Slight Relief from Regular Season NBA/NHL: The NFL Combine

Sure, it’s not March Madness. But a week filled with ridiculous hype around 40-yard dash times, video of herculean dudes throwing up a bar loaded with two plates like it’s a wiffleball bat and the joys of analyzing the Wonderlic test, is all welcome music to this fan’s ears.

Enough about Clemens, Pettite, Shaq and Kidd. Let’s turn our attention to the largely media-created spectacle of wathcing absolutely ridiculous athletes showcasing their raw athleticism in front of a bunch of salivating coaches, scouts and journalists.

In a way, it’s sort of a repulsing cattle call. But, for those of us who love football, it’s a chance to see just where and when some of our favorites from the college gridiron are likely to fall in April’s draft.

The NFL Combine appeals to that gambler within each of us…the prognosticator…and, if you’re a Jets fan like me, the guy looking for the franchise-turner-around-er. For my money, it still seems mind-boggling what these guys can do. Defensive end prospects tipping the scales at 260, running 4.5 40s, jumping through the roof and tossing around 225 30 times. People use the term “freak of nature” a lot to describe a small number of off-the-charts players. To me, every top linebacker, D-End and tight end prospect who will be showcasing their talents in Indy is a bondafide freak.

The combine is also an excuse for debate on the top QB heading into the week and then see how the list shuffles by the weekend. It makes folks like me check out their team’s leading blog and watch highlights of highly-projected first-rounders and then talk about them like we actually know how they might impact our teams.

This year, like too many others, is cause for this Jets fan to pay a little bit more attention to the combine. In a pattern that is becoming increasingly too familiar, the J-E-T-S have a top 10 pick (check out full draft order). Depending on which mock draft you pay any attention to, pundits have Gang Green taking anyone from Arkansas’s Darren McFadden to SC’s Sedrick Ellis to Buckeye Vernon Gholston. If guns alone were an indication of future NFL success, we no doubt would lean towards Gholston. Plus, he and T.J. would make for a formidable bicep challenge duo to any other teammates in the league.

All that said, as enticing as McFadden may be, I’m begging for the Jets not to fall into the trap of “best available.” Don’t get me wrong, having McFadden, Jones and a change up like Leon Washington to support Kellen Clemens has its potential benefits. But the Jets have so many “needs” it’s really not funny. And, if this year’s playoffs is any indication, formidable fronts on both sides of the ball is as critical a success factor as ever. The Jets need big-time help on the offensive and defensive lines. Long? Gholston? Dorsey? All of ‘em sound pretty good about now. Hopefully, the combine clears up a bit around who is really the cream of the crop.

We’re looking forward to the hype…and will be keeping a watchful eye. You must understand, we have long, painful memories of this time of year.