Jay, here.

With the NFL Scouting Combines starting today, I had some questions for former Tennessee Titan Linebacker Peter Sirmon regarding the experience. Sounds like a whole lotta of fun in Indianapolis.

4|4 with Peter Sirmon: Combines Are A Meat Market

By Peter Sirmon
DSN Contributor

Every year around this time we start talking about the Combine. Who has hurt their stock or who has come out of nowhere to be this years Combine All-Star? The Combine first began as a cost effective and time efficient way to get all the players the teams wanted to visit with in one place over several days. The NFL scouting departments will submit names of players that they want to see and if enough teams want to see a player then they are issued a formal invitation to attend the Combine. I believe there are roughly 300 players invited annually. The most important purpose of the Combine is for the teams to administer the physicals.

The NFL is not a very trusting group of men. So, each and every team does there own physicals because there is no consensus on how to evaluate old or current injuries the player might have. Each player will receive a grade determined by the doctor’s examinations. That health grade will stick with them during the entire draft process. Also, if a team wants to order any x-rays, MRI’s, C-T scans, or any other diagnostic tests the player is sent to the hospital and the appropriate tests are done. Can you say a waiting line from hell???

1. What should players expect to find at the NFL Scouting Combines?

The NFL combine is the ultimate meat market. I imagine it is hard for women to parade around the swimming pool in their bikinis, just because there isn’t much cloth to work with. This is the man’s bikini time. You are issued combine clothing with your position in capitalized letters and a number. The weigh-in is the most disturbing event of the week. Every player is in tight grey shorts, nothing more. You file through the cattle line and when you get to the front they measure your height, weight, arm span, and hand size. They then yell out all the numbers to a crowd of several hundred. At this point you might as well not even have a head because no one is looking any higher than the shoulders. The line will take at least 30 minutes to get through. Believe me when I say that is a long time to suck your gut in and look as buff as possible. Then you are asked to pose for the video camera, where they ask you to look straight ahead then do a side and back view. Eventually they will edit the videos with your measurements and produce a video of you, so when they talk about you at team headquarters they have a visual to help them know whom they are talking about.

2. Is there anything surprising about the Combines?

The most surprising moments at the combine is to witness some of the athletic freaks that are out there in the world. The position groups are broken down into sub groups of 10-12 to make the drills go faster. Brian Urlacher worked out in my group and I would have paid just to watch him work out. He was an NFL 6’4”, not your high school basketball program 6”4”. While he was doing the long and short shuttle (agility tests) he kept ripping up the RCA Dome turf. He was to big and fast for the turf to stay sewn together. At that moment I was wondering what I was getting myself into. You have to see some of these men in the flesh or at field level to truly understand how incredible they are physically.

3. What determines a player’s success at the Combines?

Preparation is the most vital component to success at the Combine. Working out with a coach who has been through it is very important. The combine doesn’t go at a fast pace. As an athlete you want to warm up and get testing. It could take up to three hours to go through the different test and drills they administer. Mentally you need to understand that going in and not freak out when the 40-yard dash is the last thing you do and you warmed up over two hours ago.

4. What’s the #1 thing the NFL scouts are looking for in Indianapolis?

An area that is overlooked by the public is that these teams want to see how a player handles himself during this stressful time. Does he get uptight, moody, or even quit? This could be your only interaction with the teams that will ultimately employ you. Speaking confidently, showing up to your interviews on time, and giving intelligent answers are a few sure ways to make a good impression of your future bosses.

Tags: NFL Combines, Peter Sirmon, Tennessee Titans