The recent thread about Football and Soccer and the subsequent and quite obvious statement that football was a pussified form of rugby reminded me of a study done that was referenced by a radio host on ESPN radio (Mike Golek from mike and mike). He said that in this study they determined that rushing 30 times in the NFL is equivalent to hopping on a high powered motorcycle with your street clothes on (no helmet or anything) and running into your garage door at the top speed achievable 300 times from 30 feet away.
I played high school football, even went to a couple college scouting camps (didn't really want to play college ball, knew that going in went for fun, I personally didn't want to invest my college life in football when I knew I wasn't good enough to go anywhere afterwards.) I also played in a local rugby league. Let me tell you right now, I would gladly get hit in rugby 10 times before I would take a hit from a dominant beast of a linebacker after running a slant route in the middle. The padding gives you a sense of invincibility, and that feeling allows guys that love to hit (for foreigners please go to Youtube and search for John Lynch, case in point right there) to absolutely put 150% of their power behind a hit in honest hopes to crush you and make you scared to come at them again. Now SOME rugby players may feel that way, but there is no way all of them do, with no padding you are all too aware of your own vulnerability.
morgash
I played high school football, even went to a couple college scouting camps (didn't really want to play college ball, knew that going in went for fun, I personally didn't want to invest my college life in football when I knew I wasn't good enough to go anywhere afterwards.) I also played in a local rugby league. Let me tell you right now, I would gladly get hit in rugby 10 times before I would take a hit from a dominant beast of a linebacker after running a slant route in the middle. The padding gives you a sense of invincibility, and that feeling allows guys that love to hit (for foreigners please go to Youtube and search for John Lynch, case in point right there) to absolutely put 150% of their power behind a hit in honest hopes to crush you and make you scared to come at them again. Now SOME rugby players may feel that way, but there is no way all of them do, with no padding you are all too aware of your own vulnerability.
morgash