INDIANAPOLIS – A look at highlights from Wednesday at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium…
Yeldon helping Henry through process
As the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Alabama running back Derrick Henry will undergo plenty of scrutiny during the pre-draft process.
He will also have plenty of assistance, including from a former college teammate.
Jaguars running back T.J. Yeldon, an Alabama teammate of Henry's from 2013-2014, has spoken with Henry often since the end of football season.
"We talk a lot, especially going through this process," Henry said at the podium Wednesday at the media center at Lucas Oil Stadium. "He's really been a help just giving me advice about everything. We talk a good amount."
Yeldon and Henry split carries at Alabama, but brought different styles to the field: Yeldon with more of a slashing approach and Henry with bulk and downhill, breakaway skill.
"Watching how he carried himself over the years how he ran, and anytime I needed advice he was there to help me," Henry said. "Just going out of his way to make sure I had everything I needed to know so I could be good when I was in the game."
Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher steps aside from NFL Competition Committee
With the franchise in the process of moving to Los Angeles, Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher wants one less thing to be concerned with this offseason.
Fisher announced that he has stepped away from the NFL Competition Committee.
"I spoke to some of the other committee members, and just the time required of me as far as this move is concerned makes this really difficult to commit 100 percent," Fisher said Wednesday. "I look at it as hopefully being a leave of absence. But I'm not participating right now."
Fisher does have experience in moving with a franchise. He was the head coach of the Houston Oilers when the franchise moved to Memphis, Tennessee, for the 1997 season and on to Nashville in 1998.
The long-time head coach was also asked if it sounded strange to be introduced as the Los Angeles Rams' head coach instead of St. Louis.
"Yes it does. It's an exciting time for the franchise, and we know that the fan base is extremely excited based on some things that took place over the last couple of weeks… There's a lot of work ahead, believe me, as you can appreciate we have a lot of things to do.
"I just want to take this opportunity to thank the loyal St. Louis fans that came out week after week after week because they were truly loyal and hung in there through thick and thin with us. I'm going to miss them, the organization is going to miss them, but we are obviously moving on."
Other notables from Wednesday inside media center at Lucas Oil Stadium:
- Oakland Raiders Head Coach Jack Del Rio on his former Jacksonville assistant Dirk Koetter becoming head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers: "Dirk is a bright coach, good man. We had a couple of fine years in Jacksonville. I think he's real detailed, relates well with the players and coaches… I know that he got a couple of guys that we had on staff down there with him that are good people and good coaches. Mike Smith being one, a former head coach himself, and Todd Monken who is back with him as the OC. I'm happy for those guys, they're getting together down there. I know we get to play them this year, so we get a chance to compete against them. Looking forward to seeing what he gets done down there."
- Buffalo Bills Head Coach Rex Ryan on how he changed as a head coach from New York to Buffalo: "I think you have a lot more experience. I think that helps a great deal. I figured this out: I don't have all of the answers. That's certainly one thing when you go in you assume, for years when you're going up that ladder like, 'If I'm a head coach I'm going to do it this way, this way, this way,' and then you realize that all of us are a lot smarter than one of us."
- Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave on asking for advice heading into the NFL Scouting Combine: "I talked to (former Wisconsin quarterback) Scott Tolzien a little bit. I'm a thrower this week, and he did that five years ago. So I just asked him what he thought of his experience doing that, and the positives and negatives of it. He had good things to say about it, and just said, 'It's going to be a long week, just be ready for it and have fun with it.'"
- Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayuo on rarely facing adversity on the field in Tallahassee: "The only adversity I had was coming off that Georgia Tech blocked field goal and just ending up losing the game. Just the way it happened, it's unfortunate for me and our team… I fought through that and it was good, because I had two years before that that were just a breeze. Fighting through that adversity, you need that to get better sometimes."