The NFL’s first veterans combine will be held on 3/22/15 in Phoenix, not so coincidentally the same time and the same city as the owners’ meetings. One hundred former NFL players will showcase their talents and make their cases as to why they deserve another chance in the NFL.
Historically veterans have been invited to regional combines along with prospective collegiate athletes, but this year, the NFL has set aside a day for them.
Matt Birk, Director of NFL Player Development, Super Bowl Champion and former Baltimore Raven believes that the opportunity will allow players to demonstrate their skills in one convenient location. Players are chosen based on submitted applications.
“There’s a void there,” Birk told the Associated Press. “There was nothing for that guy out there who has one or two or three years in the league and is not with a team and is at the mercy of when the phone rings or when his agent gets him a workout. This will be a forum for these guys to showcase their talents and a service for our clubs instead of [what had been] an inefficient process.
“This will allow teams to get a look at the guys, and if they want to dive deeper, they can bring the players in for a physical with their own doctors, and do the interviews,” Birk said. “This is whether the players pass the eye test on the field.”
In a memo sent out by NFL director of football development Matt Birk on January 15, 2015, the combine will, “serve to isolate and consolidate veteran free-agent talent for more focused evaluation on a comparative basis.”
Prospective athletes were encouraged to apply by February 28th. The NFL released the names of those chosen on 3/11/15.
Among the more notable names are Michael Sam, Felix Jones and Michael Bush.
Notable players of local lore include former Raven LaQuan Williams and fellow Terp alumni Darin Drakeford, LB and Da’Rel Scott, RB. Representing Towson are Jordan Love, CB and Randall Harris, T.
There are obvious veteran free agents who won’t need a public workout to get a new contract., but for players who may have nominal NFL in-game experience or players who may have been cut during training camps, the NFL believes this is a great opportunity.
One GM does not agree.
Kevin Colbert, Steelers GM is on record as saying, “I’m not really interested in it to be honest. Personally what they do once they get into the league on film, we already know how big and fast they are. To me they’re not going to get any faster. I think you’re naive to think that a player that ran a 4.4 three years later is still going to run a 4.4. You better base it on what he did in the league.”
While there may be some truth to Colbert’s words, few GMs have publically stated what their team’s intentions are. There is little information available to judge the impact that the combine may have.
Colbert’s statement may be a little short-sighted when determining the talent of players who’ve never suited up on a Sunday in the NFL. What about career back-ups? The majority of their game film will come from their college careers.
Who do you think should attend? Should the Veterans NFL Combine become an annual event as the NFL intends it to be?
Can the Ravens, with a tiny cap space and 100 men eager to play in the NFL, find a diamond in the rough for cheap?
Should they?
