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Message: [QUOTE="leftytg, post: 2924607, member: 2651"] Regarding the Jones time - the flaw in the logic is comparing it to the NFL combine. I get using the combine as a reference tool - I do it myself at times in posts - but you can't just say Jones ran what would have been the #12 best time, with the implication that he'd be the equivalent of the 12th fastest players. The reason for this is selection bias. The NFL combine does not test every college football player. A select few are invited, those who exhibit the greatest NFL potential. Obviously, speed is a highly desired trait in the NFL, so it stands to reason that many (most?) of the fastest players from college football get selected to participate in the combine. But not every fast football player is a good football player. Speed can be negated with poor decision making, for instance. There are a whole host of reasons why a fast - even an extremely fast - player isn't a particularly effective player. That player wouldn't get selected for the combine, thus his time wouldn't be logged and is unable to be part of the data set being used to place Jones in context. It would be different (at least in my eyes) if Jones were a surefire NFL draftpick and a near lock to be selected for the combine. But given that he has struggled to consistently see the field, one cannot make that assumption. Thus, it is entirely possible that he falls into the category of player who is really really fast, but not particularly effective. For that subset of player, it is entirely possible to have a very high 40 time relative to NFL quality players. One other tidbit - I agree laser time is much more reliable than handtime (which is nearly worthless IMO). But not all tracks are the same. For years in the 90's, I remember Syracuse had the reputation of having a fast track, and some of the 40 times coming out of their pro days were usually taken with a grain of salt (the way say, home runs were taken with a grain of salt out of Coors Field). It is possible Syracuse players test slightly faster at Syracuse than they would at the combine - not because of any chicanery by the coaches, but simply because it is a faster surface than used at the combine. [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?