The buzz will be a nightly post from Audrey Snyder who is in Indianapolis covering the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine. In addition to other posts outlining the performances of Penn State players and top performers, Snyder will recap some of the day's highlights as well as noteworthy information she gathered until she leaves Monday evening.
INDIANAPOLIS-- From what I've been told, Wednesday was the calm before the storm. Scouts, media members and the first wave of players arrived in Indianapolis and were greeted at the airport by signs and banners promoting the NFL Scouting Combine.
Players went through orientation while media members like myself were trying to get oriented with the city and the event. This is my first time covering the combine so hang in there with me as I try to figure out what looks like a pretty straightforward schedule (I probably will regret typing this at some point in the coming days).
From the get-go it was obvious that Indianapolis would be bustling with people flocking to the city for the combine. My flight from Atlanta (Philadelphia to Atlanta is a common stop for Delta travelers) was filled with scouts and NFL personnel. Some told me they've been on the road for much of the past two months traveling from bowl games to All-Star games trying to size up the top prospects. Their schedule won't be any easier from here because after the combine concludes Tuesday some will fly right out to other schools who are hosting early Pro Days.
When one scout on my flight asked me what team I covered he immediately had a Bill O'Brien story to share. This man was recruited out of high school by O'Brien when the coach was at Georgia Tech. Although the player ultimately went elsewhere, he said it was apparent back then that O'Brien was a strong recruiter. Since then the scout has followed O'Brien's career closely and praised him for the recruits he was able to land this season. This confirmed to me just how connected many of these coaches and scouts are.
I wouldn't peg O'Brien to be the type of coach who gets in some of these guy's ears and asks them to give some of his other players tryouts, but maybe some of them would be willing to listen? Perhaps O'Brien's good friend and new Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone is searching for a quarterback and maybe Matt McGloin lands a tryout? Could be something worth keeping an eye on.
Another personnel member said he was pleasantly surprised by what O'Brien was able to do with Penn State this season. He wasn't the only one to say this. It seems like many in the NFL ranks have taken notice of O'Brien's Penn State team and how he handled everything once the sanctions were handed down. They had strong impressions of the man who garnered NFL head coaching interest after the season concluded.
They also said my assumption was correct, many of them do plan to ask each Penn State player the 'What did you do to keep the team together once the sanctions were announced' type question.
Some of the folks I spoke with already had a chance to interview Jordan Hill, Gerald Hodges and Matt Stankiewitch during their respective All-Star games. They all asked the players about the sanctions and some said this was almost like an ice-breaker type question to help the guys loosen up before they hit them with the tougher, NFL and character-related questions.
The players will have many more interviews in the coming days and I'll be making countless trips through Indianapolis' beautiful Skywalk, sparing myself from the chilling temperatures as I head over to Lucas Oil Stadium to see how it all plays out. Here's to hoping for a smooth week of coverage and if it's not too much to ask, maybe State College can consider putting in a Skywalk?