Marvin says the combine is stupid

[cincyhokie]

Before we get all excited about the combine results...the Bengals may be closer to solidifying their draft board than we think.

/>http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2010/03/01/marvin-calls-combine-prep-asinine/

Marvin calls combine prep “asinine” Posted by jreedy March 1st, 2010, 3:15 pm When it comes to evaluating talent in the draft, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is always quick to point out “the film doesn’t lie”.

On Friday on Dan Dakich’s show in Indianapolis, Lewis did chide those who go through unusual steps of preparing for the combine, saying that the way most go about it is “asinine”.

The Bengals did show last year, with the selection of Andre Smith, that a disastrous combine won’t wreck their chances of being selected. And for that case, neither does the pro day.

Among other things from the interview, courtesy of our friends at Sports Radio Interviews:

On how much stock he puts in workouts at the Combine: “The workout becomes a confirmation for a lot of players. It’s got to be judged individually with the player. The number one thing is what that guy has done on his college campus. So as these college players who are going to be underclassmen who may be listening to your show should know to take stock in what they do on the football field their – junior and senior – their last two seasons and not get all caught up in what this is.”

On what the NFL Scouting Combine is: “This is just a confirmation; that I can run. I weigh this much. I’m smart enough. I can carry on a conversation. I can learn. I can understand. And I’m a good person.”

On players who leave school to workout and prepare for the Combine: “The other one that just kills me is that they spend three or four years with a strength coach on a college campus and as soon as the season’s over they go somewhere else to some guy who doesn’t know them from a hole in the wall and pay this guy a bunch of money. It doesn’t make any sense at all. It used to be that they had to pay for it and now it’s part of the agent deal. They’ve cultivated a whole industry out of it. It doesn’t make sense. It’s actually asinine that if I go to school in Florida, now I have to go to Arizona to train. If I go to school in Arizona, I have to go to Georgia to train. These guys have the best facilities and the best people working with them year round and now all the sudden they got to go somewhere else. You don’t need to go away. A football player is a football player.”

And on what Chad Ochocinco would do if he could come to the Combine: “He would probably run faster than he did last time because he probably wouldn’t wear those stupid tights.”

[BengalszoneBilly]

Marvin calls combine prep “asinine”

I've never agreed more with Marvin. A total exercise in blowing smoke up peoples asses.

[cincyhokie]

Marvin calls combine prep “asinine”

I've never agreed more with Marvin. A total exercise in blowing smoke up peoples asses.

I like it too. In a way it shows that he's been doing this for awhile now and he knows what he wants and what he's looking for.

[SupaBran]

Marvin calls combine prep “asinine”

I've never agreed more with Marvin. A total exercise in blowing smoke up peoples asses.

I like it too. In a way it shows that he's been doing this for awhile now and he knows what he wants and what he's looking for.

I agree with everyone including Marvin...the combine workouts are completely useless, the interviews and medical evaluations are great but could be done at pro days.

[HairOnFire]

And on what Chad Ochocinco would do if he could come to the Combine: “He would probably run faster than he did last time because he probably wouldn’t wear those stupid tights.”

Oh he'd wear the tights again alright.

But now that Chad's a mature professional, and not some rookie, it's a safe bet he'd accessorize.

Perhaps with a pair of matching clown shoes, a large floppy hat, a blonde mohawk haircut, Urkel glasses, and gold teefs.

[kingwilly]

I think Marvin is missing the point.

It sounds like he is confusing the real purpose for the teams with the marketing efforts of the NFL. If he is this confused, maybe he should not be an NFL head coach.

For fans/consumers, the combine is a marketing exposition to generate interest during a time when there really is none. A pure invention of need. Consumers of NFL news/info NEED to see these guys, it sets the table for the draft and the subsequent mini-camps, training camp, pre-season, etc.

That ML confuses this with the role it plays for teams is astounding. For him, it is just a way to meet the 20-30 players they really like and get a real hands-on feel for the group. I've hear it over and over this year that the tape is 90-95% and the combine serves to simply confirm what they already know.

Now, if it is his contention that the combine takes too long or it is poorly planned, then he would need to explain.

For a team that is roughly 90 miles from where the combine is held, and a team that utterly lacks an adequate scouting staff, his comments were eather a result of a bad day or he just is unqualified for his job.

[cincyhokie]

I think Marvin is missing the point.

It sounds like he is confusing the real purpose for the teams with the marketing efforts of the NFL. If he is this confused, maybe he should not be an NFL head coach.

For fans/consumers, the combine is a marketing exposition to generate interest during a time when there really is none. A pure invention of need. Consumers of NFL news/info NEED to see these guys, it sets the table for the draft and the subsequent mini-camps, training camp, pre-season, etc.

That ML confuses this with the role it plays for teams is astounding. For him, it is just a way to meet the 20-30 players they really like and get a real hands-on feel for the group. I've hear it over and over this year that the tape is 90-95% and the combine serves to simply confirm what they already know.

Now, if it is his contention that the combine takes too long or it is poorly planned, then he would need to explain.

For a team that is roughly 90 miles from where the combine is held, and a team that utterly lacks an adequate scouting staff, his comments were eather a result of a bad day or he just is unqualified for his job.

The way it read to me was that he didn't like all of the "hype" behind the combine, not that it doesn't have a legit purpose. As far as the combine being a marketing event to generate interest....I don't know. The combine has been around for a long time serving it's intended purpose. The fact is that the NFL doesn't need to manufacture hype by making the combine more flashy than it already is. The NFL sells itself...if they televised players offseason workouts or nothing but continuous draft coverage from here till April 24th, people would watch. Fans are addicted to this league.

[HairOnFire]

I think Marvin is missing the point.

I'll argue it's ALL of you, and especially the WillyKing, who are missing the point.

Because Marvin most certainly didn't call the combine stupid. Rather, he mocked the way prospects increasingly ignore the assets already at their disposal simply because an agent or trainer claims he can better prepare a prospect for track events that don't weigh heavily in the drafting process.

And I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss his remarks about the combine simply being confirmation of what coaches see on tape. Because when you're paying these guys millions a little confirmation could go a very long way, right?