1st off many on here know I am on record saying that the Big 10 is not slower than the Big 12 or SEC, and I believe the evidence over the last several years in the form of draft picks combine/Pro-days bare this out. This however isn’t what I care to talk about per se. I mentioned it right off the bat so we could try and keep the conference affiliation and cheer leading stuff out of the way. My goal is to have an intelligent conversation (with the best site on the web) about the ambiguity of these speed times. I tuned in to the DB portion of the combines (I DVR’d it) to watch Bradley Fletcher from Iowa run and because I like to catalogue info in my head for future debates………..:wink:
While watching many, many of these guys are running what are “allegedly†slow 40 times. Which here are my major conundrums and I’ll give you examples in a minute………….
1# We have long held the belief that WR and DB’s (CB’s in particular) should all run 4.4 something’s & occasionally 4.3’s But this isn't even close to accurate!!!
2# We are continually told that these high school kids ran a â€â€â€â€4.4â€â€â€â€ forty at an electronically timed camp only to find out four years later he runs a 4.6 at near the same weight?!?
3# We are regularly lead to believe that all the fast kids live in the South and that those universities and conferences are faster as a result?
4# A kid comes in at 4.4 and looks like he is pulling a plow his whole career and a 4.66 kid is a blur and in on every play.
I think you get the drift. Truly these 40 times mean absolute bumpkus. It may raise your draft status but either you can play football or you can’t. Sometimes a kid scores a really fast time and IS that good. But more often that not WR’s in the NFL aren’t 4.4 kids but rather 4.55 to 4.65 and they are studs. Ala Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald.
Also we think all Lbers should run 4.55 to 4.6 forties with 4.7 being the absolute low end, but plenty run 4.8’s and are still very “quick“. The point being it isn’t the 40 times that make them fast but rather reflexes, agility, “smarts†instinct, effort and study. This is all fresh in my head again because I constantly have these battles with Iowa fans trying to short change our kids who they deem as 2nd class athletes. Brett Greenwood being the latest, especially with 2 safeties transferring out.
Here are some interesting D-back times from the combine, (which I haven’t even finished)…………
Malcom Jenkins Ohio St……….universally considered the number 1 corner ran a 4.55. #2 Vontate Davis from Illinois ran a 4.43
Emmanuel Cook superstar safety from South Carolina ran a 4.67 & 4.61. Which for a safety isn’t terrible though we have been lead to believe it is. On a side note for the Iowa fans if you are reading I guarantee Greenwood runs at least that fast but likely better.
Kevin Ellison a HUGE 225 lb sfty from USC ran a 4.82
Cary Harris CB from USC only ran a 4.58.………..is this slow or are we mislead?!
Nic Harris Sfty from Oklahoma ran a 4.78 and a 4.85, though he is HUGE at 235 and will probably move to Lber in the NFL! All the same he was a Dang big Sfty, makes you wonder how he covered WR’s at all?
Lendy Holmes Oklahoma, came in as a WR and is allegedly a terrific athlete. He ran a 4.74 & 4.71, so is he a good athlete or not? I say he is, even though his 40 time was “slowâ€!
Obviously there are more and this is hardly new this year. The truth is I think we have a misconception of what makes a team or a player fast. Looking at these numbers one might say, WOW I guess OU is actually slow. Or how can a kid play in the D-backfield running a time like that @ USC. For comparison (have to get a small Iowa pub in……….) Iowa put a kid in the NFL last year Godfrey at 4.38 and Fletcher this year ran a 4.47 at least that’s what they flashed as unofficial!
What’s my point you ask? Well I think there are a lot of “fast†teams out there, including Iowa and the Big 10 as a whole. But more importantly what we define as speed isn’t as easily measured as we think.
Sorry for the length, but this is a neat subject and I would enjoy some thoughts…………..
Chad
While watching many, many of these guys are running what are “allegedly†slow 40 times. Which here are my major conundrums and I’ll give you examples in a minute………….
1# We have long held the belief that WR and DB’s (CB’s in particular) should all run 4.4 something’s & occasionally 4.3’s But this isn't even close to accurate!!!
2# We are continually told that these high school kids ran a â€â€â€â€4.4â€â€â€â€ forty at an electronically timed camp only to find out four years later he runs a 4.6 at near the same weight?!?
3# We are regularly lead to believe that all the fast kids live in the South and that those universities and conferences are faster as a result?
4# A kid comes in at 4.4 and looks like he is pulling a plow his whole career and a 4.66 kid is a blur and in on every play.
I think you get the drift. Truly these 40 times mean absolute bumpkus. It may raise your draft status but either you can play football or you can’t. Sometimes a kid scores a really fast time and IS that good. But more often that not WR’s in the NFL aren’t 4.4 kids but rather 4.55 to 4.65 and they are studs. Ala Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald.
Also we think all Lbers should run 4.55 to 4.6 forties with 4.7 being the absolute low end, but plenty run 4.8’s and are still very “quick“. The point being it isn’t the 40 times that make them fast but rather reflexes, agility, “smarts†instinct, effort and study. This is all fresh in my head again because I constantly have these battles with Iowa fans trying to short change our kids who they deem as 2nd class athletes. Brett Greenwood being the latest, especially with 2 safeties transferring out.
Here are some interesting D-back times from the combine, (which I haven’t even finished)…………
Malcom Jenkins Ohio St……….universally considered the number 1 corner ran a 4.55. #2 Vontate Davis from Illinois ran a 4.43
Emmanuel Cook superstar safety from South Carolina ran a 4.67 & 4.61. Which for a safety isn’t terrible though we have been lead to believe it is. On a side note for the Iowa fans if you are reading I guarantee Greenwood runs at least that fast but likely better.
Kevin Ellison a HUGE 225 lb sfty from USC ran a 4.82
Cary Harris CB from USC only ran a 4.58.………..is this slow or are we mislead?!
Nic Harris Sfty from Oklahoma ran a 4.78 and a 4.85, though he is HUGE at 235 and will probably move to Lber in the NFL! All the same he was a Dang big Sfty, makes you wonder how he covered WR’s at all?
Lendy Holmes Oklahoma, came in as a WR and is allegedly a terrific athlete. He ran a 4.74 & 4.71, so is he a good athlete or not? I say he is, even though his 40 time was “slowâ€!
Obviously there are more and this is hardly new this year. The truth is I think we have a misconception of what makes a team or a player fast. Looking at these numbers one might say, WOW I guess OU is actually slow. Or how can a kid play in the D-backfield running a time like that @ USC. For comparison (have to get a small Iowa pub in……….) Iowa put a kid in the NFL last year Godfrey at 4.38 and Fletcher this year ran a 4.47 at least that’s what they flashed as unofficial!
What’s my point you ask? Well I think there are a lot of “fast†teams out there, including Iowa and the Big 10 as a whole. But more importantly what we define as speed isn’t as easily measured as we think.
Sorry for the length, but this is a neat subject and I would enjoy some thoughts…………..
Chad
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