For those that don’t get NFL Network, you are missing out because for the brief stretches that they actually show the combine, it is very cool. However, you aren’t missing much because their coverage is a shell of what it should be. I have no idea what the producers are thinking, it’s as if they are of the opinion that no one would actually be tuning in to WATCH the combine, therefore we better show them everything else we can come up with to prevent them from turning the channel.
For starters, why do they start their coverage at 11 am when the combine has already been going for hours? They miss the entire first group each day. And their main show ends long before the combine's over. Why not show it all? The certainly don’t have anything better on (it’s not like this network has so much original programming that they can’t fit it all in). I realize that they want to rebroadcast it 50 times, but they could easily put together a 2-3 hour summary show for that.
But that’s a minor point because even when their “combine” show is on, they are rarely showing the combine. The vast majority of the show is essentially the same pre-draft pieces and yapping that they will be doing nightly through April. The emphasis is on:
- watching the TV personalities yap (for the life of me, why can’t they yap off-camera)
- interviews
- pure puff pieces (a la the Olympics)
- game highlights (usually the same highlight reels that most of us will have memorized come April)
- endless replays of the combine highlights
- players that aren’t working out (yes, they spend long stretches showing players in sweatshirts while other players are doing drills)
This leaves precious little time for actually showing the combine, which they do with only moderate success. The most maddening moments are when they show a significant player preparing for a drill, but then go to commercial break and never show it. Perhaps worse is when they show a timed drill, but then go to break and never give the time. Often they don’t even bother telling you who is doing the drill. Sometimes they mention the player’s name but are so caught up in some yapping session that they don’t talk about him at all. There are stretches when they do the obvious -- they introduce the player, talk about him, show the drill, and talk about what it means ("that guy needed to do better there"). These stretches are awesome, enlightening, and perhaps encompass something on the order of 5% of the broadcast (that’s generous).
As an example, they did an excellent job of giving background on the impressive TE Michael Allan from Whitworth and also building up the gauntlet drill. Well, the gauntlet drill finally gets going and Allan is first (alphabetical), but they are in the middle of an interview with Ryan Kalil. The interview was good, so fine, they miss the live drill of Allan -- but they never showed it!!
Now, I realize that there are too many players and drills for them to show it all, and that would admittedly be a bit dull. So fine, pre-plan this a bit and go to commercial during some of the lesser known player’s runs and show us any good stuff that was missed after the break. Show the puff pieces during the dull drills (“this is a bit dull, so let’s review some of the highlights of the day” -- is that so hard?!?) Anyone that hasn’t seen their coverage would likely assume this is what they do, but it is quite the opposite. The producers do not view their combine coverage as anything approaching a sporting event that their viewers are actually interested in seeing -- to them it is a produced show -- it is time to be filled. It’s infuriating and a real shame, if they’d just do the obvious and cover the damn event, it’d be unique, enjoyable, and educating. Instead they feed us the same stuff that they’ll be giving us night after night after night -- I don't mind that material, I enjoy their shows, but not during the fricking combine!!
It really is a shame. If anybody has any sense to share and a contact at that network, please send it their way.
For starters, why do they start their coverage at 11 am when the combine has already been going for hours? They miss the entire first group each day. And their main show ends long before the combine's over. Why not show it all? The certainly don’t have anything better on (it’s not like this network has so much original programming that they can’t fit it all in). I realize that they want to rebroadcast it 50 times, but they could easily put together a 2-3 hour summary show for that.
But that’s a minor point because even when their “combine” show is on, they are rarely showing the combine. The vast majority of the show is essentially the same pre-draft pieces and yapping that they will be doing nightly through April. The emphasis is on:
- watching the TV personalities yap (for the life of me, why can’t they yap off-camera)
- interviews
- pure puff pieces (a la the Olympics)
- game highlights (usually the same highlight reels that most of us will have memorized come April)
- endless replays of the combine highlights
- players that aren’t working out (yes, they spend long stretches showing players in sweatshirts while other players are doing drills)
This leaves precious little time for actually showing the combine, which they do with only moderate success. The most maddening moments are when they show a significant player preparing for a drill, but then go to commercial break and never show it. Perhaps worse is when they show a timed drill, but then go to break and never give the time. Often they don’t even bother telling you who is doing the drill. Sometimes they mention the player’s name but are so caught up in some yapping session that they don’t talk about him at all. There are stretches when they do the obvious -- they introduce the player, talk about him, show the drill, and talk about what it means ("that guy needed to do better there"). These stretches are awesome, enlightening, and perhaps encompass something on the order of 5% of the broadcast (that’s generous).
As an example, they did an excellent job of giving background on the impressive TE Michael Allan from Whitworth and also building up the gauntlet drill. Well, the gauntlet drill finally gets going and Allan is first (alphabetical), but they are in the middle of an interview with Ryan Kalil. The interview was good, so fine, they miss the live drill of Allan -- but they never showed it!!
Now, I realize that there are too many players and drills for them to show it all, and that would admittedly be a bit dull. So fine, pre-plan this a bit and go to commercial during some of the lesser known player’s runs and show us any good stuff that was missed after the break. Show the puff pieces during the dull drills (“this is a bit dull, so let’s review some of the highlights of the day” -- is that so hard?!?) Anyone that hasn’t seen their coverage would likely assume this is what they do, but it is quite the opposite. The producers do not view their combine coverage as anything approaching a sporting event that their viewers are actually interested in seeing -- to them it is a produced show -- it is time to be filled. It’s infuriating and a real shame, if they’d just do the obvious and cover the damn event, it’d be unique, enjoyable, and educating. Instead they feed us the same stuff that they’ll be giving us night after night after night -- I don't mind that material, I enjoy their shows, but not during the fricking combine!!
It really is a shame. If anybody has any sense to share and a contact at that network, please send it their way.
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