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TV ratings for the 2019 NFL scouting combine were not impressive. Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Prime-time combine? No thanks, NFL

By Chris Mueller | Last updated 2/27/20

The NFL scouting combine is making its prime-time debut Thursday night, so let me offer a piece of advice: Find something else to do. Anything will work. Just don’t cave to the idea that watching draft prospects run around in compression shorts is an entertaining way to spend an evening.

Moving the combine to prime time is the latest example of the NFL testing the limits of its popularity. It makes sense that it would try — 10 of the 15 highest-rated prime-time broadcasts in 2019 were NFL games — but the word “game” is the one that matters. Tens of millions of people love watching NFL games. The idea that there will be a similarly rabid audience for the league’s version of the Presidential Fitness Test is a farce.

The ratings reflect that sentiment, too. Last year’s combine did not distinguish itself on a busy sports calendar. The Saturday telecast pulled a 0.7 rating for ABC and failed to beat actual sports competition during the same time frame. That didn’t stop the NFL from announcing last May that it would move the televised drill portion of the combine from morning and afternoon to prime time.

The league’s quote in that report really drives home the hubris: “We are always looking at ways of bringing more football to a wider audience. This will enable us to accomplish the goal of reaching more fans while still fully maintaining the football integrity of the event. We will adjust the schedule to ensure a positive experience for the players and clubs.”

The combine isn’t football; it’s drills, interviews and medical evaluations. The XFL will be putting on actual football games Saturday and Sunday, and I’ll be watching those over 40-yard dashes, 20-yard shuttles and, of course, three-cone drills.

It is interesting that at the same time the league is trying to transform the combine into a made-for-television spectacle, some of its teams are tuning it out. The Broncos are not sending their assistant coaches to the combine because the organization feels they will be better served by watching film in Denver. The Los Angeles Rams are also not sending their offensive and defensive coordinators — both new to those roles — so that they can take time to implement their respective new schemes.

If Rams head coach Sean McVay doesn’t view the combine as the best use of his or his coordinators’ time, why would the rest of the league? Histrionics over hand size -– can you believe Joe Burrow was only 9 inches from thumb to pinky? -– are the latest combine trend and possibly the dumbest. Patrick Mahomes’ hands are only 9 ¼ inches, and things have gone OK for him so far.

The combine serves a legitimate purpose, but trying to turn it into a major spectacle is a cynical money grab by the league. If a forward-thinking head coach like McVay doesn’t feel it is necessary to stick around beyond his required media availability, why should fans commit hours of time to watch? This isn’t the NFL Draft. There isn’t the same combination of inherent drama and human interest stories that make the draft winning television.

Memo to the Roger Goodell: Change things back after this year. This is a foolish, unnecessary attempt to flex muscle on the rest of the sports world. The Super Bowl was barely three weeks ago. The offseason is allowed to exist. Not every event on the league calendar must be turned into a grandiose, self-serious spectacle.

Hopefully the ratings are unimpressive, and the league realizes that its annual rookie meat market, like many of its participants, isn’t ready for prime time.

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