If things weren’t already bad enough for Manti Te’o, his trip to Indianapolis for the NFL Combine surely couldn’t have made things worse. Oh, but wait just a second, because that it did. Te’o and his stock have been reportedly plummeting every minute that he’s been in Indy. To top it off, while running his abysmal 40-yard dash, world champion Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was caught on camera showing his disappointment in the former golden domer linebacker.
But it didn’t stop there. While performing in the cone drill… Lennay Kekua, Manti’s imaginary girlfriend reared her ugly head again and tripped Te’o in the middle of the drill. This poor kid is officially the laughing-stock of the sports world right now. But don’t feel too bad for him, because in April, when he’s selected in the NFL Draft and we’re all laughing at him… He’ll be laughing even harder because he’ll be a millionaire and we aren’t. One more month Manti, one more month… keep fighting the good fight, sir. (Click the photo to watch the fall.)
For normal Joe Schmoe’s who aren’t dedicating their lives to making it to the next level of professional sports, you should take a minute to gain a little appreciation for those that do. This video comes from renowned NFL trainer Pete Bommarito and his team at Bommarito Performance Systems. They demonstrate many of the exercises it takes to gain that little bit of edge and mastering the craft of optimum speed. It’s a little long, but its worth the look in seeing the amount of training that many college prospects and NFL players endure.
Here are several examples of why 40-yard dash times tend to be just a bit overrated. Of the 15 all-time fastest times, we’ve selected a few gems that reflect why a prospects ability to run a blazing 4.2-4.3 doesn’t exactly translate to success in the NFL.
Holiday was selected in the 6th round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. He was placed on IR his rookie season with a fractured thumb. In 2011, Holliday was cut, then signed to the practice squad, cut from the practice squad, signed to the active roster and then cut again. For his career, Holliday has zero receptions and zero career returns.
Draft: 2nd round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2010 NFL Draft
Career Statistics:
Mays was drafted in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Mays was publicly upset when his college coach Pete Carroll, who had just been named the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, passed on him in favor of Texas safety Earl Thomas in the first round. Mays, a highly decorated safety at USC only produced 38 tackles for the Niners his rookie year. The following season he was traded to Cincinnati Bengals where he racked up a total of 10 tackles.
Tye Hill was selected 15th overall in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. Hill was impressive in his rookie season as he started 10 out of 16 games, putting together 50 tackles and 3 INT’s. Following his rookie season, Hill put together two disappointing seasons and was traded to the Atlanta Falcons in 2009. Hill was released after just one season, he has also played for the Tennessee Titans and the Detroit Lions. Tye Hill is currently a free agent and has not played in the NFL since 2010. For his career, Hill has 111 tackles and 5 INT’s.
Figurs was selected in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. Of this group, Figurs has been able to produce the most. After the Ravens primary kick-returner B.J. Sams was lost for the season to injury, Figurs stepped in as the teams starting kick/punt returner. That season Figurs returned 46 kickoffs for 1,138 yards and one touchdown. Two seasons later Figurs was cut. Since then, he has bounced around the league spending time with the Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans. For his career, Figurs has returned 85 kicks for 1,956 and one touchdown.
Mathis was selected in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. Mathis shined in his rookie season with the Texans returning 54 kicks for 1,542 yards, earning the starting role for the AFC in the Pro Bowl as the return specialist. The following two seasons, Mathis was plagued by injuries and was eventually arrested. He was released by the Texans and has bounced around to both the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts and the AFL with the Pittsburgh Power.
Run Rich Run... Or Walk... There's Not Much Of A Difference Either Way
This is an older clip, but none the less an entertaining one. The NFL Network put together a fun clip of anchor Rich Eisen and his pitiful attempt at the famous NFL combine 40-yard dash event. Eisen lacks the break away speed that you would expect. But check out the split screen with him and combine record setter Jacoby Ford. Even better… Eisen gets put to shame by Ravens mountain of man, Terrence Cody.
The Meat Locker Sports 