In the first of a four-part series, I will take you inside the NFL Combine from a first-person perspective. The sights, the sounds, the stress and the overall pressure that can weigh down a hopeful player looking to hear his name called in April. Today, the first step for these young men in Indianapolis: the weigh-in. Matt Bowen
In the first of a four-part series, I will take you inside the NFL Combine from a first-person perspective. The sights, the sounds, the stress and the overall pressure that can weigh down a hopeful player looking to hear his name called in April. Today, the first step for these young men in Indianapolis: the weigh-in.
DAY ONE: WEIGH-INS AND MEASURMENTS
The Arrival
Imagine the first day in Indianapolis. You step off the plane, greeted by some low-level member of NFL personnel who then takes you in a minivan to a downtown hotel. You’re given a room key, a roommate and an itinerary that tells you where to be and what to wear — but nothing about what to expect.
At the 2000 NFL Combine, I was handed a pair of shorts that could have been mistaken for NBA shorts from the early ‘80s — short, skimpy and atrocious looking on my skinny white legs. A T-shirt, adorned with a number (because that’s how they identify you). None of this flashy dry-fit technology that you’ll see this year. These were old school T-shirts -- heavy, thick and too big for my lanky frame.
After getting settled, I was ushered (in my Combine digs) downstairs and taken to the RCA Dome in a shuttle bus. My nerves were on fire as I looked around at the other defensive backs on the bus. Some were quiet, while others made sure that everyone on the bus knew who they were, what their college stats were and what round they were going to go in. A lot of first round hopes and nonsense were flying through the air as we arrived at the dome. Funny, but most of those guys talking all that garbage were out of the league within two years. College stats? C’mon, time to move on. That stuff is as useless as a premium beer at a townie bar when it comes to the Combine. You’re there to be judged on what you can do at the next level, not how many picks you had against Vandy or Indiana.
We sat — in a straight line — in cold folding chairs (WWE style) against a far wall in a room the size of a junior high gym. The air was stale, the lights leaked out a bright fluorescent color, and men — each wearing a team insignia somewhere on their body — sat with a clipboard and pen in hand, ready and waiting to judge you. One by one, we marched up on stage. Our names were announced, and the weigh-in and measurements began.
On Display
When you weigh in at the Combine, it’s a little different than the annual physical you take at the doctor’s office. Instead of a small room with wallpaper from the 1970s and a nurse who hates her job by 4 in the afternoon, you’re being watched by more than 300 of the league’s personnel.
Maybe it can be compared to a car auction, or one of those sheep or cow shows at county fairs in places like DeKalb, Ill. There is no place to hide, and those years in college staying up till 3 in the morning pounding down beer after beer — well, they show up on weigh-in day. As do the late-night burritos on campus. One by one, we moved down a seat while we watched in agony as players marched up to the stage in front of the big audience to stand there, look like an idiot and show off their bodies. Maybe this is how strippers feel, we all thought, without the dollar bills and hoots from the crowd. Yes, there are some noises from the gathering of scouts, coaches and front office types, but you didn’t want to hear those. A whispering in the crowd meant you might not be what you were advertised as. There is no way to hide from the scale, and those college programs, well, they’re the farthest thing from the truth. As a senior at Iowa, I was listed at 6-3, 210. Man, I would be lucky to break the 200-pound mark today, and unless I suddenly had a growth spurt waiting in that chair, there was no chance I would even reach 6-2.
I began to sweat thinking about it as I moved closer to the front of the line. The look from the other NFL hopefuls was that of dejected soldiers after losing a battle. And yes, those guys who told me how sweet they were on the bus ride over — they were dead silent. The atmosphere and the reality of the situation had shut them up.
On the Stage
I walked on stage one foot in front of the other, no different than some girl in the Miss America pageant sweating out the swimsuit contest. I stood in the middle of the stage and my number (not my name) was announced — just another person without an identity. I stood on a piece of tape barefoot and shirtless, turned and headed to the scale. I should have stuck a five-pound weight in my pants, I thought as I stepped on the scale, anxiously awaiting the digital number to settle — 202 pounds. Not exactly what I was shooting for, but at least I broke the 200-pound mark.
What happens next is the most degrading part of the Combine. I returned to the tape mark on the ground and stood there while scouts took notes, then was instructed to turn around and stand. I could hear pencils scratching at yellow legal pads — some guy taking notes on the muscle structure on my body. Awful. Next, I had my arms measured, my hands, the distance from my knee to my ankle. Sort of like going to a tailor, but it was your body on display, not a nice three-button charcoal sports coat.
Finally I stood with my back to the wall, a height chart behind me, trying to stretch my body to get as tall as possible. The number was announced: 6-1¼. Ugh. I looked like a great center field prospect, not an NFL strong safety. Tall and lanky were the reports I would get. Lack of muscle structure in his legs. Defined upper body, but doesn’t look powerful.
Thanks. I needed that.
We were ushered out of the room and over to the medical screening area. It was just the beginning. A three-day journey that would equal the stress of an entire season lay ahead. I couldn’t wait for this thing to be over, and we had just started.
Tomorrow: Part II of my Combine series — the medical evaluations.
Good stuff Matt. I love that the NFL Network has the Combine on TV now, but you still can't get the "real" feel of it until you hear it from someone who has been there.
Wow, I always imagined it would be a different experience, but that doesn't sound like fun.
Would guys (especially those spouting their stats) complain about the whole procedure? How soon could you guys see the notes on themselves?
JT-
You an get them from your agent after the Combine has come to the end, or look at any post-combine draft guide. Your "notes" becoming public knowledge pretty quick...
I think everyone was complaining towards the end... It is a brutal experience,
I will be interested to see how the players handle it from a different perspective when I get down to Indy this weekend.
Before our Senior year weigh in, my friends and I got together and just pounded down as much water as we could for about an hour and a half. Drank until we were about to puke. I weighed in about 8 lbs. more than my real weight.
The weight and measure section of the combine always made me think that, this is what a slave auction must have looked like. You are definitely meat on the hoof up there.
b roo - I did the same thing my senior year...
How much did you guys read into the rumor mills about who was going where? Did you google your name every morning to see where you might be going?
Great stuff, Matt. I understand why teams are doing it, but the funny thing to me is always that they may find the best athletes that way, but not necessarily the best football players... I remember the year that the Packers had a No. 5 pick and used it on AJ Hawk. there was a great discussion on how good Vernon Davis was, who then went at No. 6 to the 49ers. Yeah, how he was such an impressive athlete and would "redefine" the TE position - still waiting for that to happen. He must have looked good in shorts, though... probably as good as Reggie Bush that year as No. 2. Not having done that, I can still imagine that it prepares you for one thing - for the next few years, a rookie will be the property of a team, if drafted, and not be a star on campus anymore.
thanks, looking forward to the next few days!
Love the inside angle Matt. That's why I come to the NFP for my football news. No one else has this, and ESPN will catch on and have one of their TV personalities read off some script about howe tough it was for them....
Nice work.
They treat you guys like slaves man......that stuff sounds depressing as hell.
Sounds like draft day in 1965 at the Selective Service receiving station in MKE. You were just another piece of meat, or in those times cannon fodder.
Matt:
Great read, well written, leaving us waiting for the next segment. Certainly nothing like the NFL Network likes to portrait. Paul
"as useless as a premium beer at a townie bar"
HA!!
This was just a GREAT article, Matt! You really brought home what the combine experience is for the guys who are there. ...really personal. Thank you. A couple of quotes that really jumped out:
"Maybe this is how strippers feel, we all thought, without the dollar bills and hoots from the crowd. Yes, there are some noises from the gathering of scouts, coaches and front office types, but you didn’t want to hear those. A whispering in the crowd meant you might not be what you were advertised as."
...the insecurity...the judging...
"I could hear pencils scratching at yellow legal pads — some guy taking notes on the muscle structure on my body. Awful."
...again, the insecurity. These guys are people being sized up like cattle. Other commenters compared it to a slave auction, and that sounds perfect. ...a person being treated as a piece of meat. Wow.
"The number was announced: 6-1¼. Ugh. I looked like a great center field prospect, not an NFL strong safety. Tall and lanky were the reports I would get. Lack of muscle structure in his legs. Defined upper body, but doesn’t look powerful. Thanks. I needed that."
...but at least cattle aren't conscious of being ...what's the word... "limited?" ..."judged," I guess, is the best word.
Again, some of the best writing I've seen in awhile. I mean, forget "sports writing." This is some of the best *writing* I've seen in awhile. You put us "there."
I'm not going to cry too many tears for the guys who go through this, since they'll be compensated well for the experience, but, still... The combine sounds like an ordeal that your average modern person won't get close to facing, and you exposed it for what it is. We greatly appreciate it. Keep up the good work!
Matt,
Die-hard 'Skins fan here. Loved seeing you in burgundy and gold. To say I look forward to your columns as much as I looked forward to seeing you on Sundays would be a huge compliment, but it wouldn't do your writing justice. I was genuinely disapointed to see this article end. Thank god it's only part I. Keep up the good work.
-Mat
Matt,
Great read! It reminded me of the AFEES station in Milwaukee. 15 -20 of us in a circle with a proctologist in the middle. That dude must have finished bottom of class in med school. Loved the townie bar reference. Keep up the good work!
Withoutdoubt-
Appreciate the comments from a Skins' fan--maybe the best fans in the league, on the same level as the Packer fans....
Matt - as everyone above have said, the "inside the game" perspective you provide is simply something we fans can't find anywhere else. I always look forward to reading your stuff. Hope NFP is paying you well ;)
awesome, love this insight into something I will never experience first hand. looking forward to the rest of your piece.
I'm curious if there's ever been a prospect that got nothing but rave reviews from the Combine. For God's sakes, Ray Lewis was too short leading up to the draft... Joey Galloway maybe?
Maybe Mike Mamula was the perfect prospect, but we all know how that turned out.
Matt,
Terrific job in taking us through the first step at the combine. Fans always think that the life of a pro athlete is all glitz and glamour, and your story shows the other side of it--kind of like the bus rides in minor league baseball, etc. Excellent writing, I can't wait until the next story.
Matt:
How come we havn't had a reality show from ESPN called "Meet on the hoof"? How come the NFL hasn't cashed in on this??
Matt,
I caught that Panchero's reference.
Matt, you gotta write a book, bro.
Thanks Andy for sending me and Frag this link!
In time Terry... working on another book right now about my son and then have a ficiton novel I am working on.
By the way, the combine is way overrated.
It still amazes me that so many guys get judged just as much on how they run in shorts, on a track-like surface, with no pads on, no defense to run around, then they do on their 2, 3, 4 years of ON FIELD action. You know, the actual GAMES.
For me, the combine should be about 1% of the whole thing. If you can't tell who can play or not play after watching them in games, live, or on tape, then you're clueless.
Yes I'm talking to Matt Millen. And anyone who chose David Carr and Joey Harrington ahead of Tom Brady.
Despite these scouts and GMs spending way more time and resources into scouting then guys 20, 30 years ago, they still have huge whiffs just as often as in the 70's and 80's. Many of them do.
How's Troy Williamson working out for you Vikings fans? He ran real fast in Indy at the combine, although he couldn't catch the ball. Still, they chose him at #7 and left Demarcus Ware to go to Dallas and Merriman to San Diego.
Niner GM: Thanks for judging Alex Smith to be better than Aaron Rodgers in 2005, mostly because Smith was physically larger and more athletic. How's that working out? QBs need to be great passers. Always have, always will period. Their primary job is to throw the ball.
Matt -
Praise has already been heaped on you here, and I don't want to swell your head, but I have to say, this is why we all read NFP. You guys KILL IT. Thanks, and keep it up.
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Feb 16, 2009
03:51 PM
Great piece Matt...
I can only imagine what it must have felt like to stand there basically naked like a cow at the slaughter house. Thanks for the perspective.