40 time question

[Bob Sacamano]

was wondering what instrument the Cowboys use to measure 40 times? since most scouting reports had Hatcher running a 4.8, then he runs a 4.7 at rookie camp, and I also remember reading back in '03 when Hambrick ran a 4.45 at mini-camp, and he sho as hell don't run no 4.45, any help would be greatly appreciated since this question is vexing me

 

[Hostile]

was wondering what instrument the Cowboys use to measure 40 times? since most scouting reports had Hatcher running a 4.8, then he runs a 4.7 at rookie camp, and I also remember reading back in '03 when Hambrick ran a 4.45 at mini-camp, and he sho as hell don't run no 4.45, any help would be greatly appreciated since this question is vexing me

Most coaches use hand held stopwatches.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Most coaches use hand held stopwatches.

so Hatcher really runs a 4.8, not a 4.7? since hand times aren't as accurate as electronic?

the Cowboy's stopwatch must have been broke when Hambone ran

 

[Hostile]

so Hatcher really runs a 4.8, not a 4.7? since hand times aren't as accurate as electronic?

the Cowboy's stopwatch must have been broke when Hambone ran

The way it usually works is that at least 3 coaches time someone and they take the average as the measured time. Perhaps Dallas has laser timing equipment, but I'm not sure.

 

[Doomsday101]

was wondering what instrument the Cowboys use to measure 40 times? since most scouting reports had Hatcher running a 4.8, then he runs a 4.7 at rookie camp, and I also remember reading back in '03 when Hambrick ran a 4.45 at mini-camp, and he sho as hell don't run no 4.45, any help would be greatly appreciated since this question is vexing me

The time difference can be something as simple as the surface you’re running on. Some tracks produce faster times than others. All in all I don't put too much into 40 times I tend to pay more attention on how quickly a guy can accelerate. Allot of what I see in football is quick burst of speed more so than how fast a guy can run a 40.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

Big Bill can just watch and tell the player what his speed was....

 

[AdamJT13]

The Combine times aren't fully electronic, though, so they're not entirely accurate, either.

At any rate, I doubt teams really care how precise times are. If one timing has Hatcher running a 4.83 and another has him running a "4.7-something," as Parcells said, that's really not much of a difference.

 

[The Realist]

As if the league has too many 6-6/290, 4.8 DE's.

 

[Paniolo22]

so Hatcher really runs a 4.8, not a 4.7? since hand times aren't as accurate as electronic?

the Cowboy's stopwatch must have been broke when Hambone ran

People forget when Hambrick was Emmitt's back up, he was a great change of pace back and averaged over 5 or six yds a carry. He was a good straight ahead runner, so it doesn't suprise me that he ran a 4.45 40.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

so Hatcher really runs a 4.8, not a 4.7? since hand times aren't as accurate as electronic?

the Cowboy's stopwatch must have been broke when Hambone ran

That would be correct. He ran a 4.82 at the combine. I wouldn't get into too much of a worry about it, running a 4.82 at that size is incredibly impressive. While football is a split second game, in reality you can't tell the difference in two guys that run times less than 0.1 seconds apart.


Rich...........

 

[Alexander]

The Combine times aren't fully electronic, though, so they're not entirely accurate, either.

At any rate, I doubt teams really care how precise times are. If one timing has Hatcher running a 4.83 and another has him running a "4.7-something," as Parcells said, that's really not much of a difference.

It isn't a difference unless you are going to be drafted. Now that nonsense is over where people quibble about .10 of a percent, the rest is irrelevant.

I don't care if he can run a 4.7, 4.8 or 4.9. That is for impressing the statistical geeks.

I want to know if his instincts allow him to make use of that speed, whatever it is. I want to know if he is good at anticipating the snap and is quick off the ball. I want to know if his pass rush moves are sophisticated enough to work in the NFL against quality tackles. I want to know if he is strong enough to power through an NFL lineman.

There are plenty of players that can run fast. If he has a good 40 time, that's icing on the cake, not the cake itself.

 

[Chrissyboy]

was wondering what instrument the Cowboys use to measure 40 times? since most scouting reports had Hatcher running a 4.8, then he runs a 4.7 at rookie camp, and I also remember reading back in '03 when Hambrick ran a 4.45 at mini-camp, and he sho as hell don't run no 4.45, any help would be greatly appreciated since this question is vexing me

Good question.

Didn't Randall Williams clock something crazy a couple of years ago? Something along the lines of 4.22?

 

[bobtheflob]

40 times aren't all that indicative of a DE's talent. It's not like they ever run nearly that far in a game. It's all about that initial explosion and that's something we won't really be able to determine until we see him in games anyway.

 

[Big Country]

As long as he can tackle RBs and QBs at the LOS or behind, I could care less about one tenth of a second in the 40.

 

[silver]

they run downhill in dallas and plus they use an electronic stopwatch not a handheld one. bill bates once posted a 4.55. imagine that. add a tenth of a second to whatever they run in dallas.

on another topic you guys have your hambones mixed up. darren the lb was the one with 4.5 speed. troy the rb had something like 4.75 coming out of college which is why nobody drafted him.

 

[stealth]

sprinters will be the first to tell you that "40 times" are generally way off, in real track there is no 40 yard dash

the record for 100 yards is somewhere around 9 seconds.

half that would be 4.5 seconds so shave a touch off of that and you get what like 4.2 ish?

point being nfl 40 times are greatly exagerated compared to real life.

 

[playit12]

sprinters will be the first to tell you that "40 times" are generally way off, in real track there is no 40 yard dash

the record for 100 yards is somewhere around 9 seconds.

half that would be 4.5 seconds so shave a touch off of that and you get what like 4.2 ish?

point being nfl 40 times are greatly exagerated compared to real life.

Spinters finish the last 40 far faster than the first 40 so add quite a few tenths to that number again...

40 numbers are crazy...

 

[AdamJT13]

sprinters will be the first to tell you that "40 times" are generally way off, in real track there is no 40 yard dash

the record for 100 yards is somewhere around 9 seconds.

half that would be 4.5 seconds so shave a touch off of that and you get what like 4.2 ish?

point being nfl 40 times are greatly exagerated compared to real life.

No, the point is that 40-yard dashes are timed differently from track times. In track, the clock starts when the gun goes off. In 40-yard dashes, the clock starts when the player starts running. That's an automatic difference of .10 to .20 just on the way they're timed. If you understand that difference, you understand why the times are what they are for both types of runs.

 

[VACowboy]

Here's an interesting read: http://www.usoc.org/11611_32384.htm

 

[stealth]

Here's an interesting read: http://www.usoc.org/11611_32384.htm

yup that states what I was trying to say a lot better than I did.