Okay, now that he's proven that he is "Jahvid fast", he totally has my attention...

He is naturally about 10-15 lbs. thinner than Jahvid was, right? Is he slated as a running back and nothing but?

Jahvid was serious about track, but he was, first and foremost (IMO) a football player. Same for Muhammad? How are his football skills?

Gosh, with DJ, Jahvid, BB and now Muhammad (and McKinley, too), we've really had our share of burners over the last ten years, haven't we?

Big C_Cal;842128371 said:

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Okay, now that he's proven that he is "Jahvid fast", he totally has my attention...

He is naturally about 10-15 lbs. thinner than Jahvid was, right? Is he slated as a running back and nothing but?

Jahvid was serious about track, but he was, first and foremost (IMO) a football player. Same for Muhammad? How are his football skills?

Gosh, with DJ, Jahvid, BB and now Muhammad (and McKinley, too), we've really had our share of burners over the last ten years, haven't we?

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Yeah, I think what separated Jahvid from other track guys was his football acumen and his ability to cut without slowing down. That's what had Schwartz all hot and bothered when Jahvid got to Detroit.

who have been some of the "fastest" football/track guys in college over the last several years? a couple jump quickly to mind:

Jahvid: duh
Trindon Holliday (LSU): very good track guy I think (ran a 10:01 or something like that??), but was really just a return specialist if I recall
Jamaal Charles (Texas): ran a 10.18; had a very good career at Texas as a feature RB, and is now a top RB in the NFL

im pretty sure jamal charles and chris johnson were both 10.4 guys coming out of high school.

Best's ability to make a sharp cut at full speed is why you held your breath everytime he saw a little daylight.

certainly an exciting prospect. doesnt look as fast on his tape, but im sure he can get a lot better.

How good a football player?
Fall practice is coming and we'll find out.
However, he's just a freshman and has to get used to the speed of D1 football, as well as learning to perform in the BearRaid.

good enough that I believe dykes mentioned that he will not redshirt.

Jeff Demps at Florida has to be in the top group.

59bear;842128418 said:

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Jeff Demps at Florida has to be in the top group.

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The top of that top group

SonOfCalVa;842128387 said:

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How good a football player?
Fall practice is coming and we'll find out.
However, he's just a freshman and has to get used to the speed of D1 football, as well as learning to perform in the BearRaid.

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Watching Best in the second half of his sophomore season when things really came together was really quite a treat. There were so many runs early on in that season when he just didn't quite set up a block or was just half a step away from taking it all the way, and those were basically all touchdowns as the season came to an end. There are plenty of guys who have posted better track times who are also very good football players, but I can't remember another who just looked so much faster out on the field in pads with a ball in his arm. Jamal Charles and Chris Johnson are definitely among the fastest RB's in recent memory but I haven't watched them play nearly as much as Best. I hope Muhammad shows an ability to turn that speed into production on the field.

Let's not forget about Bigelow, either!

gobears725;842128386 said:

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certainly an exciting prospect. doesnt look as fast on his tape, but im sure he can get a lot better.

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This sums up my thoughts.

Jahvid was one of my all time fav Bears
This thread gives me another excuse to post...

to be honest.....I don't think Muhammad looked as fast in his highlights as Best or Bigelow. Also, if you see his 100 meters, he's not even close to the fastest in the first 40 yds or 60 yds, something that is way more important on the football field.

Jahvid and Bigelow are both extremely fast starters/acceleration.

Muhammad is fast, but you can tell from his highlight reels that he's track fast and not necessarily football fast.. But I feel he has a lot of potential and room to grow

mechaniCAL;842128490 said:

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Muhammad is fast, but you can tell from his highlight reels that he's track fast and not necessarily football fast.. But I feel he has a lot of potential and room to grow

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^This. He chops his steps on cuts and he doesn't seem as fast with pads. Hopefully he improves at Cal... and uses that full 10.3 speed!

Sonny seems excited by speed, but he really should wait to see how the RB's look through August for awhile before deciding KM is in? Sonny has also said he really believes in the blueshirt idea generally for frosh, subject to exceptions. If a position of need, throw him in there?

62bear;842128448 said:

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Watching Best in the second half of his sophomore season when things really came together was really quite a treat. There were so many runs early on in that season when he just didn't quite set up a block or was just half a step away from taking it all the way, and those were basically all touchdowns as the season came to an end. There are plenty of guys who have posted better track times who are also very good football players, but I can't remember another who just looked so much faster out on the field in pads with a ball in his arm. Jamal Charles and Chris Johnson are definitely among the fastest RB's in recent memory but I haven't watched them play nearly as much as Best. I hope Muhammad shows an ability to turn that speed into production on the field.

Let's not forget about Bigelow, either!

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First touch on offense I remember for Jahvid was at Colorado State in 2007. He had an open lane on a running play and the slow footed Desean Jackson got in his way so he had to go around him for the touch down.

KoreAmBear;842128520 said:

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First touch on offense I remember for Jahvid was at Colorado State in 2007. He had an open lane on a running play and the slow footed Desean Jackson got in his way so he had to go around him for the touch down.

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:acclaim:

liverflukes;842128524 said:

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:acclaim:

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I remember watching that game and thinking to myself are you f'ing serious

KoreAmBear;842128520 said:

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First touch on offense I remember for Jahvid was at Colorado State in 2007. He had an open lane on a running play and the slow footed Desean Jackson got in his way so he had to go around him for the touch down.

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Desean had that bad habit of coming up short just before the goal line. Especially on first TDs.

HoopDreams;842128455 said:

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Jahvid was one of my all time fav Bears
This thread gives me another excuse to post...

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I hear ya, HoopDreams!

Will Demps from Florida was a 100 meter finalist in at least one National Championship Track Meet I watched. He ran about 10 flat.

KoreAmBear;842128520 said:

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First touch on offense I remember for Jahvid was at Colorado State in 2007. He had an open lane on a running play and the slow footed Desean Jackson got in his way so he had to go around him for the touch down.

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What about the sideways hop vs Tennessee?

bandgbear;842128543 said:

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Will Demps from Florida was a 100 meter finalist in at least one National Championship Track Meet I watched. He ran about 10 flat.

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Do you mean Jeff Demps, the High School National record holder at 10.01? He went to Florida and played football.

grandmastapoop;842128544 said:

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What about the sideways hop vs Tennessee?

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wasn't that his very first carry?

62bear;842128549 said:

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wasn't that his very first carry?

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Second carry I believe. The first one Best got stopped with little gain.

59bear;842128418 said:

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Jeff Demps at Florida has to be in the top group.

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I knew there was a Florida guy I was missing.

Is Demps in the NFL?

62bear;842128448 said:

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Watching Best in the second half of his sophomore season when things really came together was really quite a treat. There were so many runs early on in that season when he just didn't quite set up a block or was just half a step away from taking it all the way, and those were basically all touchdowns as the season came to an end. There are plenty of guys who have posted better track times who are also very good football players, but I can't remember another who just looked so much faster out on the field in pads with a ball in his arm. Jamal Charles and Chris Johnson are definitely among the fastest RB's in recent memory but I haven't watched them play nearly as much as Best. I hope Muhammad shows an ability to turn that speed into production on the field.

Let's not forget about Bigelow, either!

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having seen Best, Charles, and Johnson play in college (though less of Johnson): all 3 jumped off the screen with their speed

Agreed with everyone else - guys like Desean and Best (and I think Bigelow) are special. There are plenty of guys with track speed who don't impress in college. Jeff Demps was nothing special at Florida. Randall Carroll at UCLA? How about George Farmer? We have no idea what Khal will do on the football field for us and won't really know until the fall when we start hearing reports from camp.

Unit2Sucks;842128560 said:

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Agreed with everyone else - guys like Desean and Best (and I think Bigelow) are special. There are plenty of guys with track speed who don't impress in college. Jeff Demps was nothing special at Florida. Randall Carroll at UCLA? How about George Farmer? We have no idea what Khal will do on the football field for us and won't really know until the fall when we start hearing reports from camp.

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Jeff Demps wasn't that bad at Florida. He focused a lot on track so his training was different and missed a lot of football practices. He still rushed for 2470 yards in 4 years on 367 carries (6.73 average) and 23 TDs. He also had another 481 yards on 57 catches and had 21 KR for 604 yards (28.8 average). Not bad for a guy who focused more on track than football. As a matter of fact he forgo trying for the NFL so he could compete in the 2012 Olympics where I think he got a medal. After that signed with the Patriots and was traded during the draft to TB for LeGarrett Blount.

62bear;842128549 said:

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wasn't that his very first carry?

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That's the way I remember it.

+1000...Jahvid hid a lot of offensive deficiencies in our 2008 team. If it weren't for him we probably would not have been bowl eligible.

HoopDreams;842128455 said:

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Jahvid was one of my all time fav Bears
This thread gives me another excuse to post...

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zerkmxl;842128553 said:

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Second carry I believe. The first one Best got stopped with little gain.

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Yep, he had 4 carries against Tennesee (for 46 yards) and 2 carries against Colorado State (for 73 yards). 29 carries on the season. Last year Bigelow had 44 carries.

I miss Jahvid.