Behind Closed Doors: Dolphins at the Combine

[Daytona Fin]

Teams are allowed to schedule formal interviews with 60 prospects, each lasting just 15 minutes. The MMQB sat in the room as the Dolphins grilled a quarterback and tried to determine the makeup of the man

A few seconds later, this backpack-wearing, NFL-hopeful walked into a dimly lit hotel room to be grilled for precisely 15 minutes by a group of 10 Dolphins employees that included Mike Tannenbaum, the executive vice president of football operations, general manager Chris Grier, head coach Adam Gase and Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino.The combine has turned into a made-for-TV event each February, with 334 prospects wearing league-issued workout gear while they are put through an on-field skills and athleticism contest. But the most valuable information is often gleaned behind closed doors during formal player interviews. Teams can schedule up to 60 of these private meetings during the week. They take place each day between 6 and 11 p.m. on the first floor of this hotel across the street from Lucas Oil Stadium. It’s an NFL gantlet, with all 32 clubs setting up in adjacent hotel rooms, each door adorned with a team banner. Access is tightly restricted by local police officers, who are stationed at every hotel entrance and are under strict orders to let only team employees and combine players enter—no agents, no sponsors, and no personal trainers are allowed.
A few steps away from the hotel’s indoor pool, their room wedged between the Patriots and Raiders, the Dolphins had already conducted 16 formal interviews by 10 p.m. on Thursday. Every 15 minutes, a new prospect took over the hot seat, with no breaks in between. Miami’s tiny room was filled to the brim with people and furniture and equipment, and when their 17th player arrived for his interview, a crash reverberated throughout the room—something fell to the floor as everyone jumped up to greet him.
“I apologize,” the quarterback said, looking around but unable to determine what fell. The handshakes and nice-to-meet-yous belied what was about to unfold: an interrogation.

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By this point in the Dolphins’ scouting process for the 2016 draft, they’ve already visited 230 colleges, graded 1,344 players and written 5,885 total reports since last spring. In a very long election process, the combine is tantamount to one precinct reporting.
The formal interviews, however, are one of the most intriguing elements, at least to outsiders trying to find out what goes on behind closed doors. Which players are interviewing with which teams? Who interviewed well? What crazy questions are being asked? For a look at what one of these job interviews is like, The MMQB sat in on the Dolphins’ 10 p.m. meeting with the quarterback. So as not to affect the draft process for either the player or team, we are not disclosing the quarterback’s name.

“You are aware of things that happened in the past, you learn from mistakes and move on and make sure you make smart decisions for your organization,” says Grier, who was the team’s director of college scouting at the time. “Every organization is very aware of the questions they ask, especially now with social media. At the end of the day, you need to make good decisions that won’t embarrass your organization while also information-gathering and finding out what you need.”Teams won’t ask a player if he uses drugs, for example, but instead may ask him to explain why he was suspended in college or say simply, “Is there anything you need to tell us?” For a player with pressing off-the-field questions, such as Ole Miss defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche, who in December fell out of a fourth-floor hotel room window and was subsequently charged with marijuana possession, teams would likely ask him to explain what happened right off the bat and use most, if not all, of the 15 minutes to get his answers.
The quarterback we sat in with did not have any off-the-field issues, not even an unpaid parking ticket, so the temperature in the room stayed pretty mild. Even so, the Q&A felt like a game-show lightning round, with no time for small talk or pauses. The player still knew how to play to the room. At one point, he listed the NFL quarterbacks he likes to watch on film: Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Matt Ryan.
“And, I gotta say,” the quarterback added, “I watch some Tannehill quite a bit, too.”

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/03/01/nfl-combine-miami-dolphins-formal-interview-quarterback

 

[Aqua Shadow]

In before T-Hill wise cracks

 

[Aqua and Orange]

In before the Dez Bryant hooker jokes.

All told, this process sounds EXHAUSTING. These prospects probably say a lot of the same things, and I'd probably listen to the 43rd prospect of that day say their biggest weakness is "maybe I'm TOO hard of a worker" and I would just nod while I silently scanned Pornhub.

 

[miamiron]

“You are aware of things that happened in the past, you learn from mistakes and move on"

Hopefully someone told our GM whose been with the team for 16 years

 

[uk_dolfan]

a room beside the Pats... asking for bug related trouble

 

[DAFINZ]

Any guesses to who the QB is. There are some clues in there...

 

[truckstick23]

Dak Prescott. Only guy I can think of that has potential and will be around when the dolphins might think about taking a QB.

 

[eger]

Thought this was another thread of a College player coming out of the closet

 

[spiketex]

My guess is a player like Cody Kessler. I think we may be interested in him as a backup QB. Very accurate, very high character and very smart. He is a good development prospect and he probably won't cost a high Draft pick. I see him as low cost backup plan if Tannehill doesn't make the expected progress. Expectations for Kessler aren't as high a 1st round QB and at a minimum he can become a decent backup, like Cousins did for the Redskins.

 

[xXwarXx]

In before the Dez Bryant hooker jokes.

All told, this process sounds EXHAUSTING. These prospects probably say a lot of the same things, and I'd probably listen to the 43rd prospect of that day say their biggest weakness is "maybe I'm TOO hard of a worker" and I would just nod while I silently scanned Pornhub.

The process makes you forget that these are just kids basically.

I couldn't imagine being that age and everything about myself being judged openly in the media.

 

[tay0365]

The Patriots next door? OH, OH!!

 

[psfign]

In before the Dez Bryant hooker jokes.

All told, this process sounds EXHAUSTING. These prospects probably say a lot of the same things, and I'd probably listen to the 43rd prospect of that day say their biggest weakness is "maybe I'm TOO hard of a worker" and I would just nod while I silently scanned Pornhub.

Funny you mention this. Last week on the way into work, I was listening to a Rock station here in DFW and they do make some sports comments, and they had a little quick segment on the weirdest things players were asked at the combine. Of course, the Ireland/Dez thing came up. But they never mentioned how the question came up. It made me mad bc they made it seem that the question came out of thin air.

 

[jhortondj2]

Glad Dez has been able to prosper without added scrutiny about his family. That lack of grace during the line of questioning proved defining moreso for the interrogater.

 

[NBP81]

I read the whole thing. It seems like Marino is starting to get involved alot more these days... Maybe he's starting to like this kind of work...