SEC PLAYERS ARE FASTER. AND YOU SHOULD KISS ME BECAUSE I’M IRISH.
A post in the comments section reminded me of a short but essential article on speed and the South by Jonathan Chait in Slate. It’s as effective a refutation of the “Southern speed myth” as we’ve ever seen. We’ve never bought this line of crap for an instant. People aren’t any faster down here; if anything, with the abundance of Sonics, Wal-Marts, and Golden Corral “all-you-care-to-eat” buffets, we’ve always though life moved a little slower here, if only thanks to skyrocketing obesity rates.
Shazam! Just genetically faster, I guess. Must be the buttermilk!
Yet legions of pundits say we’re wrong. Why does this persist? Especially when the two most notable electron-fast players in the nation–Reggie Bush and Ted Ginn–come from California and Ohio. We guess pundits will just attribute this to being from the southern portion of their respective states, or maybe through early exposure to warm weather through extensive and regular Florida vacations. They could ask why the last five national champs leaned heavily on California, Ohio, and Texas recruits, but that would be work, wouldn’t it? Nooo, it’s more fun to talk out of your ass, right, Kirk?
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Casey Calder is a cousin of mine
Comment by brian calder — December 28, 2007 @ 5:30 pm
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“I’m actually waiting for that point when I get accused of being a Gator.”
We’ll make you an honorary one sometime this season. Do we have that power, Stranko? Or does it involve some kind of drinking rite? If so, beware, HP–it’s common to play drinking games at UF with two drinks, one for the game, and another to maintain “cruising speed.” Our liver only wishes we were making this up.
Comment by Anonymous — June 15, 2005 @ 12:23 am
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Got it, thanks.
Comment by Heismanpundit — June 14, 2005 @ 7:25 pm
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The (USC) is not to note that your blog has anything to do with USC, it just indicates that that’s where your loyalties lie. Like this fine website has (Florida) next to it, even though it is a national blog.
Comment by Brian — June 14, 2005 @ 7:04 pm
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Exactly Stranko. You pretty much summed up what I was trying to say.
As for Orson’s response, I do not necessarily have a dog in the hunt if it’s USC. Although I did attend the University and know a lot of people there, my site is primarily focused on the Heisman. Now, it just so happens that USC has been a prime player nationally and in the Heisman race since I started that blog, which has benefitted my analysis (since I am very familiar with the subject), but of course has also left people thinking that the blog’s purpose is to promote USC (note Brian’s denoting my blog in the Blogpoll as having a USC affiliation, which it does not).
The truth is, if USC didn’t have Heisman candidates and wasn’t a good team, they’d hardly ever get a mention on my blog, unless I was talking in general about CFB.
I’m actually waiting for that point when I get accused of being a Gator.
Comment by Heismanpundit — June 14, 2005 @ 6:18 pm
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We’re pleased to see you boxed into defending the South in this argument! It’s like seeing Brian defend something Fiutak said-it gives you a wiggly little wave of schadenfreude to read.
As for being objective, well, as long as USC has no dog in the hunt, you’ll be fine. For us, the most compelling arguments are the ones that recognize facts and don’t use scouting blather like “the finesse of the Pac-10,” for example. Ronnie Lott and Jamie Winborn were two of the hardest hitters we’ve ever seen in college, USC and Vanderbilt, respectively, one supposedly from a finesse school, and the other from a perennial loser.
(Winborn, by the way, was hellacious. Saw him live twice. Hit people so hard you heard it in the stands every fucking time.)
Comment by Anonymous — June 14, 2005 @ 4:36 pm
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I actually am with HP here in that it is not southerns that are faster so much as they style… which is no longer only in the south… plays faster and/or attracts more speed to the programs. The problem with the article is 1) it focuses on skill positions in which there is a premium on speed everywhere, not just in the south 2) it focuses on only the top tier NFL caliber players, who are more likely to be fast. Thus, it still may be that there is more depth of speed in programs that seek it and/or play styles that attract it (which is easier to do without the snow). Also, there can still be a speed differential at other positions at which it has traditionally not been as emphasized such as D Line, Linebacker, Tight End and even O Line.
Comment by Anonymous — June 14, 2005 @ 4:31 pm
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Oh and one last thing: Who is Casey Calder, internet college football analyst?
Let’s see the link to his data, please. What does he consider a ‘Northern’ school, which is ‘Southern’?
Are we talking just corners and receivers in the 2002 draft? I mean, that’s a pretty small sample to come up with such a conclusive column.
Comment by Heismanpundit — June 14, 2005 @ 4:31 pm
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Please note that Chait relies on 40 times of skill position players, hardly an all-encompassing figure.
What, pray, is the comparison to linemen and linebackers, etc.?
Look this pains me to defend the South here, but I have no dog in this hunt. Just trying to be objective.
While I agree with much of Chait’s point, especially when it comes to the super lazy analyzing by pundits, I am not sure I agree about the overall speed factor.
Finally, it’s interesting that people from the North get angry over this. As a partisan of West Coast football, I am used to people from the Big 10 bragging about how they play ’smashmouth’ football and the Pac-10 is ‘finesse’. So, there are stereotypes all over the place and it’s not just at the expense of the North.
Comment by Heismanpundit — June 14, 2005 @ 4:27 pm
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Exactly. While you wrote an eloquent and accurate response as usual, you missed that point: Chait says there’s no difference, leans on the empirical evidence he’s got, and lets it ride. His point still stands.
We’ll go as far as saying that the Big Ten is just as fast across the board as the SEC. And that’s not just sucking up to all our newbie Michigan readers, either.
By the way, HP, this debate attracted the attention of the author, Jonathan Chait, now a senior editor at The New Republic. Hey Jon, if you’re game, respond here to Heismanpundit anytime.
Comment by Anonymous — June 14, 2005 @ 4:22 pm