Jump to content

how fast is he


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 48
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Sitting there huffing at your screen with arms crossed and right foot tapping just waiting for an answer, aren't ya? :w00t: Just how many stat freaks do you really think are up at 3 AM just dying to give you an answer? I'll tell ya. Not many. That's how many. That's why AlGore invented Google.

 

Better yet, why don't you show up at this house with a stop watch and demand he run a 40 for you. We'll be waiting here huffing at our screens with arms crossed and right feet tapping just waiting for your answer. :doh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 time is used as a stat to get drafted. Last I checked, he was already drafted, so there's no use in measuring another 40 time...

 

If this isn't evidence that newbies need to reply to a few posts before they can start their own...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Best comparison is who has he out accelerated and/or out ran during a game. If he's running toe to toe with DB's then I think he is fast enough. I 've seen him out accelerate LB's with Ease, and it seems corners are similar in speed to him.

 

I think we will see an improved Willis this year, with the new offense. Our offense will "open it up" a little in the passing game, and the runs will be disguised unlike in previous yrs with Mularkey. I had no coaching experience, yet I could forecast 90% of the plays based on the formation w/Mularkey. I always wondered, why doesn't mularkey run out of a passing formation, or pass out of a running formation once and awhile to keep the Defenses honest. I think with our current team, we will be playing for something down the stretch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i think if he gets his conditioning right he will have bigtime speed this year.

 

the 40 tims and how fast a player is in a game have a bit of a difference beacuse:

 

1) players get tired, some players slow down more than others (see jerry rice who stayed fast vs the 2005 bills who got lethargic after about 10 minutes)

 

2) over the course of the season players get beat up and hurt and slow down, different players will slow down more than each other.

 

this is why body type is so important to nfl teams when the scout young ncaa players.

 

a buff player might be stronger and faster than another guy, but after 4 quarters of getting beaten on he might not be able to bring it like a naturally big man.

 

same thing with speed, your fast little guys (evans, steve smith, moss and moss and moss) tend to be able to burn all day, leaving guys in their dust in the 4th.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 time is used as a stat to get drafted.  Last I checked, he was already drafted, so there's no use in measuring another 40 time...

 

If this isn't evidence that newbies need to reply to a few posts before they can start their own...

689956[/snapback]

 

I think the original thread is a legit question for someone who is curious about WM recovery. His reply 3 minutes later (at 4:00am EDT) was absurd... but he has 58 posts. That seems more than a few... no?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the original thread is a legit question for someone who is curious about WM recovery.  His reply 3 minutes later (at 4:00am EDT) was absurd... but he has 58 posts.  That seems more than a few... no?

690020[/snapback]

 

13 of which are new topics. His/her first two posts were a new topic + a post correcting his/her title....and of course, as you mention, the 2 posts in this thread count as two of them...And this is the 2nd thread he/she has started on this exact topic, and the first thread was a "follow up" on yet another Willis/speed related thread he/she started, which is why he'sshe's only getting sarcastic responses now.

 

I guess my mentality of "I can pretty much always find a topic discussing a point I want to make/question I want to ask" kinda skews things...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 of which are new topics.  His/her first two posts were a new topic + a post correcting his/her title....and of course, as you mention, the 2 posts in this thread count as two of them...And this is the 2nd thread he/she has started on this exact topic, and the first thread was a "follow up" on yet another Willis/speed related thread he/she started, which is why he'sshe's only getting sarcastic responses now.

 

I guess my mentality of "I can pretty much always find a topic discussing a point I want to make/question I want to ask" kinda skews things...

690033[/snapback]

 

yikes... well, who the hell let him in here! :D

 

Thanks for the recap... I didn't know the history.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Best comparison is who has he out accelerated and/or out ran during a game.  If he's running toe to toe with DB's then I think he is fast enough.  I 've seen him out accelerate LB's with Ease, and it seems corners are similar in speed to him. 

 

I think we will see an improved Willis this year, with the new offense.  Our offense will "open it up" a little in the passing game, and the runs will be disguised unlike in previous yrs with Mularkey.  I had no coaching experience, yet I could forecast 90% of the plays based on the formation w/Mularkey.  I always wondered, why doesn't mularkey run out of a passing formation, or pass out of a running formation once and awhile to keep the Defenses honest.  I think with our current team, we will be playing for something down the stretch.

689960[/snapback]

 

Cliff Notes begin: His 40 times are almost certainly slower but this matters little because:

 

1. Other indicators like raw yardage gained show he has recovered from his potentially career ending injury to a great degree.

 

2, The important element in diminishing his 40 time was that he chose to bulk up and put on weight.

 

He traded an ability to survive the constant pounding at the LOS better by putting on muscle weight which likely cost him breakaway speed. This strikes me as a good trade-off to make given pro pounding and the injury he suffered.

 

Cliff notes end

 

The amount of speed issue is relevant to the game of football (some draft gurus forget than even during draft time it is important as to how it hints at a player will do in the game and not in and of itself) in the question of how does that speed help a player succeed playing football.

 

As best as I can tell, WM has in essence recovered from his devastating collegiate injury. The proof in the pudding is not only that he has successfully exceeded 1000 yards rushing in a season twice, but more important he went out of a game because of a leg injury (I think it may have even happened due to an odd cut rather than a hit) and he actually recovered from this nick to run well over 100 yards the next week.

 

Certainly the injury cut at least some small marginal amount of his 40 time, but particularly given the speed base he was working from I doubt this amount is significant.

 

However, what is likely more significant is the likely lessening of his 40 time as he has bulked up a lot since his collegiate days. He clearly committed himself to a heavy duty lifting program at the U in Miami with other players last off-season and I think upped his playing weight by at least 5 pounds and based on some of the increase in reps and weights doing clean-and-kerk and squat lifts the wieght increase was likely muscle.

 

The trade-off appears to be that increased weight to carry and probably development of muscles which support the joints rather than muscles whih add to speed has meant he is more resilient to hits and stronger but has less breakaway speed.

 

I think this becomes important for your question because while changesin 40 time are one way to measure recovery from a leg injury Other indicators such as production of rushing yardage already indicate that basic recovwery has occurred. 4o speed measures are unlikely to tell you anything you do not already know from measures like yardag gained rushing, and in fact, if the 40 times and the rushing yardage indicators differ then one should take the rushing yardage indicator as more relevant anyway.

 

The 40 time measure is in fact deceptive because though it can be a good measure, i root for him to gain yards and not to win relay races. If greater muscles make for a more resilient WM but slow his 40 time, I say by all means slow the 40 time.

 

In fact, it would be great for gaining yards if DB can beat a DB in a footrace, but who cares if WM never even gets to the DBs because WM is not big enough to survive being hit repetitively at the LOS, or his stiff arm is weaker and he gets dragged down without even turning the corner.

 

This is not a question of trading an ability for him to turn a 2 yd. gain into a 4 yard gain but losing the ability to run for 40 yards, it actually is a question of settling for a series of 2 yard gains which never become 49 yard gains because he is to small to take the pounding or not strong enough to stop an opponent with a stiff arm and get outside.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...