Team Speed

[grunkiejr]

Someone mentioned in a thread a few weeks ago that during the Kentucky bowl game the coach said his goal when he arrived at Kentucky was to improve team speed. Kentucky has 19 players that run a 4.5 40 or faster which is up from 2 when the coach arrived. This got me thinking about Minnesota and what our team speed looks like.

I pulled the data from Rivals (or Scout if Rivals was missing a 40 time) to compile a list of players at Minnesota that run a 4.50 or faster.

Sadly the only player from the 2007 class, or earlier, that is still a Gopher and sees the field is:
Ryan Collado - 4.4

2008 Class: 12
Traye Simmons: 4.4
Keanon Cooper: 4.45
Simoni Lawrence: 4.45
Tim Dandridge: 4.48
MarQuies Gray: 4.48
Xzavian Brandon: 4.48
Tramaine Brock: 4.5
Troy Stoudermire: 4.5
Kevin Whaley: 4.5
DeLeon Eskridge: 4.5
Spencer Reeves: 4.5
Rex Sharpe: 4.5

Possible 4.5's
David Pittman: 4.6 on Rivals, 4.5 on Scout. Watching him in games he doesn't look as fast as Stoudermire or Eskridge so I believe the 4.6.
Johnny Johnson: Not timed, but he looks like he runs a 4.5
Da'Jon McKnight: Not time, I have no idea

2009 Current Commits: 7
Bryant Allen: 4.3
Hayo Carpenter: 4.37
Hasan Lipscomb: 4.38
Taikwon Paige: 4.4
Kenneth Watkins: 4.47
Kerry Lewis: 4.5
Victor Keise: 4.5

Before anyone flames on the current class for not having the speed of 2008, there are less total commitments and there are more commitments on the O-line/D-line which does not produce the same speed as WR's, DB's, RB's and LB's. The WR's, RB's and DB's added in 2009 all are 4.5 or faster and in 2008 they did not meet that criteria (Brandon Green: 4.55, Brodrick Smith: not timed but he isn't as fast as Green, David Pittman: 4.6 (or 4.5) Shady Salamon: 4.55)

I think if one looks at the classes it is very clear why the special teams coverage team improved so much last year. It is also a sign that within the next few years, as many of the younsters play more prominent roles, the Gophers should be much better playing in space which we clearly struggled with against Kansas.

 

[harrys ghost]

Someone mentioned in a thread a few weeks ago that during the Kentucky bowl game the coach said his goal when he arrived at Kentucky was to improve team speed. Kentucky has 19 players that run a 4.5 40 or faster which is up from 2 when the coach arrived. This got me thinking about Minnesota and what our team speed looks like.

I pulled the data from Rivals (or Scout if Rivals was missing a 40 time) to compile a list of players at Minnesota that run a 4.50 or faster.

Sadly the only player from the 2007 class, or earlier, that is still a Gopher and sees the field is:
Ryan Collado - 4.4

2008 Class: 12
Traye Simmons: 4.4
Keanon Cooper: 4.45
Simoni Lawrence: 4.45
Tim Dandridge: 4.48
MarQuies Gray: 4.48
Xzavian Brandon: 4.48
Tramaine Brock: 4.5
Troy Stoudermire: 4.5
Kevin Whaley: 4.5
DeLeon Eskridge: 4.5
Spencer Reeves: 4.5
Rex Sharpe: 4.5

Possible 4.5's
David Pittman: 4.6 on Rivals, 4.5 on Scout. Watching him in games he doesn't look as fast as Stoudermire or Eskridge so I believe the 4.6.
Johnny Johnson: Not timed, but he looks like he runs a 4.5
Da'Jon McKnight: Not time, I have no idea

2009 Current Commits: 7
Bryant Allen: 4.3
Hayo Carpenter: 4.37
Hasan Lipscomb: 4.38
Taikwon Paige: 4.4
Kenneth Watkins: 4.47
Kerry Lewis: 4.5
Victor Keise: 4.5

Before anyone flames on the current class for not having the speed of 2008, there are less total commitments and there are more commitments on the O-line/D-line which does not produce the same speed as WR's, DB's, RB's and LB's. The WR's, RB's and DB's added in 2009 all are 4.5 or faster and in 2008 they did not meet that criteria (Brandon Green: 4.55, Brodrick Smith: not timed but he isn't as fast as Green, David Pittman: 4.6 (or 4.5) Shady Salamon: 4.55)

I think if one looks at the classes it is very clear why the special teams coverage team improved so much last year. It is also a sign that within the next few years, as many of the younsters play more prominent roles, the Gophers should be much better playing in space which we clearly struggled with against Kansas.

Another way to look at it is the current class has four guys 4.4 or better. (Who cares about 4.5? )

 

[Goldteam]

this is why i am behind brewster all the way

at least he is trying to bring speed to the gophers

i will never get that vision of the NDSU Bison players running away from our guys out of my head

but we still are lacking in team speed and size.....we still have miles to go

 

[grunkiejr]

It's a process. You don't go from being slow to being fast in one season. Even when you get a freshman that can run faster than the player ahead of him there are other things a junior/senior can do better than the freshman and it keeps the slower player(s) on the field. For instance, Cooper is faster than Hightower at OLB but Hightower is stronger, has better technique, and has better knowledge of the overall defensive scheme so he continued to start ahead of a freshman that was faster than him. In a year or two Cooper should have closed the gap on strength, technique, and knowledge which should make him a better LB than Hightower was for the Gophers.

 

[husker70]

There is team speed

And then there is team quickness. Give me quick players and leave the forty times alone. I am and have writen about 10 yard times as a measure of quickness. Why ten yards? Why 40 yards? Forty is a good measure for backs, corners, safeties, and some linebackers. Its a measure of how deep you can get at the snap, what range you have sideline to sideline, and some measure of stopping the big play. But lost in the defensive 40 is the ability to backpeddle for say 10 yards, pivot your hips and sprint not losing a step on wide reciever. Where is that time kept? How do they do that? And what about the ability to mirror or cover a cut or double move? Is that skill set measured some how? But back to the issue of quickness which I think is a skill set that allows the ability to cover. Quickness comes from quick twitch muscles. Its the ability to react to a cut seemingly simultaneously. These athletes are fastest in 10 yards. Why 10 yards? How far is it from the line of scrimage to the QB in the spread? This was The Flying Dutchman's calling card, some call it a quick first step others speed off the edge. A defensive tackle with quickness is disruptive, often beating the guard for a running back stuff, or a sack. Size or more importantly shape doesn't seem to matter, quick players can be the 6-5 300 pound defensive tackle, or a linebacker. Think of quickness as reaction time and burst. I would like all the players to have that quickness and if some can run 4.38 all the better.


The analogy of drag racing applies here. First of the line. With all that speed on the kick off teams, who is the first to the 50? And who is generally first to the ball carrier? Its generally a 40 yard sprint but I think I made my point.

 

[Schnoodler]

I don't know how easy it is to measure quickness for recruits. I'll agree with your premise, but with quickness a likely unknown i guess I'd give the nod to the faster guy. I don't think being faster equates to not being as quick. In fact I'd be inclined to believe that speed is a component of athleticism as is quickness. The guy who shows more athleticism (speed) is more likely to be the guy who is quick. So I think there is more value in the measurable of speed then you're giving credit to.

I'd like to see 40 times at the end of practice, that would tell me a lot more then fresh sprint times.

We've all seen the value of explosiveness on the line. Hopefully we're able to spot those monsters and look past the 40 times for them. But for 'skill' positions I think the 40 time has great meaning.

 

[husker70]

Schnoodler maybe the truth lies somewhere in this

http://www.nfl.com/combine/story?id=09000d5d806ce6bb&template=with-video&confirm=true

 

[grunkiejr]

And then there is team quickness. Give me quick players and leave the forty times alone. I am and have writen about 10 yard times as a measure of quickness. Why ten yards? Why 40 yards? Forty is a good measure for backs, corners, safeties, and some linebackers. Its a measure of how deep you can get at the snap, what range you have sideline to sideline, and some measure of stopping the big play. But lost in the defensive 40 is the ability to backpeddle for say 10 yards, pivot your hips and sprint not losing a step on wide reciever. Where is that time kept? How do they do that? And what about the ability to mirror or cover a cut or double move? Is that skill set measured some how? But back to the issue of quickness which I think is a skill set that allows the ability to cover. Quickness comes from quick twitch muscles. Its the ability to react to a cut seemingly simultaneously. These athletes are fastest in 10 yards. Why 10 yards? How far is it from the line of scrimage to the QB in the spread? This was The Flying Dutchman's calling card, some call it a quick first step others speed off the edge. A defensive tackle with quickness is disruptive, often beating the guard for a running back stuff, or a sack. Size or more importantly shape doesn't seem to matter, quick players can be the 6-5 300 pound defensive tackle, or a linebacker. Think of quickness as reaction time and burst. I would like all the players to have that quickness and if some can run 4.38 all the better.


The analogy of drag racing applies here. First of the line. With all that speed on the kick off teams, who is the first to the 50? And who is generally first to the ball carrier? Its generally a 40 yard sprint but I think I made my point.

Husker, when I went to football camp we did a drill where you start at the 5 yard line, run to the 10 and touch it, run to the goal line and touch it and then run through the 5-yard line to finish. This time, coupled with your 40 time, was measured to indicate quickness and speed. Coaches keep track of it but for whatever reason recruiting services don't track it and make it available so I'm posting what is available.

If you ever watched Gopher basketball in Monson's early year, Chris Ohnstad was the perfect example of a fast but not quick guard. Once he got going he could outrun any guard that was covering him but he couldn't necessarily get that first step on anyone. In the game of basketball quickness is way more important than speed.