NFL Notebook: How do you dominate the scouting combine?

This week in the NFL Notebook, how the Patriots deal with possible draftees at the combine, some thoughts on David Harris on the occasion of his retirement, and looking at other part-time special teamer who could return to Foxborough (in addition to Brandon Bolden). But first, let’s start with some lessons in how to dominate this week in Indianapolis. And we’re not talking about Steak n’ Shake or St. Elmo’s.


1. You want to crush the combine? T.J. Moe has two pieces of advice: Get your sleep. And try to relax. At the 2013 combine, the former Mizzou product posted the best totals of any wide receiver in the bench press, 3-cone, 20-yard shuttle and 70-yard shuttle, all while coming away with the sweetest catch of the week, a one-handed grab in receivers drills that opened everyone's eyes. How did he do it? He made sure he didn’t get caught short when it came to sleep.

“You have to get your rest. The second day when I was there, they got us up at 5 a.m. for drug testing, and my roommate and I got up at 3 and we were the first in line. We got it done, and went back to our hotel to sleep for another couple of hours,” he recalled.

He also said he was able to relax because he knew what was coming from talking to guys who were already in the league.

“I asked Devin McCourty 1,000 questions about what to expect. I wanted to know every detail about everything. I felt like I was ready,” he said. “If you’re a player who is training for the combine, you already know another NFL player. Ask him. After that, it becomes easier to relax.

“It’s tough. It’s hard to be fast when you’re so tense. The 40 is the first thing you do, and I didn’t do well. I wasn’t that fast. After that, I was definitely able to loosen up,” he added. “Just relax, take it as it comes, and get plenty of rest.”

2. Moe, who is now a radio host in Missouri, was a relatively unknown commodity coming into the 2013 combine, at least from a national perspective. And while he ended up going undrafted, he parlayed that performance into a contract with the Patriots. He recalled his combine experience with New England being unlike any other. While there were sit-downs with other teams, that wasn’t the case with the Patriots brass.

“(Wide receivers coach) Chad O’Shea pulled me into a room while we were there, and he made sure no one else was around. There was a whiteboard, and he immediately started hitting me with questions: ‘OK, sketch out some of your offensive plays for me. What’s your favorite? What are your responsibilities? What would you do here against man coverage? Zone? Can you move inside here? Can you check out of that?’

“After that, he stopped and said, ‘All right, buddy. You’re smart enough to play for us. Don’t tell anyone we talked to you.’

“That was the whole thing. I never had any contact with them until the draft. Not one call. Other coaches would call me, teams would check in with me to make sure they had my right address and phone number. Never heard from the Patriots once. Had no idea if they were interested until the draft was done and I wasn’t picked. They called and offered me $30,000 guaranteed, one of the highest totals that year for any undrafted guy. And that was that.”

Moe injured his Achilles and spent a year on IR before being released. But not before he acquired a lifetime full of stories about life with the Patriots.

“Chad is very smart. He’s awesome, and really funny,” Moe recalled of the wide receivers coach. “I knew I was the last guy on the depth chart. I knew I had to be there early — I was in there every morning at 5, looking to learn something, and staying until midnight. One time, I was in a wide receivers meeting and I yawned. He looked at me and said, ‘Look, you can get away with that in my meeting room. I don’t care if you have to pull your shirt up over your head — if you yawn like that in front of Bill (Belichick) one time in one of his meetings, he’ll cut you on the spot.’”

3. Belichick and Nick Caserio weren’t on the list of coaches and GMs who are scheduled to talk with the media this week at the combine. While Caserio has occasionally held a media session for New England reporters away from the bright lights of the podium, Belichick hasn’t addressed for the last few years. Several new coaches and GMs with links to the Patriots are set to speak, including Mike Vrabel and Matt Patricia.

4. I first heard about David Harris’ reputation from Darrelle Revis — in his one season with the Patriots in 2014, Revis spoke of Harris in reverent terms as a person and teammate based on their experience together for many years with the Jets. Safe to say Harris pretty much lived up to that reputation in 2017 with New England. In my experience, he was a classic pro, someone who always had time for his teammates and the media. Despite the fact that he didn’t play as much he probably anticipated this past year, he never complained about his situation, either publicly or privately. His fellow linebackers supported him throughout the season, with both Dont’a Hightower and Elandon Roberts going as far as saying Harris would make a fine coach one day. (When James Harrison was acquired at the end of the 2017 regular season, it was interesting to see that they were lockered next to each other — a combined 27 seasons worth of football experience.) Harris was only with the Patriots for a season, announcing his retirement on Friday. But in that short time, he distinguished himself as a stand-up guy and total professional.



5. On the occasion of Harris’ retirement, Jets ownership, as well as GM Mike Maccagnan and coach Todd Bowles issued statements praising Harris. (The Michigan product played 10 seasons with New York, leading the team in tackles in nine of those campaigns. He ranks No. 2 in franchise history with 1,260 tackles.)

A) Bowles: “Players like David Harris don’t come around very often. He’s one of the best players and people I’ve ever coached. I have nothing but the highest respect for him as a person and a leader. He is an example of everything you want from a player. I am proud to have coached him and wish him and his family the best.”

B) Maccagnan: “We wish David all the best in retirement. His contributions will long be remembered as he played at the highest level on the field, matching that with a quiet confidence off it. All the while, he served as a humble example to countless teammates on how to be a pro.”

C) Jets CEO Christopher Johnson: “David Harris operated at the highest standard for both performance and professionalism and is as fine a person as you will ever meet. His endurance, intelligence and reliability were his trademarks and he was always there for his teammates. With all of those qualities, what stands out most to me is the humility and selflessness with which he approached each day. I wish him and his family the absolute best that life has to offer and they will always have a home with the New York Jets.”

6. On the heels of Brandon Bolden’s return — the part-time special teamer/running back signed a one-year deal with the Patriots for another season on Saturday, according to a league source — I wouldn’t be shocked to see more of those same types of guys start to wrap up their deals to return to New England. Another special teamer/free agent who might be back is Johnson Bademosi. Per a league source, the 27-year-old cornerback, who was acquired just before the start of the 2017 season, is very interested in returning to the Patriots, so much so he’d be interested in re-upping. The 6-foot, 200-pound Bademosi played in 16 regular-season games this past year, and had 15 tackles.

7. Love the idea that was revealed this week by the esteemed Gil Brandt: players who are attending this year’s NFL draft are invited to bring their high school coach along with them, all expenses paid. One of the really fun parts of my job is to talk to a player about how he started, and so many of them credit a willful high school coach as the one who allowed them to take their first steps toward the NFL. It’s a terrific way to recognize some who might be an overlooked part of the process, and the league deserves an acknowledgment for the good decision.

8. One last reminder: we broke down the 2017 Patriots by position over the last couple of weeks, and took a look ahead and what might lie ahead at each position. If you didn't get a chance to read the whole series, here are the links to each individual piece: quarterback, tight end, wide receiver, offensive line, running back, defensive line, linebackers, secondary and special teams.

9. Mike Sanford is the head coach at Western Kentucky, and he knows a thing or two about quarterbacks. He was on the staff at Stanford when Andrew Luck and Kevin Hogan were there. At Notre Dame, he helped shape DeShone Kizer. And he had a guy last year in Mike White who certainly fits the mold as a potential Patriots’ draftee. (More on that later this week.) One thing that he’s pretty sure of? Based on his experience with Luck, he’s confident he’ll be back sooner rather than later. “He’s been banged up pretty good,” Sanford said of Luck, who missed all of last year with a shoulder issue. “But believe me when I tell you, he’s superhuman. He’s such a specimen. I have no doubt he’ll make a full recovery, and he’ll be better off down the road, whenever that is.”

10. Always good to take time out to recognize the work of Malcolm Mitchell, and this week, the wide receiver will be in Boston to help promote a week-long series of “Reading Rallies” all designed to boost reading skills and access to books for students in under-resourced communities. On Monday, five student groups of first through third graders in the greater Boston area will each receive a new, hardback copy of Mitchell’s book “The Magician’s Hat.” “Reading is a right,” says Mitchell, who has taken his Read With Malcolm program nationally. “Every student — no matter what the circumstances or challenges — has the right to be able to open a book and discover the world of reading. I was able to find the magic inside myself and become a champion reader, and I look forward to sharing the magic of reading with the students at the Boston Public Library so they too can become the champions they are meant to be.”

11. Combine footage from 18 years ago. Despite a slow 40, this quarterback did OK for himself.