in-depth and very cynical look at the 40 yard dash: The false economy of speed.

[cowboyjoe]

Note: to me, bottom line is, speed is great and does count, but what production does the player do on the football field.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/football/nfl/article/946369--the-false-economy-of-speed

As a football player you really never run in a straight line, ever,” says Larry Jusdanis, a Burlington-based trainer preparing prospects for the CFL evaluation camp. “It’s an overrated test. It’s a controlled environment, where football isn’t a controlled environment.” But 40-yard times still carry weight.

Last March, Bishops University slotback Steven Turner blazed a record 4.31-second 40 at the CFL evaluation camp, fast enough to earn him an invite to the Chicago Bears’ mini camp. The only player with a faster pre-draft 40 than Turner’s was current Oakland Raider Jacoby Ford, whose 4.28 topped the NFL combine.

And even a world-class sprinter like Ford couldn’t match Titans tailback Chris Johnson, whose 4.24 at the 2008 combine prompted speculation that he was the fastest man alive.