As we get ready to wrap-up the annual NFL Scouting Combine downtown, I am reminded how little this event really means and how hyped it is. Over 600 media credentials were requested for this years event. The NFL Network has 22 air personalities and producers here and I have been on the phone all week long doing interviews for radio stations all over the country. All that for no real news regarding these players.
     If Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy or Sam Bradford don’t throw (which they didn’t) will that effect their draft status? If Sue or McCoy have slower 40 yard dash times or lift a little less than expected, will they slip? Of course not. Bill Parcells said it best when he said “I need football players, not Olympians.”
      This is not 1977 anymore. Coaches and scouts don’t need to look at a guy to evaluate his talent. This is 2010 and EVERYONE has tape and advanced scouting. If you are a star and speedy wide receiver at Hanover College or USC, someone will see you. This is a great time for technology and information. If you have the game, someone will see you. A workout doing the shuttle run and cone drill won’t matter much.
     The ONLY vital parts of the NFL Combine are the medical tests and interviews. If a player makes an ass of himself (Ryan Leaf) and a player dazzles (Peyton Manning) in the interview process, it can mean the difference between getting picked one spot or the other or one round or the other. I wish the NFL Network would televise THAT!
      There is no more overrated and over hyped event like the NFL Combine. Aside from the previously mentioned items and the meetings and schmoozing done by the agents and GM’s, this is awful to watch and cover. While it does serve a purpose, is 24 hour coverage really necessary? I don’t care of Jimmy Clausen has a great vertical. I do care if he is on tape breaking down a 3-4 defense in a pro-style offense. Aside from the medical and interviews, the combine can only hurt a player of potentially decent ability. A late round guy can work his way up, but the blue-chippers can only fall if they work out and THEN they will still be drafted in front of those “workout warriors.”

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