How would you fans feel if it was mandatory for the participants to participate in all drills unless an injury prevents them. I know it has to do with strategy in draft value, but what is the point of kids going there just to do one event? Why not just exempt them until pro-day and let someone else take their slot. Thoughts?
I was thinking about this yesterday - if you attend, you participate in ALL drills unless medically waived not to.Pretty damn simple to me.I'd also let all SENIORS who qualify work out at the combine. Limit the number of Juniors somehow. Instead of the 335 hand picked selections.
How would you fans feel if it was mandatory for the participants to participate in all drills unless an injury prevents them. I know it has to do with strategy in draft value, but what is the point of kids going there just to do one event? Why not just exempt them until pro-day and let someone else take their slot. Thoughts?
1. how could the NFL do that?2. see #1, especially with some kid who say he has a tweaked hammy or bad backThere is NOTHING for a premium player to gain by doing any of the combine stuff, other than maybe the interviews. From a football perspective, the combine is for guys who are NOT premium picks, who want elevate opinions formed by scouts watching them in pads by running strange drills in shorts. From a business perspective, the combine is about money to the NFL . . . but that doesn't mean that they can force a player to participate. The NFL wants them there though, so they will not push them aside even if they want to do only one drill.
Not sure how they can make changes like this when technically all of these players are not under the jurisdiction of the NFL until they get drafted. Not sure if the CBA has anything in it regarding what can and cannot be tampered with but Im guessing there is something in there.I would rather see them get more position specific on some things and do away with the meaningless ones. Honestly, I could care less what an OL runs a 40 in or how high they can jump.
A premium player? BS in my mind. If I was running the show - prove it against your peers, or don't show up at all.Stupid for these guys standing around doing nothing except taking up O2.The combine is a business of player evaluation. These guys already are being groomed to have an overactive sense of entitlement as it is... I'm not down with that.
I personally don't care if players choose to not do certain drills.
How would you fans feel if it was mandatory for the participants to participate in all drills unless an injury prevents them. I know it has to do with strategy in draft value, but what is the point of kids going there just to do one event? Why not just exempt them until pro-day and let someone else take their slot. Thoughts?
1. how could the NFL do that?2. see #1, especially with some kid who say he has a tweaked hammy or bad backThere is NOTHING for a premium player to gain by doing any of the combine stuff, other than maybe the interviews. From a football perspective, the combine is for guys who are NOT premium picks, who want elevate opinions formed by scouts watching them in pads by running strange drills in shorts. From a business perspective, the combine is about money to the NFL . . . but that doesn't mean that they can force a player to participate. The NFL wants them there though, so they will not push them aside even if they want to do only one drill.
This
A premium player? BS in my mind. If I was running the show - prove it against your peers, or don't show up at all.
they did -- in pads and in real games. that is why they have nothing to gain by participating in broad jumps etc.
How would you fans feel if it was mandatory for the participants to participate in all drills unless an injury prevents them. I know it has to do with strategy in draft value, but what is the point of kids going there just to do one event? Why not just exempt them until pro-day and let someone else take their slot. Thoughts?
1. how could the NFL do that?2. see #1, especially with some kid who say he has a tweaked hammy or bad backThere is NOTHING for a premium player to gain by doing any of the combine stuff, other than maybe the interviews. From a football perspective, the combine is for guys who are NOT premium picks, who want elevate opinions formed by scouts watching them in pads by running strange drills in shorts. From a business perspective, the combine is about money to the NFL . . . but that doesn't mean that they can force a player to participate. The NFL wants them there though, so they will not push them aside even if they want to do only one drill.
Thats why I said unless an injury prevents them. Interviews and drills could be done at pro-days for the premium players. What is the point of them being there if they are not going to participate in drills. Why not let the lower end guys take those spots?
Maybe the participants should be there by application rather than invitation? Check the box if you plan to perform. If not, let someone else in...
A premium player? BS in my mind. If I was running the show - prove it against your peers, or don't show up at all.
they did -- in pads and in real games. that is why they have nothing to gain by participating in broad jumps etc.
Then don't have it... To me its a black and white issue.Many may not feel this way, But I do - strongly.(edit) - they proven it against opposing players - not of the same position (their peers)
I think the problem with the thread is that it's got things backwards.The combine is a favor to the NFL, not to the players. It basically saves the NFL teams a huge amount of work. It's not designed for the players, so the idea that they "apply" is an odd one. They invite the guys the teams most want to see.
hit them where it hurts. install a rule that says any non-participant cannot be drafted in the 1st round. sounds crazy , but sometimes a little crazy works.
A premium player? BS in my mind. If I was running the show - prove it against your peers, or don't show up at all.
they did -- in pads and in real games. that is why they have nothing to gain by participating in broad jumps etc.
Then don't have it... To me its a black and white issue.Many may not feel this way, But I do - strongly.(edit) - they proven it against opposing players - not of the same position (their peers)
I think if you thought of it from the players and agents perspective you would disagree. I heard Tim Brown speak about in on Sirius the other day. His take was that sprinting and broad jumps tell you little about a "football" player to start with and so that he "earned" the right not to participate in the combine when he came out by, essentially, kicking people's asses on the field, in pads . . in actual FOOTBALL competition. He said (correctly, I think) that he had nothing to gain by creating a FALSE comparison. In other words, what difference would it make if another receiver from some smaller school ran faster, if Brown was just a better football player (i.e., he was smarter etc.)? Brown said -- and you have to think about this -- that he works for a group that trains players for the draft, combine pro days etc. He said his training is real world positional training. In other words, how to be a good NFL receivers. He said his training counts for less than 5% of the time these players are in the program, with the remainder of the time largely spent on things like how to "explode out of a running stance" how to "throw arms" during the broad jump, etc. In essence, training to succeed at the combine by practicing NON-FOOTBALL stuff . .. that is a pretty strong indictment of the value of the combine for evaluating football players . .. and helps explain why a "premium " player has nothing to gain by attending. Why should it matter if some kind who is a lte round choice at best runs x tenths of a second faster than, say, Clowney? That only helps the late round pick . . which is not Clowney's responsibility
No team would ever vote for that proposal.
