Joe Dineen Jr. – Noteworthy
For Joe Dineen, the most maddening part of the process was the unanswered question. The former Kansas football linebacker, who last fall capped a record-breaking career, didn’t receive an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine, held Feb. 26-March 4 in Indianapolis. Eager to see how he stacks up against the best of the best at his position, Dineen instead watched from home, tracking other linebackers’ performances online. It was an admittedly disheartening experience. “I was frustrated, more so because you don’t really know why,” Dineen said Wednesday. “But it is what it is.”<p>After spending the first two months of the new year training at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based performance facility XPE Sports, Dineen returned home, where he spoke with reporters while observing the Jayhawks’ first spring practice. Another stint in the Sunshine State begins Monday, with a return to the Sunflower State for KU’s pro day on March 27 on tap. While the former All-Big 12 first-teamer will likely never get an explanation for the combine invitation that never came, the Jayhawks’ own showcase could help offset that snub. “I think if I come out here and perform on pro day then everything I want is still in front of me,” said Dineen, who added NFL Draft projections have pegged him anywhere from a Day 3 selection to an undrafted rookie free agent. ”… I think if I can compare some of my times to the times that I saw at the combine, I’ll stack up pretty well.” – The Topeka Capital-Journal
