TigToad

Okay, I have been thinking about this all day. I've coached youth sports, but nothing like adult football.

The difference between 4.4 speed and 4.6 speed is almost nothing. Its crazy how fast these guys are, really. But 40 yards is a long run and .2 of a second isn't that much.

WOuldn't the burst off the line, the ability to read the defender and run a good route mean way more than .2 of a second of speed?

The only place I can see it making a big impact, especially over a distance as long as 40 yards is when you've already broken off a big play and you're trying not to get caught.

Can someone, without being rude or disrespectful, please explain why the .2 of a second makes a big difference 'in general'. I say in general, because obviously we have one of the best examples of 4.6 speed studlyiness on our team right now.

Thank you.

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Mitch

Great post. The answer is the difference is minimal. Good football players are often slower than ideal...but more instinctive.

LoyaltyisaCurse

I would say yes to combine because it does not matter how fast they run with track conditions, its how they run in pads and grass with the ball in their hand.

If you apply this to actual running like on a track team, getting beat by .2 in a 100 yard dash is a big difference let alone 40 yrds... I ran the 800m in college and if I got beat by .5 it was a huge gap...

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Indiana Hoosier

Very, Very, over rated. Most of it is plain BS!

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TJ

Haley said it best about Hightowers 4.59 40, "He carries his pads well." Many players who run 4.4 and below dont have the strength to run well in pads and slows them down tremendously. Thats part of the reason track guys are hardly ever successful in the NFL. I know this being a track guy

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LVCARDFREAK

It isnt about "long speed" which is what a 40 time is. It is about burst and intial quickness. I think the 10 yard and the shuttle/cone drill are more telling of a players quickness.

overseascardfan

The thing is that football players train to lower their 40 times, happens all the time. Prior to the Combine they hire speed coaches and trainers to lower their 40 times. Forty times are overrated and technique and instincts should make a player not how fast they are.

40yearfan

Who was the gal that beat ya?

D-Dogg

Some scout on the radio recently said "I don't care about a guy's 40 time. I want to see their 15 time."

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Shane

I agree. Hightowers 15 time on tape looks VERY impressive.

hafey

I agree. How often does anyone run 40 yards in a straight line during a football game?

TigToad

Sure, I see that (though I am stunned every Olympics how someone can run 1 second slower on a medium length race and have him be in last place. It seems to me a sign that the human body has certain limits that athletes push all the time.

On the other hand, football isn't a track race. I'm just trying to understand what makes a 4.4 WR way better than a 4.5 WR or 4.6 WR with the same ball skills.

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RonF

Many of the best receivers in the NFL did not have blazing speed but they had other tangibles that mattered: height, great hands, and ran great routes. They knew how to catch the ball, it's that simple.

Cbus cardsfan

If you don't think the 40 time has any value then plop in the video of the Cards/SF overtime game and watch Morey get run down by Willis. I don't think 40 times matter for linemen but the skill positions are a different story. In the NFL, 1/100 of a second could be the difference between getting tackled or busting through a hole for a big gainer. If i was the NFL, i would have these guys run their 40's in football gear because there's no doubt that some guys have "carry" the pads better than others.

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TigToad

But wouldn't that more be the speed to get off the line quickly, or change directions well?

I totally get how it could help you from being caught from behind, but those plays are rare compared to the jumping off the line, making a right/left decision (WR) and getting around the CB.

I don't know, I'm trying to understand it... I understand it must be important or teams wouldn't harp on it so much.. but I watch the tall, physical receivers play and I wonder how key it really is.

As for a RB... you either get through the hole or you don't, right?

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"We need our fans on their feet being loud"
-Michael Bidwill, August 11th, 6:13pm KTAR