Science Behind Maxx Williams Leaping Human Beings
It's going to be fun watching Maxx Williams jump over other human beings this fall.
To be more specific, it's going to be fun watching Williams hit linebackers with 1,161 pounds of force, react to Joe Flacco bullets in 325 milliseconds and *then *hurdle defenders as tall as 6-foot-5.
Those numbers are courtesy of "Sport Science," which brought in the Ravens' second-round tight end to study his super athletic ability. He's the perfect specimen to analyze, especially after his famous Citrus Bowl play in January.
He made highlight reels after leaping over a tackler on his way to a 54-yard touchdown. Check out how high he launches in the picture below.
That's as close to human flight as you'll get.
So, Williams was brought into the laboratory to explore the science behind his mad hops, reaction time, and more during a special NFL Combine series.After all, he was one of the top performers in the vertical jump (34.5 inches), broad jump (117.9 inches), 40-yard dash (4.78 seconds) and 20-yard shuffle (4.37 seconds) among all tight ends at the combine this year.
"Sport* *Science" put him through a tight end gauntlet, and it's quite entertaining.
Ray Lewis Set To Release Memoir
Well, look who is coming out with his own book.
It's Ray Lewis, and it appears he'll be going deep into his personal life.
In his memoir, Lewis dives into his childhood, his father abandoning him, his rise to athletic greatness, his feelings on the state of football and "the accusations that threatened to ruin his athletic career."
"I Feel Like Going On: Life, Game, and Glory" will be released in October.
"He brings us right onto the field to see the action from a player's point of view. But he also has much to say about his struggles off the field, including his father abandoning him as a child, his best friend's murder, and his own wrongful incarceration that threatened to cut short his football career," the Simon and Schuster publishing site reads.
"But, as Lewis will attest, these heartbreaks helped lead him to renew his faith and on to become MVP when the Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2000, eventually taking him to a second Super Bowl title in his final season. Newly retired, Lewis reveals his controversial opinions on the business of football and offers insights about the torturous aspects of the sport that you don't see on television. From a rookie player accused of murder to arguably the best defensive player in the history of the NFL, Lewis's story is one of triumph and tragedy, tenacity and strength."
Stover's Opinion On Proposed Kicking ChangesThe NFL spring meetings are currently being held in San Francisco, and one of the top items of business is the proposed changes to the extra point.
The league wants to increase the difficulty of point-after-touchdown (PAT) attempt, as 99.5 percent of all were successful over the last four seasons. Owners are expected to vote this week on proposals to shift the attempt from the 2-yard line to the 15-yard line, making PATs essentially a 33-yarder and could potentially make teams more inclined to try a 2-point conversion.
The idea behind the change is to make a gimme into must-see TV.
But how will kickers feel about it?
The Baltimore Sun asked former Ravens kicker Matt Stover, who also converted 99.5 percent of his career extra points. Stover is all for it, as long as the league doesn't get rid of PATs all together.
"My full opinion as a kicker is anything that increases the value of a good kicker, I'm good with, as long as the competitive balance is there," Stover said Monday afternoon. "Getting rid of the play altogether would devalue the position.
"If you devalue the kicking position by removing an obsolete play and do away with the extra point, all you've done is increase the value for a good kicker who can make them from a longer distance. If the extra point rule, the way it currently stands, has become obsolete, then increase the difficulty. The good kickers will adjust and make the kicks."
As long as Baltimore holds on to Justin Tucker, a more difficult PAT could actually bode well for the Ravens. He hasn't missed an extra point in 110 career attempts.
"The NFL puts a lot of time into potential rule changes every year," Stover said. "As long as this rewards teams that have good kickers, which it sounds like it would, then I'm not against making a change."
Is Siz The Incredible Hulk?
This gave me a chuckle so loud this morning that I almost woke up my sleeping kids.
Is Terrell Suggs secretly The Incredible Hulk. He's not saying he is buuuuut …
No Love For Ravens In Fantasy Rankings
Quarterback Joe Flacco thinks the Ravens offense could be even better than last year, which is saying a lot seeing as it was a franchise year for points scored and yards gained.
But the folks at ESPN don't see that translating to fantasy points and didn't give much love to Ravens offensive players. None of them made the top 30.
Below are their fantasy rankings:
- Joe Flacco: Ranked 20th among quarterbacks
- Justin Forsett: Ranked 16th among running backs
- Breshad Perriman: Ranked 39th among wide receivers
- Steve Smith: Ranked 49th among wide receivers
- Marlon Brown: Ranked 88th among wide receivers
- Maxx Williams: Ranked 25th among tight ends
Quick Hits
still time to Register 4 #laceupson5k http://t.co/UMbaht5IHa benefiting fami... https://t.co/n1nkTWqe7m pic.twitter.com/WpMRD28nc3 — Steve Smith Sr.(@89SteveSmith) May 18, 2015
