The PFW/Patriots.com boys are on the ground in Indy for the 2008 NFL Scouting Combine after a slightly delayed flight out of Boston. We arrived to a cold (21-degrees) day with snow on the ground and flurries in the air.
The Combine is everywhere. The jetway from the plane to the terminal had the Combine logo on the floor. The logo is all over the city and in the hotels. We haven’t bumped into too many NFL types yet, though. We did fly down with one member of the Patriots scouting department but the bulk of team’s staff is expected to fly in later today.
There is no real Combine work today. The fun begins tomorrow when we’ll have media access to the offensive linemen, kickers, punters and tight ends. While none of the positions would seem to be top areas of need for New England, we all know the team regularly drafts tight ends and considering the offensive line’s Super Bowl effort it’s worth keeping an eye on the talent that’ll be there come April. Is Jake Long a potential franchise left tackle? We’ll get a chance to ask him tomorrow.
The real work we’ve gotten down to today is what we’re best at — eating. I was starving after the seemingly longer-than-it-should-be flight. So we checked out the new Weber Grill. And boy did it deliver. Great apps. Great burger. I mean who’d have thought of putting BBQ boneless rib meat on top of a cheese burger? Genius. And for the record Combine virgin Erik Scalavino ordered a milk shake that came with two twisty straws in it. They were green and blue, but the waiter admitted he had to talk the food staff out of putting a pink straw in Erik’s drink. No lie, I couldn’t even make that stuff up.
Enough about our food. We’re getting mentally prepared for four days of hard work learning everything there is about the 300-plus players in town to be poked, measured and tested. What better way to prepare than to go to a Pacers/Cavs game tonight, my first chance to see Lebron James in person? I think we deserve a night of play before the storm that is the growing media circus of the Combine. PFW/Patriots.com will be here through Sunday to bring it all back to Patriots fans everywhere. Check back early and often for notes from Indy as well as Tom Casale’s never-ending opinions on the prospects sent to all of us from his couch back in Foxborough.
February 20, 2008 at 4:54 pm
The answer is no, Jake Long is not a franchise left tackle. He’s a bust, much like Erik’s career as an artist. You went all the way to Indy for that? I could have just yelled that over the cubical to you. I’m bored. Help me.
February 20, 2008 at 5:00 pm
You two leave on sunday isn’t that before the corners and linebackers do their thing? Seems stupid considering both positions are the patriots’ biggest needs
February 20, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Craig you hater, we won’t miss much. We leave around 3 on Sunday which will be right around the end of the defensive backs. We’ll see all the linebackers on Saturday. And we’ll see most of the DBs before 3 on Sunday. The bulk of the action hear at the Combine comes in the morning and early afternoon. We’ll get the job done, don’t you worry.
February 20, 2008 at 5:05 pm
See Craig. I don’t go one year and the entire operation goes down the drain. Pitiful.
February 20, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Andy, you and ‘Erik with a k’ were having dinner together right?
And the food staff wanted to put a pink straw in his shake, yeah?
I’m not entirely sure that the only person they thought rhymed with ‘hey’ was Erik!
February 20, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Good point Jamie. Very good point. I wonder if they have seperate rooms.