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#1 |
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Ring of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 4,588
Adopt-a-Bronco: Bill Vinovich |
Who would win a Chris Johnson vs. Usain Bolt sprint?
We like the idea of a race between Titans blazer Chris Johnson, who set the NFL record for yards from scrimmage in 2009, and world record sprinter Usain Bolt, a rumor that continues to sprout (fast) legs. Johnson ran 40 yards in 4.24 seconds at the 2008 scouting combine, blowing away the competition. According to PFT, their Olympics buddies at NBC "have determined that Bolt's 40-yard split from his world-record time in the 100-meter dash during the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing was 'a hair slower' than Johnson's 40-yard dash." Bolt ran the 100 meters in a world record 9.69 seconds in the 2008 Olympics, a mark he has subsequently improved. Our quick math shows Johnson's 40 time converts to 10.6 seconds over 100 meters. Bolt's record time over the same distance is more than a second better at 9.58. Admittedly, we're not track guys ... but we know Bolt tends to pick up speed in the second half of his race. We also know Johnson probably hasn't trained to run 100 meters -- and may or may not have a big kick over the final 50 meters -- and one of the hang-ups of putting Johnson vs. Bolt together is apparently agreeing on a distance. http://content.usatoday.com/communit...-bolt-sprint/1 |
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#2 |
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Friend of the unsung
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: London UK
Posts: 1,300
Adopt-a-Bronco: Danny Trevathan |
Classic offseason bar argument. On a par with "could the green lantern kick batman's arse?"
I jest of course.. :-) I reckon that there's no way Johnson competes with Bolt over 100m. Not only is the 40-yard dash different to the 100m, the whole way that an nfl athelete trains is totally more geared to even shorter bursts than 100m sprinters are. My guess is Johnson could edge out Bolt over 40yds but would get murdered over the 100m Now, if you're asking who has the best natural speed, and therefore who would win if both trained for the same event for the same amount of time (which would never happen becuase they have already spent most of their lives training for different events) then that's a tough question. My gut feel would still be Bolt, but its not like he ever had the option of the NFL coming from jamaica. Chris johnson may have had the talent to be an olympic sprinter but, c'mon, who's going to choose a boring path like athletics whent he glories of the NFL are beckoning....? |
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#3 |
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Ring of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Earth
Posts: 9,720
Adopt-a-Bronco: Elvis |
You could give CJ a 10 yard head start, and Bolt would still beat him.
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#4 |
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Giving You The Business
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Huntersville, NC
Posts: 5,589
Adopt-a-Bronco: Woodyard |
They should do two races. One on a track and one in full pads on a football field.
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#5 |
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Overdriven
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Sterile Fields
Posts: 11,622
Adopt-a-Bronco: Wesley Woodyard |
Gee... I wonder who wins a sprint between the fastest person to ever run olympic track and a pretty fast football player?
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#6 |
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Franchise Poster
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Mid-Atlantic
Posts: 15,590
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#7 |
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Ring of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Colorado
Posts: 2,805
Adopt-a-Bronco: Wesley Woodyard |
Full pads in a 40, only then does Johnson stand a chance, since Bolt has never done that before. Anything else and Johnson is toast. I'd also put my money on Bolt over Johnson in the long jump.
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#8 |
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True Orange & Blue
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: EPT
Posts: 2,136
Adopt-a-Bronco: Hidalgo |
It is all length of the race. 40 would be close. 100 would be no contest. I say have them run the mile. That would be interesting.
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#9 |
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Call me, "Maybe"
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Delaware
Posts: 5,676
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Distance and surface would be huge factors.
Also, 11 angry guys coming at you from all angles would make it more realistic. ![]() |
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#10 |
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Ring of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Colorado
Posts: 2,805
Adopt-a-Bronco: Wesley Woodyard |
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#11 |
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True Orange & Blue
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: EPT
Posts: 2,136
Adopt-a-Bronco: Hidalgo |
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#12 |
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"Whoa Nellie"
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 6,315
Adopt-a-Bronco: mellon head |
If that makes a difference, why don't they run the 40 in full pads at the combine?
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#13 |
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Ring of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,477
Adopt-a-Bronco: None |
CJ would burn him in fifty yards and under but Bolt would tear him up in anything over that! But I really wonder who would win out of Bolt vs. Darrell Green or Deion in his prime!
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#14 |
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Armchair Poster
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Topeka, KS
Posts: 22,044
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Would Bolt have the stones to confiscate the bongos in Kansas City for a touchdown celebration? I don't think so...
Last edited by Crushaholic; 03-29-2010 at 09:21 AM.. |
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#15 |
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Ring of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Earth
Posts: 9,720
Adopt-a-Bronco: Elvis |
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#16 |
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Ring of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,477
Adopt-a-Bronco: None |
Yes I do! CJ, Darrell Green and Deion are fast in general! They all have had successful track careers in college, but choose football as their primary sport instead. Their speed is not only shown on the football field but in their speed timings! You obviously don't know the history of those players. Just because they picked football instead of track does not mean they weren't great in track.
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#17 |
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President of the Universe
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Highlands Ranch
Posts: 14,964
Adopt-a-Bronco: Joel Dreesen |
I used to run. Football players aren't even in the same league as sprinters.
Bolt would win, hands down, backwards, on one leg, with his eyes closed. End of discussion. |
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#18 |
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Gimmie that rep fool!
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: LA
Posts: 12,254
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The 40 yard dash would be a very competitive race, but I'd put my money on Bolt. Like it has been stated already, there would be no point to race in the 100. Bolt would easily pull away.
This is really a question about quickness vs. top speed. Bolt is faster. A whole lot faster. But he's not going to reach his top speed until a good 40 meters into his race. If Johnson could reach his top speed before Bolt does then Johnson could edge him out in the 40 yard dash. That would be an interesting race. But we've seen in the past that two men races don't work. Remember Michael Johnson vs. Donovan Bailey in the 150 meter dash? If one guy pulls up lame then you don't have a race. Johnson pulled a muscle at like the 50 meter mark and Bailey ran to the finish by himself. They should have put in a few other runners to make the race interesting. That year in the olympics when Bailey won the 100 and Johnson the 200 there were two other guys who won the silver and bronze in both of those races. They should have ran those two guys in the 150 as well just to make it an interesting race. So I guess the best race would be to take the four quickest NFL guys and race them against the four fastest men in the world and lets see who wins. |
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#19 |
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Ring of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Colorado
Posts: 2,805
Adopt-a-Bronco: Wesley Woodyard |
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#20 |
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A verbis ad verbera
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Long Beach
Posts: 32,531
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Where Bolt would destroy Johnson is in something long like the 400. In a 40 yrd dash Johnson might have a shot. The problem is that a world class guy like Bolt has no wasted movement on the start, on the turn, blah blah blah. You can be fast but without perfect technique you have no shot at the world class runners.
Bolt would not only beat Johnson, but by enough to play with him and tease him as he beat him. |
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#21 |
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Zombie Slayer
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 5,258
Adopt-a-Bronco: Von Miller |
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#22 |
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True Orange & Blue
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: EPT
Posts: 2,136
Adopt-a-Bronco: Hidalgo |
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#23 |
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Master of Karate
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Los angeles
Posts: 7,132
Adopt-a-Bronco: tgnsmyb**** |
worst. thread. ever.
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#24 |
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Living the Dream
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Boulder County
Posts: 1,256
Adopt-a-Bronco: Chris Harris |
It also needs to be mentioned that runners at the NFL combine start their run when they decide to go and the clock starts when they leave the blocks. They don't need to wait to hear the starting gun and then react to it.
So taking Bolt's split over 40 yards in a real race (like the Olympics) and comparing it to a combine number isn't really the same thing. The combine numbers would probably be .20 to .30 slower if they started with a gun. |
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#25 |
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Ring of Famer
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 3,901
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This reminds me of the stupid ESPN commercial where some idiot kid was saying the Miami Hurricanes(during their glory years) could beat the Bengals(during their years of complete fail). I remember people actually trying to argue that it would be possible - just completely idiotic.
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