The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Big changes are coming to the NFL scouting combine this year
Broncos, Rams leaving most of coaching staff home
BYU might just have gone from the most precarious of positions on the NCAA Tournament bubble to a near-lock in one memorable night, thanks to one spectacular performance against second-ranked Gonzaga.
The Cougars (23-7) were trending in the right direction anyway, winning seven straight heading into their match-up with the Bulldogs. But the show they put on in a 91-78 victory Saturday night, long after folks on the East Coast probably went to bed, was exactly the kind of game BYU coach Mark Pope had been hoping to see as March drew near.
“I’m super happy. It just doesn’t happen like this,” he said. “They just kind of dug in and kept battling for four years or five years or six years. Then they set the table with a summer that was really demanding and difficult. Waking up every single morning and fighting their own agenda so that they could sacrifice for this team. A lot of times you do all that stuff and you don’t get that senior night, but these guys did and it’s extraordinary and I am so happy for them.
“It’s actually really humbling,” Pope added, “because it just doesn’t work like this a lot, but it worked for this crew. I hope that all 18,000 of us in there and everybody that watched it on TV got to see something they’ll never forget.”
Now, the question isn’t whether the the Cougars will get into the tournament but where they will be seeded. They have one more regular-season game left against Pepperdine before the West Coast Conference Tournament, where they could face the Zags in a rubber match — the Bulldogs had beaten them at home earlier this season.
“When you experience those lows,” BYU guard T.J.
BYU students and fans celebrate on the court following BYU’s 91-78 victory over Gonzaga in an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, in Provo, Utah.
Haws said, “winning is that much sweeter. This team has been through a lot this year but what I love about us is that we continue to fight. Adversity comes our way and the next day we’re at practice ready to fight. When you have a team that works so hard, moments like this happen.”
On a related note, the loss by Gonzaga could put its No. 1 seeding in jeopardy. But losses by top-ranked Baylor and No. 4 San Diego State helped its cause, and the Bulldogs still have some of the best advanced metrics in the country.
RISING » Virginia (19-7, 11-5 ACC). The reigning national champions were an afterthought a month ago, but wins over Boston College and Pittsburgh last week have continued a hot streak stretching to four games. And with games down the stretch against Louisville and Duke, there are plenty of chances of the Cavaliers to become a lock.
Michigan (18-9, 9-7 Big Ten). Has any team gone on a bigger roller coaster this season than the Wolverines? They shot up the polls with a brilliant start, went through a mid-season swoon, and now have won five in a row to get back in the picture for an at-large bid.
Utah State (22-7, 11-5 Mountain West). The Aggies are poised to make the Mountain West more than just a one-bid league regardless of what happens with San Diego State in the conference tournament. They’ve ripped off five straight wins
and behind Sam Merrill’s continued offensive brilliance.
UCLA (17-11, 10-5 Pac-12). There are a whole bunch of bubble teams in the league — we see you, Southern California and Stanford. But the Bruins have come alive under Mick Cronin, winning five straight to make a strong at-large case. FALLING » North Carolina State (17-10, 8a-8 ACC). There is no shame in a competitive loss to Florida State, but the Wolfpack now have dropped five of their last eight games. Duke is also on the schedule during their final four-game stretch.
Marquette (17-9, 7-7 Big East). The Golden Eagles have been a mainstay in the Top 25 most of the season, and they have one of the nation’s most exciting players in Markus Howard. But three straight losses have put them on the NCAA Tournament bubble, and tough games against Georgetown and No. 16 Seton Hall loom.
Oklahoma (16-11, 6-8 Big 12). The Sooners have dropped three straight, and while losses to Baylor and Kansas are hardly a black eye, a lopsided loss to Oklahoma State was especially damaging.
South Carolina (16-11, 8-6 SEC). The Gamecocks’ postseason hopes took a big blow last week with losses to Mississippi State and LSU. They’ll get the Bulldogs again during a four-game finishing kick in which they should be favored to win out.
INDIANAPOLIS » There will be more eyeballs on the league’s annual gathering of top college talent but fewer assistant coaches watching those prospects run through drills that have been tailored by position and more accurately mimic what they’ll be doing in the NFL.
The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams, two teams that missed the playoffs last season, are leaving their assistants behind this year, figuring their staffs can watch the on-field drills on broadcasts and review taped interviews without having to fly to Indianapolis.
The decisions save upwards of $50,000 per team, but at what cost?
Rams coach Sean McVay has two new coordinators concocting schemes and zeroing in on targets in free agency and the draft, so he’s expected to pop into Indy for just one day before returning to LA to continue chasing the NFC champion 49ers and resurgent Seahawks.
Broncos coach Vic Fangio will stay in town longer, but he also is leaving much of his staff behind in what could foster a new trend into the NFL — or prove a big blunder depending on how this change plays out.
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, for one, isn’t a big fan of the Rams and Broncos not bringing their full staffs and personnel departments.
“The one thing that’s interesting, I’ve read all these stories about people leaving personnel at home and coaches not coming to the combine. And I don’t know how I feel about that because I think when you get a chance to be around the players, as many opportunities as you can get a chance to be around them and be in the room with them when you interview them, I think there’s value in that,” Jeremiah said.
“Now, if you want to go back and watch the workouts at home or you want to go finish your interviews, if you’re a corners coach or a receivers coach, I should say, and you finish up all the receiver interviews, and you don’t want to stay in the building to watch the workout, I understand that because you can watch it all on tape. But I think it’s a lost opportunity if you’re a coach and you don’t get a chance to be in the room to be around these players. It’s just another point of contact that I think can really help you.”
Jeremiah likes some of the other changes coming to the combine, like the new drills for the players and moving those drills later in the day to prime time.
Every year, the top 300 or so football prospects converge on Indianapolis for medical evaluations, measurements, interviews and position drills in front of all 32 teams — or at least those who want to watch.
This year’s group is loaded at wide receiver and not as deep at edge rusher, tight end and linebacker as it’s been in the last few years. The quarterback class again is strong, led by national champion Joe Burrow with big questions looming over Tua Tagovailoa’s health.
The combine rivals the Super Bowl for the largest gathering of general managers, coaches, pro personnel departments, players and agents.
Oftentimes teams capitalize on this to lay the groundwork for free agency that comes a couple of weeks after the combine.
This year, downtown bars and restaurants should be quieter as many of the onfield drills move from morning and afternoon into prime time.
The NFL Network will broadcast 26 hours of live on-field drills Thursday through Sunday, beginning with quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends from 4-11 p.m. ET Thursday. That will be followed by running backs, O-linemen and special teams Friday and defensive linemen and linebackers Saturday. The coverage concludes Sunday with five hours of defensive backs drills.
“I’m excited about it,” Jeremiah said. “It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be good for television because we’re going to get more eyeballs, and it will draw more attention to the event. I know talking to buddies around the league, they’re just kind of skeptical. They just want to see how it comes together. It’s all new to them. So I think you’ll have a better feel for how they like it after we get through the week.”
Sixteen new position-specific drills are coming to the combine with 10 old ones being eliminated as the league incorporates some of the skill sets that colleges players are bringing to the NFL nowadays.
For example, end zone fade routes have been added for quarterbacks, receivers and tight ends with the toe tap drill eliminated, and running backs have to run routes and catch quick passes.
“It’s been long overdue to have our evaluation tools match where the game is,” Jeremiah said. “I’m encouraged by that. I think it’s going to be a fun part of the combine. It’s going to be refreshing to see some of these new drills.”
Things will start off strong Tuesday when tight ends, quarterbacks and wide receivers meet with the media in the morning, followed by general managers and coaches.
Looming over the combine is the league’s labor situation.
On Tuesday, the players union will meet with league negotiators at the scouting combine. The union’s executive committee voted last week to recommend rejecting terms of the new collective bargaining agreement that NFL owners approved. Objections to an expanded regular season are the main stumbling block to player approval. The current labor accord lasts through the 2020 season.