Noeller

https://www.cfl.ca/2023/03/21/oleary-combine-format-opens-evaluation-window/?tf_u[mailId]=aff37ae8e7&tf_u[team]=CFL When National and Global prospects make their way to Edmonton this week for the CFL Combine presented by New Era, they’ll head into a unique evaluation environment. Wednesday and Thursday will still consist of traditional combine elements like measurements, testing, the bench press and the 40-yard dash. Teams will still have time during the week to interview prospects to help inform their draft decisions. The Combine will take on a new look from Friday through Sunday, where the prospects will take part in practice sessions that involve individual drills, one-on-ones and new elements like the pass skeleton and inside run sessions. CFL coaches will lead positional groups and install offences and defences. The change takes the Combine in a new direction, one that Ryan Janzen, the CFL’s associate vice president of football operations, said stemmed from discussions with teams after last year’s Combine. “Where we ended up was let’s do live practices. Let’s end up having three days of practices where guys can go above and beyond their normal one-on-ones and individual period during Combine,” he said. “The thing was we were bringing (prospects) from Japan, from Europe, NCAA players in the States, from all over Canada. To give them the opportunity to truly showcase what they can do, we felt it was too quick to go in and out, do the drills and then they’re gone. Let’s keep these guys a little longer, put them through some more drills, see how they do and give the scouts more time to evaluate.” This follows a Kicking Showcase that the league held in San Diego in January — something that the teams had requested through those feedback sessions — and it was well received; something that got the new format rolling earlier in the year. The new format should also let the prospects show a more complete version of their football selves to the teams that are evaluating them. In every draft there are players that don’t run the fastest 40, or don’t put up a huge amount of reps on the bench press. Those that may have been lost in straight testing will have an extra three days to show how the practice, what their comprehension is on new schemes and how quickly they can adapt to working with new teammates and coaches. “It can really give the scouts a better opportunity to scout these guys. (The prospects are) already here, let’s have them stay a couple more days. Let’s bring in some CFL coaches to coach them up a bit,” Janzen said. “I think we’re all excited to see how it goes. I think based on feedback from the clubs, I think this will be really good. But again, we’ll get their feedback after after this and see what they thought of it and how they may may want to evolve it even more.” The new format has piqued the interest of a pair of CFL prospects. Southern Utah University defensive lineman Francis Bemiy and Western University running back Keon Edwards both said on a media call last week that they’re looking forward to seeing what the Combine offers them. “I’m really excited for the practice portion of it,” said Edwards, the top rusher in U SPORTS last season. “Be able to do inside run, actually showing scouts what I can do on the field. I know the Combine is also what they like to see from us, but from a football aspect I’m able to show the best of my ability there.” “That’s a different aspect,” Bemiy said. “They’ll do the testing aspect on one side and then the game aspect, so they really get to see how you play (and) what are your skill sets on the football field, instead of just doing the tests. (It’s) pretty cool just to go out there and show what you can do.” The new format should also be beneficial to the teams as they continue to evaluate the prospects ahead of the draft. Toronto Argonauts’ receivers coach and pass game coordinator Pete Costanza will be involved with the practice days of this year’s combine in Edmonton, working as the offensive coordinator and receivers’ coach. In addition to the film the Argos have on the prospects, he’ll get an up close look at the prospects on the offensive side of the ball through this coming week, which can only help as the team zeroes in on how to use its picks in the CFL Draft on May 2. “It does give you more knowledge and information about the guy, just to see how they learn, how they respond in a practice setting. And then how do they take it to the next practice period and apply it or not apply it,” Costanza said. “It’ll definitely give more information, especially for all the coaches that are hands on day-to-day for the three days of practice.” The changes made to this year’s Combine will be closely monitored and just like last year, the league will meet with teams in a couple of weeks’ time again to discuss what worked and what didn’t. As the league ventures into relatively unchartered waters in its pre-draft evaluation, it’s not opposed to letting the nature of the event evolve to the teams’ liking. “We’re excited about this,” Janzen said. “We felt (the previous setup for the Combine) it was too quick to go in and out, do the Combine, put them through a couple of drills and they’re gone. Let’s keep these guys a little bit longer, put them soon through some more drills and then really see how they do and obviously give the scouts more time to evaluate.” “You hear people in football say all the time, ‘Oh, that’s not what we do, we don’t do that.’ It doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea. I think we’re on to something,” Costanza said. “We just need to work our way through it here and have some flexibility this first go-round. Then when we’re done, we can reconvene and iron out the edges that need to be ironed out and make it better.”

this is an example of why PP's "popularity" was tanking according to the last national poll done. Grits once again ahead of the Tories, and PP's personal "favourability" falling every day...

You and Booch both.... least surprising thing.

I generally like most things this guy does, but man I really LOLed about this one....

and I would GUESS that being an Ivy League student, he's probably going to be pretty smart, which is always a bonus...

because it wasn't listed in the article - he's apparently 5'9" 180lbs...... so maybe more of a KR/PR than anything?

I agree with most that they'll make playoffs..... but likely will get punted hard and fast unless they somehow figure out how to score. I haven't seen an NHL PP this bad in forever.... they look like the Jr A team I cover.

I know Al is just being an ******* about this, but I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'd rather watch an All Canadian CFL than an All American CFL.

woof what a garbage draft year: https://www.cfl.ca/draft-tracker/2017/

that draft is probably the weakest in recent memory. They knew it going in and did the best they could... it just didn't work out. Ekakatie was a bust, to be sure, but there wasn't a lot to be had in that draft, from what I remember.

National Combine this weekend in Edmonton.....

love love love that......

Willy never had a chance... Never had an OL until it was too late. If Willy had had a decent OL to start he could have been at least Dane Evans.

The thing is, Dave's right... But I understand why people don't want to acknowledge it when it comes from him. Ha ha.

I didn't wanna be the first one to say it so I'm glad Tburg did what Tburg does....

Desperately need these two points. Calgary vs Dallas tonight means no winners.

Faj has never had the throwing ability of Drew Willy. Drew Willy was never a glorified running back like Faj. Faj is Nealon Greene if anything.

and you think we'll just pick him up at that point? The Bombers will have their QB stable set coming out of camp and that's who they'll roll with. Prukop isn't Streveler...they're not gonna just make room for the guy.

we're splitting hairs at this point, but I'm not sure Jennings ever showed as much as Evans....

and, to my original point about the Als OL, I think I'm mostly remembering the line from the early 00s, moreso than the late 00s....

I just rewatched the Home Opener from last year, where Dru came in for the final series and essentially won us that game. He's just going to get better and better with any playing time, so I can understand why they're fine rolling with him...

watched that BB biopic trailer yesterday...looks really good, for a Canadian production (I assume).....

Pretty much everyone that was on that Als OL in the 2000s should be in the HOF eventually. That was a ridiculous line in front of AC for awhile there...

2023 CFL HOF Class announced:

this is completely insane and perfect encapsulates why people vote for the UCP.......good......lord.