gatlin and the NFL

If they were good at football they would be playing football.

I believe he was drafted, but I think he is too "soft".

I wonder if the NFL has a policy against allowing folks with a doping conviction to play. (Probably not).

Jaycee Are wrote:

If they were good at football they would be playing football.

There was a hugely muscular American sprinter running 10.2 at Linz the other evening - Scott Leonard.

The commentator said he’d left athletics for a couple of years to try out at football - but had failed to make the grade.

Christ, just how good in athletic terms are these NFL footballers?

Drummond plays for the Detroit Lions...

however examples are few and far between.

Generally speaking speed in a straight sprint is different from 'on the field' speed. Ask Reggie Bush, his major criticism was that he wasn't FAST enough(40 yard wise). Right, but put him on the field and he blows everyone away. Basically Football's about being the fastest accelerator on the field. You don't really achieve top speed for maintained distances, you're just trying to beat someone else who has a different angle at accelerating to a point.

The Bengals have a guy who is trying to make the team and ran as a alternate in the olympics in athens. I think he went to UCLA, but I cant recall his name.

was it leonard scott? if so, he was a teammate of gatlin's at tennessee.

That is Eddie Drummond not Jon Drummond that plays for Detroit.

Different skill.

Had a rugby player (I know not the same) on my track team at uni.

Came out the blocks like he was climbing a ladder. Awesome from 40m to 80m - then you could see he was over distance.

Very nimble for a guy his size too.

Dwain Chambers looked as US football but somone said running 100m from blocks is different to running fast while keeping your eye on the ball dodging the big guys trying to flatten you and then making the catch.

The 100m guys are not quite as big as you think they are when they are strutting around by the blocks. e.g. people used to think Greene should have been in football when in reality he is a fairly small guy. They are not the 210 lb running back types in general.

how come people always think of running backs?

couldnt some of these sprinters play as defensive backs or even receivers, hell, they could return punts and kickoffs all day....ie TED GYNN

Marion Jones now weighs her options in the WNBA?

Justin Gatlin now weighs his options in the NFL?

Can someone tell me why the sports media puts out the perception is that T&F is a dirty sport?

Recent track stars who failed to make it:

John Capel - primarily as a returner

Tyree Washington - did not amount to much in tryouts with Chargers

Dwain Chambers - as mentioned, hard to be fast with other things on your mind

As stated in an earlier post regarding Reggie Bush and speed, it is acceleration and separation that make a football player fast, not straight ahead speed. That's why the 40yd Dash is the dumbest test--and football knows it, too.

I played college ball as a receiver, and was the fastest guy on the football field (partly due to the Hutch-style small pads I used to reduce weight). I had a few sprinters from my track team on the team, too, and they could not stay with me when they got in pads. I was not a sprinter, but a 400-800 guy. I was just quicker out of breaks, I guess.

Never understood it, but some people just can't translate the speed from the track to the field. Bob Hayes and Willie Gault were the few that did with some success, while countless others have failed.

DoubleD wrote:

The 100m guys are not quite as big as you think they are when they are strutting around by the blocks. e.g. people used to think Greene should have been in football when in reality he is a fairly small guy. They are not the 210 lb running back types in general.

Very true, but size is not everything in the speed skill positions such as running back or wide receiver. Look at Barry Sanders 5'8",Emmitt Smith 5'9", Earl Campbell 5'11", Tiki Barber 5'10", Warrick 5'9", Jamal Lewis 5'9" and I could go on...

The Burning Sting of My Stool wrote:

DoubleD wrote:

The 100m guys are not quite as big as you think they are when they are strutting around by the blocks. e.g. people used to think Greene should have been in football when in reality he is a fairly small guy. They are not the 210 lb running back types in general.

Very true, but size is not everything in the speed skill positions such as running back or wide receiver. Look at Barry Sanders 5'8",Emmitt Smith 5'9", Earl Campbell 5'11", Tiki Barber 5'10", Warrick 5'9", Jamal Lewis 5'9" and I could go on...

I think the size issue has more to do with weight than the height. The track sprinters look "big" on TV, but when you see them in person, they are actually very trim. Mo Greene is about 5-7, 150 lbs. MJ was about 6-0, 170.

Emmitt Smith - 5-10, 216

Barry Sanders - 5-8, 203

Earl Campbell - 5-11, 232

Warrick, Dunn - 5-9, 180

Jamal Lewis - 5-11, 245

Tiki Barber - 5-10, 200

Clinton Portis - 5-11, 212

Tim Dwight - 5-8, 180

Bob Hayes - 5-11, 190

To name a few.

kjhdfsuahbvb wrote:

I think the size issue has more to do with weight than the height. The track sprinters look "big" on TV, but when you see them in person, they are actually very trim. Mo Greene is about 5-7, 150 lbs. MJ was about 6-0, 170.

Emmitt Smith - 5-10, 216

Barry Sanders - 5-8, 203

Earl Campbell - 5-11, 232

Warrick, Dunn - 5-9, 180

Jamal Lewis - 5-11, 245

Tiki Barber - 5-10, 200

Clinton Portis - 5-11, 212

Tim Dwight - 5-8, 180

Bob Hayes - 5-11, 190

To name a few.

True again, but sprinters are focus their bodies, nutrition, training, etc. to simply run fast. They don't need to be very rugged, so extra weight is eliminated.

Football players gear themselves to run fast and rugged. Thus footballers put on extra muscle weight to increase their strength, ruggedness, and durability. Foooballers cannot just run fast and survive in the NFL.

So that 155 lbs. sprinter goes to the gridiron and becomes a 185-190 lbs. Go to any NCAA DI campus, look at the trackster/footballers and compare their spring track weight to their fall football weight.

Good point. I played football at 160-165, and trimmed down to 152 for track, although indoor I was still in the upper 150s.

Jamaal Charles, Texas RB and sprinter, looked like a monster out there when I saw him running indoor last year, but when I saw him later, he had trimmed up a bit.

Leanord Scott was a wide receiver. Really good at getting away from the defenders..not so good at catching the ball.

Saw him play for Tenessee if he could work on his routes and cathing skills an get them down he would have been one of the best receivers in the game today. It never happened for him. I am glad it did not he is a phenomenal sprinter.

I think it is funny when you "stick dudes" try to talk about sprinting....

Leanard Scott was Gatlin's teamate at Tennessee (I think already mentioned)

That is not Jon Drummond for Detroit (again, already mentioned)

Bennie Brazell is the Bengal that is trying to make the team. He was an Olympic finalist in the 400 hurdles in 2004.

Another well track/football guy, that actually made it in the NFL is Tim Dwight. He has bounced around from team to team, but he was an all-american for the Hawkeyes on the 4x400. Multi-big ten champ in the sprints.

Ted Ginn Jr. (Ohio State)was beating Karon Clement in the high hurdle races in high school (not Karon's specialty, but still impressive)

luv2run wrote:

I believe he was drafted, but I think he is too "soft".

I wonder if the NFL has a policy against allowing folks with a doping conviction to play. (Probably not).

Hey if the NFL doesn't welcome him and can always go and hang out with Ricky Williams in Toronto. The CFL has no qualms about signing suspended druggies.