With High speed cameras and the like.... (1 Viewer)

[Gatorman]

I do not understand the issue here. If mythbusters can use a high speed to detect the motion of a bullet, why cant the NFL set up a high speed camera that tells the speed of a runner?

(I think 40 times are stupid, BTW, so that is not the point here)

 

[werdnoynek]

its a great question, they seemed to have issues this combine in particular. it would be nice if they just did without the unofficial times on NFL network... majority of the time they weren't even close. you'd think they would have the technology this day in age to have it fully automated and fully remove the possiblity of human error, but from my understanding its still begins with someone pressing a button at the start.

 

[jackdubl]

I don't know, but their 40 times were so far off it was ridiculous. Count the SP threads that got started off their bogus times.

 

[fruity pebbles]

What do they do at the Olympics? Don't they use an electronic sensor at the beginning and end and the number shows up instantly.

 

[werdnoynek]

What do they do at the Olympics? Don't they use an electronic sensor at the beginning and end and the number shows up instantly.

my thoughts exactly

 

[blend]

What do they do at the Olympics? Don't they use an electronic sensor at the beginning and end and the number shows up instantly.

I thought I remember reading that they didn't want to have the players start in "starting blocks" and have them start with a sound? I thought they said they didn't want people who could get a good jump at the gun to have better times. In track meets, I think the electronic timer begins at the sound of the gun.Regardless, there HAS to be a better way.

 

[CalBear]

What do they do at the Olympics? Don't they use an electronic sensor at the beginning and end and the number shows up instantly.

The timer in a track event starts when the starter's gun goes off. This is very different than the NFL method of starting the timer by hand when the athlete starts to run; it gives a significant advantage to the athlete. (It's one of the reasons that speed comparisons of NFL 40 yard dashes with actual track sprints are flawed). It's well known that full hand timing of a 40 yard dash tends to result in underreported times, because the stopwatch holder has to react to the player's movement, but will anticipate the player crossing the line. Because even the "official" combine time is started by hand, there is a random error introduced which means there's clearly no difference between a 4.41 and a 4.39. It would be possible to time 40s more accurately, but then you'd run into the problem that accurate timing of 40 yard dashes would put player's times probably a tenth of a second higher than we're accustomed to seeing; the numbers wouldn't be comparable to historical numbers.

 

[Genghis Khan]

I can run a 4.25 forty.

Of course, my finger is notoriously slow at the start, and as fast as lightning at the finish.

 

[Mikey16x]

I really don't understand why they can't get an accurate 40 time. I mean, the camera at my stoplight by school has my clocked at 39 mph on the dot while trying to unsuccessfully beat a red light.