K.C. Chiefs: Running Down Hill

The Kansas City Chiefs have had players come to camp… blow it up… then fizzle out once the season begins. The fans are used to it. However, I think it may be safe to say no rookie in recent memory has made his presence more known to Chiefs players, coaches and fans than Tyreek Hill has in 2016.

What’s the reason for all this attention? Speed. You see Tyreek Hill is fast if you haven;t heard that by now. So, how fast is “fast.” It’s kind of a relative term isn’t it? It’s like saying something is “big.” Well, big, compared to what? On Wednesday, Chiefs CB Marcus Peters shared his answer:

“Faster than Hell.”

I don’t know how fast Hell is but I’m gathering it’s faster than what Peters may have ever seen before. Otherwise, why the colorful simile? I guess we have a tendency to over-hype something we don’t understand.

Someone who does understand Tyreek Hill’s speed is KeiVarae Russell. Herbie Teope quoted Russell a few days ago,

“I’ve never seen somebody that fast. I’m pretty sure you all know Will Fuller, went to my school [Notre Dame], 4.3 (40-yard dash) at the Combine, and I’ve played against elite speed. But I’m telling you, man, Ty – Fuller, I love you dog, but Ty might have you, man. He’s that fast, he’s legit that fast. They said he ran like a 9.9 in the 100, and you can see it. No matter who is out there, the dude’s fast.”

Apparently, a number of Chiefs defensive backs have already been beat by Tyreek Hill. One of those is Russell. In his piece called, “Chiefs Continue to Rave About Controversial Pick Tyreek Hill’s Speed” Terez Paylor also cited Russell when he said,

“If you know what he’s going to do, obviously, you can limit his routes and how much space you give him. But if you just go out there, and the ball is hiked, and you’re playing a guessing game? That’s not a game you want to play a guessing game with.”

You can only guess what Marcus Peters felt like when Tyreek Hill got three yards of separation on him deep and then Hill hauled in a 50 yard TD from Alex Smith (it sure has to make Alex Smith feel good). That’s what led to his, “Fast as Hell” comment. Here’s Peters getting burned by Hill,

https://twitter.com/Chiefs/status/760550129774407680″ xlink=”href

Tyreek Hill won’t be the only “fast” wide receiver that Marcus Peters has to cover this year. Plus, we know that Marcus is an extremely competitive guy who has taken on a leadership role now that Sean Smith has moved on. Consequently, I believe that Marcus Peters facing Tyreek Hill everyday in practice is going to make him a better corner.

Personal Testimony

When I was at the Chiefs training camp on Saturday morning I got to see first hand what players and fans have been talking about with Hill. However, what I’d like to relay to you doesn’t have to do so much with his speed as it does his quickness. I was standing by the far end zone fence on the second field when a group of wide receivers were practicing catching punts then making a first move but nothing beyond a 10 yard run. Other wideouts would stand in front of the one who was about to catch the ball then as soon as the ball was caught they’d take a couple of steps forward to tap that WR. The idea is to simulate real game situations when a defender is bearing down on you. I had just finished taking a 20 second movie and was uploading it to my twitter account and while I was waiting for it to load, I looked up to see Tyreek Hill receiving the ball… then with great suddenness he was taking 6 or 8 ultra fast tiny pump-steps “in place,” then bursting to his left… which left the so-called WR/defender standing in a pool of indecision… and with no one to touch. I can’t recall who it was… but the WR/defender just stumbled forward a bit and smiled… like… “I’ve just been had.” Amazing. My jaw actually dropped open and I cursed the phone I was taking videos with. Then I just stood there for about a minute trying to comprehend what I had just seen.

Draftscout lists Tyreek Hill’s official 40 time at 4.29 but they also list his fastest time of 4.25. Tyreek Hill’s 40 yards dash times are fast but should be given a little more weight than the hand held times from years past. In an article for CBS Sports last year called, “2015 NFL Combine: Real-time 40s to be used for first time,” Frank Cooney writes,

“The decision to reveal results recorded by only one of the three timing methods will complicate, if not sever, the connection for historical comparisons to the 40 times of iconic stars of the past, such as Auburn multi-sport star Bo Jackson, who was timed in 4.12 seconds in 1986 by a hand-held stopwatch. The best time announced at a combine this century, however, was by running back Chris Johnson of East Carolina in 2008, when he clocked a 4.24 by hand-held and electronic methods….”

To run a 4.12 you’d have to win by two or even three strides. I’m not saying Bo Jackson didn’t do it (but if you’ve ever held a stop watch and tried clicking at the exact moment a runner starts then you know how easy it is to click late at the beginning and click early at the end creating a faster time than was really run)… it’s just harder to believe it after watching some of the fastest players of today go after the record. I was watching the game in which Bo Jackson tried to take a long stride with a defender on his back that resulted in damaging his hip and ending his career. I was a huge fan of his even though he played for the wrong team in the NFL. He was not only big and powerful but fast as well. I just can’t say for certain that he was 4.12 fast.

Then again, doubt was created about the electronic timing system this year at the combine. I was looking on as the first day of the 40 took place and announcers Rich Eisen and Mike Mayock both said, “They must be having problems with the clock” so they began verifying times with a handheld stopwatch. In any case you could see that this year’s crop of wideouts were slower on the clock, and visually, than in recent years.

Well, no one around doubts that Tyreek Hill is a 4.25 guy… and a 9.8 100 meters dash guy too. When did he run this 9.8 you ask? He ran a wind-aided 9.98 in the 100-meter dash at the 2013 Hutchinson N.J.C.C.A. Championships.

I was a track guy in high school and once ran a 440 yard dash in 52.2 second which wasn’t even good enough to get a letter on a team that was loaded. I have also run the 220 which is a more grueling race than the 440, to me, because you have to pace yourself in the 440 but, the 220 is an all out sprint in which you must be strong enough to gain speed long after you’ve past the 100 yard mark. Tyreek Hill has THAT kind of speed and THAT kind of strength. There’s a lot of strength involved in that part of a 220. Here’s a video showing Hill run the 220 in 20.94 seconds (Hill is in a middle lane in black & while).

As Hill has proven so far in the Chiefs training camp, he’s much more than “just a track guy.” I understand that there are those who are tired of talking about, and hearing about, and reading about Tyreek Hill’s speed but, I believe that conversation is just now beginning because once the rest of the NFL gets a load of him… believe me, they are going to talk. In fact, I can’t say for sure who will be talked about more in the national media… Travis Kelce or Tyreek Hill? But it will sure be fun watching K.C. players blow up that robust East coast bias with a steady stream of Chiefs-chatter… it’ll be a good ole Kansas City chinfest.

What do you think Chiefs fans? Do you think Tyreek Hill will be as successful during the regular season as he has been in camp?