NFL Combine - The Happening in the Dome

Today is the first day of the NFL Combine, the event which along with Groundhog Day signifies the arrival of spring. This year the combine has been moved a week or two, I am not sure because unlike many of my colleagues my life and livelihood does not depend on this happening. Combine training has become a parlor industry with every ex player who ever strapped on a helmet and lifted a weight advertising combine training. Two weeks ago there was an article about a combine preparation factory in New Jersey who had improved a player’s time from 5.4 to 5.1 seconds. WOW! That was real impressive – why didn’t he save his money and stay at his university and work with his track coach? When you run that slow anything you do will make you faster.

Since the happening is being televised live on the NFL Network I propose that the NFL charge naming rights and turn it into a team scoring competition. Each player would wear the colors and logo(s) displayed prominently of the combine preparation group that he worked with. It could be like NASCAR with Athletes Performance matched up against Parisi, Shaw and all the other combine prep gurus. Score it like a track meet with five or six places per position. Give bonus points for anyone who sets a combine record. Oh by the way no points if the athlete does not improve over their times before the combine. No hand times, only electronic times. If there is a tie then the gurus would have to race in the Forty to determine a winner. I would get the NFL network to watch that!