SDOGO

It took only a matter of minutes after the first 40 at this years combine was run for the critics to start the debate that has been going for years. I don't think a post I made about an impressive 40 time lasted a whole 30 seconds with out the first, "what does it matter" comment drilling it's way into the topic.

What I hope to do is explain to some of you why these drills are run and what exactly they do mean. I'll focus on the 40 because that always seems to be the hop topic but by the end hopefully you will see how every other drill applys to the theory.

Drills at the combine are two part. 1 part for the player to show his speed, power and athletic ability and 1 part for the scouts to gather just that much more information about the player. It's not unusual for the top players in the country to skip the drills. Basically, they have nothing to gain. Why risk a poor showing or injury when you are already considered a top 10 pick? With that said, we now focus on why anyone would want to take part and for that matter why the 40 times for a 350 pound OT really does matter.

We will us an example that I hope everyone can follow. Say, you go the car lot. Sitting on that lot are 2 indetical cars. Same color, same features everything is the same down to the motor size. All you know about the cars is what you have seen and read. How would you seperate the 2 cars? Which is better? Obviously you would test drive the cars. Take it out on the highway and let it lose. No, your not going to run 115 down the interstate everytime you get it on the road but you want to see what they have. Which car feels better. Which one has handles better. Which one has that little extra zip when you hammer the gas.

It's the same with the players. We know who the top players are but there are 10-15 players at every position who are like those cars. They are all grouped together. Not much separating them. GM's and scouts are trying to get all the info together they can that may help seperate one of them from the pack. Sort of like taking them out for the test drive.

These drill are not about the top players, they are about that group of players trying to move themsleves up in the draft and seperate themselves from the bunch.

It's been the media and the couch scouts that have lost vision of that. The assumption is that scouts base draft position on 40 times alone. It's not that at all. When Joe Blow who is a 4th or 5th round pick comes out and runs an impressive 40 time in the low 4.5 range he grabs some attention. He was already evaluated on his play before this. It's why he was projected in the 4th or 5th but what he did is just put himself a notch above the other Joe Blows at the same position who were also projected in the 4th or 5th round who ran in the high 4.8's.

You see, it's not that a 40 time can take a unknown and vault him to the 1st round. It's that a unkown can grab some attention and seperate himself from the others.

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Predator

All I know is, I wouldn't draft a guy named "Joe Blow".

SDOGO

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Moe

then watch game tape. Not even close to a reasonable analogy.

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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PeanutTillman)</div>Pass to Pinky game

SDOGO

Wow, you missed it big time.

If you don't think the guys making the decision have not poured over hours of tape by now then your not as swift as I thought you were. You can go over 100 hours of tape on several guys and still have them neck and neck in your rankings. What do you use to seperate then?

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Moe

Missed what? A nonexistant point? If you have only heard about them, watch game tape. It trumps all t-shirt and shorts tests.

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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PeanutTillman)</div>Pass to Pinky game

SDOGO

Dude....read


Please

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Moe

I read the entire thing twice just to make sure I didn't miss anything. I don't agree and maybe even less so now that you told me to read it again

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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PeanutTillman)</div>Pass to Pinky game

Moe

TO ran a 4.56 yeah okay... I'd love to see a fast LB try to cover him.

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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PeanutTillman)</div>Pass to Pinky game

SDOGO

ok moe

I'll chalk it up to a off night for ya considering the fact I clearly explained that a good majority of film has been analyzed to death by this point yet somehow you keep missing that.

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