What The Hell Is A Waist Bender? Some Quick NFL Combine

The combine officially started yesterday but the real action will take place over the next few days as players weigh in, get on the board with coaches, go through interviews with personnel departments and of course the much lauded work out portion. I'll be watching all of the action thanks to the NFL Network and their wall to wall coverage AND of course the twittersphere will be abuzz folks so hit us up.



People largely tend often tend to fall to the two extremes on the combine; you have the "combine doesn't matter" camp vs the "combine is the most important thing" camp. You're both wrong. I did a little podcasting with Blatant Homerism so check that out and last year I got a chance to write a primer about where the combine fits in what I've called the Holy Trinity of Player Evaluation. That triumvirate is composed of:

-Game Tape and College Production
-Personnel Assessment
-Measurables

The combine isn't to put a player at the number one position or drop them off the map, it is to differentiate between guys who are relatively even on a team's draft board. I got a chance to talk to a very good friend of mind who works for an NFL team in the scouting department last night. He few me some good information and that was one point that he wanted me to truly express. Teams have their boards finalized entering the combine, they have players slotted, the combine is simply a tool to check measurements and confirm what you've seen on film.

In talking with this NFL scout routinely I've continued to get more insight into the combine and how the entire evaluation process works. The most important part of the combine is the part we never get to see; personal interviews and the medical assessment.

These fall under the "personal assessment" segment of the Holy Trinity of Player Evaluation and how players operate on the board, their comfort, explanations and honesty in interviews and of course their medical standing are a big part of what makes teams sour on prospects during and after the combine. Less to do with a forty time than whether or not a safety prospect can diagram and explain cover-2 or he's got range of motion issues in his shoulder and turf toe.

Now on to a couple of thoughts that should be in your mind when you're watching this combine on television, a few words or terms that will be tossed around by scouting types, what they actually mean and why they're important. Just four ideals hear but they can truly change your appreciation for the nuance that gets observed by each team for every player on their board.

Stuck as in "he gets stuck in his breaks"

Getting stuck is not a good thing. It is the difference between making a fluid transition in a cut and being somewhat "herky-jerky" or slow in and out of breaks. We tend to hear this on the edge when discussing receivers and defensive backs. Getting "stuck" is a sign of poor hip flexion and an inability to accelerate-decelerate-reaccelerate into and out of cuts. For defensive backs it is an issue of flipping their hips open to turn and run OR going from back pedal to running forward. Getting stuck is a factor in both position specifics AND the workouts.

*Do not confuse "getting stuck" with "sticking." They are two fundamentally different things, getting stuck is bad while "sticking a break" or "sticking his foot in the ground" is a good thing signifying no wasted steps or rounding off of a break by a player.*

Short Arms as in "that guy has got short arms"

Clearly this is by and large a function of the measurements BUT as my scouting buddy explained last night it is also a look and playing style quality. Generally used for linemen on both sides of the ball and defensive backs this trait is one that is pretty self explanatory. On the defensive side short arms inhibit a players ability to gain and maintain separation from blockers. For offensive linemen long arms give you more range for blocking, especially pass protection and they can add more pop to your punch. Teams, especially 3-4 teams, look for long armed defensive ends and pass rush specialists, they cause trouble with hands in passing lanes and their ability to control blockers. Long arms a bonus in the defensive backfield, they add to the rangy quality teams now look for out of their safeties and corners.

Quick vs Fast as in "player X is a lot quicker than he is fast"

This is a debate that comes up with players on a near yearly basis, just last year both Dexter McCluster and Javier Arenas had issues with the quick vs fast argument. They both seemed to do alright. Quickness is your agility, your ability to start-stop and then start again. Cutting on a dime and then getting back up to speed, not lumbering around like a lummox. Another term you'll here tossed out in conjunction with this term is long strider. These guys tend to be more fast than quick, often called "deceptively fast" as their gait carries them a greater distance w/ each stride than most players. Guys like Cam Newton and Randy Moss have that freakish blessing of being both a long strider with a deceptive top speed AND quickness to make cuts and breaks.



*Most shorter players are quick and fast (see Noel Devine this year, Jacoby Ford a year ago) but rarely are they long striders.*

Waist Bender as in "tough for him to be a first round pick he's a waist bender"

Finally we're here at the creme de la creme of NFL combine and pre-draft terms; the waist bender. I've come to realize most fans have no idea what this means or why it matters.

Do me a favor; stand up, don't bend your kneed and touch the tops of your shoes, stay in that position and try to move laterally. I'll wait.

Doesn't work too well does it? Bending at the waist is damning for every position on the field. It leads to reaching, being off balance and that's just bad football. Period. Football is played with the chest up, back flat, a forward body lean, hips sunk, knees bent, ankles flexed and on the balls of one's feet. That's football positioning in a sentence and It Applies To Every Position On The Field. Doesn't matter if you're in a four-point stance or playing safety in the deep middle that is the "ideal" stance.

Bending at the waist is the opposite of Standing Straight Up and both are detrimental to a players technique. They both eliminate balance points, take away any leverage you might possess and leave players prone to the lunge; a sign they are out of position and slow to react. 

There you go folks, a few ideals to put in your pocket and truly understand what a scout is looking for as he watches the athletes go through their combine drills. Want to impress a friend? Remind him that while important the combine is just part of the Holy Trinity of Player Evaluation and to keep his favorite players 4.3 40 in perspective.