I do think that teams find the medicals and the interviews the most important part of the combine, therefore the combine is not over-rated. If you think the whole marketing/tv spectacle part of it is over-rated, fine. But real, actual teams could care less what is happening on TV.
Where I disagree. And this is only a hunch. If HCs found the running and the drills unimportant, then they wouldn't be sitting in the stands or in a booth with their little stopwatches timing guys and writing stuff down.
Their time is just too valuable to be throwing it away in a dome in Indy at the end of Feb.
No, IMO (and its just an opinion) is that most head coaches are workaholics, micromanagers and perfectionists that want to see these guys in drills for a couple of reasons:
1. This is really their only time they will EVER see a prospect in person in any kind of football setting (unless they get to every single proday or have them in for a private workout and those are capped) regardless of how loose that football setting is. A transition from a backpedal to a turn and run is exactly that in a game minus the pads. It does give a HC that has never seen CB X do that, a chance to see CB X do that.
2. Its a chance to let a HC get a real life vibe of a player. Is he competing? How is he interacting with the other participants? Is he extroverted or introverted? Its easier to get a feel for these things live and in person IMO.
An example: Jachai Ploite last year. Tell me that the combine beyond the medicals and interviews didn't crush him. He showed up out of shape, performed horribly, and then bowed out with an "injury". Add in the bad interviews and he was cooked. He was being talked about as a 1st to 2nd round pick... An extreme example? sure. But it holds water with my explanation.
McVay trusts Snead, they are tied at the hip and it seems how goes McVay so goes Snead. Thats not the case with every GM/HC. If I knew my GM could dump my rear end at any point, I would be trying my very best to make sure I had every shot to see as many prospects as I could, so if I go down, there was no doubt left in my mind that I did everything I could to field a competitive team.
McVay knows if Snead doesn't get it right at the combine, its both their butts. I think McVay is more of an outlier as a HC then a trendsetter. He doesn't feel the need to micromanage every little detail from the combine to prodays to the draft. IMO only.
Don't waste your time looking back, you're not going that way. - Ragnar Lothbrok
