Eagles came to NFL combine ready with mini basketball hoop

[time2rock]

Eagles came to NFL combine ready with mini basketball hoop

 

INDIANAPOLIS — Insert your Ben Simmons joke here.

When the Eagles packed for the combine this year, they brought with them a key piece of equipment for their meetings with NFL prospects: A mini basketball hoop.

Several draft hopefuls said that in their meetings with the Eagles, they have been asked to shoot free throws on the non-regulation hoop.

North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell was asked by a reporter if any bizarre questions have come his way from NFL teams. He couldn’t think of any.

"But probably the craziest thing I had to do was I walked in one meeting, I had to shoot basketballs on a mini hoop,” Howell said. "That was probably the craziest thing I had to do so far.

"It was the Eagles, they had me shoot on the mini hoop. I only made like 2 out of 5 so I’m probably not high up on their board right now.”

Sirianni revealed that this little hoop features a Villanova logo on the backboard.

The free throws are an ice breaker but the Eagles are also using them to gauge the competitive nature of these prospects. If you remember, last year Nick Sirianni took on prospects in virtual games of rock, paper, scissors for the same purpose.

"If we can figure out when we get in there a little bit of their competitiveness, if we can get a little sense of that, that's a plus, right?” Sirianni said on Wednesday. "We'll do anything to figure out some of the answers to the test, right?

"Whether it's, ‘Hey, can we figure out a little bit more about the players' toughness? Can we figure out a little bit more about the players' competitiveness? Can we figure out a little bit more about the players' love for football?’ We'll do what we need to do to do that. Do you always get that answer by shooting five baskets before they start off? No.

"But in my past, I think I've told the story about my experience with Gardner Minshew when he came into Indianapolis and the shooting that we did. Now, it was on a 10-foot hoop and we were in our indoor facility shooting baskets, and I got to know a lot about him from that. And look, it benefited us this year just me knowing a little bit about him and what makes him tick a little bit.”

Competitiveness is a big deal to Sirianni. It’s one of his five core values.

Last April, Sirianni explained his thought process some. Sirianni said he would even talk some trash to the players to see how they’d handle it and if they’d talk trash back.

"It was awesome, though, because anything you compete at,” Sirianni said last April, "when you compete with somebody that’s completive, they’re going to go at you no matter what game you’re playing.”

There’s no doubt a mini basketball hoop can stoke those competitive flames.

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-came-nfl-combine-ready-mini-basketball-hoop

[Captain F]

He's an idiot.

[UK_EaglesFan89]

I don't mind it. I don't hate it but I don't mind it. If Sirianni feels it helps him get a gauge on a player then fine. It's different and why not? They have their tape study, the combine shouldn't change too much so really it's about getting to know players.

[nipples]

21 hours ago, What The F said:

He's an idiot.

I’m sure the players had a good time with it.  Not sure how he’s an idiot for bringing something interesting to the table. 

[LacesOut]

Different, and interesting. Hopefully it helps their impressions and overall thought process on a player in some way.

[weko]

On 3/3/2022 at 4:34 PM, What The F said:

He's an idiot.

Absolutely a complete idiot. I would smash the hoop into little pieces. That would be me winning