The 40-yard dash and the bench press get the lion's share of attention every year at the Combine in Indianapolis.
But for Bill O'Brien, he focuses on two other components of the annual evaluation at Lucas Oil Stadium.
"The most important parts of the Combine are the interviews at night and the medical reports," the Texans head coach said on Wednesday.
O'Brien, general manager Rick Smith, the personnel department and coaching staff are all in Indianapolis for the yearly event. It's the fourth Combine for O'Brien as a Texans head coach, and the nightly interview sessions last a quarter of an hour per prospect.
"When you're able talk to these guys in the room, you have 15 minutes," O'Brien said. "15 minutes is actually kind of longer than you think. You can get a lot of information out of them."
O'Brien explained where the conversation travels when he is sitting across from a quarterback.
"You can talk to them about their offense," O'Brien said. "'Hey, what was going on in this game, protection-wise? Are you directing the run game? Are you in charge of this? How did you handle this two-minute situation? I'm really looking forward to talking to these guys that we're bringing into our room about all the different games that I've watched on them and see what their thoughts are on them."
O'Brien acknowledged that the running, jumping, agility and strength drills are valuable, but he re-iterated that the interviews and medicals are of paramount importance to him. Â
