WINTER TESTING...TIMES...STRENGTH, ETC.

[soonerboy_odanorth]

Hey Mod kittahs... If you feel this should be merged with existing... then by all means....

But in the meantime, what I want from the rest of you Gaylord Fockers is this:

In the other Testing threads, one observation has NOT been made.... and I would like it discussed....

We're slow.

By reputation of what truly fast teams are.... we are undeniably slower than other teams out there.

Case in point: Demarco.... 4.48?.... Did I read that right? THAT.... is the fastest guy on the team?

Well then, we finally have something we can identify as a problem when we meet the "elites" in bowl games.... speed.. or lack therof.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I thought WVU was the notably faster team on the field. Same with USC... LSU. Hell, Boise-freaking-State was absolutely as fast, if not faster.

It's pretty clear. Stoops, and the staff he has assembled, seeks football players first. That is NOT a bad philosophy... right up to the point that other JUST OK football players with A LOT more speed are blowing by and embarassing your "football players".

I am concerned that is where we are. He (Bob) has built a tremendous program of "football players."

But Bob's program right now appears bereft of "speed merchants".

And we need those to win the big one.

See USC, Miamuh, Ohio State, et al. championship performances for evidence.

What are your opinions?... just curious...

[Ruuuuuufus]

a few points...

4.48 is by no means slow. I wouldn't compare these numbers to what you see guys doing at the combine. Those guys have been preparing for the workouts for weeks. In the same time our guys have been concentrating on becoming better football players and students.

Winter times are always pretty slow. It's used as motivation for summer workouts.

No one really knows how accurate these times really are. Marcus Walker was listed at a 4.40 a year ago and ran a 4.59 at the combine. Reported high school numbers have skewed many opinions but if you look at the guys that are coming out of college there just aren't that many players running under a 4.5.

40 times are overrated. Football is played with pads.

[goingoneight]

Great... another "team speed" gem.

Can we have a "swagger" thread to go along with this? I don't seem to remember anybody last year thinking we were slow on our way to an 11-3 record. And before you mention Fiesta Bowl, consider the six missing players and the fact that the team as a whole played with no desire to win as evident by the collective frowns sitting on the bench instead of getting into the game. You know... like... 20 points isn't exactly impossible to manage in a quarter, guys. Especially when... oh, I don't know... you tackle a "slow" and "white" fullback.

We're not getting out-ran, we're getting out-played and out-coached in our losses... it happens.

[DangTire]

Speed is not the problem. Lack of savvy, football intelligence, fundamentals, and bad coaching is. Speed is a very small thing to worry about at this point. Few positions besides QB are being taught with any efficiency at this point.

[goingoneight]

Right... and that's why we're what... 42-11 the last four years? That with a major rebuilding effort and countless setbacks and screwjobs in between?

Sometimes you just get out-played.

[silverwheels]

Case in point: Demarco.... 4.48?.... Did I read that right? THAT.... is the fastest guy on the team?

No, you didn't read that right. Says 4.42 (http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/030608aab.html), although that was taken from the last testing period.

[KantoSooner]

I didn't notice too many people running Murray down from behind.

Maybe he's not 'Tricky Fast'. Maybe he's more like 'Sneaky Slow'.

[goingoneight]

I'm pretty sure Deion Beasley doesn't think Murray's slow after having the PERFECT ANGLE to tackle him and still getting smoked by 15 yards.

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Yes, I guess, Strait, Calmus, Marshall, Griffin, and cast that were all slower speed time just got owned by that 4.3 fourty team from Florida St.

[starrca23]

Is DeMarco considered 100% healthy? I would imagine so, but his knee issue probably has limited his workouts is some fashion.
On another note, are they using an electronic system to measure 40 times? If not, then who cares.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

One thing OU doesn't do, in most cases, is inflate numbers like a number of colleges do. And this is most visible at the combine. Most of the time, the numbers are pretty close. Most schools inflate weight, height, and especially 40 times of their players. Those 4.3 guys that played for FSU..Well Minnis didnt play that game, but their most dangerous player ran 4.6 at the combine.

And I still think Marcus gets down to at least a flat 4.5 at the pro day Monday.

[soonerboy_odanorth]

Great... another "team speed" gem.

Can we have a "swagger" thread to go along with this?

Screw you! I get my turn to be just as stupid as the rest of you Fokkers!

Now **** off, dip-****! ;)

[Curly Bill]

One thing OU doesn't do, in most cases, is inflate numbers like a number of colleges do. And this is most visible at the combine. Most of the time, the numbers are pretty close. Most schools inflate weight, height, and especially 40 times of their players. Those 4.3 guys that played for FSU..Well Minnis didnt play that game, but their most dangerous player ran 4.6 at the combine.

And I still think Marcus gets down to at least a flat 4.5 at the pro day Monday.

Agree with this. Just look at the 40 times of our players coming out of high school and compare them to those of other programs recruits and you'll see that our kids are as fast as any, and faster then most. Are we making them slower when we get them? I doubt it. I think like STEP says a lot of programs inflate their 40 times to make their programs look favorable. We are always mentioned by the so-called experts as having outstanding team speed, with only USC and LSU considered to maybe possess more.

So, why did we look slow agaisnt WVU? I contend that it was in large part that our defense appeared clueless, and finding themselves once again clueless in a BCS bowl game (and yes this is a shot at Venables here) they played with less then 100% effort.

[MojoRisen]

Keep in mind that these guys put on 20 pounds in college and ussually you can take off a tenth of speed for every 10 pounds.

I was surprised by Marcus Walkers time though... 4.59 is not fast enough for a corner. I think he will improve back in the 4-4s at pro day.

What I said above is more for the ATH type positions... A DE can come in at 215 - end up 275 and still have pretty much the same speed based on being stronger and having better running technique.

I would be curious if Jarboe, Owens are really running 4-4 flats?

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Can we have a "swagger" thread to go along with this?

http://www.mixtapesone.com/images/clothes/swaggerjack/swagwhite800.jpg

[adoniijahsooner]

Speed is not the most important thing in football; smarts and play recognition are. Just look at the year lofton had, and he ran 4.77 at the combine, but the testers were very impressed with his football knowledge. Owen Schmidt outran the defense because they were out of position, that long pass play was to due to a bad play on the ball, and devine's long run came on a play were the defense over pursued. Field intellingence is the key, and also add some heart to that. Missouri shut down the second fastest runningback in the combine when they played in the Cotton Bowl, and we did well against them.

[pott_2]

QB: Joe Halzle, 325
Bench Press

correct me if I am wrong, but Holy Sh!t for a QB.

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Maybe we should have Halzle playing free safety. I bet he would have broke that fullback in half at the Fiesta Bowl

[KYHonorarySooner]

a few points...

4.48 is by no means slow. I wouldn't compare these numbers to what you see guys doing at the combine. Those guys have been preparing for the workouts for weeks. In the same time our guys have been concentrating on becoming better football players and students.

Winter times are always pretty slow. It's used as motivation for summer workouts.

No one really knows how accurate these times really are. Marcus Walker was listed at a 4.40 a year ago and ran a 4.59 at the combine. Reported high school numbers have skewed many opinions but if you look at the guys that are coming out of college there just aren't that many players running under a 4.5. 40 times are overrated. Football is played with pads.




You are very right. High school times are very inaccurate and should definitely be taken with a grain of salt. You can tell just by watching his speed on the field that DM is definitely faster than a 4.48. Pop in the UT tape from last year and key up the touchdown run he broke off against the whorns. He couldn't touched - it wasn't all about angle either, don't give me that arguement. However, if this were true - holy crap. That is slow. UK (Wildcats, as you may have noticed I'm a Kentuckian) just had it's pro day and while seniors worked out so did a few underclassmen. A few of the confirmed times (mind you NFL teams/scouts are present and these days are important for their evaluation of players) Derrick Locke (an Oklahoman) 4.21 and Alphonso Smith 4.24. I don't for a second pretend to believe that UK and OU are even close to the same plane on the football field. I say it is more than likely we haven't seen OU's most accurate times.

[goingoneight]

QB: Joe Halzle, 325
Bench Press

correct me if I am wrong, but Holy Sh!t for a QB.

Especially for a guy who was considered to be skinny and weak arm strength.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Paul thompson's was more than that by 40 or 50 lbs

[SelmaBamaFan]

IMO team speed, on defense atleast (which I think it's more important), is measured up the middle. How fast are you at DL, MLB, and S? On offense I think explosiveness and quickness are more important than pure speed.