Our item from Saturday regarding Maryland’s Bruce Campbell, who put up eye-popping numbers at the Scouting Combine as an offensive lineman but with whom multiple teams have yet to fall in love, sparked a mixed bag of responses. One league source insisted that Campbell is a sure-fire first-round pick — another one said that Campbell “tests better than he plays.”
It could be the first concrete example in 2010 of the strange dynamic that plays out in the pre-draft buildup. Teams that love a guy will put out bad opinions about him, in the hopes that the player will still be on the board when they use their pick. Teams that hate a guy will talk him up, with the goal of getting someone else to waste a pick on him, thereby pushing the rest of the draft pool one step farther down the ladder.
In Campbell’s case, however, a guy who studies this stuff as closely as anyone was candid. Mike Mayock placed the “buyer beware” tag on Campbell during Sunday’s excellent NFLN coverage, explaining that the former Terp has a lot of “average” film.
And that’s the most direct tie to Jets linebacker Vernon Gholston, whose stellar workout numbers and Paul Orndorff physique got the team to overlook plenty of subpar film. Though we’ve come to greatly respect the recent efforts of Jets G.M. Mike Tannenbaum, just think about how much better that team could be if they’d drafted an actual contributor with the sixth overall pick two seasons ago.
Of course, the Campbell comment wasn’t Mayock’s best of the day. When a former BYU player prepared to run the 40-yard dash, Mayock said, “They aren’t allowed to have sex until they’re married so they all get married at 17.”
Cue Maureen Stapleton lecturing Griffin Dunne in Johnny Dangerously.
Campbell said he trains with Merriman-you know what that means!
I is good to listen to Mike Mayock as he does not feel that he has to kiss everybody’s rear ends, he tells it like he thinks and very few talking heads do that.
Beware the work out wonders. Can you say “Mike Mamula”?
Great quote at the end
I heard Mayock make that comment about getting married young and was laughing my ass off.
Mike Mamula
Just thank goodness Mayock was talking about the Mormons. if it was Muslims, or blacks he would have been unemployed by now……………
I bet the Jets wish Gholston had Mr. #1derful’s attitude. (Not “Wonderful,” polishkingski)
Wasn’t drunkenmiller a workout wounder? That’s the Niners for you..lol (The Oakland 49ers)
# BigHarold says: March 1, 2010 7:49 AM
Campbell said he trains with Merriman-you know what that means!
Whats ur point that he is bisexual or taking steroids?
As a former mormon I would say it’s offensive. Marriage and building families is part of that culture. Yeah, refraining from sex while not married is enforced, but that is encouraged in many religions. The only problem I had with the church, is that it’s all based on a lie. Yeah, a big deal.
C’mon you religious guys – defend the BYU guy.
rubberneck says:
March 1, 2010 8:52 AM
“The only problem I had with the church, is that it’s all based on a lie.”
Yes, I can see where that would torpedo the whole deal at the waterline!
lol at mayock.
BYU did a study that they thought would prove thier cult was right, instead the DNA analysis proved thier whole joke a cult is a lie. LMAO!!!
How stupid can you be.
When I was younger I was very interested in becoming a Mormon missionary but when I asked the pastor about Mormon doggy he had me dragged out of the temple!
It chills my bones to this day to think what would have happened if I had posed a numerical question to him!
He is the greatest killer of the undead of all-time. I’d take him in a second.
Evil Dead & Brisco County Jr. baybee. Take him.
DVJ says:
March 1, 2010 9:17 AM
He is the greatest killer of the undead of all-time. I’d take him in a second.
________________________________
Right on. “Buyer beware?” Not if you shop smart… shop S-Mart!
Taking a shot at young kids and their religion.
Yeah, that’s hilarious.
hats off to florio for the paul orndorff reference. you gotta admit that’s a good one !
Seriously, isn’t that the same kind of blanket statement that usually gets people up in arms? I guess the big difference is that most Mormons are gentle people of faith, if this comment were made about any other group there would have been hell to pay.
I love Bruce Campbell though, let’s see what those pass rushers do when they’re facing a guy with a chainsaw for a hand and a boomstick in the other.
As opposed to Catholics, who aren’t supposed to have sex before marriage either – or use contraception, ever – but just choose to ignore their own religious teachings.
Put that religious hypocrisy on your eye black, Florio.
I believe in response to Mayock, Campbell said
“Alright you Primitive Screwheads, listen up! You see this? This… is my boomstick! The twelve-gauge double-barreled Remington. S-Mart’s top of the line. You can find this in the sporting goods department. That’s right, this sweet baby was made in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Retails for about a hundred and nine, ninety five. It’s got a walnut stock, cobalt blue steel, and a hair trigger. That’s right. Shop smart. Shop S-Mart. You got that? “
I’m a fairly avid Terps fan, and I have to admit that I was shocked to learn that Campbell was projecting as a first round talent. I barely knew he was on the field for the Terps, who struggled mightily up front on offense.
I figured maybe Campbell was simply hurt by poor talent around him. Then again, former Terp tackles like Stephon Heyer and Jared Gaither always stood out, even on average teams. Campbell never stood out.
This was the exact feeling I had last year about Heyward-Bey…couldn’t believe that a second or third round talent would get talked up into the top of the first round based on measurables alone.
The Terps have a great weight program. (See Vernon Davis, for instance) but it baffles me how scouts can’t see the bigger picture.