Santana Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Good afternoon everyone, Now that the combine has been over for a week or so and everyone has had there time to assess and evaluate, I just wanted to get your guys insight what the combine really means to you. I know guys who have played at every level, even professionally and I think that the combine doesn't really translate to the field to the extent that it is made to be. Don't get me wrong there are PLENTY of things that make the combine effective, almost too much to list but at the same time, what a guy does on the field in pads and a helmet is A LOT different than what a guy in a body suit on turf does. I feel that the combine should consist of a physical with body fat index, an interview. When it comes to the drills and bench press I think that everything should stay but i'm not sold on the bench press or the 40yd dash. First off the bench press doesn't really test endurance as well as something like power cleaning. For lineman and WR/TE the bench press would obviously mean more than it would on a QB or RB. I think the shuttle drills and the cone drill is way more of an effective way of testing quickness, which in reality is more critical that outright speed for a stretch of 40yd's. I obviously understand that players can't get physical during the combine, that's just common sense. I just believe that the combine is somewhat overrated. Idk just felt like giving my perspective on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldTimer1960 Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 (edited) Good afternoon everyone, Now that the combine has been over for a week or so and everyone has had there time to assess and evaluate, I just wanted to get your guys insight what the combine really means to you. I know guys who have played at every level, even professionally and I think that the combine doesn't really translate to the field to the extent that it is made to be. Don't get me wrong there are PLENTY of things that make the combine effective, almost too much to list but at the same time, what a guy does on the field in pads and a helmet is A LOT different than what a guy in a body suit on turf does. I feel that the combine should consist of a physical with body fat index, an interview. When it comes to the drills and bench press I think that everything should stay but i'm not sold on the bench press or the 40yd dash. First off the bench press doesn't really test endurance as well as something like power cleaning. For lineman and WR/TE the bench press would obviously mean more than it would on a QB or RB. I think the shuttle drills and the cone drill is way more of an effective way of testing quickness, which in reality is more critical that outright speed for a stretch of 40yd's. I obviously understand that players can't get physical during the combine, that's just common sense. I just believe that the combine is somewhat overrated. Idk just felt like giving my perspective on it. I am in general agreement with you that a player's performance over his college career should be weighed more heavily than his combine performance. However, since players play against different competition, in different schemes with different supporting casts (teammates), scouts can't always be completely sure of what they see on the field. For instance, a player may *look* fast on the field, but is he really fast or is his competition slow (or the scheme/teammates putting him in the position to look fast)? If you don't know exactly how strong a player's opposition is, how can you tell how strong a player is from tape? Granted, the combine drills don't translate directly to football playing ability (for instance, they can't measure how instinctive a player is or how good his on-field decision making is), but they are the only view scouts get of players on a completely level playing field. The things that the combine are useful for (IMHO) include: 1. Confirming a player is as athletic as he looks on the field (or raising a red flag if they aren't) 2. Confirming that a player has put in the effort to train for this event - BIG red flag if they haven't 3. Identify "potential" players - guys that have better athletic ability than they showed in college - perhaps because of scheme or that they were stuck behind a great player for much of their college career. 4. Teams get to interview players (of course they can do that in other venues, too). Edited March 3, 2012 by OldTimer1960 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santana Posted March 3, 2012 Author Share Posted March 3, 2012 I am in general agreement with you that a player's performance over his college career should be weighed more heavily than his combine performance. However, since players play against different competition, in different schemes with different supporting casts (teammates), scouts can't always be completely sure of what they see on the field. For instance, a player may *look* fast on the field, but is he really fast or is his competition slow (or the scheme/teammates putting him in the position to look fast)? If you don't know exactly how strong a player's opposition is, how can you tell how strong a player is from tape? Granted, the combine drills don't translate directly to football playing ability (for instance, they can't measure how instinctive a player is or how good his on-field decision making is), but they are the only view scouts get of players on a completely level playing field. The things that the combine are useful for (IMHO) include: 1. Confirming a player is as athletic as he looks on the field (or raising a red flag if they aren't) 2. Confirming that a player has put in the effort to train for this event - BIG red flag if they haven't 3. Identify "potential" players - guys that have better athletic ability than they showed in college - perhaps because of scheme or that they were stuck behind a great player for much of their college career. 4. Teams get to interview players (of course they can do that in other venues, too). Great reply you added a few perspectives that I might have overlooked. I appreciate the response! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjmac Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 (edited) It's overrated as far as determining who will or will not succeed in the NFL, but at least you can gauge true height, weight, speed, etc. Edited March 4, 2012 by jjmac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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