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The Falcons are a good football team. Fast guys. Athletic guys. Guys who could bench press your mom. But when Antoine Smith says he could beat Robert Alford in a foot race, it makes you think: who really is the fastest Atlanta Falcon?
"No question about it. I’ll put it on record that I could beat Robert Alford. He’s fast, but I’m not going to sit here and say he’s faster than me. And I’m pretty sure he would say the same thing. Julio thinks he is the fastest on the team also. He’s fast too, everybody knows that. But I could beat him."
In short, Smith is very confident in his abilities. But you're the fans. You're the objective ones. So let's figure this out! And now, for your voting pleasure, the candidates:
Devin Hester
He once raced and beat a cheetah in a foot race. He's returned 20 kicks for touchdowns. At his pro day, he ran a 4.35 40 yard dash. At the Combine, he ran a 4.41. If he stole your girlfriend, you'd never catch him.
Robert Alford
He ran 4.34 (it's incorrectly listed as 4.39 in some places) 40 yard dash at the Combine. He didn't run at a pro day.
Antoine Smith
He ran a 4.33 40 yard dash at his pro day in 2009, though he's apparently been clocked as low as 4.28.
Julio Jones
Ran a 4.34 40 yard dash at the Combine, and that was back when he had dreadlocks.
Paul Soliai
If you tried to race him, he'd just sit on you.
At the end of the day, running a 40 yard dash without any pads on isn't the best indication of football speed. But I'll be honest, I think Jones, Smith, and Alford would have the 31-year-old Hester now. And if those three ran a 3 way race, I'm not sure who would win. If I had to pick, I'd go with Smith, if only because he seems to get up to speed quickest. In any case, it'd be close.
Who you got?