Buccaneers: Three Simple Rules for Watching the NFL Combine

Take Numbers with a Grain of Salt

The numbers that these young players put up in Indianapolis can be exciting. Most of us remember when Chris Johnson posted a 4.24 time in the forty yard dash, still a record today. It’s easy to get excited watching the skilled position players run the dash. After all, their game is in part about speed. It gets the athlete in all of us, even the latent one in my case, going to watch these guys run fast.

How about when they flash to the bench press? Isn’t it cool when these linemen due 20 or 30 reps, sometimes more, on the bench? All of us, even the scrawny guys like myself, wish we could do it. We also envision these strong players throwing around our team’s opponents like rag dolls. We imagine defensive linemen running over linemen and backs like they aren’t even there on their way to the quarterback.

Remember, however, that these are isolated drills. The 40 yard dash is out of context. It’s not very often that straight-line speed is a factor during the game. If a lineman doesn’t have proper technique, it will make no difference how strong he is. He will find his rear end on the ground, and soon enough on the bench.

Enjoy the measurable numbers, but don’t treat them as the most important notes to make on a player.