Bengals’ John Ross has Reds’ Hamilton thinking about a race
By Emile Pierce
When the Bengals drafted John Ross, they expected some reactions. But they wanted those confrontations to be on the football field.
The Bengals had a productive draft and picked up the pieces they need to compete in the AFC North. But, that doesn’t keep the friendly fire from crossing the barriers. First-round pick John Ross is making an impression with Billy Hamilton of the Cincinnati Reds. Hamilton is the burner stealing bases and taking no prisoners with the Redlegs. On Thursday, Hamilton reached the 200 plateau for steals in his career. Maybe that had something to do with the urge to challenge Ross.
By now, most football diehards have either seen or heard the NFL Combine results. Ross was a blur in the 40-yard dash. He melted stopwatches with his otherworldly time of 4.22 seconds. By snagging Ross, the Bengals have effectively put nightmarish speed on the minds of corners and safeties throughout the league. But, making Hamilton think about running a heat…is really doing a psyche job.
"“I think we could do 40 and I think it’d be a good race for the city and for me and him to get our names out there,” Hamilton said, via The Cincinnati Enquirer. “It’s something we could look forward to looking into, our agents (could talk) and see how it goes.”"
The Reds haven’t had a speedster like Hamilton since Deion Sanders donned the Red and White. According to the Sporting News, Neon Deion clocked a 4.2-second dash. That would have been the race for pay-per-view. What could possibly be better? Ross would have had his hands full with Bo Jackson. Before all the newfangled gizmos for timing, Jackson blew scouts away with a 4.12 time.
The Ross Effect
Hamilton said the race would be good for the city. Could he actually mean he wants a crack at seeing how fast the Bengals’ new addition really is? That seems like more of a reason to have a showdown on the track.
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Ross recently said he could do it. What’s that? He said he could take Usain Bolt in a head-to-head heat. Suddenly, there’s a ton of talk about speed permeating the air of the Queen City.
"“I would compare my speed to Usain Bolt’s just basically using the same technology that (ESPN’s) Sport Science did. They said I have faster foot contact than him, he has longer strides,” Ross boasted. “I think it would definitely be a good race. In the 40-yard dash, I think I would get Usain Bolt. Usain Bolt, I know I can get you in the 40. Whenever you want to meet me up, we can do it.”"
When the Bengals drafted Ross, they were after just what’s happening. They wanted the threat of speed to get under a defender’s skin. At the moment, it seems that Bolt and Hamilton could the receiver’s first competition. The prospects of that happening soon are preposterous. But, there was that time Chad Johnson raced a horse.