"Will some N.F.L. team make a run at Usain Bolt as a wide receiver? "
--Freakonomics Blog
"A guy like Bolt, no matter how impressive he was on that track … you’d have to take everything down to basic fundamentals. Has he even seen a football game? Can he catch a ball standing still, never mind on the run? And of course, it’s like Mike Tyson used to say: ‘Everyone has a plan until they get hit.’ What happens when he’s trying to judge ball flight on a punt and he has guys bearing down on him? Forget about trying to catch a ball on a 7 or 9 route with a safety on him. That’s when your straight-line speed tends to go out the window unless you know what you’re doing."
--ex-scout Doug Marino, quoted by Doug Ferrar at Football Outsiders. Marino concludes:
“Honestly, I’d say that Usain Bolt’s chances of playing in the NFL would be about as good as yours or mine.”
Posted by Matt Bruce at August 27, 2008 01:13 PMAs a counterpoint, "Bullet" Bob Hayes, a former "World's Fastest Man" is quite likely be the elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame this January.
Granted there are huge differences, mainly that Hayes was an American who played football through college before being drafted, but I think Usain would have a decent chance of being a viable player if he wanted to devote the effort to doing so.
But it really makes no sense for him to try. As a track star, he will earn an NFL-level salary for the next few years, without the worry of someone trying to take his head off during each race.
Posted by: Kubi at August 29, 2008 12:53 PM