Bolt to Race NFL Player

[Hortical]

Sources: Johnson vs. Bolt race planned


Chris Johnson is the sixth NFL player to rush for more than 2,000 yards.
But how would he fare on a running track, without a helmet and pads, against the world's fastest man?
We just might find out.
Sources close to the situation told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that representatives for the Titans running back and Olympic champion Usain Bolt of Jamaica have spent recent days trying to set up a race between the two men to determine who really is the world's fastest human.
The race would be used to raise money for charity.
Bolt won three gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, setting world records in the 100 meters and 200 meters and sharing a third world record with the Jamaican 4x100 meter relay team. At last year's world championships, he shattered both of his own sprinting records, running the 100 meters in 9.58 seconds and the 200 meters in 19.19 seconds.
Johnson on Sunday became the NFL's sixth 2,000-yard rusher when he completed his season with 2,006, breaking Earl Campbell's franchise record of 1,934. The second-year back from East Carolina also broke Marshall Faulk's NFL single-season record with 2,254 total yards from scrimmage.
According to sources, the one hangup seems to be the length of the race. Johnson wants the race to be 60 yards or less, while Bolt would like it to be longer.
Johnson's longest run from scrimmage this season was a 91-yard touchdown run in Week 2.

[Islandman]

I hope Bolt does not do it, charity or not.

"...to determine who really is the world's fastest human"

These a$$holes really get on my nerves with thier arrogance.

[Assasin]

mi have no problem with them running. Just that we all know who is the fastest. Maybe them can give Bolts the pad to run with to embarrass the poor guy.

[Islandman]

Its the media coverage of these football players and thier supposed world class speed that I have a problem with.

I know that some of them have the talent to be world class sprinters, but the idea that they can just walk from NFL type training and take on the greatest sprinter the world has ever seen is not just silly, it is disrespectful.

[Mosiah]

It is disrespectful! I would rather see Bolt race Awhofa or Bruce on the Loose and even then, it would be a farce.

[Gamma]

mi get yuh ... no one in their right mind would consider that it would even be close UNLESS..they want to do it over 40 metres/yards....but that is not the distance used to determine worlds fastsest man!

over a 100, there is only one winner EVERYBODY knows that.....

[Mosiah]

it could be over 10m, Bolt would still duss him!

[Peter R]

Maybe Bolt is trying to fulfill a boyhood dream of joining the circus?

[Muadib]

nuh mek it boddah yuh... is a Babylon system ting... dem check seh is money mek di world guh round...

Oh.. wait...

[Islandman]

Well it is good to know that not all of these NFL journalists are delusional.

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Chris Johnson may race Usain Bolt. Does he have a shot to win?

By Chris Chase

Since Usain Bolt burst onto the worldwide scene in the spring of 2008, no sprinter has been able to touch him. Now, the self-proclaimed "fastest man in the NFL" is going to try.

ESPN reports that NFL rushing champ Chris Johnson is in talks with the three-time gold medalist to run a charity race that will determine the world's fastest human. The camps are still discussing the distance of the race. Johnson wants a shorter sprint, which would theoretically favor him, and Bolt would prefer to keep things closer to 100 meters.

Short or long, it doesn't matter. Let me write this slowly so there's no confusion: Johnson. Doesn't. Have. A. Chance.

I don't want to hear about his fast 40 times at the combine or how Bolt is a notoriously slow starter or how if you sync up Bolt's blazing 100 from the Beijing Olympics, it looks like Johnson could hang with him for the first half of the race. Those facts are minor distractions obscuring the most important point of all: Usain Bolt is the fastest human being who has ever walked the Earth. Running a 4.24 at the combines and having the ability to outrun a safety for the Houston Texans doesn't mean Johnson can compete with that.

If they're running in pads or on turf maybe Johnson could have a shot. Not on a track though. Sprinting is a discipline. There are nuances to running a race. It's not just outrunning the guy taking an angle.

The reason Usain Bolt is a slow starter is because it fits in best with his racing style. He builds to peak speed in the 100. That Johnson's sprint matches up with the beginning parts of Bolt's race makes as little difference as the Broncos leading the AFC West on Halloween. All that matters is how you finish. And in a race of 10 meters or 1,000, it would be stunning if Bolt didn't finish ahead of Johnson.

There was some chatter during the last Olympics that an NFL team could give Usain Bolt a workout based solely on his speed. But people came to their senses and realized that speed doesn't necessarily make a football player. The same logic applies here. Just because Chris Johnson is fast doesn't mean he can hang with a world-class sprinter.

I'd certainly watch a Bolt-Johnson race. And I certainly won't be surprised when Usain Bolt crosses the finish line first, as usual.

[Mosiah]

Is 4.24s over 40 meters or 40 yards?

[Exile]

Its a publicicty stunt - palin aand simple. Let him put his money where his mouth is...like say $2M

[Islandman]

Yards I am sure, but who cares? Clearly this is the fastest man in the world that was not at the World Champs or Olympics right?

I think he would give SAF and Jeter a good race though.

[Sir X]

Do IT BOLT , INCREASE YOUR MARKET APPEAL IN THE U$$$$$$$A !

Do two races , 1 , 40 and then the other 100....haha , jog , beat yuh chess , laugh and poppa lick while you at it .

Ratings to di worllllllll! O.K USA

[Willi]

A source said:


"There is no truth to the story and I have contacted ESPN in an effort to get them to take the story down because we don't want this to spread like wildfire," [agent Ricky] Simms said in a phone interview with Universal Sports. "Usain doesn't follow the NFL too closely and is not really familiar with all of the players. He likes (international) football and cricket. But more importantly, he has a schedule and a coach to follow and there is no chance that we would set up this type of event."