It's like the confetti at the end of the Super Bowl: When Rich Eisen of the NFL Network runs his 40-yard dash inside Lucas Oil Stadium at the end of the scouting combine, you know it's time to wrap it up. 2012 marked the seventh year Eisen has done the thing, and he came oh-so-close to his ultimate goal this time: He almost broke six seconds with an official (we think) time of 6.03 seconds. Since Mike Mayock had the hand-time, we'll take that as gospel.
While Eisen did have a bit of a cheat this year -- he wore custom Under Armour cleats instead of the fine business footwear one would expect -- it's clear that the man has been working on his form. He came out of the gate low and fast, kept his arms chopping as he got up to speed, and most importantly, he didn't fall down. Eisen has upped his time pretty seriously from the first go-round in 2005, when he ran a rather pedestrian 6.77. There is hope for us all.
Well done, sir! And as Eisen posted on his blog, this was the first time he ran it with a pocket square. That should be de rigeur for all aspiring sprinters who take to the field in Prada.
If you'd like to compare and contract Eisen's 2012 performance with those of actual draft prospects ... well, the NFL Network has you covered there, as well.
In the end, his goofy 40 is one of the best examples of why Eisen is so likeable -- he understands that as serious as football can be, it's also supposed to be fun -- and at times, it's going to get very, very goofy.
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