National Football Scouting President Jeff Foster said that the organization is "establishing a committee of league executives, scouts, coaches, athletic trainers, team physicians and others to review all phases" of the NFL Combine this week in Indianapolis, according to Tom Pelissero of USA TODAY. The NFL's operations department is also "involved in the process, which will include periodic checkpoints through April's draft and beyond." Foster said that he sees that as a "sign of increased interest at the league level in a possible overhaul amidst evolving technology." Pelissero notes while athletes currently train to have the best 40-yard dash time, those days "could be numbered." During recent months, league officials have "heard presentations from a variety of experts" on the matter, and Commissioner Roger Goodell even toured STRIVR Labs' facilities. To further discussions, the NFL on Wednesday will "hold its first football performance and technology symposium" (USA TODAY 2/22).
MEASURING UP: ESPN's Jim Trotter said of the Combine, "The two things for the combine that are most important are the medical evaluations and the interviews that they do with the players. All this other stuff that we are focusing on, it really doesn't mean a whole lot. You can go through the list of 40 times, bench press, vertical jump and you can see names at the top of those boards over the years who never did anything in the NFL, so that doesn't mean anything. ... So the combine is always looking for ways to improve, but at the end of the day, what's most important from the combine are the medical evaluations and the player interviews" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 2/22).
HEALTH CHECK: In Indianapolis, Dana Hunsinger Benbow noted 300 former college football players will attend the combine, but their first stop in Indy "won't be Lucas Oil Stadium." Instead, they will go to "IU Health Methodist Hospital," where they will "undergo a five-minute EKG test that could make or break their chances." IU Health Methodist Dr. Richard Kovacs said, "We're the choke point. No one goes to Lucas Oil Stadium until they go through us." ESPN analyst Bill Polian said, "The absolute gospel truth is the one and only reason for the combine is the medical tests, and if they did away with everything else ... the combine would still be exceedingly valuable." Hunsinger Benbow noted while results "have not been published," the NFL also recently "completed a five-year study examining how in-depth medical testing at the combine" should be conducted (INDIANAPOLIS STAR 2/20).
