FanPost

Grain of Salt !

The names are now familiar. The 40 times , the reach , vertical and broad jumps. The results are in. Stars were born. The contorted wishes of this guy falling and that team drafts him and we get this guy and then we can trade down and maybe they trade a second for Felix ( always love the over value of fans) . Or I would never take that guy, he is going to be a bust. The machinations have only just begun.

When you realize the combine is over and your bills are due and life goes on and wondering , what am I going to do now with my scout wannabe life. Allow me to ease your mind and fill the void. We still have pro days. Enough time for potential players to get fat and slower or busted. Enough time for you to view youtube one million times in the next 5 days.

The combine in this case is not a machine for harvesting rice. It's an event. For draftniks it's our time to show Nfl gm's how dumb they are. It's where former college players assemble, Running , jumping, catching, slapping blocking dummies All of this in tight spandex that has to make botox injections palatable..There isn't one fan who hasn't said " I would ___________" fill in the blank. So now is your chance. Do you have the right stuff ? Could you do it better ? Do times matter ? How many times has 40 reps or more on the bench been the watermark for stardom regarding d linemen ? Short shuttle. Three cone drill. Are these drills really indicative of an all pro or a special teams player ? Let's look at rb. The year is 2009. His pro day, this running back ran a 4.69 40. He benched 225lbs 23 times.. His short shuttle times were .03 above normal for his position. All of this without pads or getting pressured from defenders. He is 6'1" and weighs 230lbs. Would you draft him ? The 40 yard dash says he is slow. His short shuttle time says he can't change direction. Could you pull the trigger ? Would you put your job on the line ? He didn't get drafted. Gm's said he wasn't worthy of a draft choice. You'll have an occasional lobotomy pick , I am looking at you Tennessee Titans and Chris Henry. Jets and Gholston.

And now 50% want Poe. 50% want Irvin. The other half wants DeCastro. The remaining 40% want Melvin Ingram. Sitting in front of your tv watching these Titans participate in a job interview. Suddenly every fan in unison has a eureka moment. WOW , did you see Irvin's time ? WOW did you see Poe ? He of the 346lbs body jettisoning himself down the field like a Freightliner. Ingram shows quickness that we haven't seen in a certain lolb in Dallas. DeCastro was being hailed by the nfl tv crew as the greatest thing since money. Irvin runs like a gazelle. He has to be the pick says poster a. Poster b , after seeing Poe no doubt, take him and never look back. Poster c, maybe we can trade down and still get Poe in the first and Irvin in the second and, and ,and so it continues.

Relax folks. The combine is a lot of fun for us fans. I look forward to it every year. I love the discussion and passion it brings. However now is the time for scouts and gm's to see how the combine results correlate with the film. And if it doesn't to try and fill in the blanks. In the mean time we fans can continue our fantasy about being a gm or scout and cuss or discuss players, trades and future cuts and what we would do. Oh and that rb from 09, well he has scored 33 td's in three seasons. If he played in Dallas he would easily be the best rb in Dallas since Emmitt. He can run by you or over you. His name is Arian Foster.

Instincts, mental aptitude, physical ability are all given equal consideration. Of those three how would you prioritize them ? Footwork, explosion off the line. Hand punch. Wasted movement. Sloppy feet . Clean release. Ability to jam and turn and run. How quickly can you get to full speed ? These are just a few of the things on the field to consider. How many kids do you have ? How many times have you been arrested ? Why did you attend Alabama and why did the coach give you a Hummer to drive ? How many girl friends do you have currently ? These are just a few of the things off the field to consider. So as you have your daily epiphany ,remember to enjoy the ride folks and relax. It was one player, no pads vs air. Exercising the grain if salt theory would do one well over the next few weeks.

Another user-created commentary provided by a BTB reader.