Have you ever wondered what goes through the mind of an head coach during the NFL Scouting Combine? In such a high-stress position, every little decision matters, let along massive ones like drafting players.
Here at This Given Sunday, we went behind the scenes to uncover their inner-most musings while watching the drills. The results:
Joe Philbin – Miami Dolphins
“Can any of these guys perform in December?”
Rex Ryan – Buffalo Bills
“It’s a good thing we have our franchise quarterback since we traded away out first round pick.”
Todd Bowles – New York Jets
“Any guy out here would instantly be our best offensive player, including the kickers.”
Bill Belichick – New England Patriots
“We’re on to Cincinnati.”
Marvin Lewis – Cincinnati Bengals
“Where am I?”
Mike Tomlin – Pittsburgh Steelers
“We have 25 players who are old enough to be the fathers of half these guys.”
Mike Pettine – Cleveland Browns
“Two first-round picks again. Hey, can’t do worse than Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden!”
John Harbaugh – Baltimore Ravens
“Maybe we should pay closer attention in the interviews this time around.”
Chuck Pagano – Indianapolis Colts
“Maybe it’s time to draft a running back, or offensive lineman, or anybody decent outside of Andrew Luck.”
Bill O’Brien – Houston Texans
“Can we trade Jadeveon Clowney for the tackling dummy? At least it shows up.”
Gus Bradley – Jacksonville Jaguars
“When are we going to just be done with it and move to London?”
Ken Whisenhunt – Tennessee Titans
“Marcus Mariota might be a franchise player, but we’re going to pass and take some defensive lineman.”
Andy Reid – Kansas City Chiefs
“Pass the barbeque sauce.”
Mike McCoy – San Diego Chargers
“If any of these linebackers can move, they are miles better than Dwight Freeney.”
Gary Kubiak – Denver Broncos
“My track record is clear; no matter how much talent I have, we are going 8-8.”
Jack Del Rio – Oakland Raiders
“I wonder if Amani Toomer can play every position on the field at once?”
Tom Coughlin – New York Giants
“I just want to go home already. It doesn’t matter, Eli is just going to throw 25 interceptions.”
Jason Garrett – Dallas Cowboys
“I can relax, Jerry is making all the decisions anyway.”
Chip Kelly – Philadelphia Eagles
“Marcus, come back to me. Without you, we are destined to be highly mediocre.”
Jay Gruden – Washington Redskins
“Insert Yakety Sax on loop.”
Mike McCarthy – Green Bay Packers
“When is the drill for recovering an onside kick?”
Mike Zimmer – Minnesota Vikings
“I’m going to ruin some lives by drafting players to the tundra. Fantastic!”
Jim Caldwell – Detroit Lions
“If I don’t make a facial expression for the next five minutes, I will have set a world record.”
John Fox – Chicago Bears
“I’m not even watching the drills. Instead, I’m going to walk around and scream CUTLER AVAILABLE all week.”
Lovie Smith – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
“Jameis. Jameis. Jameis. Jameis. Jameis. Jameis. JAMEIS. JAMEIS. JAMEIS.”
Dan Quinn – Atlanta Falcons
“These guys can move, tackle and potentially force fourth down. I’m not sure Atlanta fans will understand.”
Sean Payton – New Orleans Saints
“Maybe we should keep drafting receivers, who needs a defense?”
Ron Rivera – Carolina Panthers
“We are secretly looking for a quarterback who has any semblance of accuracy.”
Jeff Fisher – St. Louis Rams
“If any of these quarterbacks have knees that aren’t broken beyond repair, I’m in.”
Pete Carroll – Seattle Seahawks
“Who is the first offensive coordinator projected off the board?”
Jim Tomsula – San Francisco 49ers
“These will be the first guys on our team without an AARP coming within the next five years.”
Bruce Arians – Arizona Cardinals
“I’m drafting every quarterback in this place.”
