name has NFL origin
Projections from draft experts have Stanford's Coby Fleener at or near the top of this year's tight-end rankings.

49ers' Jim Harbaugh reflects on Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III - latimes.com
The San Francisco mentor, who coached the ex-Stanford quarterback and tried to lure the future Heisman Trophy winner to Palo Alto, is all business at the NFL scouting combine.

NFL.com news: Luck remains undecided on throwing during combine workouts
Many believe projected No. 1 pick Andrew Luck won't throw at this week's NFL Scouting Combine, but the quarterback didn't rule out the possibility in an interview with NFL Network on Thursday.

N.F.L. Considers Changes at Scouting Combine - NYTimes.com
When the N.F.L. asked fans to write essays explaining why they should be among the 250 people selected to attend the scouting combine for the first time

Combine notes: Ron Rivera reflects on Cam Newton’s rookie season (video) | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
It's safe to say that though the Carolina Panthers took Cam Newton with the first overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, they couldn't have expected what Newton did in his rookie season.

NFL.com Blogs " Blog Archive Auburn long snapper Harris stands alone at combine "
The only long snapper invited to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine this week, Harris has another honorable distinction as the second member of his family to win a national championship with Auburn.

Bears Scouting Combine Report - ESPN Video - ESPN
Jeff Dickerson and Michael Wright discuss the Bears offense, Matt Forte's contract situation and Gabe Carimi's health from the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.

PFT Live: Combine is time to answer questions | ProFootballTalk
Mike Florio discusses why the Indianapolis Colts are more than likely to draft Andrew Luck and why the Scouting Combine this week makes for the perfect platform to get a deal done.

PFT Live: Talkin’ Scouting Combine with Corey Chavous | ProFootballTalk
Mike Florio talks with Corey Chavous of DraftNasty.com about the upcoming NFL draft.

Combine notes: Whisenhunt foresees ‘open competition’ between QBs Skelton and Kolb | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
It's always an odd situation when a backup plays as well as a starter, especially at the quarterback position, and especially after a team has invested a great deal in the starter without yet getting returns on that investment. That was the case for the Arizona Cardinals in 2011.

Go Broncos!

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Comments

You're the best, Kirk

I don’t care how many times you’ve heard it, it hasn’t been enough. Thank you.

by Bronco79 on Feb 23, 2012 10:00 PM MST reply actions 2 recs

I second that!

Hear hear! And thank you Kirk!

A pessimist sees the difficulties in every opportunity.
An optimist sees the opportunities in every difficulty.
- Winston Churchill

First (and only, in our lifetimes) team to three consecutive SB wins (perhaps and then some)!!!! ( =

by PearlJamBroncoGFunk on Feb 24, 2012 6:25 AM MST up reply actions

3rd

"I am not better than anyone else just because I play football."
Tim Tebow

by Digger24 on Feb 24, 2012 7:00 AM MST up reply actions

Thanks KK - here's my question to you and others - how much of a difference should (emphasis on should not does) the combine make?

I know athleticism is important in the NFL, but my gut instinct (not scientific) is that college production should trump combine workout warriors every time.

Do others feel the same way? Do some NFL teams take the combine too seriously and let productive players slip down the draft due to physical numbers?

What would Blackie Lawless do? Well he'd probably wait till after the playoffs are over before speculating as to what happens in the offseason....

by British Bronco on Feb 24, 2012 8:07 AM MST reply actions

Most of the evaluation will be from tape

The rest is really just seeing them in person. The small school players probably have more to show at the Combine since their competition wasn’t at the highest level. The measurements mean something because they usually fudge heights in the game programs. The I would say the interviews.

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by KaptainKirk on Feb 24, 2012 8:58 AM MST up reply actions

I think combine numbers/athleticism are necessary, but not sufficient

The thing about NFL players is they are ALL fast, strong etc.

I do think there is a certain minimum level of athleticism necessary to be effective at the NFL level, and therefore combine results can be an important tool for weeding out those folks whose game may no translate to the next level… e.g., QBs who can’t throw the deep out consistently, etc. So I think the combine (or pro-day workouts, etc.) are critical for those folks looking to be drafted in the 3rd-7th round… it is one more filter to determine those that can potentially make it, from those that never will.

That said, elite athleticism is not sufficient either… if they have bad instincts, etc…. those players will also fail. The top picks are almost all likely athletic enough, so I’d put much more emphasis on film for sorting those guys. There are exceptions that the combine can catch (e.g. the shrimpy DT Denver drafted in the early 90s), but in general I’d be less likely to bump someone up based on combine results than I’d be bump someone down.

Interviews, as Kirk points out, are of course a key part of the combine, and generally undervalued by draftnicks, etc. The other one is the medical exams.

Finally I do think combine results means more for certain positions than others…. for example, finding a 230lb RB that runs a 4.3 (or 250lb that runs a 4.4) gives a very good likelyhood of success… because it is measuring very closely the necessary skill on the field…. for other positions, its less important (e.g. route running and beating the jam is much more critical than pure speed for WRs).

by cjfarls on Feb 24, 2012 9:26 AM MST up reply actions

My thanks to both of you for your excellent answers

I’ve been compiling a list of the 100-150 BPA from different websites. My plan is to see how many of these players rise/fall post combine. Hopefully if I don’t lose the data we can look back in a few years time and see if the combine helped or hindered the discovery of busts/sleepers.

But I am reassured that generally college tape is favoured over combine results. Seems a sensible apporach by NFL teams

What would Blackie Lawless do? Well he'd probably wait till after the playoffs are over before speculating as to what happens in the offseason....

by British Bronco on Feb 24, 2012 12:02 PM MST up reply actions