INDIANAPOLIS (WFLA) – It was a difficult walk to the podium Wednesday for Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians.
Everywhere he goes, Arians is stopped for a handshake, a hug or a laugh.
The NFL Scouting Combine is one of the few events that brings the entire league together inside one building. So, fellow coaches, general managers and even media members all get a second to share with the popular coach.
Arians discussed the state of the Bucs, as he knows it, with media members before riding away to begin the real task at hand, meeting potential draft picks and future players on the Bucs roster.
The Combine has become must-see television with all the measurables, such as the bench press or the popular 40-yard dash time.
On field workouts show foot work and general ability to master a drill. But it is the face-to-face contact with players that teams want and Arians uses that time to perfect his craft.
“For me, it’s getting to know them personally for the first time, especially the interview process,” Arians said.
“It’s the Olympics, I call it. I love watching guys on film before I come because you get the number of a guy that runs 4.3 [seconds in the 40-yard dash] and on film he runs 4.5.”
The Bucs personnel and scouting departments were active at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL, the showcase that kicks off the build up to the NFL Draft.
Arians prefers to work the Combine.
It is step one of several meetings, should the Bucs hone in on a player or group of players. Then the conversations continue all the way to the draft.
“You get to know the player, then somebody picks him right in front of you,” Arians said.
“You get all mad but that’s the beginning of it and that’s what makes the draft so much fun.”