Chris Johnson, Usain Bolt Race May Be In The Works

UPDATE: Bolt's agent says there is "no truth" to Schefter's initial report.

EARLIER:

The NFL's most dazzling running back may soon race the man widely considered to be the fastest person on the planet. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, representatives of Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson and Olympic gold medalist and world record holder Usain Bolt are "trying to set up a race between the two men to determine the world's fast human."

Chris Johnson passed the 2,000-yard rushing mark yesterday against the Seahawks and set a record for most yards from scrimmage in a single season.

Bolt, meanwhile, owns the world records for the 100- and 200-meter sprints. ProFootballTalk, however, points out that "Bolt's 40 meter split was actually a hair slower than Johnson's 40 time at the NFL Scouting Combine."

One gambling site has apparently posted the odds, with Chris Johnson pegged at 5/1 while Bolt is the favorite at 1/10.

Comments

[che guevara]

11:13 AM on 01/06/2010

obviously a lot of math wizards at pro football talk comparing Bolts 40 meter time to Johnsons 40 yard time. are they really that retarded ? johnson isn't even in the top ten fastest players in the NFL..

[AllAboutStats]

12:43 PM on 01/07/2010

your reply is wrong, Chris Johnson is the fastest in the NFL. It would be useful if you knew your stats.

[sja11]

10:20 PM on 01/05/2010

johnson sure has a huge ego, he's not even the fastest player in his own league

[AllAboutStats]

12:44 PM on 01/07/2010

same for you, your comment is incorrect. He is the fastest in the NFL, stats help.

[chabnormal]

08:58 PM on 01/05/2010

HAHA!! Did anybody watch the Olympics. Usain wasn't even trying. Seriously. He needs 2 legs and a car.

[dukesman2000]

09:46 AM on 01/05/2010

Johnson needs two more legs to beat Bolt

[joceeco]

05:45 AM on 01/05/2010

Do ya'll know how much money they can make off such a race!

[skippy20008]

12:50 AM on 01/05/2010

Er...who wants to see this? Johnson has no chance against Bolt. Now...I would LOVE to see an NFL's fastest man competition.

[ComicBooksandPolitics]

12:17 AM on 01/05/2010

My credentials: Track Sprinter and Wide Receiver for CSU back in my glory days. I also qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 100 in 1996. Now..

Odds are that CJ would have a close race against Bolt if the distance is less than 50 meters. This race distance is based on pure speed and start velocity. Stride frequency becomes irrelevant. There are reports that Bolt is covering 10 feet per step at the apex of his sprint, which is nuts. But, Bolt's long legs become a liability to him at shorter distances because he is unable to achieve maximum turnover until 5-10 meters after the shorter legged CJ achieves his. That's probably the reason why Bolt doesn't compete seriously in the indoor 60 meter championships. Also, there's a slight probability that Bolt can have a miscue out of the starting blocks, thus greatly increasing CJ's chance for victory.

Also canceled out in a short sprint is Bolt's incredible endurance. His sprinting endurance is second only to Michael Johnson's. If Michael Johnson had Bolt's Stride coupled with his legendary endurance, he would be reversing time like Superman or the Flash. People don't realize that the the sprinter pulling away at the end of a 100 meter dash is not accelerating faster than the others, he's merely slowing down less gradually. Conventional wisdom says sprinters are physically incapable of maintaining their maximum speed for more than 40-50 meters. MJ and Bolt are the exception.

[che guevara]

11:19 AM on 01/06/2010

what a load of crap...what's your point?

[Stew118]

11:46 PM on 01/04/2010

CJ2K would win if they ran in pads belee dat

[avshanbh]

11:08 PM on 01/04/2010

Is Bolt chickening out?

[IslandYute]

10:53 PM on 01/04/2010

Bolt, nuh get yuself mix up wid all dem bangarang deh....

[dukesman2000]

09:44 AM on 01/05/2010

Ha...

[zattarra]

08:12 PM on 01/04/2010

40 times listed for NFL players are 40 yards not 40 meters. So comparing the two times makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. 40 yards is actually 36.57 meters.

[notwired]

06:36 PM on 01/04/2010

Chris Johnson's reps. must have seen his brain running faster than its skull casing.

LMAO!

[Cinnamonape]

03:53 PM on 01/04/2010

Teh stoopid!

Johnson fastest High School 100m was 10.38 (the nation's 7th best in 2004). Bolt's WR is 7 tenth of a second faster. Johnson wasn't even State Champion in Florida. He hasn't trained for outright sprinting in decades...and these 40 yard times are so inaccurate to make one scratch ones head sometimes. I see reported times for college linemen that would win the NCAA indoor track championships they are so bogus.

[jcwtts1]

07:01 PM on 01/04/2010

Not really. 40 times are spot on pretty much. No line man has a fast 40 time. I've never see one.

[hopefull2008]

10:43 PM on 01/04/2010

Good information.

[LastOfTheMohicans]

03:27 PM on 01/04/2010

In the 40, Johnson likely has a better than 50/50 chance. Outside of that, it is a wrap.

[MinneapolisBob]

02:49 PM on 01/04/2010

Until Chris Johnson beats Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell, then we can challenge Bolt. By the way--what's the big pay day worth? That can only be the real rason behind all of this--a big pay per-view event.

[jcwtts1]

07:02 PM on 01/04/2010

How about beating teddy ginn?