4 seconds to Glory?

The NFL never sleeps. It truly is the one sport that is in constant conversation. This week is the annual NFL Scouting Combine, a look at football players vying to be drafted come to show their talent in a myriad of different tests. Although in recent years the Wonderlic Test has been a major topic of conversation, the 40yard dash is still king. No matter your position is, your 40 time will be talked about especially if it is one that impresses.

"Speed Kills", "You Can't Teach Speed", "Speed will Feed" ok I just made that last one up but you can see the public is enamored by speed. It is something we all wish to have and we love to watch (Ask Usain Bolt). However at the same time running a slow 40 can also kill your draft stock (Ask Vontaze Burfict).

So if so much emphasis is put on this 40 time, what are the results? Does the 40 accurately measure how good a player is going to be. The top 10 times in the 40 According to Wiki

4.24	Chris Johnson	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)	197 lb (89 kg)	Running back	2008	#24 overall by Tennessee Titans
4.25	Darrius Heyward-Bey[6]	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)	210 lb (95 kg)	Wide receiver	2009	#7 overall by Oakland Raiders
4.27	Stanford Routt	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)	193 lb (88 kg)	Cornerback	2005	#38 overall by Oakland Raiders
4.27	Marquise Goodwin	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)	170 lb (77 kg)	Wide receiver	2013	Draft Status Pending
4.28	DeMarcus Van Dyke	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)	176 lb (80 kg)	Cornerback	2011	#81 overall by Oakland Raiders
4.28	Champ Bailey	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)	184 lb (83 kg)	Cornerback	1999	#7 overall by Washington Redskins
4.28	Jerome Mathis	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)	181 lb (82 kg)	Wide receiver	2005	#114 overall by Houston Texans
4.28	Carl Vogel	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)	195 lb (88 kg)	Safety	2013	Draft Status Pending
4.28	Jacoby Ford	5 ft 8 in (173 cm)	190 lb (86 kg)	Wide receiver	2010	#108 overall by Oakland Raiders
4.29	Josh Robinson	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)	200 lb (91 kg)	Cornerback	2012	#66 overall by Minnesota Vikings

So What can we take from this:

1. The Oakland Raiders are ALL-IN on speed: They've taken 4 of the top 10 and two of the players aren't eligible to be drafted till this year so 4 out of 6. Out of those 4 the only one to really contribute has been Routt who played 7 seasons and was rewarded with a nice contract before being released. He is now on his 3rd team in the last 2 years. Van Dyke is no longer with the team, Ford missed all of last year and Heyward-Bey has been injury prone in his 4 years.

2. 2 stars. Their are 2 stars on this list: Chris Johnson who's run the fastest combine time and Champ Bailey who has 6th best time. Johnson had a "down" year last year(1200 yds rushing) and is 3 years removed from going over 2,000 yards rushing but he is well above average running back who is capable of breaking one at any point. Champ Bailey continues to defy the age process. He might not be the shutdown corner from his Washington days but any questions about who won the trade with Denver have been answered.

3. 4 seconds can't possibly accurately tell us how well a player will perform at the next level: When you really think about it, this is whole thing is flash with no substance. To base an evaluation of a player and invest in them based on running for 4 seconds in  a controlled environment with no pads or helmet is really stupid. I'm not saying a teams decision is based on a 40 but the coverage and emphasis put on it doesn't make sense. Look at the list above we can give maybe a 25-30% success rate to speedesters in the NFL.

That being said, speed is here to stay as a measuring stick for future draft hopefuls. I will definitely try to train my kids to be as fast as possible, after all "Speed Kills", "You Can't Teach Speed" and Speed Feeds.

First Lady Swag

Often in life you end up taking things for granted. As big of a deal as it might be that we in the U.S. have a "black' president. I put black in quotations because I feel his race does an injustice to the actual MAN that President Obama is and because well he's also half white so technically he's the first interracial President, but I digress.

Were in the presence of not only the most charismatic President, sorry Clinton fans, but also the most polarizing First Lady. Their both taking over not only political shows but pop culture and sports. I'm not sure we're gonna see another couple in the White House like this ever again.

Mrs. Obama especially is having the best week ever, she just presented the Oscar for Best Picture last night live from the White House and as late as I might be she was on Jimmy Fallon doing an Evolution Of Mom Dancing video. In the words of the Great philosopher Kanye West, the First Lady's swagger is on a Hundred Thousand Trillion!

MY GOD!!!

DeMar DeRozan. Thank You Very Much.

Messi The Beloved

Our favorite athletes are usually shielded. I mean for as much as we love them, we hardly ever get to really SEE them. Sure we hang their posters on our wall, watch them on tv, heck some of us have actually seen them in action from the stands. Do we really SEE them though? I remember going to a New Jersey Nets v Los Angeles Lakers game in Jersey one night, in other words I got to see Kobe Bryant play.

I could barely see him though. It wasn't like I could see his every facial expression, I was pretty up in the stands. I bring this up because we as fans put our every emotion into these teams and athletes but unless we're a season ticket holder we hardly ever get to really have any type of interaction with these stars.

There is an exception however, his name is Leo Messi. How many times do we see fans run out onto the court, pitch, field, etc for a chance to either make a spectacle or in come cases to try and get as close and really SEE their favorite athlete in the flesh. Not through binoculars or a television screen, rather with their own eyes.

For those few who actually muster up the courage to go out and attempt this almost always failed feat the consequences could be unfavorable (see: James Harrison). Messi however for one isn't James Harrison and he is truly beloved by all soccer fans, who aren't Madristas. In the past few months, twice fans have ran onto the pitch to see this man, this legend Messi.

He hasn't brushed em off, or called for security, he wasn't scared or angered, he simply embraced these fans. In a sports world where every superstar has an entourage and bodyguards, he has become one of the most accessible athletes of today.

What I would do to be able to go on the pitch during a game and give Leo Messi a hug, LEO MESSI!! A story that can be told a million times over and never get old. As is customary at the end of soccer matches or player that is being substituted, their is an applause given by fans to players and by players to fans. I applaude you Messi.

The Return of the Punk Rock Messiahs

I feel like this story isn’t getting enough attention, is Rock if that’s what you want to label Fall Out Boy as, dead? Fall Out Boy’s answer is YES!

FOB is coming back full throttle; they didn’t just announce a comeback to excite fans. They went announcement, album title/release date, music video, World tour, and national TV appearance full blown, all in comeback.  I wouldn’t want it any other way.

They released a new single with their typical lengthy title “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark” or for commercial purposes simply known as “Light Em Up”. The video doesn’t even feature any of the members but has a strong cameo from none other than 2Chainz!

The album “Save Rock And Roll” will be out May 6^th. Thank you Fall Out Boy we have been waiting.

Can A Steeler Become A Raven

As a lifelong Steelers fan, there is no team I despise more than the Baltimore Ravens.  To be honest I hate every team in our division. The Browns suck, the Bengals are…well the Bengals, and the Ravens irritate me on a whole other level.

They wear those hideous looking jerseys, I mean since when was purple an intimidating color? I’m not even sure there are Ravens in Baltimore, the state bird is an Oriole (oh yea that name is taken already) and I mean its not like they’re a team full of guys you want to root for. (Minus the guy from the blindside)

My Steeler teams always play these crappy 9-6 or 10-7 finals against the Ravens that everyone hates but the sanity of my following week rides on that offensive struggle of a game.  This year, both of our games were decided by 3 points; with each team winning one. By the way, our win was with CHARLIE BATCH starting and our loss was with Byron Leftwich starting. Yes I’m still very bitter about this season, we shoulda made the playoffs.

However with the announcement of Ray Lewis retirement I have become somewhat soft towards the Ravens. I find myself rooting for Joe Flacco, Joe fuckin Flacco. Just typing that is making me sick.

I wanna apologize Joe, I didn’t believe, now I’m gonna sit back on Superbowl Sunday and just watch. Watch the Baltimore Ravens play for a championship, then again, It’s not like I had a much better AFC alternative. (insert: Tom Brady)

Maybe it’s a respect factor, as much as I can’t stand them, battling them twice a year gives me a different perspective on them. I admire how they play and, in a way, they represent everything that my Steelers do. It’s actually kinda cute that they try to emulate us.

No doubt I would rather see the Steelers playing next Sunday and if not them ANYBODY but the Ravens. Now that they’re in the game however I would rather them win it than the 9ers. Kind of like when you and your buddies enter a contest, if you don’t win, better your friend than some random person you don’t know, right? Yes, I’m really trying to make myself feel better about this decision.

As hard as I try to shake it, I have no problem with the Ravens winning the Superbowl. Sure that could all change once I see Ray Lewis smiling holding up the Lombardi trophy but for now I’m kind of liking the idea. Go Ravens!

-Y

The Fit Fit

Welcome to the first blog made ever created for the people of the Internet by two regular Habesha dudes (I did the research). Here we will delve into any number of topics that we seem relevant to the youth of today's world. But this blog isn't Eritrea (see: dictatorship), you have the opportunity to interact with the authors either through the comments on each post or through electronic mail at fitfitblog@gmail.com.

As mentioned, I, Samson, will not be the only one contributing to this magnificent site. I'll also be accompanied by my long time brother from another mother: Yonald

The both of us have been talking about doing a collabo blog like this for years. And now, with both of us more settled in our lives, we thought it would be a great time to bless your souls with our opinions. Because, as you know, what other people think doesn't matter. Haha. Kidding!

With that being said, the both of us would like to welcome you to THE FIT FIT!