This weekend was a great weekend for sports. The USA Hockey team was so close to beating Canada in the Olympics before succumbing in OT. Kobe finally beat the Nuggets this season. The CIAA Tournament was held this weekend. But the football lover in me was excited about one thing: The NFL Combine.

The NFL Combine was in full effect this weekend, with college players showing their athleticism and skill for the entire 32 teams to see, in hopes of getting drafted on Draft Day. A lot of fans LOVE Draft Day but will dismiss the idea of the NFL Combine (which is now a part of the NFL Network's telecast). But to me, The NFL Combine and Draft Day are siblings. Think about it this way .... if it weren't important, why would coaches and front office execs take the time to head to Indy year in and out, to take a look at future NFL prospects, so close to the beginning of free agency?


For those that don't care much for the Combine, I understand that watching people run 40 yard dashes, do vertical jumps and bench pressing isn't your idea of what "must see TV" is supposed to be. But if you're a football fanatic like myself, it WILL help you get a clearer idea on a player that your team may think can be a real asset to them.

For instance, let's take a look at Florida's Tim Tebow. Tebow had a pretty bad outing during the Senior Bowl and his stock dropped tremendously. Some folks projected him to be nothing higher than a 3rd round pick. But Tebow participated in this weekend's combine.

Even though he didn't throw or bench press this weekend, Tebow excelled in the 10-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump and 3-cone drill. I know what you are thinking... Tebow is a QB so these things seem pointless to a guy at his position. And you may have a point. But imagine if Tebow added a poor Combine outing to an already dismal Senior Bowl performance. It would have hurt his case more than helped. Tebow will participate in the Gators' Pro Day on March 17th, and if all goes well, he could be moved up to an early 2nd round pick, or even a late 1st rounder. Tebow has the Combine to thank for breathing new life into his possible NFL career.

The Combine also shows how good players can actually be in the making to be great players. I watched Maryland OL Bruce Campbell this weekend and I was in awe. I was high on Campbell prior to the Combine. But after watching him this weekend, his draft stock went up in just a matter of hours. Campbell's speedy 40-yard dash time (4.78) and showing quick feet and poise during drills showed it should be hard for many teams to overlook Campbell's athleticism, and how he can possibly make a team better at protecting their bread and butter- the QB.

But for me, the best reason to watch the Combine has to be watching men in great shape, run around in fitted clothes, showing off their athletic bodies. Hey, sorry... I had to go there.. I'm still a girl, and you're damn right I'm checking out physiques!

God Bless American Football!

If you haven't gotten a chance to check out the Combine, watch NFL Network or ESPNews, who has updates regularly. Or simply go online to NFL.com and watch a live stream of the Combine.