Pagano, Elway, Notre Dame backs talk at NFL Combine
By CLIFF BRUNT
and DOUG GRIFFITHS
ISL Editors
INDIANAPOLIS — Colts coach Chuck Pagano talked to the media on Friday about his health, the state of the team and his thoughts on Bruce Arians getting hired in Arizona. Here is a 6-minute video of his time at the podium during the NFL Scouting Combine.
ELWAY SPEAKS: Broncos executive vice president John Elway talks about Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck.
ARIANS RETURNS: Bruce Arians, who led the Colts while coach Chuck Pagano recovered from leukemia and helped the team make a surprising run to the playoffs, returned to Indianapolis as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. He spoke Thursday at the NFL Combine in Lucas Oil Stadium, the same building where he coached this past season.
“As soon as I pulled up in the parking lot, I had to sit in the car for a minute,” he said. “It was an unusual year. A lot of great memories that will never be forgotten. People, relationships that happened in this building last year, they were very special.”
Arians said Pagano’s successful fight was the best part of the season.
“The biggest thing for last year is I watched a dear friend get healthy,” he said. “Football was a back seat the whole time watching Chuck fight that fight and win. It just so happened that everybody in the country was fighting the fight. It was heartwarming to see cheerleaders shave their heads, guys shave their heads, fans, truck drivers.”
Arians said he appreciated his time in Indianapolis, but looks forward to the opportunity in Arizona.
“I had always said I wasn’t going to be a head coach just to be one,” he said. “It had to be the right fit to leave Indianapolis because I had the greatest job in the world right here. Once I met Michael Bidwell, I knew this was the one that was going to work for me.”
Here is video of Arians’ time at the podium.
NOTRE DAME WELL REPRESENTED: College football’s stars are converging on Indianapolis this weekend for the annual NFL Scouting Combine for what will be their most important days of their young lives.
Each will be trying to solidify or improve their stock with NFL player personnel as they’re poked and prodded in every imaginable way possible.
Of the 333 college prospects on hand, seven will be from Notre Dame’s national runner-up team.
Representing the Fighting Irish will be linebacker Manti Te’o, tight end Tyler Eifert, running backs Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood, safeties Zeke Motta and Jamoris Slaughter and center Braxton Cave. An eighth Notre Dame player, defensive tackle Kapron Lewis Moore, was invited, but he’ll be absent due to the knee injury he suffered in the BCS National Championship Game against Alabama last month.
Audio: Notre Dame’s Cierre Wood at the Combine:
Audio: Notre Dame’s Theo Riddick at the Combine:
Two, Te’o and Eifert, are almost certain first-round picks.
Speaking of Te’o, he’ll easily be the most watched player in the Circle City.
Fresh off the girlfriend hoax, Te’o will have tons of pressure on his shoulders as he tries to convince NFL brass that he’s deserving of being a first-round selection.
You can bet the All-American who finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting will be under fire during the 15-minute formal interview sessions for linebackers, which are scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
Te’o will need to be sharp, showing teams he doesn’t have any character flaws and is well worth teams investing millions of dollars in him.
Te’o needs to prove himself on Monday, too, during on-field workout sessions when his speed in the 40-yard dash is measured along with his height and weight.
Remember, the 6-foot-2, 255-pounder is coming off a forgettable performance against the Crimson Tide. Nick Saban’s team had its way with Te’o, making him a non-factor. The national championship game was easily his worst performance of the season and one of the worst of his career. A sub-par showing in Indianapolis will drop Te’o to being a second-round pick, costing him millions.
His draft stock would be helped immensely if he performed well in strength, speed and agility drills, and if he shed a few pounds.
There is some uncertainty about whether Te’o would be a better fit in a 4-3 scheme as opposed to a 3-4 at the next level.
Many, including NFL Network’s Mike Mayock, believe Te’o is easily worthy of a first-round pick. Currently Mayock has him ranked as the second-best inside linebacker available behind only Alec Ogletree of Georgia.
Ogletree has had his share of off-field problems, including a DUI. He could go as high as the eighth pick when the Buffalo Bills choose or slip to No. 21 when the Cincinnati Bengals select.
Te’o will likely follow Ogletree.
However, if Te’o excels in Indy he could move up on the board and find himself as the second linebacker chosen behind only Georgia outside backer Jarvis Jones, who may be the second player taken in the draft, which would mean he’d be bound for Jacksonville.
Given Te’o’s on-field performance throughout his illustrious Notre Dame career, expect him to shine at the Combine, and as a result, won’t have to wait too long before he hears his name called on draft night.
KELLY WON’T PICK QB: New Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly wouldn’t tip his hand regarding who would be his starting quarterback: Michael Vick, Nick Foles or Dennis Dixon, a new addition who played for Kelly at Oregon.
“I can’t predict the future, so I have no idea,” he said. “But everybody, with the amount of reps we get in practice, everybody’s going to get a shot at throwing the football around, and the best players are going to play.”
He said he likes Foles.
“I want to coach Nick, and I want to get a chance to spend time with him,” Kelly said. “I was a big fan of his and the way he plays the game, his ability, his toughness and his ability to throw the ball very accurately.”
KELLY’S SURPRISE SUPPORTER: Chip Kelly got a show of support from an unlikely source: Andy Reid, the man he replaced in Philadelphia.
Reid, now coaching the Kansas City Chiefs, said Kelly has a bright future in the NFL.
“I think Chip is a phenomenal football coach,” Reid said. “I think it worked out great for the Philadelphia Eagles. I thought that was very important. I’d be foolish to tell you anything different than that. I care about the ownership there, I care about these players. You want them to have the best possible situation that they can have so they can win football games.”
TRESTMAN LIKES CUTLER: Some people aren’t fans of Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.
New Bears coach Marc Trestman is.
“I’m excited to coach Jay Cutler,” Trestman said. “I’ve had a couple of opportunities to talk with him on multiple levels. I’m excited to work with him on all facets of his game. He’s an extremely bright guy and he’s got a great skill set, so we’ll try to work hard to provide him the resources to maximize his ability.”
WILLIAMS NOT EASY PICK: The Tennessee Titans thought twice before hiring Gregg Williams as a senior assistant coach.
Williams was suspended for a season for his involvement with the New Orleans Saints’ bounty program. He was recently reinstated, and Tennessee hired him.
“There was hesitation in that we had to do our research,” Titans general manager Ruston Webster said. “We had to do our background work. Fortunately, him having spent so much time in Tennessee, we had a lot of people who know him well and felt comfortable bringing him in.”
