Well, TST, the combine is officially underway. Kickers, punters, offensive linemen and tight ends arrived yesterday, but today's the first day of non-administrative stuff, i.e. registration, medical vitals, orientation, etc. The real machine starts chugging today.
Some of you might be digging in to your first combine. Don't be overwhelmed. It's all pops and whizzes with some fuzz and wiggles on top. I don't know what that means, but when Lou Holtz speaks, you listen.
Last year, I broke down the 4-day cycle for every group of attendants. If your'e at all confused by the combine process, it should get you sorted out. Just note, the combine begins one calendar day earlier this year, so instead of ending on the 2nd, this year's combine ends Mar. 1.
The year prior, I knocked out some simple descriptions of the combine drills. Yes, there's more to the combine than the 40-yard dash. Mile High Report's Jeremy Bolander had a great piece on the drills and how to parse them a year ago, and over at Mocking the Draft (on which I see plenty of TSTers which brings me joyous joy), BigBlueIntervention discussed some combine details too. If you want some video on the workouts, NFL Network's Mike Mayock has a great series on the drills.
So I'll toss it out to you guys. Do you pay attention to the combine? Why, and what portions do you find most telling? If you have any questions about the process or the details, just hit the comments up. And of course, we've got Van on the ground, so keep it here for on-site stuff throughout the next week. If you're really hungry for SBN combine stuff, both Mocking the Draft and Turf Show Times' Twitter feeds will be good sources of combine news.
Holler.