A Perfect Match Of A Person And A Task

TigerBlog starts today with one of his favorite athletes of all-time: Martina Navratilova. 

Back when he was a sportswriter in the 1980s, TB got a chance to interview some of the bigger names in sports. It was pretty intimidating back then for a young person just starting out.

There were some athletes who were jerks. There were some who were nice. There were others who were super nice. TB puts former New York Jets' quarterback Ken O'Brien in the last category.

Navratilova was in her own category. She made time to speak with TB one-on-one at the 1985 U.S. Open, which was shocking to him. She also spoke with grace and humility after she lost the final in a third-set tiebreaker to Hannah Mandlikova in the final. 

Since those days at Flushing Meadows, TB has always been a huge fan of Navratilova (though his favorite Czech-born tennis player will always be Princeton's Helena Novakova). As such, he was saddened by the news yesterday that Navratilova, now 66 years old, was diagnosed with throat and breast cancer. 

This was her quote in a story TB saw yesterday: "The double whammy is serious, but fixable, and I'm hoping for a favorable outcome. It's going to stink for a while, but I'll fight with all I have got."

No doubt about that. And TB wishes her all the best. 

Meanwhile, another piece of news that stood out to TigerBlog yesterday involved Princeton wide receiver Andrei Iosivas.

If ever there seemed to be a perfect match of a person and a task, it would seem to be Iosivas and the NFL Combine.

At least that was TigerBlog's first thought when he saw that the Princeton senior had received an invitation to the NFL's pre-draft analysis and over-analysis/circus of players who will potentially be selected in the seven rounds coming up the last weekend in April.

The stage is set!

Congratulations to Andrei Iosivas on receiving an invitation to the NFL Combine!

➡️ https://t.co/YfTlWWppZZ#JUICE24 🍊🥤 // #PrincetonPros pic.twitter.com/u6HYNr5gUD

— Princeton Football (@PrincetonFTBL) January 2, 2023

TigerBlog finds the NFL draft to be the single most overhyped thing in sports, edging out NCAA tournament bracketology. For all the money that is spent on talent evaluation and everything that rides on getting it right, TB could have told any NFL GM that Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson — both top three picks — were not franchise quarterbacks. 

All you have to do is watch Mike White, a throwaway fifth round pick, play for two minutes to know he's better than either one of them. There will, of course, be the usual endless mock drafts. Probably 40 percent or so of first-round selections won't do much in their careers.  

There are all kinds of ways that players move up and down, and the Combine is a major factor in all of it.

The Combine dates to 1982. Before that, teams had their own individual combines, much like college teams now have pro days.

The Combine is a test of (mostly) physical and (somewhat) mental abilities. Iosivas, a decathlete, is almost certainly going to open the eyes of all 32 teams with the way he can run a 40, how many times he can bench 225, how he does in shuttle runs and broad jumps. 

As TB said, it's a perfect match of a person and a task. There's a lot to like about Iosivas, the Ivy League leader in receptions, yards and receiving TD's this year. 

Where will Iosivas go in the draft? TB thinks his stock will shoot up after the Combine, and he has a lot of game film for teams to see as well. He also has great size and great hands. All 32 teams have come to Princeton to check him out this year. 

TB will be fascinated to see how Iosivas does at the event, which will be held in Indianapolis the first week of March. 

Oh, and one Combine story:

Teams have fallen in love with players at the Combine through the years, relying more on what they see in a week of testing than what they see on video and from scouting. The most famous example of this is Boston College defensive lineman Mike Mamula, who was so prepared for the Combine and did so well there that he vaulted all the way to the seventh pick in the 1995 draft, by the Eagles. Mamula was a good player, but not a great player by any means.

Did you know that the Eagles traded up to get him, swapping the 12th pick and throwing in two second rounders to Tampa Bay for the seventh pick? Did you know that the 12th pick that year was Warren Sapp and that Tampa Bay packaged the two second rounders to get back into the first round and pick Derrick Brooks? 

Did you know both Sapp and Brooks are in the Hall of Fame?