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Oklahoma wide receiver Malcolm Kelly is trying to make up for the bad 40-yard dash time he ran at this week’s pro day and for the bad attitude he displayed afterward. But he’s doing it in a peculiar way.
Kelly will have another workout on Sunday in Atlanta, at which he’ll try to improve on his previous 40 times, which were in the 4.7-second range. But according to Matt Mosley of ESPN.com, Kelly has decided that no NFL personnel will be allowed at the workout.
Seriously.
Instead, the workout will be conducted by former Packers receiver and Falcons scout Boyd Dowler, who will then pass along the results of the workout on to all 32 teams.
Prediction: All 32 teams will proceed to put the information in their circular files.
After I wrote about Kelly this week I heard from people who say they know him and know that he’s a good young man. Fine. He may well be. But he’s a good young man who is seriously delusional about the way the NFL draft works.
NFL teams don’t need to have the terms of workouts dictated to them by draft prospects. A workout that scouts are explicitly told they can’t attend is worse than no workout at all. Kelly should re-consider this idea.
April 11th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
This will undoubtibly hurt him financially. But it will improve his chances of landing on a decent football team in the bottom half half of rounds.
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April 11th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
ROFL,
Is he suggesting that the act of observation by the scouts has some quantum effect on his performance when he runs?
This is new territory. I think the NFL should institute a rule that no defensive player, no fans, coaches, or reporters can observe him when he runs his routes in a game, lest they have the same quantum effect.
Truly a new dimension in NFL game play….
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
April 11th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Well this should further hurt him. I don’t know who is advising him but the whole thing makes him look like an idiotic prima donna. If he can’t stand the pressure of the scouts how can he be expected to catch passes on Sundays?
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April 11th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
I predict he runs the 40 in 4.15, has a 54 inch vertical leap, bench presses 225 lbs 79 times, catches every single pass thrown to him and beats Chuck Norris in the best of 7 game of thumb war.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
April 11th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
He can’t have a private work out? He is still going to have plenty of personal invitations to work out at team complexes before the draft.
Why are you critisisng him for doing some training behind closed doors before his next audition?
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April 11th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Who in the name of all that’s holy is his agent? If whoever it is actually came up with this half-arsed plan, he should be decertified. If he didn’t, he should quit on the spot in order to preserve his dignity.
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April 11th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
When did this guy decide he was god and could start making up the rules. It’s not his 40 time thats killing him.
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April 11th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Tim Krumie should kick his ass.
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April 11th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Maybe he’s shy….
Though you would think that running in front of 65,000 for last few years might have cured that.
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April 11th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Can anyone get this guy’s Wonderlic score??!! As dumb as Vince Young???
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April 11th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
The funny thin to me is that even with a 40-yard dash in the “4.7″ range he would still likely be a 1st round pick, or at the very least, the first WR taken. I have been reading that the Bills, Bears, Eagles, and Cowboys have all been very interested in Kelly.
I think this whole fiasco is largely due to the fact that in years past posting a ridiculous “40-time” will vault you up the draft boards. This kind of mentality needs to go. Combine’s are indicative of the player’s physical capabilities and whatnot, but it has little to do with a player’s on field play. I think the one thing that can only be measured by a player’s on-field history is his mentality and ability to think while out there on the field.
Most NFL scouts as well as coaches and owners already know that Kelly’s “4.7″ 40-yard dash is nowhere near how fast he plays on the field.
Personally, I think Limas Sweed is a better choice for WR anyway. Had he not been injured a majority of this past year he would be a top 10 pick, no doubt.
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April 11th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Bill in DC wins, no more comments
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April 11th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
This is one of the funniest things i’ve heard all week.
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April 11th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Attention all NFL teams, I just ran a 3.9 in the 40 in my backyard. I also did 50 reps in the bench press. Trust me….
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
April 11th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
I guess he believes that each stop watch has the same time and this is a very scientific process? Scouts check with each other and average the results after someone runs. It’s highly unlikely they believe what one hand-chosen scout has on his stop watch about a guy’s 40 time
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April 11th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Does Boyd Dowler have to turn his back and close his eyes?
I bet he can’t pee with someone else in the bathroom either.
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April 11th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Kelly to NFL teams: “At my workout, I ran the 40 in 4.34 seconds.”
32 teams in unison: “We would like some proof of this.”
Kelly: “How dare you not believe me. I’m gonna sign with someone else.”
32 teams in unison: “In the NFL draft, you do not dictate what happens.”
Kelly: “Whatever.” (picks up phone)
Voice: “Hi, this is Marvin Lewis. We heard that you ran the forty in 4.34 seconds and we’re ecstatic about this. We now don’t need to send one of our two scouts to see you in person.”
Kelly to agent: “See, I told you this was a good idea. Now I get to party with Chris Henry.”
Agent: “He is a free agent.”
Kelly: “I guess I will be too then.”
(Phone rings again)
“Hi, this is Scott Pioli and I would like to know how fast the wind was blowing at your back when you ran the 4.34.”
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
April 11th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
I hear that whichever team he plays for, Kelly is also going to ask that fans not show up to watch him play so that it doesn’t negatively affect his performance.
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April 11th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Anyone who knows anything about football knows that 40 times are not the most important factor in scouting a player. It certainly plays a roll, but there are plenty of guys who run 4.2-4.3 and never amount to anything. The first 5 yards are most important after the ball is snapped. Just because he ran a 4.7 doesn’t mean that he’s not quick.
Things like: Route running, catching in traffic, blocking, understanding defenses are the most important factors. If he has those skills, a 4.7 40 won’t make a difference. Maybe he doesn’t? which is why they’re doing this. His loss………
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
April 11th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
they all work out in private before auditioning before scouts. This critisism is ridiculous. So what if he has 1 private work out? He still will show up to your team complex if you officially invite him.
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April 11th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Well, now that he’s has decided to work out for scouts afterall makes this a mute point, but, the critisism stems from mediocre athletes who think their above everything, and not as good as they think they are.
Unless your a concensus 1 or 2 pick, you should want to showcase your skills in front of anyone who’s willing to watch. By him initially closing the workout, that tells me he has something to hide or that he’s not confident in his abilities. Obviously this message got through to him…….
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April 11th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
He would be a fool to run a bunch of 40s in front of scouts if they are all going to be in the 4.7 range. The only reason for him to show them anything more other than his game film is if he improves his numbers first. Proving he is slow instead of simply creating the possibility is just not a good idea for a guy who is no later than an early second round pick right now no matter what he has done up to this point.
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April 13th, 2008 at 2:02 am
Can we just get rid of the 40 altogether? It’s a ridiculous drill.
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