Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown’s eye-popping 22.05 mph speed on his 54-yard touchdown reception Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts has resulted in the rookie doing more interviews this week than he did during some seasons at the University of Illinois.
But it might not have been the most impressive feat on that play.
Everyone knew Brown was fast. Maybe not 22.05, but fast nonetheless.
Lineman’s 17.6 MPH Speed a Hot Topic in Bengals Locker Room
There was, however, a more surprising speed logged on that play. And it belonged to the first teammate to join Brown in the end zone — 6-foot-6, 315-pound left guard Cordell Volson.
Asked Tuesday afternoon what his top speed was on the play, Volson said he hit 17.6.
“Are you over there bragging?” right guard Alex Cappa said from a few lockers away when he heard Volson talking to a reporter.
“I’m just answering the questions that are asked,” Volson shot back.
54-yard TUDDY for the rookie @chasebrown____ 👏 pic.twitter.com/ToN1Lej3qk
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals)
“It was good to see Cordell run that fast,” offensive line coach Frank Pollack said. “It was like, where has that been all year?”
Center Ted Karras said after Sunday’s game that the offensive linemen have a bet to see which of them can log the highest speed this season, and that played a role in Volson’s performance.
“Cordell was just trying to post a number,” he said.
Volson insisted he was not and that his sole goal was to help Brown get into the end zone.
“I was trying to get out there and redirect guys, and I had an opportunity to block a guy, then block a guy,” Volson said. “Honestly, when you’re out there, and the back is running at full speed, and everybody else is running at full speed, if you can get in the way of guys, that’s a big help.”
Bengals strength and conditioning coach Joey Boese posts everyone’s top speeds after each game, and while Volson said he knew he was moving pretty good, he was shocked to see 17.6.
MORE: Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart
“Cappa and I were joking about it on the bench after the play,” he said. “He asked what I thought I hit, and I said, ‘Oh, maybe 15.’ So yeah, I was surprised.”
Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase said he was surprised, too, but on the other side of the speedometer.
“I thought he was gonna go 18,” Chase said. “That was my thought when I saw the video. But he’s moving.”
The Bengals have found some explosive plays with their screen game, with Joe Mixon adding a 45-yarder to go along with Brown’s 54-yard catch-and-run.
So the next time you see one of those backs breakaway, look for the linemen racing through the open field trying to top Volson’s 17.6.
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