Notes on a trip to the NFL Scouting Combine.The most fascinating thing I've heard from a player so far at this year's scouting combine was the way Michigan left tackle Jake Long, a likely Top 5 pick, described holding not as a penalty but as an art form that all the best offensive tackles have perfected.
"I'll admit that I hold," Long said. "I get my hands inside and hide that I'm holding."
Long talked about the way he works on getting his hands in good position so that he can grab an opposing defensive lineman's jersey without the referee being able to see it, and he sounded as though he works on holding the same way he works with a coach on his footwork, or with a personal trainer on his bench press.
Whatever he's doing, it's working: Long gave up just one sack in his senior season. But he still remembered that one, to Ohio State's Vernon Gholston, vividly: "Vernon's a great player," Long said. "He had a great move on me and I let him in."
Long, who would have been a first-round pick if he had entered the draft in 2007, said he decided to return to Michigan for his senior year because, "Last year I didn't think I was good enough to come out. I came back because I had some things I wanted to improve on, and I think I've done that and become a smarter, better player."
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