Hashmarks:Combine wrap, volume II

[Mr Cowboy]

February 22, 2008 8:33 PM


Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller is the final interview of the day. He's the only player who has stood at the podium wearing his ballcap backwards. This doesn't bother me one bit, but I hope he doesn't do it during team interviews.
When one player tried to take the stage with earphones hanging around his neck earlier, an NFL official told him to take them off. First impressions are everything at the combine, and Keller doesn't have much wiggle room. Hashmarks has him projected as a seventh-round pick right now.

I've had a lot of emails asking if we've run into Wade Phillips and Jerry Jones yet. From what I was just told, Phillips and Jones have boarded the owner's private jet and are en route to Indianapolis as we speak.

Most awkward moment of the day: A reporter rushed up to the podium to ask Oklahoma receiver Malcolm Kelly about his parents being mechanical engineers. Kelly gave him a strange look and said, "Well, my father was a mechanic."

The downtrodden reporter took his color-coded draft notebook and trudged back to his desk.

Kelly also provided another light moment when he was trying to say that something was a chess match.

"It's a dice game," said Kelly to a confused audience. "...I mean a chess match."

The receiver said he had room for improvement when it comes to getting in and out of breaks. He measured at 6-3 and 224 pounds. His body shape sort of reminds me of Saints receiver Robert Meachem. Kelly grew up a huge Cowboys fans and used to play in his front yard while wearing a Michael Irvin uniform. Now he looks up to former University of Texas receiver Roy Williams.

"He's the guy I most like to emulate," said Kelly.

Kelly has been working out with Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler to prepare for the combine.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy stopped by to visit with Hashmarks a couple of hours ago. He was kind enough to also visit with other reporters, but his main focus was providing us with solid blog material.

Asked about running back Ryan Grant, McCarthy said, "Ryan was a great surprise for us. I thought he'd be a core special teams player. He's a young player who took advantage of a great opportunity."

McCarthy said Grant will add a few pounds during the offseason. He also said that Brandon Jackson was making excellent progress.

Arkansas running back Darren McFadden was asked if he thought an NFL team might employ the Wild Hog formation that he made so famous in college.
"If they did, it would be a great thing," he said.

The formation called for McFadden to line up in shotgun formation as the quarterback.

The Boston Globe just asked Sam Keller why he was wearing a Red Sox cap.
"No reason," he said. "I'm actually an A's fan. This one just fits right. It was next in my collection."


Combine

[Vintage]

Damn players and their damn backwards hat wearing *****....