Thursday NFL Combine Report

by Doug Farrar

From Thursday through Sunday, every day has its own special role for the media at the Combine. If Friday is the media stampede (and it is -- this is when most of the coaches and executives hold their press conferences, along with all the quarterbacks, running backs and receivers) and Saturday and Sunday are the days in which test times are awaited with bated breath so that Internet outlets can fight to break the numbers seconds before the rest, then Thursday is the warmup. There's still a lot going on, though. Offensive linemen, special teamers and tight ends got their time on the podiums today, as did several members of the NFL's executive upper echelon.

Still, tomorrow is when things get REALLY hairy. It has been estimated that 550 credentials have been handed out for this event this year, up from about 370 last year. 2007 was the first time that the media members outnumbered the players on hand. At this rate, the Convention Center won't be big enough in a few years.

The media room is a Bizzaro World -- players herded to their podiums, cameras and talking heads, and eager writers aiming to get just one more question out of player, coach, or team president X, even after his time is up. Certain coaches, like New Orleans' Sean Payton, make themselves available for certain smaller media appearances; others come here to scout talent and don't want to talk to anyone else. Adam Schefter and Paul Burmeister of the NFL Network were doing TV about ten feet from our table; I learned that the Cowboys franchised former Seahawks safety Ken Hamlin because Schefter reported it just over my left shoulder [1].

Last year, Aaron Schatz and I did a daily series for FOX called "five things we learned at the Combine" (witty, huh?) and we wanted to do it again, but here. So, without further ado, here are five things that stood out today:

1. Scot McCloughan had a lot to say about the spread offense.

San Francisco's general manager talked about the rehabs of quarterbacks Alex Smith and Shaun Hill (both are progressing nicely, and they should be ready for OTAs), as well as his new GM position. Although Mike Nolan will still have a hand in personnel decisions and McCloughan was very charitable about the idea that it's a team effort when it comes to putting together the roster, one gets a sense that the name of the final decision-maker has changed.

Most interesting were his comments about what the increase of the spread offense in college football has done to player evaluation. It was McCloughan's belief that drive-blocking has been de-emphasized, and pass protection over-emphasized. While this may mirror certain trends in the pro game, McCloughan said that it's almost a relief to scout a more traditional offense like USC's.

He also said that increasing numbers of three- and four-wide sets are changing the tight end position -- you'll see more guys who were previously thought to be too short at 6-foot-2 or 6-3 being evaluated as tight ends/hybrid receivers as opposed to H-backs. The obvious question was: How will new 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Martz, who has traditionally thrown less to tight ends then most, work with Vernon Davis? The answer seemed to be: Don't be surprised to see him spread out wide more often. This is a case where the college game may be affecting the professional trend over time.

2. Branden Albert is ready for the big time.

Draft position isn't always about sheer talent -- either opportunity knocks, and you answer, or the silence at the door tells you too much. Sometimes, teams will go on bottom-round runs on certain positions, and other players will slip right out of a round below where they thought they should go as a result. Underclassmen, as with this year's running backs class, can turn a position from a liability into a severe strength. Striking and making your claim when the time is right can literally mean millions of dollars.

Virginia junior guard Branden Albert, who played his college ball on Al Groh's pro-style offense, took a good look at the 2008 guards in the draft and thought that if he came out early, he might shoot to No. 1 on everyone's board, and that's exactly what's happened. What also may happen is that Albert moves to the middle of an outstanding tackle class. Mike Mayock of the NFL Network believes that with Albert's short-area quickness and lateral agility, he could easily kick outside. Albert is that rare mixture of athleticism and sheer nastiness, and he's coming closer and closer to a high-paid future. The only question is, at what position?

3. Enough with the freakin' Spygate, already!!!

... or at least that's what we heard from Titans head coach Jeff Fisher and Colts team president Bill Polian today. The Competition Committee held a 35-minute press conference during which the Patriots' various videotaping embarrassments were the main topic. Polian said that the Committee met with Commissioner Roger Goodell this morning and were briefed on the violations and the reasoning behind the discipline. Polian was satisfied and felt that it was time to move on. He was asked if it's difficult for him to separate his interest as a member of the Committee and the man who runs a team whose interests so often collide with those of New England. He replied that the big picture is more important.

Fisher was asked how he would feel if it was discovered that the Pats videotaped one of HIS walkthroughs. "I'm not going to answer that question because we’re dealing with a hypothetical situation related to an ongoing investigation right now. I think you could speculate what my answer would be (laughter). But I'm not going to go into any detail."

And that, mercifully, is where it was left.

4. Other Committee concerns

Guess what -- the Committee had other things to talk about as well! I asked Rich McKay about the wildly divergent swings in penalties from crew to crew -- in 2006, the crew that called the most holding penalties flagged four times more than the crew to called it the least. McKay's concern about this issue was discussed in the Pro Football Prospectus 2007 essay, "A Year in the Life of the Competition Committee." McKay said that while it is a concern that needs more off-field addressing, he casually equated it to "evening up the strike zone," which led me to believe that it's not as big an issue as I thought in the minds of those who make and refine the rules. I have no doubt that certain teams scout particular officials and crews in the regular season -- for example, ascertaining that if Walt Coleman (14 holding penalties in the regular season) is the name of the crew chief on their flip card, their offensive linemen can be more liberal with the holds than if Ron Winter (56 in the regular season) is calling the game.

Fisher talked about the late pre-field goal timeouts that had people in such an uproar, and while he understands the distress, there won't likely be a lot done about it. "We can't legislate when you can call timeouts and when you cannot call timeouts," Fisher said. "I don't think it’s going to be an ongoing issue. I think it was just an early season trend and I don’t think we’ll see much more of it."

Fisher also posed the following scenario: If you prevent players from calling timeouts at certain points of special teams plays, you'll run into situations there teams will have too many men in the field, aren't able to stop the clock, and incur a penalty they have no way of preventing.

5. Tight end Jermichael Finley might have an "in" with the Titans.

The redshirt sophomore from Texas has been working out with a famous alum -- quarterback Vince Young. "Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday I go out with Vince and we throw balls, run routes, and it's a real nice experience because I'm getting balls from an NFL quarterback and I'm getting my timing right," Finley said of his time with Young at the UT campus. Is Young talking Finley up? "Ah, me and Vince talk, and he says, 'I'm getting your name out there. I've got pull at the Titans.' So he's getting my name out."

Bo Scaife ranked 40th in DPAR [2] among tight ends in 2007, and while backup Ben Hartsock had his moments, Finley is the kind of special talent that could have the position sewn up for a long time. The NFL committee which hands down pre-draft evaluations gave Finley a fourth-round grade, but NFLDraftScout.com Senior Draft Analyst Rob Rang recently told me that he wouldn't be surprised if Finley went in the second round.