Quote:Game speed and timed speed aren't the same thing. Some guys just have an extra gear when they're in pads and have a bunch of DBs chasing them. Just like some guys time well but don't play nearly as fast, a la Matt Jones

Sorry, but no one gets faster when they put 20 lbs. of pads on. The key is guys that the game doesn't slow down for. If you find a guy who runs as fast on the field, in pads, as he does on a track in shorts, you've found a special talent and a guy who, even if he isn't "fast" in the 40, can still present a threat to players who lose a couple tenths when dressed to play.

 

Quote:De'Anthony Thomas ran 4.5 at the combine. Whenever he is on the field, he's 4.3.

Some years back, there was a running back named Kevin Jones at the combine. He was expected to run a 4.4 or lower, and be a top ten pick. He flinched his hand before taking off, and it cost him two tenths of a second. Suddenly, he ran a 4.6 at the combine, and everyone questioned his speed. He fell to the late twenties where the Lions took him, and speed was never an issue for him during his brief career.

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