INDIANAPOLIS — For most of the prospects in attendance here, this Combine week is the culmination of months of intense workouts after their collegiate seasons have ended. After their final snap as scholarship-earning players on campus, a majority of them dispersed into specific training facilities throughout the country, facilities that provide them with the tools to impress the coaches, scouts and executives that will be scrutinizing their every move this week.

Of all the drills that they take part in, none is more critical to their futures than the 40-yard dash.

The 40 has taken on a life of its own over the years. For some players, it’s been a godsend, as their blistering times have dramatically raised their draft stock, thereby stuffing their pockets with extra wads of cash when it comes to signing that rookie deal. For others, it’s been a nightmare, as relatively plodding times have dropped them on draft boards, stripping them of literally millions of dollars along the way.

With the NFL’s decision makers pouring over these times with surgeon-like precision, I can’t help but think that the 40 is the reddest of all herrings.

For the most part, NFL teams have 3-4 years of game tapes on these players. On these tapes, the analysts get to see them performing the actual maneuvers they’ll perform once they get to the league, and see them in all sorts of conditions — in warm weather, in the snow; when they’re fully healthy, when they’re battling a stiff back; when they’re completely focused on the game, and after a breakup with their girlfriend.

This week, the NFL has provided these players with the most artificial of environments in which to perform. The RCA Dome ensures constant and ideal environmental conditions. Unless you’re player like Michigan QB Chad Henne or Texas WR Limas Sweed, both of whom are recuperating from significant injuries, prospects aren’t dealing with the aches and soreness that typically plague players throughout the football season. They run in T-shirts and shorts. The manufactured conditions couldn’t stray further from the reality of football.

Furthermore, hardly ever do players sprint 40 yards in a straight line in an actual game. Wide receivers might do it on rare occasions, but that’s about it. After the Combine, players are forever done with this event, but what they did in that four- to five-second window this weekend will have a substantial impact on where they rank when teams formulate their final draft boards.

The prospects’ opinions on the 40 this week in Indy were varied. Some agreed with me, such as Florida WR Andre Caldwell.

“I think it’s emphasized a little too much,” said Caldwell, who certainly doesn’t have an agenda to push, since he’s considered one of the faster players in this class. “I think it’s a lot of what you do on the football field. A lot of people play fast but don’t run as fast in the 40.”

Others disagreed, such as Louisville WR Harry Douglas, who succinctly stated, “I think it’s good.”

But all know the impact that it will have come draft weekend.

As for the importance it will have on their careers, history seems to suggest that 40-times mean very little.

Coming out of Mississippi Valley State, WR Jerry Rice ran in the mid-4.6s, then went on to set every significant receiving record in league history.

On the flip side, guys like Nebraska CB Fabian Washington, South Carolina WR Troy Williamson and 49ers TE Vernon Davis all shot up the draft boards because of their inspiring times, only to fail to meet expectations when they actually strapped on the pads and laced up the cleats.

My point isn’t to suggest that speed isn’t important in the NFL. Of course it is. Most often, faster players tend to be better football players than slower guys. Duh.

But football isn’t played in a vacuum. There’s a confluence of factors there aren’t measured tests for, but which are critical to a player’s success: instincts, toughness, spatial awareness. I could go on forever, but you get the point.

These are traits that only show up in game film. Speed also shows up on film, and this is where speed should be analyzed. It shouldn’t matter whether a cornerback breaks the 4.4 barrier in spandex and track shoes. It matters whether he can track down that receiver who took an end-around to the opposite side of the field, and drag him down before he jets for a touchdown.

In all fairness, not every team seems to give a lot of weight to the so-called “measurables,” 40-times included.

“To be honest, the 40 and those times have never been that big of a deal,” said Colts coach Tony Dungy. “Whether this guy’s a tenth of a second faster than that guy, that’s never really been that huge to me.”

When reviewing many of the Colts’ selections over the years, his claim is verified, as they’ve never been lured by the seductive appeal of the workout warriors. Perhaps it’s also no surprise that they have been one of the league’s most successful franchises since Dungy has been coaching there.

No coach will come out and deadpan, “The 40-yard dash is a critical part of the evaluation process.” Most opt for a broader take, something along the lines of, “The 40 is just one facet in the overall evaluation process.”

I just can’t understand why it’s considered at all.

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