Complete NFL Combine coverage
By Bryan Ault, February 25, 2010
“It’s time to put the hex on,” Arizona Cardinals strength coach John Lott said to the first group of the 2009 NFL Combine. He was the spotter for the combine’s bench press drill.
“It’s time to go to work. You’ll be told by your flashy agents not to do this, but I don’t care. It’s time to battle. It’s time to work.”
Lott’s show is only a small bite of the action and the 2010 version started Wednesday in downtown Indy. NFL head coaches, general managers and hundreds of scouts come to Indy to watch upcoming stars work out on the field.
The players must endure several physical tests, including the famous 40-time, vertical jump and Lott’s wrath. In addition to their performance in front of future employers, they must take an I.Q. test and go through an extensive interview process from league’s 32 teams.
Coaches become familiar with ways to fulfill the needs of their respective teams as they see future stars for the first time.
For league general managers, personnel directors and scouts, it’s the next step in the tedious evaluation process. Having watched the players since two-a-day practices started in training camp last August and having written extensive reports on each after spending hundreds of hours on the road, it’s a confirmation of what they already know as the NFL Draft approaches in April.
The media—more than 500 credentials were issued in 2009—are confined to the East Gate lounge. A giant black curtain blocks all sight of the field. The media big leaguers—like ESPN’s John Clayton, Adam Schefter and Sports Illustrated’s Peter King—along with a host of beat writers from newspapers across the country, are all packed in. Three podiums stand in the center of the room, in which NFL head coaches and top players hold press conferences.
It’s a meeting of the minds, in which everyone comes together for the start of the new season. Issues around the league are far and wide, the most notable being the tug-of-war between the NFL’s Roger Goodell and Maurice Smith of the NFL Players union. Failure to reach an agreement in the near future will result in a “lockout” in 2011, in which a season will not be played. The league is entering an uncapped season, in which teams will be able to spend freely on talent and free agents. And, as always, there’s discussion of officiating.
Check out www.bryanfootball.wordpress.com for coverage of the entire combine throughout the week.
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