re: Cannon's run question...

quote:

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I seem to remember that he ran close to a 10 flt 100 yard dash. I don't know what his 40 time was

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He had hand-timed 100yd dashes in the 9.4/9.5/9.6 range. Reportedly he could run a 9.6 in cleats or basketball shoes. His football speed, at the time, was nearly unmatched. Because he was a bruiser in the mold of Jim Brown, he was well known for going out of his way to run over the last defender on breakaways and returns.

As I maintained, he would not likely start today, except possibly at safety, but could be a major contributer as a third down back/return man. He might be asked to bulk up to play linebacker full-time (or TE as he did in the pros). His ball skills were outstanding, and his size/speed/strength combination would be impressive, even today, though not overly so.