Blue boy johnson

April 5th, 2009 at 8:25 PM ^

I will be really impressed if Denard can run the Offense. RichRod raved about both Frosh QB's ability to take control of an offense. Was that a slap at Threet and Sheridan?

Eric

April 6th, 2009 at 10:11 AM ^

yeah 20'6" is outstanding, but still isn't even close to as impressive as the 10.28 in the 100m. That is freakish in a high school kid.. Edit: He would qualify for the NCAA regionals. The fastest UM 100m time this year is 10.56. I'm sure he's had better conditions to run in too. Adam Harris of UM ran a 10.24 last year.

Don

April 6th, 2009 at 9:55 AM ^

The record 100m time by a UM sprinter is 10.22 by Ike Okenwa in 2000. Two times by former UM RBs also show up in the record book, with a 10.36 by Butch Woolfolk in 1980 and a 10.46 by Wheatley in '95 placing 4th and 5th respectively. Seems like it'd be a no-brainer for DB to run track.

FingerMustache

April 6th, 2009 at 10:21 AM ^

thats obviously an incredible time, but in terms of football relevance, im not sure it has too much. How often do you see a player have the opportunity to run 100 yards in a straight line on the football field (without having to juke or fake)? The problem with the hundred is that it is more a measure of top-end speed, whereas the 40m dash is more a measure of acceleration. In regard to football play, i think the 40m is far more relevant. id be much more interested to see denard's 40m and shuttle time (obviously to check his agility)

FingerMustache

April 6th, 2009 at 11:00 AM ^

I think you are extremely wrong in this regard, and you clearly never ran track. As I said in my post, the 100m has a lot more to do with top end speed. Watch a 100m race and youll prob see a guy start off slow and gain considerable ground towards the end of the race. Or you might see a guy start off with an early lead and finish poorly. Heres a breakdown. Lets say there are two runners. Runner 1 hits his top speed of 20 mph after 30m. Runner two hits his top speed of 18 mph after 20 meters. Runner 2 probably would win in a 40 meter dash, b/c he accerlates quicker and hits his top speed faster. However runner 1, assuming he can maitain his top speed, would probably win in a 100m dash, b/c after 30 meters he would be moving faster than runner 2. In general, taller runners tend to take longer to get to their top speed but can hit higher speeds b/c of their long strides.

MichFan1997

April 6th, 2009 at 4:50 PM ^

a good 100 time does more to legitimize a 40 time than a mile would. The 100 is not irrelevent to 40 times because they're both quick, short sprints. If someone can run a blazing fast 100 time, it's expected that he'd likely run a fast 40 time as well. And like I said, it makes that fake 40 time believable.

BleedingBlue

April 6th, 2009 at 12:13 PM ^

I think the point is that 10.28 is hella-fast anyway you slice it. Fast fast fast like record book for Michigan track fast and the kid is a senior in high school. That's fast over the first 30 yards AND the last 70 yards. I'll take faster than tyrone wheatley any day of the week. He supposedly had 'world class sprinter speed'. fast.

OuldSod

April 6th, 2009 at 12:17 PM ^

You are also talking about differences in hundredths of seconds. "Watch a 100m race and youll prob see a guy start off slow." Slow compared to what? They do NOT start off slow. They start out freaking fast -- some may be slower than other elite sprinters -- but again, by hundredths of a second at the 40 m mark (maybe 0.05 seconds variation between elite sprinters at 40 m). If you can run a sub 10.5, you are fast, period, and will likely have the fastest 40 on the football team. Saying "100 m is all about top end speed" doesn't negate that a 4.27 40 m is almost as fast as a 4.22. Both are blazing.

WolverSwede

April 6th, 2009 at 1:13 PM ^

There is also a considerable amount of deceleration to consider in a 100m race. When it looks like someone is catching up to other people (or pulling away), it is really that they are slowing down LESS than other people. Every runner accelerates to a point and then begins to decelerate. Being good at the 100m relies on very good acceleration combined with a sort-of "spring stamina" by which the runner is able to minimize their deceleration.