NFL Network's 2013 NFL Scouting Combine
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
NFL Network’s 2013 NFL Scouting Combine Conference Call with: NFL Network Analyst MIKE MAYOCK NFL Network Senior Coordinating Producer MIKE MURIANO ALEX RIETHMILLER: Thank you for joining us today on NFL Network’s 2013 NFL Scouting Combine conference call. Joining me on the call today is NFL Network’s lead analyst for the combine, Emmy-nominated analyst, Mike Mayock. Also joining on the call is senior coordinating producer for NFL Network, Mike Muriano, who can answer questions related to production and the broadcast of the event. Before I turn it over to these gentlemen for opening remarks, a quick programming note on the 2013 Scouting Combine on NFL Network. NFL Network's coverage of the NFL Scouting Combine starts with live coverage of the combine drills on Saturday, February 23rd at 9:00 a.m. eastern time and concludes with the combine wrap up show Wednesday evening February 27th. This is the ninth year NFL Network has covered the Combine. This year the network will cover the event with 24 analysts, hosts and reporters featuring NFL Draft experts, and former NFL head coaches, general managers, scouts and Hall of Fame players. NFL.COM will feature its own robust coverage allowing fans to choose from multiple camera angles and view behind-the-scenes extras. In total there will be 25 NFL Network, and NFL.COM cameras broadcasting live from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the combine. Now I'll turn it over to Mayock and Mike Muriano for some opening comments on the 2013 Combine, and then open it up to your questions. MIKE MAYOCK: Hi, everybody. This draft is a little bit different than previous drafts, in that because of all those junior underclassmen that have declared this year. I think we probably have better depth than we've had in the last ten years. I'm really impressed with our depth. Now the top end of the draft, the top 10 picks, I don't see the difference makers like we've had the last several years. A couple of quarterbacks last year; Von Miller, Ndamukong Suh. You can go back and see those impact players each year where, before the draft, you knew who they were, [you knew] that guy's a difference maker. So I think the quick snapshot of this draft is more depth. Not quite the difference makers at the top end and a whole lot of holes in the quarterbacking class. So having said all of that, Mike Muriano, why don't you do your quick overview and we'll get to questions. MIKE MURIANO: Perfect. I will keep this brief. I'm sure you have a ton of questions. Obviously, very excited about our ninth year of coverage for the Scouting Combine. As the exclusive broadcaster, it gives us, the network and media group as a whole, a chance to shine and distinguish itself, as we showed with over 60 hours of programming from Indy. We have made a couple slight changes in the broadcast on the network-side which will result in a more fan friendly and informative telecast. This year we're taking a slightly different tact with our set-up. We're putting Mike and Rich Eisen up in what amounts to a broadcast booth, and still keeping a desk on the main concourse, which we're internally referring to as the perspective desk. Then several analysts will be roaming the field according to their specialty. For example, Michael Irvin will be on the field Sunday with the wide receivers. Marshall Faulk will be with the running backs on Sunday as well. Willie McGinest with the defensive linemen and linebackers on Monday, and Deion Sanders with the defensive backs on Tuesday. We hope this gives fans great analysis and understanding of what they're watching and a little further depth of trying to answer questions. Obviously, tapping into Mike's extensive knowledge and adding a what does it all mean kind of feel to it. As Alex mentioned earlier, in total the network will cover this year's Combine with upwards of 24 analysts, hosts and reporters. It will feature a variety of NFL draft experts, former NFL head coaches, general managers, scouts and our stable of Hall of Fame players. We've recently also tapped into Scott Pioli and Mike Tannenbaum to join us in a couple capacities during our Path to the Draft and NFL Total Access shows that are out there to tap into some of the folks fresh from the front lines of this. As Alex also mentioned, we'll have up to 25 cameras broadcasting live during the events themselves between NFL.COM and NFL Network. I'll leave it with this. I can recall, and I'm sure Mike does as well, thinking back to year one of the nine years of coverage. I believe it was Mike and one producer, a gentleman names Jason Wormser, who were there trying to make inroads and bring to light what goes on at the Combine. And here we are some nine years later with expansive and dynamic coverage which we're all proud of and pleased to be doing again this year. Q. Mike, I'd like to ask you if there is any pass-rushing depth at the defensive end position around 30 where the Falcons will be picking. A lot of folks think tight end, but wanted to check on the D-end talent, the late first round, early second round? MAYOCK: Yeah, I have a little different opinion than what I'm hearing a lot of people have on these quote 4-3 defensive ends. I'm not as high on these guys as some people are. For instance, I don't think Bjoern Werner or Damontre Moore are top 10 players. They might go in the top 10, but I don't see it that way. As you start dropping down later, what happens is Ezekial “Zeke” Ansah from BYU, he's got as much upside as anybody in this draft. I don't think he gets to [pick number] 30. Sam Montgomery, the defensive end from LSU is a guy that could be there. And Barkevious Mingo gets a lot more of the attention, but I feel like Sam Montgomery brings it every snap more than Mingo does. He's not as quick, he's not as gifted, but he's very physical and tough. A couple other names to keep an eye on, whether it's the first round or a little later after that. Tank Carradine, the quote “other” defensive end at Florida State who had a medical issue, he probably had first-round talent. He's probably going to go in the second or third round, and somebody's going to get a steal with this kid because of his natural upside. Alex Okafor from Texas is a second or third=round guy. But sitting there at 30, that's a tough place, because I think Werner, Moore and Ansah, are going to be gone, and you start to get into Sam Montgomery and some of these other guys. Q. I'm kind of looking at the Bills situation there at 8. And, obviously, you already mentioned the quarterback hole that shifts exists in the class. Linebacker is probably their biggest need on the defensive side. Is that just a better fit there at 8 if they're sitting there to go linebacker at that point? MAYOCK: Let me make it quick, and I think this is germane to an entire discussion about the quarterbacks. I'm a big believer in value. If you have a top 10 pick, you want an all-pro at some point. If you look at a Geno Smith, he could be a top 10 pick in some people's eyes. Now for me, he and Matt Barkley to me are more like 20 to 32. That's where I feel more comfortable. However, the point I'd like to make is with the rookie wage scale, it's a lot less expensive to take a flier on a top 10 quarterback than it used to be. And if you make a mistake on a JaMarcus Russell and it costs you $50 million, you have a problem. If you make a mistake on a kid today at No. 8 and it costs you $20 million, it's a little different. So even though I don't subscribe to that, there are going to be people that say Buffalo should take a quarterback at 8, regardless of what the quote value is. With Geno Smith, I see flashes of everything you want in a top 10 quarterback. I see a lot more inconsistency though than I see those flashes. So he, to me, there is a real risk-reward scenario there. So that's kind of a long way of saying that a lot of people are going to be talking about quarterbacks. But if you get into that linebacker discussion at No. 8, there are a bunch of different names that are going to come up. One of them is going to be a polarizing figure, and that is Alec Ogletree out of Georgia. You want to talk about a kid that's made for the NFL game with an ability to drop and cover, a former safety. He's fun to watch on tape. He flies. He's explosive. He's not great against the run, but, boy, in today's NFL spread offenses, he's a great fit. But given the off-the-field issues and the D.U.I.