That was a much more reasonable reply than a couple of the others and I thank you for that. Still, you tenaciously cling to a couple views that you actually contradict yourself over. At no time do I attempt to arrive at a "mythical" anything. I take a known time YOU provide and apply time conversions YOU also provide to arrive at an adjusted time. Forgive me sir but you simply cannot sanely argue that you promote as accurate the use of these figures one way and not the other. The problem is simple, people trying to make this arguement of comparing track times DIRECTLY to football 40's is simply flawed at it's core. The two are run under completely different conditions, it's that simple. It was Zeigler's egregious error to attempt to do just that and then not finish the job. Make no mistake, this is precisely what Zeigler was trying to do:
"Four-point-three-eight seconds.
Then again, maybe Ben Johnson isn't the fastest 40-yard man in the world.
Maybe half the NFL is faster."
Aside from the fact that Maurice Greene has since clobbered Johnson's 40 the direct track comparison to football 40's is right there...and utterly incorrect.
I think a major misconception you have is that the NFL Combine is awash with sub-4.3 40's and is a bunch of bunk. Perhaps it would ease your mind to learn that since electronic timing was brought to the combine in '90 the fastest time recorded is a 4.25 by Fabian Washington. Since the man has a "real" 10.18 100m track time does that truly shock you? Which leaves us with this:
If they are having guys go under 4.3 electronically how can you effectively contend it's "worthless" when someone hand-times under 4.3?
And, more specifically to the spirit of this thread, if Mr. Washington can run a (NOT hand-timed mind you) 4.25 what could the likes of Gatlin run? (I'm genuinely curious of your opinion on that one)
*If your only concern had been all the 4.0-4.2 times that seem to show up run by Scooter McLightning in Wombat TX as timed by the gym coach then hell yeah, I'm WITH you brother. "This has not been your sole contention however, as borne out by your posts.) By the time you get to NFL timing though, even by hand, I start paying attention. BIG money, I'm talking possibly MILLIONS, rides on those times and they don't exactly hand the limo driver a watch a tell him to "Go see how fast that feller from UT is".
It's all good man, Zeigler's just led his reader's astray with track vs football 40's that are simply two different animals. :thumbsup:
