11/23/24
October 06, 2009
Bears Ball Boy Runs 40 Yards in Under 5 Seconds: As Chicago Bears wide receiver Johnny Knox returned a kickoff for 102 yards Sunday against the Detroit Lions, the Fox broadcast caught a ball boy running from the Bears' 40 to the Lions' 20 in under five seconds with two footballs in his hands. See the video.
Even more amazing is the appearance that Johhny Knox casually dropped the ball just before he crossed the goal line. If you watch the ball, it touches just inside the end zone. At the speed he's running, the ball had to be dropped outside the end zone. But no one fell on the ball and Detroit didn't challenge the play.
posted by Shotput at 12:53 PM on October 06, 2009
Chris "Airin'" Burr-man splashed the clip all over his MNF halftime show.
Great for the kid, but tough for those of us who had to listen to Berman milk it. "He - could - go - all - the - way..."
Berman had the kid ID'ed for a personal shout out by then and everything.
Not only was the kid fast, I think he was carrying a couple of footballs and a towel while he was running, and he was step for step with Knox. And when Knox went by him, Knox was already up to speed. So the kid more or less took of from an impromptu standing start.
You watch, Rex Ryan and Charlie Weis are going to start doing this during their games.
posted by beaverboard at 01:01 PM on October 06, 2009
Run Forrest, run!
posted by irunfromclones at 01:26 PM on October 06, 2009
Even more amazing is the appearance that Johhny Knox casually dropped the ball just before he crossed the goal line.
Admittedly, I only saw the clip twice, but I thought the same thing. Even if Knox somehow barely crossed the goal line with the football I would think it wouldn't be a totally bad idea for a defender to fall on it or pick it up and maybe even challenge the call on the field of a touchdown .
Oh yeah, nice run, kid.
posted by THX-1138 at 01:58 PM on October 06, 2009
After watching the clip a few times, it appears to me that he crossed the goal line and then dropped the ball behind him. I'd say that he was easily a yard inside the line when he let go of the ball.
posted by cabuki at 03:05 PM on October 06, 2009
Chris "Airin'" Burr-man splashed the clip all over his MNF halftime show.
Do people actually still enjoy Berman? If I want to relive painfully bad 80's shtick, I can just go to a springsteen concert.
posted by cjets at 04:00 PM on October 06, 2009
You watch, Rex Ryan and Charlie Weis are going to start doing this during their games.
Oh please no. Those are two sets of man boobs that are hard enough to take at a slow amble, let alone a sprint.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 04:41 PM on October 06, 2009
The kid has been on sports shows all day today. Seems he ran track in school and that he was holding several footballs when he made that run.
Sign him up.
posted by dviking at 08:38 PM on October 06, 2009
Did the Lions see him? They should sign him pronto!
posted by jjzucal at 08:54 PM on October 06, 2009
No way it was under 4 seconds...he's not the fastest man alive!
And let's not go crazy..he was fast, but he was keeping up with Knox because Knox wasn't running a straight line, has pads on, and had already run 30-40 yards (especially if you consider he ran from the middle-left side of the field and finished on the right...that's a good 30+ yards there.) Even the defenders are running one way, then have to change direction, and they're all running at angles. The ballboy was running straight down the sideline and was able to get a running start in that direction. (In other words, line the boy up in a 40 against anybody on that field and watch him get smoked).
That said, it's really not surprising there's a ball boy with athletic skills. Not sure who this kid is, but athletes kids get these types of jobs on a lot of these teams. Larry Fitzgerald used to be a ball boy with the vikings and I bet he could run pretty good back then as well.
posted by bdaddy at 11:06 PM on October 06, 2009
sorry, just read the article..it was saying 4.4 speed (your title needs fixing). Also mentions the Fitzgerald thing.
I still say no way it's even close to 4.4. Look at #41 at the bottom of the screen, whose likely no 4.4 guy, and he's running at an angle and is pulling away from the kid until he gives up on the play.
The angles are deceiving because nobody on the football field is running a straight line.
posted by bdaddy at 11:11 PM on October 06, 2009
Look at the YouTube video, Bdaddy. Darryl MaGee (the ball boy) is at the Bears 40 at the 0:12 mark and at the Lions 20 at the 0:16 mark. It's not precise, and "under 4" is too low, but it's still remarkably fast. And he had three footballs in his hands, not two, according to a Chicago Tribune interview with the guy.
posted by rcade at 11:59 PM on October 06, 2009
Darryl MaGee is on Twitter as d_magee, and he has the right idea about what you should do with 15 minutes of fame, from the looks of this tweet: "@tyrabanks Check me out on Sportscenter today 5pm CT today!"
posted by rcade at 12:06 AM on October 07, 2009
Even if it was around 4 seconds (which as you mention isn't precise) that's 4 seconds to run 40 yards "with a running start". When people talk about athletes running a 4.4, they are starting from a sprinters stance. Start the stopwatch on them once they are at or near full speed as the ballboy was and they'd be well in the 3's.
His speed is no doubt impressive (which I think is all your saying..and I'm certainly not arguing that), just not ridiculously so...and not on par with those guys running on the field.
Like I mention, watch #41 (a 30 year old safety whose fastest days are far behind him) and he is almost even with the kid at the 40 (maybe a yard ahead), and by the other 45 had 3-4 yards on him and pulling away before he gives up on the play despite running at a 30-45 degree angle while the kid is running a straight line. (not to mention having run the opposite direction 40 yards already, reversed direction, dodging his own player, and running with pads, all of which probably nullifies the "3 footballs in hand" thing). If #41 was running in that same straight line he'd torch him...and 41 isn't exactly the fastest player on that field.
I know I'm over-analyzing it as that wasn't the intention of the post, just trying to add some balance to the argument :-)
posted by bdaddy at 09:43 AM on October 07, 2009
The Vikings are going to hire him to work with Adrian Peterson. The drill sequence will be simple. Run as fast as you can holding three footballs. Then repeat with two footballs. Then with one ball. Then add contact.
The thinking is, by the time Adrian gets down to holding just one football, he ought to be able to hang onto the darned thing.
posted by beaverboard at 10:00 AM on October 07, 2009
I know I'm over-analyzing it as that wasn't the intention of the post, just trying to add some balance to the argument :-)
You succesfully rained on the kid's parade.
posted by tron7 at 11:22 AM on October 07, 2009
I totally forgot about this. I believe that this was shown in the pre-game show last night before MNF and you can clearly see the ball boy actually running step by step with Johnny Knox which means that the ball boy was running faster than any of the Detroit Lions were. Unbelievable!
Someone, anyone: The ball boy runs a 4.3? Sign that kid up now!
Nice find rcade.