cruiser wrote:

snoscythe wrote:

I grew up in a NFL scouting family, and hearing that I was watching the combine last year, my grandpa (a retired scout) laughed at me and told me that no scout worth his salt could ever learn anything from the combine that he didn't already know. Now, grandpa was a QB scout, and I just figured it was position specific (seriously, how much do you learn about a quarterback at the combine that really helps you?

Thanks for sharing this about your grandfather. I think a good scout requires a gift, almost a sixth sense, to be consistently right. There are so many intangibles, especially with quarterbacks, that prognosticating their success is next to impossible. Did your grandfather work for certain teams, or was he an independent operator? I would love to read a good book on the life and work of a scout. Do you know of any? Thanks again for sharing. Evaluating talent, teams, and programs obviously runs in your blood.

The only teams he worked for under contract were the Rams and Raiders, both back in the LA days. Most of his career he was simply an independent scout who teams would call when they were looking at quarterbacks since that was his niche.

A good book on the life of an NFL scout would be Razzano. The book is probably 15-20 years old and out of print, but Tony was a family friend and widely regarded as the best scout in the history of the occupation. He was with the Patriots during their run in the 70s, then with the 49ers during their 4 Superbowls. Although hard to find, the book is worth the effort and cost for a real enthusiast looking to understand what scouts are looking for at different positions.

A good read for anyone involved in the administrative portion of college athletics would have to be "They Call Me Coach" by John Wooden/Jack Tobin. It's a book on every bookshelf in my extended family.

snoscythe wrote:

cruiser wrote:

snoscythe wrote:

I grew up in a NFL scouting family, and hearing that I was watching the combine last year, my grandpa (a retired scout) laughed at me and told me that no scout worth his salt could ever learn anything from the combine that he didn't already know. Now, grandpa was a QB scout, and I just figured it was position specific (seriously, how much do you learn about a quarterback at the combine that really helps you?

Thanks for sharing this about your grandfather. I think a good scout requires a gift, almost a sixth sense, to be consistently right. There are so many intangibles, especially with quarterbacks, that prognosticating their success is next to impossible. Did your grandfather work for certain teams, or was he an independent operator? I would love to read a good book on the life and work of a scout. Do you know of any? Thanks again for sharing. Evaluating talent, teams, and programs obviously runs in your blood.

The only teams he worked for under contract were the Rams and Raiders, both back in the LA days. Most of his career he was simply an independent scout who teams would call when they were looking at quarterbacks since that was his niche.

A good book on the life of an NFL scout would be Razzano. The book is probably 15-20 years old and out of print, but Tony was a family friend and widely regarded as the best scout in the history of the occupation. He was with the Patriots during their run in the 70s, then with the 49ers during their 4 Superbowls. Although hard to find, the book is worth the effort and cost for a real enthusiast looking to understand what scouts are looking for at different positions.

A good read for anyone involved in the administrative portion of college athletics would have to be "They Call Me Coach" by John Wooden/Jack Tobin. It's a book on every bookshelf in my extended family.

Thanks, Sno. I'm already looking for the books.

Does anybody know how Kehl did on the 60-yard shuttle? The top performers lists fewer people than the other drills so I don't know if they haven't all performed it or what. Kehl did so well on everything else that I was hoping for him being among the top performers in all the categories.

Also is there anyplace where you can see all the results and not just the top performers?

Isola wrote:

Does anybody know how Kehl did on the 60-yard shuttle? The top performers lists fewer people than the other drills so I don't know if they haven't all performed it or what. Kehl did so well on everything else that I was hoping for him being among the top performers in all the categories.

The 60 yd shuttle was not considered a required task for the LB candidates. It was optional, so most sat it out. Pretty much like the bench-press for quarterbacks. Kehl, like most other linebackers, did not run the 60.

I just got off of the NFL's combine website. Kehl had a great week from the looks of it. Placing in the top performers in every category. That's pretty impressive. Although they had him at a 4.68 in the 40, I think he is faster than that. I hope he get's a chance. From the way he tested at the combine, and from how scouts put so much credence into the testing at the combine, I think we'll be seeing him play on Sunday.
http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/bryan-kehl?id=1369

There is a link to Bryan's profile at the website.

Sorry if I'm late to the party on this. Been out of town for a while. So if all this has already been posted, ......dang it!

Cruiser-

check your inbox....just pm'd you.