Why Combines Matter (VirginiaPreps.com)
Why Combines Matter
Rod Johnson, Senior Editor, VirginiaPreps.com
April 20, 2009
A question that I am often asked and one that I wonder about myself is, "Why do combines matter?". Trust me, on those beautiful days when I am standing on a random football field taking photos and notes rather than reading a bogey putt on a local golf course, I ask myself that often!
But, from both an athlete's and writer's perspective, there are three main reasons why we pay attention to prospects running through drills in shorts and those reasons were exposed by the performance of eight athletes at a recently held Nike combine in Baltimore.
Getting on the Radar
For an athlete, a combine is a chance to show athletic ability without relying on anyone else. The player need not wait for a coach to call a play for him, he need not worry about covering up for a weaker teammate, and he need not be concerned about an offense avoiding him. He need only to show up and attack the drills one-on-one and show off his athletic potential.
For VirginiaPreps.com, combines are a place which allows us to closely see and interact with hundreds of players from across the region in one place at one time. Media-wise, combines, along with 7 x 7 passing events, are events covered exclusively by internet sites so I use these events as much as possibly to get ahead of newspapers, radio and TV stations to get to know the athletes across the state. Our goal is to be the number one resource in the state for football coverage and the combines are the number one event playing into that goal.
Three players who jumped onto my radar screen based on the fact that they were named to the All-Nike combine team were...
Player Height Weight Forty Shuttle Powerball Vertical SPARQ Combine Note
Sidney Brown (WR) 6-1 184 4.64 4.34 35.6' 34.5" 94.71 43 catches for 908 yards and 15 TD's in 2008
Idreis Augustus (ATH) 5-8 182 4.57 4.21 32.0' 32.7" 92.76 All-Metro honors from Washington Post in 2008
Devin Cain (LB) 6-0 1/2 207 4.28 4.50 39.0' 33.5" 92.91 Will be one to watch
Improving Stock
There are several reasons why a player might be undervalued on the recruiting scene -- being overshadowed by a higher profile teammate, playing out of position to help the high school team, not having film sent out to colleges and recruiting sites, or being a late bloomer who doesn't grow into body until junior or senior season. Combines can remedy all of those situations because, as previously stated, it is the one of a few chances that an individual in a team sport has to shine all by himself.
For a writer, combines are a great place to check on validity of previously received information. I get to stand next to a kid I was told was 6-feet tall, I get to how a kid competes and interacts with other players, and I get to see them show off their speed, explosive ability and techniques. In the best case scenario, I get to see that a player has gotten bigger, faster and stronger in the offseason or I get to see that he competes better than I thought he would with higher profile players.
Three players jumped up a bit in my mind at Baltimore as they earned spots on the All-Nike team...
Player Height Weight Forty Shuttle Powerball Vertical SPARQ Combine Note
Michael Justice (OL) 6-6 1/2 266 5.48 5.01 35.6' 20.2" 55.08 Good combo of frame and mobility
A.J. Scott (OL) 6-5 260 5.16 4.63 40.0' 23.4" 63.60 All-County honors in 2008
Cam Carter (OL) 6-2 370 6.27 5.34 38.0' 19.6" 76.95 Has chance to be special
Prove Worthy of Hype
Players who have already received scholarship offers and recruiting attention rarely need to make the rounds on the combine circuit as they have already been seen and evaluated favorably, but they do so because they want to compete, continue to improve and show that they are worth the attention that they have been getting. Let's face it, any athlete worth his salt has an internal fire that drives him to want to be the best and many times, highly-ranked prospects want to prove that they are not a media-created monster. Combines are the best chance to back up the hype in the offseason.
As a recruiting analyst, I want to use combines to double-check myself. I want to see that a player is as fast as I thought, I want to see that he doesn't slack off in drills and that competes hard throughout the day. Basically, I want to validate my opinion of the player. I want to make sure that the kid who I have highly ranked can walk into an event against other elite athletes and still stand out. Combines allow me to see players from a number of different teams standing and competing against each other in one spot. It's absolutely invaluable to me.
Two players who have been touted by VirginiaPreps.com, showed that they are indeed among the best of the best with their performances...
Player Height Weight Forty Shuttle Powerball Vertical SPARQ Combine Note
Quinton Spain (OL) 6-6 333 5.37 4.97 30.0' 21.1" 63.60 Moves well for 333-pounder
Corey Marshall (DL) 6-0 1/2 251 4.99 4.41 39.6' 32.8" 102.39 127 tackles and 12 sacks as soph
Once we've seen a kid at a combine, the evaluation process is in no way complete, it is just one step. But, it may be the first step in me trying to get game film, call coaches for evaluations or schedule myslef to go to one of the kid's game.
**Combine notes and numbers from ESPN.com coverage**