Michael Clark Proves That (20/10 Vision) Does Exist In The Basketball World
If you don’t know Michael Clark then it’s about time you get...
It is hard to believe that the zany idea of past Dallas Cowboys draft braintrusts Gil Brandt and Tex Schramm from over 25 years ago to gather all of the draft’s prospects in one place so every team could get a look together has come so far that it is now a major part of the yearly sports calendar.
You can thank former University of Kansas option quarterback Nolan Cromwell for the madness as he was traveling from team to team in 1977 with the same information giving the forward thinking Brandt the idea for the combine.
How “huge” is this one-time anomaly event, well the NFL Network will broadcast 26 live hours of coverage — more than even the Senior Bowl’s 19 hours — the NFL Combine even has it’s own website this year.
There will also be a Super Bowl like “Radio Row” atmosphere at the Indianapolis Convention Center so fans can get instant results — no more “urban legend” results like Deion “Prime Time” Sanders running a “slow”, as he pontificated about it, 4.19 forty-yard dash in secrecy at the 1989 event.
The NFL Combine is part of the annual arduous four-month long “NFL job interview” process for college players to get to their dream destination of being drafted.
The job interview process has four distinctive parts — College Bowl Games, All-Star Games especially the Senior Bowl, the NFL Combine, and Pro Days (private workouts) — that are all extremely important for building a powerful resume for potential players and a successful draft board for NFL personnel departments.
The NFL Combine is such a big deal that approximately 600 NFL Draft evaluators including head coaches, general managers and scouts plus their “favorite” tag-alongs the media — almost 400 credentialed members of the media including BIGPLAY Football — will pack into the Lucas Oil Stadium to watch 331 college players do whatever is asked of them in shorts and tee shirts.
These poor kids will be stamped with their cattle number like “QB03″ and then they will be poked and prodded every which way to Sunday as they will be interviewed, examined, x-rayed, measured, run all over, made to jump, twisted, bent, interrogated on their past… you name it, all to enhance their spot in the upcoming 2009 NFL Draft in April.
With this year’s success of rookie difference-makers like Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, Philadelphia Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson, New Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo, Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte and others, the importance of building a competitive team through the draft is omnipotent throughout the NFL.
The hoopla over the NFL Combine to me is borderline insanity as most scouts I talk to put more credence in regular season game tape, All-Star game performances, talking with college staffs, bowl games, and almost anything else over seeing guys tested at the combine in t-shirts and shorts.
But statistics show players need to at least go to the NFL Combine, especially early entrants in the draft since they don’t have the advantage of going to College All-Star games — in the 2006 Draft of the 330 players invited to the NFL Combine, 222 were drafted.
The NFL Combine is also a setting where the entire NFL’s traveling show (NFL Coaches, Scouts, GM’s, media, etc) comes to Indy allowing teams to talk shop with each other around impending Free Agency (February 27th), franchised players, possible trades of disgruntled players or draft picks, and the scene is a continuation of the NFL’s convention like atmosphere that was started at the Senior Bowl and Super Bowl.
However teams have to guard against the “love” factor at the NFL Combine as every year some teams gets an “I gotta have him” attitude usually leading to draft day moves based solely on a player’s work at the NFL Combine (see Eagles 1995 first round draft pick and 7th overall pick DE Mike Mamula — moved up the board from a 2nd or 3rd round pick to a top ten pick mostly based on his high marks at the combine).
Agents representing these prized NFL recruits definitely know what is at stake at the NFL Combine as in recent years they are pulling their player clients off of college campuses to pre-combine workout facilities.
The reason for the intense preparation for the NFL Combine is plain and simple…MONEY in the form of rookie contracts — 2008 NFL Draft first overall selection Dolphins offensive tackle Jake Long signed a rookie contract for the terms 5 years, $57.5 Million dollars including a signing bonus of $30 Million dollars.
At pre-combine training camps in Florida, Texas, Arizona, and Southern California, players learn everything from interviewing skills, how to take the Wonderlic Test, explosive running techniques and pumping iron.
225-Pound Bench Press – This is the second most talked about event of the combine as everyone the same as when I was in high school wants to know “What can you bench??” At the combine everyone except quarterbacks and wide receivers are required to show how many reps they can do at two twenty-five. Of course this event is led by famous loud mouth Arizona Cardinals Strength and Conditioning Coach John Lott — “Come on Meat, HUP, HUP!!” Remember that players with longer arms have a tougher time pumping out reps and shorter squat guys usually can do some good damage in this event. To show you the importance/non-importance of this event, the record holder former Ohio State DE/LB Mike Kudla (45 reps in 2006) wasn’t even drafted.
Standing Vertical Jump – This event shows the explosiveness of players from a still position. With the NFL passing game based a lot of times on jump balls this event is of ought most importance to receivers and defensive backs. From a flat-footed position the player jumps up and smacks at plastic flags on a pole. When you watch this event think of explosive Niners TE Vernon Davis, who had a tight end record of 42 inches at the 2006 combine.
Broad Jump – Another explosion drill. From a standing position a player’s lower body strength is tested as squat and jump forward as far as they can. This event is usually led by the running backs. Jumps are measured from the starting point to the player’s back heel.
Three Cone Drill – This event is a test of a player’s speed, agility and cutting ability. Three cones are set up in an “L “shape (triangular format) with 5 yards between each of them. From a three-point stance at the first cone, on a coaches whistle the player has to sprint five yards ahead to the first cone then touch a white line — then sprint back to the starting cone touching a white line there — then running to the outside of the second cone – then cutting right to circle around the third cone – then finishing by running around the second cone and returning to the first cone. This sounds exhausting just thinking about running this drill.
20-Yard Shuttle – This is the old fashioned test most of us did in the Presidential Physical Fitness challenge, remember how much fun that was in fifth grade. This drill tests speed, agility, and coordination. From a three point stance on a whistle a player runs 5 yards to one side touches the yard line – then runs ten yards in the other direction touches the line there and runs back to the original line.
60-Yard Shuttle – Same as the twenty-yard shuttle, but longer. This time the player has to go 10 yards to a line then 5 yards back then 10 yards the other way then 20 yards back and finishes this time 10 yards to the starting point. This is an endurance monster, sorry Big Boys on the O-Line.
Position Drills – This is my favorite event at the combine, because position coaches know what specific practice drills that their position players need to know to succeed. They design ball motion drills usually around blocking dummies. I love watching the D-Lineman practicing their rip moves and running full force at a blocking dummy. Also watch for receivers running routes, quarterbacks being asked to throw the infamous out-pattern to the far sideline, and college defensive ends trying to make the transition to linebacker in the NFL trying to catch the ball – at the 2007 event a former NFL coach working for the NFL Network called several non-catchers “volleyball” players as passes bounced off their hands.
4.19 – Deion Sanders (DB), Florida State – 1989 (Hand Timed)
4.24 – Chris Johnson (RB), East Carolina – 2008
4.24 – Rondel Melendez (WR), Eastern Kentucky – 1999
4.28 – Jerome Mathis, (WR), Hampton – 2005 (electronic)
4.29 – Fabian Washington, (CB), Nebraska – 2005
4.30 – Darrent Williams, (CB), Oklahoma State – 2005
4.30 – Yamon Figurs, (WR), Kansas State – 2007
45 – Leif Larsen, (DT), Texas-El Paso – 2000
45 – Mike Kudla, (DE), Ohio State – 2006
44 – Brodrick Bunkley, (DT), Florida State – 2006
43 – Scott Young, (OG), BYU – 2005
42 – Isaac Sopoaga, (DT), Hawaii – 2004
Best Vertical (Who are these guys???)
46 – Gerald Sensabaugh, (FS), North Carolina – 2005
45 1/2 – Derek Wake, (OLB), Penn State – 2005
45 – Chris McKenzie, (CB), Arizona State – 2005
45 – Chris Chambers, (WR), Wisconsin – 2001
43 1/2 – Dustin Fox, (FS), Ohio State – 2005
43 1/2 – Kevin Kasper, (WR), Iowa – 2001
1.43 – Aundrae Allison, (WR), East Carolina – 2007
1.43 – Eric Weddle, (SS), Utah – 2007
1.43 – Marcus McCauley, (CB), Fresno State – 2007
1.45 – Leon Hall, (CB), Michigan – 2007
1.46 – Colin Branch, (FS), Stanford – 2003
3.73 – Kevin Kasper, (WR), Iowa – 2001
3.76 – Deion Branch, (WR), Louisville – 2002
3.78 – Dunta Robinson, (CB), South Carolina – 2004
3.82 – Dante’ Hall, (RB), Texas A&M – 2000
3.83 – Kevin Bentley, (OLB), Northwestern – 2002
6.45 – Sedrick Curry, (CB), Texas A&M – 2000
6.48 – Rogers Beckett, (FS), Marshall – 2000
6.49 – Carlos Rogers, (CB), Auburn – 2005
6.50 – Leon Hall, (CB), Michigan – 2007
6.51 – Jon McGraw, (SS), Kansas State – 2002