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Pointless exercise?

The NFL Combine kicks off today but here's why it doesn't really matter

Okay, it does matter, but not always.

THE ON-FIELD activities for the 2015 NFL Combine get underway today at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis as the kickers, offensive linemen and special teams guys all do their best to impress potential future employers.

However, despite the big deal that will be made about who runs the quickest 40-yard dash or bench presses the most, and for all the effort players put into getting ready for the annual cattle mart, what happens at the Combine doesn’t always matter.

Brown in action. AP / PressAssociationImages AP / PressAssociationImages / PressAssociationImages

At the 2010 Combine for example, Antonio Brown ran the 40 in 4.56 seconds, some .28 seconds behind Jacoby Ford.

Last season, Brown led the league with 129 catches and 1,698 yards while Ford has 57 catches for 848 yards in his entire NFL career.

Redskins Giants Football Alfred Morris is now a Pro-Bowl running back. Bill Kostroun / AP/Press Association Images Bill Kostroun / AP/Press Association Images / AP/Press Association Images

In 2012, Alfred Morris put in an even worse performance. His 4.63 40-yard dash was one of the slowest and his 16 bench press reps was way behind Doug Martin and Robert Turbin’s joint-best 28.

Morris has nearly 4,000 yards and 28 touchdowns in his three NFL seasons while Martin has just 2,400 yards and 14 touchdowns. Turbin has fared even worse managing just 928 yards and no scores in three seasons as a hybrid fullback/running back with the Seahawks.

However, while both the above examples might hint that the Combine is a waste of time, Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr proves it.

In 2000 Brady looked far from the four-time Super Bowl winning quarterback he turned out to be.

NFL / YouTube

This performance probably goes some way to explaining why Brady fell to round six of that year’s draft where he was picked up 199th overall by the Patriots but it also shows that it’s very, very difficult to measure greatness with a few sprints and jumps.

If you want to know how good someone is at playing football. Watch them playing football.

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