Quote:
Originally Posted by googlegoogle
No, Pioli has made statements that indicate that the combine is just a show.
I think he said he likes the interviews and that they're important.
He's said that game film and scouting are more important. Don't have the link.
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Good. That's the way it should be. These scouts travel the country and work relentlessly, watching games live, talking to coaches, talking to references, etc... getting a detailed snapshot of every single player. In most cases, I'm sure the combine doesn't tell the team a whole lot that you don't know already. You get a few surprises here and there in terms of combine performance that are inconsistent with what scouts tell you, and if they do, you take a second or third look. But for the majority of players, if your scouts have done their homework, then the combine is mostly a show.
The biggest problem, actually, is when coaches/GMs go on power trips because they love the way the guy runs in shorts, even when the scouts tell them they're not that good (see Junior Siavii). And I've heard this happens quite a bit--it certainly happened with Vermeil. The GM and coaches don't have time to travel around the country and watch every game. The scouts are the ones with all the juicy information. I would rather we rely on scouts than a GM who's only seen these guys a few times.
And by the way, I think Pioli was being facetious. He also made a comment a few days ago about how he doesn't like players who don't try out for the combine because he doesn't think they should have anything to hide. Obviously, he does find it important enough.