The Combine is my favorite offseason NFL event. It's a convention of all the football coaches and scouts. And it's also a glimpse into Texans history.
Just walking the halls, I run into people I haven't seen for a long time.
Prepare for some name dropping in 3… 2... 1…
The first former Texan whose path we crossed was Sage Rosenfels, who is tutoring some draft eligible QBs. Shortly after that, our crew said hello to Gary Kubiak, Rick Dennison and Brian Pariani, who are now with Minnesota, but were staples in Houston from 2006-2013.
Dave Ragone is the Passing Game Coordinator with the Bears and we bumped into him as he was on his way to an interview session with some players. I also caught up with Green Bay head coach Matt Lafleur, who was an offensive quality control assistant with the Texans a decade ago.
But the fun didn't stop there. Connor Barwin is here doing work for the Eagles. Former tight end Mark Bruener works in scouting for the Steelers and said hello to John Harris and I on our way to lunch.
Three more former Texans employees who are now head coaches are also working in Indy this week – Mike Vrabel, Kyle Shanahan and Vic Fangio.
We saw the Texans doctors as they arrived. They're taking part in about 300 examinations of prospects this week. Coaches and scouts have up to 45 formal interviews along with the impromptu conversations with players that occur.
Add this to watching the actual workouts and it's an overflowing schedule as the NFL clubs get a close look at draftable players for 2020.
