…isn’t a real indication of somebody’s football speed. Speed is important but not nearly as important as “quickness”. How often does anyone get to unleash a 40 yard straight line sprint in a football game? It’s that ability to stop and start and cut, all with “quickness” that seperates the Michael Bennets from the Sultan McCulloughs.
Hey Brutal:
Nice to see the master of sprint history post on CF.com… welcome.
I agree that quickness is more important than straightforward speed in football. Emmitt Smith didn’t possess the speed like Herschel Walker but Emmitt was definitely quicker and had a better career because of it.
Having said that… the best running backs have a combination of both. Barry Sanders is both quick and fast. Which made him impossible to catch once he broke through for the long runs. It also reflects the reason he is one of the best backs in history.
So all in all I would look at the 40yd test like the SAT for college as just one, among many, tool(s) that measure potential…
Thanks for the welcome. I think I’ll fit right in.
Yes to everything you said. It is a combination of things.