"The one thing you
don't get to do at the combine is play football. You get to do everything, but
you still don't get to play. That's why the senior bowl is good. That's why
stuff like that is good. That's why when you go out there, some guys look good
in drills and they can't play in the game to save their lives. Some guys look
terrible in drills and they're great. It's not the only factor, so I think kind
of knowing that and not having the attitude that it doesn't matter, but the
attitude that it's another piece of the puzzle helps guys get through this weekend
and do well on Sunday." -- on the Combine Process.
Texas Tech WR Danny Amendola
" He’s kind of
paved the way for the little slot receivers out there." -- on New England's
Wes Welker.
USC OT Sam Baker
"Man. Sed(rick Ellis)
was unblockable at times. Then having that LB corps, there were a lot of good
linebackers that will be coming out next year that could have come out this
year. And then you add that with Keith, and it's an awesome defense. You see
guys come out, and then they replace them the next year, and they're superstars
right away." -- on practicing against his defensive teammates.
Ohio State OT Kirk Barton
"From his second year
to his third year he made a tremendous leap. He played as a true freshman and
he got injured, so he missed his entire second year. So he was a red-shirt sophomore,
and he really came on for us. We weren’t sure what we were going to get
out of him. But when he started playing well he became dominant last year, and
this year he took it to a new level. I was fortunate to practice against him,
and again that’s another great thing about Ohio State. You can’t
really put a value on the type of competition you face everyday. Vernon is probably
going to be a top-10 or top-15 pick, and he’ll blow up the combine and
all the testing. He’s just physically freakish. But going against him
you for the all-star games and it helps prepare you for the next level."
-- on teammate Vernon Gholston.
Iowa State WR Todd Blythe
"Basketball was probably
my worst sport. I really couldn’t dribble or outshoot anybody, but I was
taller and more athletic than most of the guys. Football was a lot different.
You need to be as athletic as you can be, and everybody at the pro level will
be as athletic as you, or more so. You have to really learn techniques, especially
at wide receiver as far as running routes." -- on the sport he could never
play well.
Georgia Tech P Durant Brooks
"He’s had a great
impact. It all started my mom sold him a horse. He was buying a horse for his
daughter and she mentioned me, that I was a punter in high school. It was my
junior year. He was like, ‘You know, you ought to send him to one of my
camps.’ I went that summer before my senior year and got to know him really
well. My mom saw him in the grocery store and around town. It’s a small
town. He would always ask about me and make sure I’m doing OK. He kept
up with me. We didn’t work that much in college. One reason, I think the
political aspects of the award. People might say I won the award, or I’m
up for it, just because I’m friends with him or something like that. He
kind of stayed away, but still kept up with me." -- on his relationship
with legendary NFL punter Ray Guy, and the Ray Guy award he won.
Florida WR Andre Caldwell
"He's helped me from
day one. What to look for and some of the things to prepare for. I think I've
got a head start on most athletes out here because I know what to look for and
how to prepare for certain things. I talk to him four times a day and know what's
going to be going on out here. He keeps me updated." -- on his relationship
with brother Reche Caldwell of the Washington Redskins.
LSU WR Early Doucet
"Yeah, guys like Hines Ward, Anquan Boldin. We’re very similar as far as body, build, being able
to run after the catch, and physical type guys who don’t mind going in
there and doing the dirty work and blocking upfield, cracking on linebackers.
Whatever it takes." -- on who he models his game after.
Michigan RB Mike Hart
"Obviously, I can't
do anything about my size. But obviously, when you talk about speed at the running
back position, everybody wants you to go out there and run a good 40. But if
you talk to coaches, certain coaches care about your 40, other coaches don't.
If you want to talk about Ahmad Bradshaw, I think he might have run a 4.6 last
year at the combine. Look at what he did in the NFL. He doesn't look like he
runs a 4.6. When he's on that field, he's a change-of-pace back. So I think
when you look at a guy like that, you can say that a 40 doesn't mean that much.
When you look at a guy like Adrian Peterson, who comes out here and runs a 4.38,
then speed means a lot. So I guess it's just your take on who the coach is,
what they feel." -- on the importance of measurables.
Cal WR DeSean Jackson
"Jerry’s a great
dude. I’m just very fortunate for me to be able to work with him. Like
I say, he came on and he was just very supportive of me. Like I said, great
mentor. He has all the right things to say. Basically off the field was the
biggest thing that he tried to preach to me. How you treat people when you go
meet people and things like that, because you’ll always be able to build
relationships and people will remember you." -- on the mentorship of Jerry
Rice.
San Diego QB Josh Johnson
"Coming out of high
school, in my senior year, there was a point in the middle where I didn’t
think I’d ever play college football because of the fact that at the combine
I was 5-11 and 145 pounds, and in my senior year I was playing at about 6-feet,
150, and no one was really recruiting me, so I didn’t know what was ahead
of me in the future.
I just wanted the opportunity to play college football, and coach Harbaugh gave
me that, and that’s when I began to grow into my body. In high school,
I looked like I was about 12. I just developed everything. My physical features
started to develop, coach (Jim) Harbaugh really helped my mind grow a lot, and
it all started coming together at San Diego. -- on his development as a quarterback.
Illinois RB Rashard Mendenhall
"There are positives
and negatives to it. One of them is you haven’t taken a lot of the beating
as some of the senior guys. But at the same time you don’t have as much
experience. It’s definitely a double-edged sword as far as being a junior
and coming out early." -- on coming out as a junior.
Rutgers RB Ray Rice
"I think I really just
have to be myself. I actually ran the ball a lot at Rutgers and we stuck to
our game plans. I definitely want to go out there and start catching the ball.
I think that will stick out. It's not going to be a problem. I caught a lot
of passes during practice and during spring ball where I was lined up in a slot
and ran routes. That's just a part of my game that hasn't been seen.
"But with this weekend
and all the events here and me being able to participate in all the events you'll
definitely see a lot more to my game that probably wasn't shown on TV or shown
on film." -- on what sets him apart from all the great junior backs.
Oregon RB Jonathan Stewart