Michigan QB Denard Robinson thinks he could beat Usain Bolt in the 40

A co-employee told me he ran 4.1 for the 40-yard in high school. Therefore he is faster than Chris Johnson.

o. O. . wrote:

A co-employee told me he ran 4.1 for the 40-yard in high school. Therefore he is faster than Chris Johnson.

Not impossible I suppose. Being a great football player does not mean being the best at individual events. Being a great football player means being well-rounded in a variety of skills.

See: Gatlin trying out for the NFL and not being recruited

H.E. Pennypacker wrote:

Bolt's reaction time was nowhere near 1.5 seconds. Maybe .165 seconds. I think that the blocks probably more than make up for any reaction time advantage that the football players have.

Between that and the shoes and the running surface, I think there are certainly some NFL guys that could edge out Bolt to 40 yards.

Some NFL players were once (or could have been) world class sprinters. Not a stretch that a few could be ahead of Bolt at 40 yards.

you are forgetting that 40y combine times are hand timed, electronic times are never published because they are slower (the NFL literally keeps those under lock and key). Add 0.24 to all 40y times you see from football guys.

post of the year

Dennis Reynolds wrote:

Bolt can probably throw a football more accurately than that f*ckstick Robinson.

I have never seen an NFL combine 40 yd test where athletes were in football cleats on turf. They aren't wearing track spikes but they aren't necessarily shoes that will change the result of the test by any significant amount of time. Somewhere Tyson Gay is laughing hysterically at this claim.

o. O. . wrote:

Please check your message for errors. You wrote: 'reaction time was 1.5 seconds or more.'

I don't believe 1.5 seconds.

While I don't think Denard could beat Bolt in a 40, keep in mind the bronze medalist this year only ran a 4.42 in an NFL pro day back when he was serving his track drug ban. Plenty of NFLers run faster than that.

that was while he was out of shape. Gatlin was running 10.2 - 10.3 or so in the 100m at that point in time.

Ace in the Troll wrote:

post of the year

Dennis Reynolds wrote:

Bolt can probably throw a football more accurately than that f*ckstick Robinson.

Sadly, he is only the third worst thrower in the conference (ahead of Miller and Martinez).

I think the timer said 4.1, but the effort wasn't equal to a 4.1.

My analsys would put Bolt at around 3.9 or so for a 40y on the track the way they time the combine, which you can see here.

http://www.offtackleempire.com/2012/8/14/3242298/denard-says-he-can-beat-usain-bolt-in-a-40

The question is: how much does the turf and lack of starting blocks at to a 40y time. My guess is not much more than 0.3 seconds.

MatthewXCountry wrote:

H.E. Pennypacker wrote:

Bolt's reaction time was nowhere near 1.5 seconds. Maybe .165 seconds. I think that the blocks probably more than make up for any reaction time advantage that the football players have.

Between that and the shoes and the running surface, I think there are certainly some NFL guys that could edge out Bolt to 40 yards.

Some NFL players were once (or could have been) world class sprinters. Not a stretch that a few could be ahead of Bolt at 40 yards.

you are forgetting that 40y combine times are hand timed, electronic times are never published because they are slower (the NFL literally keeps those under lock and key). Add 0.24 to all 40y times you see from football guys.

Even the NFL has a lazar start, but the start is on first movement, so no reaction time. In the US you call any guy who is fairly fast in college is "world class", but they aren't and none are even close at 40yards to real "world class" sprinters.

watcher of the TV wrote:

Bolt might not be the best in the world at the 40.

Bolt DEFINITELY isn't the best in the world at the 40. This isn't even debatable. Just like Bekele wasn't the best in the world at 1500 and Phelps isn't the best in the world at 50 fly.

Robinson wrote:

He goes through 40 yards in 4.35 seconds. Robinson has gone 4.32 in the 40.

In HIGH SCHOOL.

Presumably at a scouting combine, so not exactly specifically trained or tapered etc.

Probably 3-6 guys in track alone could consistently beat Bolt in a 40. I'd guess that many again in the NFL.

Track fans get mad when other athletes and fans underestimate the athleticism of runners. But we are hugely guilty of it when it comes to other sports. A fast guy in the NFL is among the fastest short sprinters in the world, no question.

I will go on the record and say that I could maybe beat bolt in a 10 yard dash.....20 yards he would probably beat me, 40 yards he would beat me pretty bad, and a 100 meters would be no contest. But 10 yards....I think it would be a close race that I could win.

clarksonxc wrote:

has anyone mentioned that these football 40's are timed from a flying start?

Nah. Probably because it's not true.

True

Robinson's 60m best on a track 6.82 (pretty fast)

Bolt's 60m split during 100m in Berlin 6.29 (lightning fast)

No contest Bolt would win . The 40yard dash and the 100 meter dash are two completely different events with different approaches to training , as is the 100 and the 200 . Bolt trains for the 100 / 200 , where he does not put an emphasis on his start . Robinson trained almost exclusively for 40 yards , which is exclsuively acceleration . If Bolt actually trained for the 40 yard dash , Robinson or any other football player wouldnt be able to touch Bolt .

No contest Bolt would win . The 40yard dash and the 100 meter dash are two completely different events with different approaches to training , as is the 100 and the 200 . Bolt trains for the 100 / 200 , where he does not put an emphasis on his start . Robinson trained almost exclusively for 40 yards , which is exclsuively acceleration . If Bolt actually trained for the 40 yard dash , Robinson or any other football player wouldnt be able to touch Bolt .

Robinson is retarded, naive and envious. Why do ALL the NFL people and people who follow NFL like to insist that they are the superior speedsters. They always cite their totally unreliable 40 yard dash times.

The 40 dash is some fat guy with a hand held stopwatch yelling go. I have yet to see a 40 yard dash that was FAT. I have yet to see a IAAF certified 40 yard course. I have never seen a wind speed gauge at a 40 yard combine. All this talk of 40 yard speed is nonsense.