thedrifter
03-02-07, 07:22 PM
Test yourself against the NFL combine
By C. Mark Brinkley - Staff writer
On the battlefield, poor physical conditioning can get you killed.
That’s why so many troops hit the gym like life depends on it, mainly because sometimes it does.
The only people who even come close to feeling that pressure are professional athletes preparing to wage war on very different battlefields, where the paychecks are bigger but the cost of failure is much, much lower.
No one ever died from throwing an interception.
Still, don’t you sometimes wonder how you measure up physically to the well paid pros?
Consider Mike Anderson, the Baltimore Ravens running back who never played high school sports. Six feet tall, weighing in at 230 pounds, Anderson moved to the beat of his own drum in the marching band then joined the Marine Corps.
He went to college after the Corps and was selected 189th in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft, far from stellar placement. Anderson answered by winning rookie of the year with the Denver Broncos.
Now he has over 4,000 rushing yards in just seven seasons, despite sitting out 2004 after tearing two groin muscles during a preseason game.
Could that be you? All depends. Not accounting for talent, physical conditioning is the key to winning games.
So how do you stack up physically against the nation’s top college players vying for spots as rookies in the National Football League?
Grab a tape measure, a weight bench and a buddy and find out.
Run your own combine
This week, the NFL ran its annual scouting combine, a round of tests designed to give teams a fresh look at what potential players bring to the table. Do well there and your stock can soar.
That was the case last year for Mario Williams, now a defensive end for the Houston Texans, who went first in the 2006 NFL draft largely based on his combine scores. Growing up in Richlands, N.C., surrounded by Marines from nearby Camp Lejeune, Williams signed on to a six-year, $54 million contract.
You know you’d take half that. Heck, half of half.
So measure off 40 yards on the grass somewhere and run like the wind. Have a friend check your time on a stopwatch. If it’s over 5 seconds, you have serious work to do.
At 292 pounds, the 6 foot, 6 inch tall Williams ran it in 4.66 and 4.73 seconds. A solid wide receiver weighing in at 220 pounds will generally run it in under 4.5 seconds, though 4.3 isn’t out of the question.
Did you clock a respectable time? Now head to the weight room.
Grab a flat bench and put two 45-pound plates on each side of a barbell. Counting the bar, that’s about 225 pounds. Do as many reps as possible without stopping.
Got your score? Great. Now, compare yourself to Williams, often described as a cross between Julius Peppers and Lawrence Taylor.
Mario knocked out 35 reps.
Stunned? Add a 40-inch vertical leap and a 10-foot broad jump to his speed and strength, and it’s easy to see why the big fella went at the top of the pile.
What’s more amazing is that Williams could have ended up on the front line instead of the defensive line. During a visit to Camp Lejeune’s Wounded Warrior Barracks last June, Williams told the Marines he once considered joining the military.
The war in Iraq has special meaning for the huge defensive end, whose brother-in-law — Marine Sgt. Nicolas M. Hodson — was killed in a vehicle accident there March 24, 2003.
“This gives me humbleness, knowing this is where I could be and recognizing the pride in this group,” Williams told the Marines at the barracks, according to a news release from the event. “This is where it’s at … what I do is nothing.”
So if your numbers aren’t up to snuff, keep working it out. Maybe you’ll get there.
Or maybe you’re never going to go pro. There’s always “Madden NFL.” The 2007 version of everyone’s favorite video game franchise added combine-like mini-games this year, so you can put your own digital player through the paces.
C. Mark Brinkley can do six reps of 225 when he’s feeling it in the gym, but don't ask him his 40 time. How did you do on your combine? Tells us how you scored.
Ellie
By C. Mark Brinkley - Staff writer
On the battlefield, poor physical conditioning can get you killed.
That’s why so many troops hit the gym like life depends on it, mainly because sometimes it does.
The only people who even come close to feeling that pressure are professional athletes preparing to wage war on very different battlefields, where the paychecks are bigger but the cost of failure is much, much lower.
No one ever died from throwing an interception.
Still, don’t you sometimes wonder how you measure up physically to the well paid pros?
Consider Mike Anderson, the Baltimore Ravens running back who never played high school sports. Six feet tall, weighing in at 230 pounds, Anderson moved to the beat of his own drum in the marching band then joined the Marine Corps.
He went to college after the Corps and was selected 189th in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft, far from stellar placement. Anderson answered by winning rookie of the year with the Denver Broncos.
Now he has over 4,000 rushing yards in just seven seasons, despite sitting out 2004 after tearing two groin muscles during a preseason game.
Could that be you? All depends. Not accounting for talent, physical conditioning is the key to winning games.
So how do you stack up physically against the nation’s top college players vying for spots as rookies in the National Football League?
Grab a tape measure, a weight bench and a buddy and find out.
Run your own combine
This week, the NFL ran its annual scouting combine, a round of tests designed to give teams a fresh look at what potential players bring to the table. Do well there and your stock can soar.
That was the case last year for Mario Williams, now a defensive end for the Houston Texans, who went first in the 2006 NFL draft largely based on his combine scores. Growing up in Richlands, N.C., surrounded by Marines from nearby Camp Lejeune, Williams signed on to a six-year, $54 million contract.
You know you’d take half that. Heck, half of half.
So measure off 40 yards on the grass somewhere and run like the wind. Have a friend check your time on a stopwatch. If it’s over 5 seconds, you have serious work to do.
At 292 pounds, the 6 foot, 6 inch tall Williams ran it in 4.66 and 4.73 seconds. A solid wide receiver weighing in at 220 pounds will generally run it in under 4.5 seconds, though 4.3 isn’t out of the question.
Did you clock a respectable time? Now head to the weight room.
Grab a flat bench and put two 45-pound plates on each side of a barbell. Counting the bar, that’s about 225 pounds. Do as many reps as possible without stopping.
Got your score? Great. Now, compare yourself to Williams, often described as a cross between Julius Peppers and Lawrence Taylor.
Mario knocked out 35 reps.
Stunned? Add a 40-inch vertical leap and a 10-foot broad jump to his speed and strength, and it’s easy to see why the big fella went at the top of the pile.
What’s more amazing is that Williams could have ended up on the front line instead of the defensive line. During a visit to Camp Lejeune’s Wounded Warrior Barracks last June, Williams told the Marines he once considered joining the military.
The war in Iraq has special meaning for the huge defensive end, whose brother-in-law — Marine Sgt. Nicolas M. Hodson — was killed in a vehicle accident there March 24, 2003.
“This gives me humbleness, knowing this is where I could be and recognizing the pride in this group,” Williams told the Marines at the barracks, according to a news release from the event. “This is where it’s at … what I do is nothing.”
So if your numbers aren’t up to snuff, keep working it out. Maybe you’ll get there.
Or maybe you’re never going to go pro. There’s always “Madden NFL.” The 2007 version of everyone’s favorite video game franchise added combine-like mini-games this year, so you can put your own digital player through the paces.
C. Mark Brinkley can do six reps of 225 when he’s feeling it in the gym, but don't ask him his 40 time. How did you do on your combine? Tells us how you scored.
Ellie