Colt--perfection at the combine

About how he accomplished his goals at the combine, Colt said:
"I think I answered a lot of questions this week. I came here with two things to do. Weigh in heavy and throw the ball well. I did both." (HSB)

"The two things that I came here to do were to show up heavier and throw well. I weighed in a lot heavier than people thought, and I threw the ball really well." (HA)

HA Note: "During yesterday's drills, held on FieldTurf and coordinated by NFL coaches, Brennan showed his arm strength with two 45-yard completions. The first was an arc on a streak pattern. The second came on a post-corner pattern in which California's DeSean Jackson sprinted 10 yards, ran diagonally to the left for 5 yards, then cut to the right. Brennan lofted a pass that found Jackson's handprints.

After that play, the coaches gave Brennan the job of yelling the "break," essentially making him an honorary captain.

In UH's four-wide offense, Brennan was mostly in the shotgun, aligned 5 yards from the line of scrimmage. Yesterday, he had to simulate taking snaps from the center, then retreating in three-, five- and seven-step dropbacks."

About dropping back and passing, Colt (who took snaps under center in high school, prep school, and the University of Colorado) said:
"To use the old cliche, it was like riding a bicycle again. It wasn't that difficult." (HA)

HSB Note: "Two veteran NFL scouts who were present told the Star-Bulletin yesterday that Brennan helped himself with the most impressive display of passing accuracy at this year's combine."

Praising Colt, one NFL scout that has worked at more than 10 NFL combines said:
"It was very good. By far the most accurate. He showed very good timing. It was one of the best performances I've seen in that. You could tell he'd thrown a million passes in college. Chad Henne (of Michigan) has a stronger arm, but some of his throws are wild." (HSB)

"The people who doubted his arm strength probably don't now." (HSB)

About how he was relaxed during the throwing drills at the combine, Colt said:
"I knew I just had to show up and throw. It seemed easier than what I trained for. It was fun. I had (receiver teammates) Ryan (Grice-Mullins) and Davone (Bess) in my group, so there was good chemistry." (HSB)

About how he just threw 1 pass each to Bess and RGM, Colt said:
"That's just the way it worked out. It felt natural and I didn't have any nervousness." (HSB)

HA Note: "Brennan lasered passes on down-and-out patterns of 5, 7 and 15 yards. He also was true on intermediate passes across the middle. On one play, he was randomly paired with former UH teammate Davone Bess. The play was a 5-and-out, the Warriors' money play in short-yardage situations the past two years."

About throwing a short out pass to Bess, Colt said:
"I definitely was smiling when I saw Davone out there." (HA)

About the pass he caught from Colt, Bess said:
"That's our play." (HA)

HA Note: "Brennan completed the pass easily to Bess. During the 75-minute workout, all but two of Brennan's passes received perfect grades."

About how he threw several deep outs and two long passes, Colt said:
"I was happy I got to throw those out routes, those were important for me. The first over-the-top was well thrown and the second was just where I wanted it." (HSB)

Asked how he felt about his performance at the combine, Colt said:
"I was really happy. There are so many misconceptions, so many untruths out there, about what I am as a quarterback, and what I can do. It's mostly those Internet sites. Their perception is heard, and it's like 'telephone.' People around the country hear these things and assume them. I'm pretty confident the coaches and the general managers — the ones who make the decisions — do their homework. They know what everything is about." (HA)

HA Note: "Two of the top quarterbacks, Matt Ryan of Boston College and Andre Woodson of Kentucky, opted to attend the combine but not participate in drills. Despite having a good practice week at the Senior Bowl — he was named a team captain and starter — Brennan did not play well in the all-star game. He felt he needed to compete in yesterday's drills to turn the public perception. Brennan said he studied videos of past combine passing drills. Under the guidance of quarterback tutor Tom Craft, Brennan spent hours working on a variety of throws. As it turned out, his workouts in California were more demanding than yesterday's drills. The routes were shorter, and the dome provided windless conditions."

About how he was confident in the throwing drills at the combine, Colt said:
"I felt confident. I wanted more reps and more throws to show everybody I came here to make a statement. Things went well, and I felt I did better than what was expected." (HA)

HA Note: "Brennan said the hip pointer, suffered in the Senior Bowl, has not been bothersome. He wore black compression tights to keep his hips and hamstrings warm. Brennan said he will rest the next two days, then begin training for the April 1 Pro Day in Carson, Calif. His four starting receivers last season — Bess, Ryan Grice-Mullins, Jason Rivers and C.J. Hawthorne — will participate in the Pro Day."

Looking forward to Pro Day, Colt said:
"If I can take what I did here, and have a great Pro Day, a lot of positive things will start to happen." (HA)

HSB Note: "Another scout said he would be surprised if any of the four former UH players at the combine -- Brennan, Bess, Grice-Mullins and receiver Jason Rivers -- were not drafted in April."

About the Warriors at the combine, the second NFL scout said:
"If I was a betting man I would say yes. I say they all get drafted. Ryan helped himself the most. He worked out pretty dang good. Colt helped himself from the Senior Bowl." (HSB)

"They all caught the ball pretty well." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Grice-Mullins was timed between 4.48 and 4.59 in the 40, Rivers between 4.51 and 4.70. The ranges on Bess went from "mid 4.6" to 4.80, the scouts said. Grice-Mullins did 17 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, while Bess did 12. Rivers did not participate."


Easing up on his criticism of Colt, Mike Maycock said:
"Coming out of the Senior Bowl, I wasn't impressed. He gained 15, 18 pounds, and that was helpful. He's kind of sneaky athletic, and he makes some plays. I want to get the tapes of this and watch them." (HA)

HA Note: "A solid performance in the passing drills is helpful in improving a prospect's stock, said Jeff Foster, president of the National Invitational Camp (the official name of the combine). Foster said a committee of between six and 15 members decides which players to invite. Foster said Brennan was a unanimous recommendation.

Foster said the most important duty for an invited player is to undergo medical examinations from NFL teams. That is followed by face-to-face interviews with representatives of each team. Foster said 1,900 team officials, including medical staff, attended this combine."

Foster said that the NFL prefers for invited players to take place in position drills, as the drills:
"were created and conducted by current NFL coaches. They're no different than what the quarterbacks did at their own colleges when they warmed up every day." (HA)

"When you're talking about position-specific skills, which are the skill drills, I'd say they're vital." (HA)