The Senior Bowl is just one of several key events leading up to the NFL draft this April. That being said, most agree it might be the most important. It's the only time teams get to see top prospects up close operate in a simulated pro-style game setting. Those players who excel in such conditions can really give their draft stocks a boost while tipping teams off to who might be more inclined to make the success jump to the next level. The Chicago Bears understand this like everybody else.
The difference this year is they are allowed to get a little more hands-on. For the first time since 1996, Bears coaches will staff the event. Meaning they will run the North team in the upcoming game. That means they are able to set their types of practices and run their type of game plans. Finding players who thrive under both could be a signal for who they might look to draft in a couple months.
The amazing thing is there is much more that this benefit lending to their inside edge with this game. One people might find hard to believe.
Friends In High Places
The initial belief was the Bears had an extra advantage going into this Senior Bowl because John Fox and his staff were selected to coach the North roster. This meant they'd be able to work, practice and game plan around some of the top prospects in the country in NFL-like settings. GM Ryan Pace has said numerous times how much of a benefit this could before for his team in such an important off-season. As it turns out though, their connections to this all-important event go even deeper than that. Right to the very top of the group who organizes it. That much was revealed, ironically, in The Advertiser Tribune, a local newspaper out of Tiffin, Ohio. A recent article about Tiffin college quarterback Antonio Pipkin, whom was invited to the Senior Bowl, revealed a remarkable little nugget.“The Bears scout came in, who happened to be best friends with the director of the Senior Bowl, and after that meeting, it started rolling, ” Pipkin said.That Senior Bowl director he's referring to is Phil Savage. For those who don't know him, the 51-year old is one of the most respected minds in the football community. From 1987 to 1993 he was an assistant coach in places like Alabama, UCLA and the Cleveland Browns. He then switched to becoming a scout under new Browns head coach Bill Belichick.
Eye For Talent
When they left Cleveland in 1996, he followed and became director of college scouting for the Baltimore Ravens. As he rose through the ranks, Savage played a key role in assembling the roster that helped the Ravens win Super Bowl XXXV. This included Hall of Famer like Jonathan Ogden, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. [video width="854" height="470" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/88-Ed-Reed-The-Top-100-NFLs-Greatest-Players-2010-NFL-Films.mp4"][/video] From there he became GM of the new Browns in 2005 and continued his run of success. His list of highlights included Braylon Edwards, D'Qwell Jackson, Joe Thomas, and Ahtyba Rubin. Savage is now responsible for scouting and assembling the invitation lists for the North and South Senior Bowl rosters every year. A job he's held since 2012. So for the Bears scouting department to have a deep connection to such a proven eye for talent who is in such a valuable position of power? That's enormous. It also might help explain how they've done so well the past two years at locating quality talents on Day Two and Three of the draft. Below is a list of notable players who received invitations to the Senior Bowl.- Cody Whitehair
- Nick Kwiatkoski
- Deiondre Hall
- Adrian Amos
- Jeremy Langford
