NFL Combine: If you scared go to church, um...I mean Pro Day

The NFL Combine has been around since 1982. It started out as a small event that not even all teams participated in to begin with. In 1985, all teams began participation in the combine making it an annual event. It started out as the end all be all for evaluations of draft eligible college players.

Soon, individual workouts became the "in" thing to do with teams flying in players for personal workouts and universities holding pro days where NFL scouts would visit campuses to evaluate universities' draft eligible players.

The individual workouts and pro days were the demise of the mystique and stigma of the NFL combine. Star players would elect to not workout at the combine and defer to workout at their pro day. Star players cited to be more comfortable on their home turf and that they would perform better. I agree with the star players decision to not compete to a degree, but what a farce. I mean, what is going to happen when you are on the road against a hostile crowd and the player you are going up against is a bona-fide Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer. Instead, star players were at the combine just to be measured and interviewed, but not do what they were eventually going to be paid millions of dollars to do which is compete, and that was left to the below the radar guys fighting to get drafted.

The trend was as popular as steroids in baseball. The great Peyton Manning even skipped the workouts at the combine as did several NFL Pro Bowlers, which is another reason why I didn't blame star players for not working out. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Of course the fans want to see the players participate in all drills and show what they got, but as a GM you want to see players compete as well.

Football one of the most physical sports is also one of the most mental sports in terms of pure mental toughness. I hope to one day have kids and tell them this saying so that it will seem more stoic than it is about to right now, but "you can learn a lot from a man by how he plays football." No, working out at the combine is not playing football, but if a "football player" backs away from a workout there is no telling what they are going to do in sticky situations when the pads are on.

In recent years, players have been more aggressive and compted at the combine. Star players who in years past wouldn't have run the 40 yard dash are now running. Case in point, two years ago, Calvin Johnson, the clear cut number one wideout going into the draft, decided at the last minute to run the 40 yard dash. To be frank, he manned up and not only took the challenge, but made everyone else who didn't take the challenge to particpate in all drills at the combine look like a female body part as he ran a 4.35 40 yard dash and solidified his selection as the first recevier off the board.

I say all that to say this. Matthew Stafford is/maybe was the number one QB coming into this draft. He particpated in some drills but not the most important for QBs which is the throwing session. Mark Sanchez who now may be the number one QB coming into this draft elected to throw at the combine. I feel that Sanchez had more to lose because he is only a one-year wonder(starter), and was throwing away from home. His best bet would have been to wait until the USC pro day and perform on his own territory where he would have been more comfortable. Instead, he manned up and competed. He didn't have a great workout, but he had a solid workout. The intangible and most beneficial thing to Sanchez's cause was that he competed and many scouts and GMs came away from Indy apprecitive of Sanchez's fearlessness to workout. They deemed him to have the "it" factor over Stafford.

Stafford will work out of course at the UGA pro day as will Sanchez at USC's pro day. But clearly now the pressure is on Stafford to prove himself. You can't fully blame Stafford, because GMs make moves like that all the time on draft day, selecting a player off of measureables and how much of a safe sure fire pick a player seems to be and not game film. I live for the day when all athletes workout at the combine, and GMs have enough moxy to select a cornerback in the first round who ran a 4.6 40 yard dash, but interviewed well, performed well in all other drills, his game tape speaks for itself and rewards that GMs gamble to the world but smart decision to himself with a great career.


Peace,


Ricky Writer