I know I'm not alone when I say I'm beat. The last four days I've heard the same questions over and over, ate the same sandwich for lunch over and over, and listened to draft prospects say they've met with "pretty much every team" over and over, but I wouldn't have traded the experience for anything. While I was awestruck on Thursday morning, by late Sunday afternoon, I had a pretty good appreciation for how hard these guys work to make sure we fans get all the information we crave from our favorite teams, especially when fan sites like Stampede Blue can't get this kind of access year-round.
The consensus of the guys around us was that Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News was by far the hardest working guy at the Combine. He tried to talk to every single prospect that came into the media room, no matter if they were Cam Newton, or a little known receiver from Hillsdale College. Not only did he try to talk to each one of them, he always had a pointed question to ask, referencing a notebook ridiculously thick, complete with stats and notes of each and every prospect.
Sunday's session was 2/3 full at most, as it seemed they wanted to get out of town early, and there really wasn't that big prospect coming through today, although 3 players in the top 10 did make an appearance (Nick Fairley, Patrick Peterson, Prince Amukamara).
I got to meet Aaron Schatz and Doug Farrar of Football Outsiders, and they couldn't have been nicer guys. Doug is going to sit down with us for a Q&A on the Colts draft once we get closer to the actual draft, and he's definitely up for any discussion on how QB Wins is a worthless stat. Aaron and I talked about Bill Polian, and how he misunderstands the purpose and audience of Football Outsiders. They both read Stampede Blue, and invited them to join in our discussions.
I'll also be in contact with Wes Bunting, Director of Scouting for National Football Post, and we'll get his insight into where he thinks the Colts will go in the draft. Another great guy, who was working constantly throughout the Combine.
I'm a little disappointed that none of the Colts brass decided to show up this week, but they weren't the only team without representation in the Media room, including the Patriots. Indy Star's Mike Chappell thought it was because of the Labor situation, as well as Peyton Manning's contract, which make total sense, but still sucks.
Lastly, here's the video I shot yesterday, about 20 minutes before Cam Newton showed up. You kind of get an idea of how the room was laid out, and what the concourse looked like as well: