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Game Speed- What is it?

Xevious

Recovering Arcade Junkie
Any theories on exactly what "game speed" is? Fox runs a 4.37, and Gamble a 4.5, yet if I was sending a WR deep vs the Bucks, I would stay away from Gamble's side. For years we've had players like Pearson and Hall who we are told are among our fastest players but we never seem to see it displayed on the field.

Is it something not properly measured by 40 times, a mental issue with anticipation, a reaction issue related to reflexes, or some other issue like being a gamer where a player can turn it up when needed?
 
I am going to stray off topic here a little bit but it is related.
For some a long time now I have said that the 40 is the most over rated measurement and here is my reasoning why. First when you run a 40 it is usually done in tennis or track shoes. Second it is always in a straight line, rarely done on the field. Third it is not obsturcted, in a straight line. Fourth it is done in shorts and t shirts, add the 20-30 pounds of equipment and tell me that someone can still run a 4.4 forty. Finally how often do guys run 30 yards in a game? WR, and DB will often do it but that is about all. Now I do understand that if a guy who runs a 4.21 is going to be faster when he puts all the pads on than a guy who runs a 4.5 but what is the difference is a 4.4 and 4.5 not too much if you ask me.
Now as for game speed what I have always considered is how fast does a guy play. Buy that doe he lose anything when he is on the field with that extra weight, after he has been beaten on a deep ball. What control does he have over his body. How quickly can he react to situations during the game. Mostly how effective is the guy when he is between the sidelines.
 
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Well I don't know, but it's a fact that "game speed" is faster in Florida! :biggrin:

Actually, to me game speed is determined by reaction time. The innate ability for a player to be in the right place at the right time. It is a function of awarness, anticipation, and knowledge of the game. Some players just know what is about to happen before it actually occurs. That gives them the ability to adjust and position themselves at an earlier point in a play. I do think some players are actually faster in a game situation as well. The adrenaline and euphoria of being "in the zone" allows your body to do things that it normally wouldn't. I think there is a lot to be said for "mind over matter".
 
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I think of it as reaction time, control of the body, quickness, flat out speed (the smaller guys loose some speed with the weight of full pads), and on D a nose for the football (seems to be in the right place at the right time)... how you measure this with a number, I don't know....
 
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3yards - Good thoughts.

I relate game speed to when I was younger. I was always faster when playing than running sprints before or after practice. I never was at the top in running sprints, but no one ever got by me in a game. I certainly was much faster when I was being chased too.

It is a combination of having speed, the ability to react instantly, getting up to the necessary speed instantly, and almost knowing what is going to happen right before or as it happens.

I think many players are very fast when being timed, but how do you time their speed in a game? For offensive players it is not being caught. Is it catching someone if you are a defensive player?

I don't know what Barry Sanders' 40 time was, but the guy had such natural ability and did things without thinking about them he could not be caught. I saw an interview with him recently and he was asked if he thought about his moves or did they just happen. He started to answer he thought about them and realized he just reacted instantly.

Jumping threads here, but talking about Chris Gamble's measured time today and the game two years ago when he chased the player down after the interception from across the field is a perfect example of game speed. He was the fastest player on the field when it was needed.
 
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