Monday, February 28, 2011

Greg McElroy aces Wonderlic test, we still don't get the NFL Scouting combine

Cam Newton/Courtesy: Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Maybe we are the only "Sports" fans in the free civilized world that don't get the mass hysteria known as the NFL Scouting Combine. Is it ignorance on our part? No. Is it cynicism on our part? Probably.

Here's a prime example as what qualifies as "Combine Breaking News". Former Alabama Quarterback Greg McElroy got a 48 out of 50 on the NFL Wonderlic test. Oh my GOD! Sign him up! He should be a first round pick now!

Read the story from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram RIGHT HERE

Here's another example: Cam Newton threw the football at the combine in Indianapolis, he didn't "WOW" anyone. Oh my GOD! His stock is FALLING! He's not a 1st Round Pick! Oh my GOD! Yeah, right. Don't forget peeps, he still has a "Pro Day" to throw the ball.

Read more from our friends at ProFootballTalk RIGHT HERE

Really, we don't get why this is SUCH a huge deal. You've got a building full of NFL Scouts and GM's and Coaches who talk to these players, and measure them and do creepy things to them you'd never normally be able to. What is even creepier? The amount of people who sit in front of their TV's spending the day staring at the coverage on the NFL Network.

More importantly, it's almost like a "Spring Break" to writers. Every outlet imaginable, every blog that could get a credential, every TV guy that could convince their bosses to fund a trip, is there. And they report on even the smallest of minutiae and wonder what it all means. Oh my GOD! Julio Jones ran a 4.39, 40-yard dash, AJ Green only did it in 4.4 something, Jones will pass Green to be the top Wide Receiver! Oh my GOD!

Settle down people. Is there that marked a difference between running a 4.39 and 4.45? Is life going to end for someone because they only lifted 225 lbs 25 times instead on 20?

Now. While we understand that this event is a chance for scouts to see players and work them out, we still think it's over-emphasized. Remember, almost every person in Indianapolis will be working out during a "Pro-Day" at their's or another nearby school. They and the hundreds of players not attending the event will work out privately and in person for every scout, GM and coach in attendance. The only group that may not be there....all the writers.

We thought for the longest time that College Football's signing day was one of the most "Over-Hyped" thing in Sports today. And we still feel that way, but the NFL Combine, is closing in on it, fast.

Here is some video from a guy with a HandyCam shooting the Cam Newton presser on Saturday. It's really kind of scary just how many "Media" guys were actually there to document this dramatic speech.



And Pro Football Weekly speculates that Blaine Gabbert trumps Cam Newton....and we laugh:

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