That’s really the nuts and bolts of what we do during our combine training here…but it’s so much more than that. We understand that getting into the NFL is a very specific process. It’s basically the most in-depth job interview in the world.
And certainly, a guy’s 40 time is a critical part of that process. Generally speaking, we see improvements of about 2 tenths of a second in most guy’s 40 times.
But that’s not all the NFL Scouts are looking for. Testing today is evolving in the same direction CES has been going for the past 20 years. That is to say, scouts are testing more “position specific” now. They want to see linemen who are explosive over 5 or 10 yards. They want to see a running back with quick change of direction. They want to see quarterbacks who can read and react very quickly to what is happening around them. In short, testing is moving into position specific, movement specific areas where reaction is key.
We call that “True Sport Speed”, and that’s exactly what our program is designed to create. Does that show up in a 40? Sure it does. We teach our guys how to execute each drill they will be asked to perform at the combine and at their pro days, and we are training to see those results. But if you take a Brian Urlacher for example, (who is one of the most incredible natural athletes I have ever seen by the way)…the results he got during his combine preparation here at CES were fairly typical. Brian came into CES from New Mexico at 6’4, 230 pounds, and he ran about a 4.69. Nine weeks later at the combine, he ran 4.49 at just over 260 pounds. So it’s not just teaching a guy the techniques around performing the drills, although that is certainly a big part of it. It’s also about maximizing a player’s explosiveness on the way to making him a better player.
The real measurement of our success at CES and the time any player spends with us is not just combine results and draft placement. Sure, that’s where the money is made, so we obviously focus on that. But we also judge ourselves on what kind of season a guy has after he has left us. Trent Edwards comes to mind with the Buffalo Bills. He had a fantastic rookie season after his time with us. This last year, we had Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall and Albert Haynesworth with us during the off-season. None of those guys were with us for their combine preparations. But as CES PRO Clients during the off-season, we were happy to see their hard work manifest itself on the field. And that’s really the main thing to emphasize here.
Yes, we have a system that we think is very unique and special. But make no mistake: Players are successful and get the results out of our system because they are in here paying the price in blood, sweat and tears every day. They come in here and bust their butts. That’s why they are so good. It’s like anything else. If you come into our facility and just go through the motions, you are not going to see the results. But it’s what is INSIDE Brian Urlacher and Champ Bailey and Albert Haynesworth that make them great players. That’s what we see from our clients that is special. Our program is tough, so guys that don’t come to work every day don’t usually stick around for very long.
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