INDIANAPOLIS -- Checking in from my little corner of the NFL Scouting Combine, which really gets going Thursday...
1. By now, you probably know what goes on here at the Combine, what it's all about, why it matters and why people watch. Yes, much of it is on television now because we love football -- even when it's not really football, even in late February. The NFL has descended upon Indianapolis for this annual event that brings 300+ draft prospects to one place for what's essentially a week -- the players are here three days at a time, by position -- of poking, prodding, talking and a little bit of running. Get ready for lots of hyperbole and lots of large men in spandex. And remember it's all because we love football, and that the biggest storyline is that eight or so days from now we might not have football due to the looming lockout. All 32 coaches and general managers have been called to a special meeting Thursday evening to discuss policies and procedures as part of preparing for that lockout, which figures to get ugly and could loom through the summer. Eventually, we have a resolution that will allow everyone to get back to work and making money; nobody does like that the NFL, and no other league comes close to staying in the news 364 days a year. This thing will get figured out. It's not just that we love football; it's that everybody involved knows how much we love it.
2. Before the first group of large men in spandex hit your TV screen Saturday morning, they'll be large men in hospital gowns undergoing medical checks by 32 sets of doctors. Then they'll be large, tired men in oversized sweatshirts taking psychological exams and the Wonderlic IQ test. Then they'll be large men getting a chance to make money with strong handshakes and sharp answers in the formal interviews held each night. Some teams use these interviews to gauge football acumen. Some use them to clear up off-the-field incidents that might cost a player money on draft day (and beyond). Some players have actually been known to tell the whole (extended) truth, and the ones that choose the other path generally get caught. Some really shine in these sessions. Chances are, Cam Newton won't be answering questions about his favorite vacation spots. Teams want to believe that they're investing their money well. In many cases, this is the first up-close exposure for coaches and general managers and that can be important.
3. About Cam Newton (and others) and the thought that he (they) can "improve their stock" or "skyrocket up draft boards" with a strong performance in the actual on-field part here this week. In a word, no. Newton is obviously a physical freak, obviously an enigma and obviously capable of running fast, throwing far and impressing people who want to be impressed. He just had a Vince Young-type college dream season, and there's some thought he's the closest thing to Ben Roethlisberger -- the football-playing version, not the college-bar-attending version -- to hit the league since Ben Roethlsberger. But Newton is going to have to prove to teams in the interview room and classroom that he's worth the investment and is driven to be great, then he's going to have spend hundreds of hours in the classroom and with his coaches and fellow QBs and really throw himself at being great. Could it happen? Sure. The dude has amazing talent. Will it happen? As usual, we don't know. And we get zero real answers this weekend. If a guy is going to run 4.28 in the 40-yard dash here, chances are his game film from last fall shows that he's really, really fast. If a guy shows up at 260 pounds with three percent body fat but his film shows he was a pudgy 290 and always tired, he either has the best trainer in history or a visit with the NFL's steroid tester. This process brings out the truth, paints and picture and gives every team an equal chance to make smart, prudent picks. It's no coincidence that the teams still playing each January are generally the teams that do the best job each year in late April.
4. I started by saying you probably knew what goes on here, then I went ahead and told you what goes on here. Awesome, eh? I'd love to do some scene-setting for you, but the doors to Lucas Oil Stadium are currently locked. A winter storm is coming, Jimmy John's delivers and the Browns' folks are staying at a shiny-new fancy hotel built as part of the plan to bring next year's Super Bowl here. Riveting, eh? We'll dig into details beginning Thursday when the Combine really gets rolling, the media center starts buzzing and the large men in spandex and sweatshirts start talking about what they've been doing here. If all goes well we'll have video and plenty of updates throughout the weekend and into next week right here on FoxSportsOhio.com.
5. In case you've become a hoop-head or a shut-in over the last few weeks and forgotten about where your favorite NFL teams stand, here's a quick refresher. The Browns pick 6th in the draft, have a new head coach and have lots of holes to fill. Tomorrow we'll explore the debate of using that high pick on A.J. Green vs. using it on a defensive player. The Bengals pick 4th, may or may not want a quarterback, may or may not be looking to unload Chad and probably couldn't go wrong in using that pick on a defensive player or Mr. Green. Or Mr. Newton. Those Bengals, they're always full of surprises. This corner isn't expecting Marvin Lewis to be wearing a smile when he makes his Combine media-room appearance (I'll check and post the tentative schedule as soon as I see it), but that's what the Combine is all about: starting anew, defeating preconceived notions and charting a direction forward. And large men in spandex.
We'll chat again soon and often...
