To me, the 40-yard dash is similar to the SAT. A good SAT score does not guarantee that you will be a successful college student, just as running a good 40 does not mean that you will be a successful football player. It is simply a tool to help guide decision making — and a dumb one.
There’s so much emphasis placed on the 40-yard dash, and I can’t even begin to explain how much it pisses me off. Each year guys fly up and down draft boards because of what, a 4.5 as opposed to a 4.44? Have you ever really considered just how little of a difference that is? If two guys were in a race and that was their times, chances are the human eye wouldn’t even be able to notice.
What’s even dumber is that offensive linemen are subjected to this as well. When’s the last time you saw a 6’5, 300 pound left tackle sprint for 40 yards during a game? I understand you need to test their athleticism, but give me a break.
Another point is that there’s a big difference between track speed and football/game speed. You have guys running in spandex, no game adrenaline, and the absence of 10+ pounds of equipment. A good example would be world-class sprinter, John Capel. The Bears gave him a shot at receiver and kick returner to no avail. I can point out 10 great NFL players that weren’t studs at the combine, and I can also point out 10 combine studs that were were nothing in the NFL.
In short, all I’m saying is to back off and stop foaming at the mouth every time you see a 4.3, and that means you Sun Tan Man McShay. When you start making decisions based on football’s version of the World’s Strongest Man competition, you might as well start wearing a Snuggie in public, too. Study film and how these guys actually play the game of football.
There is one exception.
I ran a 5.5 40 and was a lousy football player.
I rocked the SATs and did well in college.
Lol apparently so!
hah nice
For real. Not even a linemen but very rarely do we see anyone run a full 40 yards at top speed. I say it does have a little impact if you are stuck between two similar players and using it as a sort of tie breaker but to say a player is garbage because of that… come on now. Just go watch the game tape of Joe Haden and then tell me ifhe is garbage….