Baseball has often been called “America’s Pastime” but I often say it’s “past it’s time.” Conversely, Football is America’s passion and there’s no denying it, just look at the tv ratings, not only for the Super Bowl, but week in, week out in the NFL and college football. Heck, go look at ratings for mid-level bowl games like The Independence Bowl which does better TV ratings than some MLB and NBA Playoff games.
Nonetheless, as the NFL descends upon Indianapolis this week, and the NFL Network broadcasts wall-to-wall coverage, we’ll be fooled into thinking the annual college scouting combine is the be-all and end-all when it comes to determining who’s going to be the next franchise savior…it’s not.
The most practical talent evaluators do use it as a metric, but it’s just that, one measurement. For starters, players are in their underwear. While they’re not sporting Calvin Klein or Fruit of the Loom boxer briefs, the Under Armour gear that they wear isn’t much more than their skivvies. The last football game I watched was Super Bowl 50 where The Broncos beat Carolina 24-10. In that game, as well as every tackle football game played this year in The NFL, College, High School and even into lower levels across the country, players wore helmets and pads. Not one time did a player line up on either side of the football without a helmet and pads on. Yet, how guys perform throwing, running and catching in compression shorts and shirts, as well as running in track shoes can make or break a young man’s future.
Was it cool when Chris Johnson, a little-known running back out of East Carolina, ran a 4.24 40-yard dash, sure. And watching Stephen Paea bench press 225-pounds 47 times may have helped his draft status but, it’s all a little misleading.
Some “Draft Experts” will tell you that the off-field time players spend with potential employers is as valuable as the on-field work. A lot is often made about the “Wonderlic Test” which is a 50 question test administered in 12 minutes, and is designed to help determine a player’s cognitive ability. But cognitive function, doesn’t necessarily translate to football success. Unless you’re a fan of Grambling Football, you probably don’t remember Bruce Eugene, but the former Tigers QB posted a 41 on his Wonderlic. . . He never took an NFL snap. Ryan Nassib, the former Syracuse signal caller also scored a 41 — he’s been very good in the NFL —backing up Eli Manning in New York. Speaking of New York, former Jet Greg McElroy posted a 43 — in three years as an NFL QB, he started 1 game, threw 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Currently, McElroy does a superb job working for ESPN as an analyst on the SEC Network.
You hear that guy is good on the white board. Do you know who was good on the white board? Tim Tebow. When The Broncos selected the former Heisman Winner in the first round of the 2010 draft, the one thing then Coach Josh McDaniels couldn’t stop raving about was his ability to memorize plays and draw them up on the white board. While I’ve never talked directly with him about it, I’d be willing to bet Tebow’s memory skills are off the charts. The ability to memorize information and recall it is on full display when he, like McElroy, drops knowledge as an analyst on the SEC Network.
Players at the combine can meet with teams in private for a maximum of 15 minutes. While some of these meetings have forged bonds that have allowed players and teams to become forever intertwined, they can also backfire.
Embroiled Cleveland Browns Quarterback Johnny Manziel was lauded for knowing everyone’s name in the meetings he had with teams at The Combine. What none of those coaches and executives didn’t bother to ask ‘Ol Johnny Football how many VIP Hosts in Vegas does he know the name of? The answer: all of Them!
The list of combine legends is long. But, it can often conjure the phrase, “He looks like Tarzan, but plays like Jane!”
Never was that more apparent then in 1995 when Mike Mamula took the NFL by storm. A projected mid-round pick as a defensive lineman out of Boston College, Mamula shot to the top of draft boards after posting a 4.58 40-yard dash, benching 225, 28 times and posting the second highest Wonderlic test with a 49. For his effort, The Philadelphia Eagles selected him seventh ahead of Hall of Famers Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and Curtis Martin. In six NFL season, Mamula never made a Pro Bowl.
The popularity of the NFL Combine only underlines the popularity of America’s Passion. Just do yourself a favor ‚ as your watching Rich Eisen, Mike Mayock and the boys on NFL Network gush over guys — remember, a young man’s impressive performance in Indy doesn’t mean he’ll one day be putting on a gold jacket in Canton.
