Minor injuries piling up at NFL Combine
by Brian Galliford on Mar 1, 2010 12:47 PM EST
in Buffalo Bills News
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PrintThe NFL Scouting Combine has its uses despite its unnecessary fanfare, but the reality of the NFL's scouting process is that, by and large, teams have established evaluations on players heading into the weekend in Indianapolis, and a few undershorts workouts aren't likely to change things. Maryland tackle Bruce Campbell? Yeah, he still has serious question marks as a tackle prospect, despite his Herculean workout numbers over the weekend.
One possible development that can have a significant impact on draft stock, however, is suffering an injury at the Combine. To this point, three top-end prospects have had to cut workouts short due to injury. Thankfully, none of the injuries seem major.
Oklahoma State tackle Russell Okung measured in well and was really impressive on the bench press, but a groin injury cut his workouts short. The injury is considered minor, and it's not expected to impact his Pro Day workout later this month in Stillwater, OK. Still, seeing one of the top tackles available this year helped off the field with an iced-down injury is concerning.
Michigan pass rusher Brandon Graham is in a similar situation after tweaking a hamstring during his second 40-yard dash attempt. Again, his injury is considered minor, and for now, it's not expected to impact his Pro Day at Ann Arbor. Meanwhile, Arkansas State defensive end Alex Carrington - one of the top small-school prospects available this year, and a solid 3-4 end prospect - hurt his ankle in his second 40 attempt as well, and will miss the remainder of his workout.
All three players are top prospects at need areas for the Bills.
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Im not a big fan of combine performance anyways...........
or Pro Day’s really…………
sure you get to put some numbers to the gawk at…….and thats great and all…….
But the interviews and the game tape are really all I would care about.
The only cure for a bad today is tomorrow.
by norcaliangelsfan on Mar 1, 2010 12:51 PM EST reply actions
Well, yes. But injuries are a bit more important than the numbers.
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by Brian Galliford on Mar 1, 2010 12:55 PM EST up reply actions
minor injuries happen all the time though.......
so if the Bills want these guys I doubt these injuries are gonna affect their decision too much.
The only cure for a bad today is tomorrow.
by norcaliangelsfan on Mar 1, 2010 12:56 PM EST up reply actions
Well, yes. But if these injuries affect their pro days… some concern might start to snowball. It bears keeping track of for that reason alone. Nothing wrong with a little caution.
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by Brian Galliford on Mar 1, 2010 12:59 PM EST up reply actions
I also think Chix isn’t going to want to take any chances in terms of injuries this draft due to the plethera of injuries the Bills have sustained over the last few years that I am sure have helped them lose some games…
I was born in Buffalo, and NO, it's not a suburb of New York City
More relevant to me is that even if the Bills don’t want them, other teams might shy away from those with injuries and look at another similar prospect the Bills are interested in. I think this may be related to the snowball effect Brian mentioned.
2010 Bills' truth in advertising: "Look out Cleveland, this year we score 6!" - bluecollarbuffalo
Or
the opposite could be true. Maybe the Bills pick up someone the like that, otherwise would have gone to another team, because said team was turned off by a minor injury.
by WhiskeySierra6 on Mar 1, 2010 4:19 PM EST up reply actions
I hope all noticed....
as I predicted, that my man, Jeff Owen bested all other D linemen in the lift…44 reps…
well all that means.....
is he can bench press 225 lbs 44 times……….
:-)
The only cure for a bad today is tomorrow.
by norcaliangelsfan on Mar 1, 2010 1:08 PM EST up reply actions
Do NFL teams film there interviews with prospects?
The reason I’m asking is because when some of these rookies become FA’s is there interview with the team something a franchise revisit’s when considering signing them?
lol......
even doing it 4 times is impressive…….many people would love to be able to bench 225 4 times.
The only cure for a bad today is tomorrow.
by norcaliangelsfan on Mar 1, 2010 1:18 PM EST up reply actions
I've done
4lbs. 225 times…does that count?
"huge, big, fast, nasty...all those terms"
by fansince60 on Mar 1, 2010 1:37 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
multiple ways to skin a cat my friend............
in the end its all the same conclusion……………
a skinned cat :-)
The only cure for a bad today is tomorrow.
by norcaliangelsfan on Mar 1, 2010 1:49 PM EST up reply actions
4lbs?
Damn, thought you were doing beer curls. But that’s one big beer, congrats !!
by buffalobacker on Mar 1, 2010 6:04 PM EST up reply actions
I wonder why they do the bench and not squats?
Leg strength is as least as more important. To dangerous?
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I think they can get accurate leg strength from all the other drills......
I think with legs its more about explosive power………..then just pure strength….
Plus the Bench Press is more an endurance exercise anyways…….because everyone is doing the same weight…….its just how much of it can you do.
The only cure for a bad today is tomorrow.
by norcaliangelsfan on Mar 1, 2010 1:27 PM EST up reply actions
Especially if you’re putting it up 40 times. I’m guessing teams look at that as a sign a guy will be able to push through a whistle, and down to the goalline if the engaged player allows the opportunity.
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by TheAfghanTwilight on Mar 1, 2010 2:50 PM EST up reply actions
Good point
The four major lifts that NFL teams and most trainers (NFL or just in a gym) are deadlift, bench, squat, and mil press. Each one of these done correctly saps the body’s chemical response to activity, which is why the combine picked one lift, and seperated that lift in time from the other activities.
The scouts also get a decent indication of leg strength and explosion from the two jumps. So the bench was used to determine upper body strength.
IMO, deadlift is a more accurate indication.
I would switch out military press and put in power clean. Which in my opinion is the best overall indicator of power and strength. However, you are right that the body will tire after each of these exercises. So i am in agreement with using the bench press as an indicator for upper body strength (not necessarily power). The vertical jump and broad jumps are very good indicators for leg power, which is what you are looking for in a player.
yeah Power Cleans incorporate the entire body.....
perfect for lower and upper body.
The only cure for a bad today is tomorrow.
by norcaliangelsfan on Mar 1, 2010 2:18 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah but,
Cleans are a technical lift. Power cleans are a watered down version used in football weight rooms. With more technical acumen someone would appear far stronger with great technique. An 200lb olympic liter could shame the over 300lb lineman if they were judged of cleans. Basically, too technical a lift.
Tire flips wouldn’t be too bad for lineman. There is technique, but not nearly as much as oly lifts. 30-60 sec for max reps of 650lb tire flips. IMO the 225lb bench for reps isn’t a very good gauge of strength, but these guys should have practicing for these tests in particular. Its not like they haven’t had an opportunity to focus there strength in this direction.
True
It’s a combo of the deadlift (same core, leg and hip muscles) and the mil press. It’s also far more dangerous in terms of injuries. Which is why I wouldn’t use it at the combine. It’s also why I use kettlebells and the Russian swing methodology. Bringing heavy kettlebells from the floor to the rack, and then pressing it is safer than barbell deadlifts. I combo the kettlebells with the previous for exercises that I mentioned. Different days though.
Personally Im a big fan of how Hershel Walker used to work out......
just body weight exercises…….He didnt lift any weights till college and he was a specimen….
He’d do like 2500 pushups a day 1000 pullups and like 2000 crunches……and he would do that every single day)
(granted I dont do nearly those numbers…….but I do a good amount) and cant argue with the results of it.
Its just great functioning exercises…….plus there is not external load which decreases injury chances.
The only cure for a bad today is tomorrow.
by norcaliangelsfan on Mar 1, 2010 4:06 PM EST up reply actions
Well to compare.....
last time I did for 6 weeks……i got up to 250 pushups (sets of 50) 50 pullups (sets of 10) and 100 crunches (sets of 25)
and I was in and out of the gym in 45 min max……which is a good gym time…..I couldnt tell you how long it took Walker….
I was wrong on the crunch numbers and forgot about Dips……but here is a brief look at it. HW workout.
The only cure for a bad today is tomorrow.
by norcaliangelsfan on Mar 1, 2010 5:17 PM EST up reply actions
hmm… I think you might be thinking of the barbell snatch. Which is definitely dangerous. But hang cleans are exercises that every college player does and by the time they are ready for the NFL should be proficient at it.
I will admit, I have no idea how the tests are spaced out (on different days?) but I would consider doing a hang clean on a separate day than the vertical and the broad jump. Just to get a sense of overall power and strength.
I’ve always thought a power clean was going from the floor to the rack position using hips/leg power, then doing a strict overhead military press.
Its my bad
I meant to write a hang clean. Hang clean is bringing weight from knees to chest explosively.
This is a video of a college football player that went to the company i work for off-season training. This is basically perfect form for the hang clean.
Leg strength is as least as more important. To dangerous?
that’s what i’d be guessing. squating is one of the worst exercises for your knees that you can do. instead of getting a “controlled” workout – these guys would be trying to max out by doing squats and more injuries could pile up
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by J2 on Mar 1, 2010 2:25 PM EST up reply actions
Mclain not running today
or doing any athletic drills according to Rotoworld. His stock is dropping…
LOL. Because he’s not running?
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by Brian Galliford on Mar 1, 2010 1:32 PM EST up reply actions
Why?
It has no bearing on his stock. Now if he decided to sit out his Pro Day too, then there might be some questions….
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
even then its NOT that big of a deal.........
the man is a gamer……….simple as that.
The only cure for a bad today is tomorrow.
by norcaliangelsfan on Mar 1, 2010 1:45 PM EST up reply actions
thats the teams fault for putting too much emphasis on the wrong things IMO.
The only cure for a bad today is tomorrow.
by norcaliangelsfan on Mar 1, 2010 1:52 PM EST up reply actions
It has no bearing on his stock
I get a kick out of that argument… If, as in this instance, McClain isn’t running drills but went into this as say, the #5 or even 10 rated in the draft…. But now, others draft stock is rising because they are showing their wares, and prolly moving up on some boards, how does that NOT effect McClain?
to put it anoer way…. If JPP, or Morgan moves into the top 5 or 10, how can McClain not fall a notch or 2 at least?
Because no one is flying up boards, either. That’s the thing – movement is incredibly minimal.
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"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on Mar 1, 2010 2:16 PM EST up reply actions
Beware of the Work-out Warriors...
What’s the old saying about the work-out warriors “They Look Like Tarzan But Play Like Jane” .
Once upon a time back in the year 2000 the Bills got fooled by the proverbial Work-Out Warrior. His name was Erik Flowers picked 26th in round 1, he went on to play 6 NFL seasons with 5 teams—-racking up 31 total tackles and 5 sacks…
"Whether or not you write well, write bravely"
Agghhhhh....
Flowers….. Darn, same ole Goose; sure to bring me down from a good high…..
Truthfully, I almost puked the day we drafted him, the hype was nothing but….
Scuse me, I just had a taste of dinner…. From last night….
I would stay away from players with a history of injuries. Unless you are getting a guy that is far and away better than everyone else at your draft position I would go for the guy that has shown to be tough and injury free. For instance, if we had the luxury to choose between Okung and Bulaga I would choose Bulaga.
Likewise with players that are reported to have work ethic or “other” issues. We can ill afford another 1st round pick that gets injured often (McKelvin) or has issues (McGahee, Lynch). What the Bills NEED to do this draft, is get guys who are proven to be quality players that are relatively injury free and have a good head on there shoulders. Upside and potential should be left for the later rounds.
McKelvin???
what injury “history”. I may be getting senile in old age :-), but don’t remember oft injured in any reports on him…. Till he met former Bills trainers anyway…
Gerald McCoy
Just saw him on the NFLN with Eisen, Billick, Mayock et al. What a neat guy! Talent aside, he is one of the most personable, sharp kids I’ve seen in a while. Great personality.
Too bad we won 6 games!
"huge, big, fast, nasty...all those terms"
you can always
pump more iron, but, that personality and love of the game are harder to “come by”. You could see he has passion despite his weak bench press reps.
"huge, big, fast, nasty...all those terms"
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