Why do American football players have so much padding?

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loic2003

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2003
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Simple: because they're wusses. Check out when the American Football players took on the brit rugby players. First half was played American football style, second half rugby.

Basically, the american footballers got freaking creamed and couldn't even finish the match. Side-splittingly good to watch, I tell ya.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,578
982
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Because football is a contact sport and without padding a football player's career would be very short.
 

Mo0o

Lifer
Jul 31, 2001
24,227
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76
Originally posted by: loic2003
Simple: because they're wusses. Check out when the American Football players took on the brit rugby players. First half was played American football style, second half rugby.

Basically, the american footballers got freaking creamed and couldn't even finish the match. Side-splittingly good to watch, I tell ya.

I refuse to believe that. With a real NFL Oline they could push the rugby players back 10 yard with every snap
 
Nov 3, 2004
10,491
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Originally posted by: Koing
Originally posted by: StinkyPinky
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
from what i remember there are only certain legal hits in rugby

No tackles above the shoulder
No shoulder charging (you have to use your arms in the tackle)
Np spear tackles (picking up player and driving him head first into the ground)

Of course, that doesn't mean these tackles don't occur. :p Illegal tackles happen quite often in a game.

You can spear a guy in Rugby. You can pick a guy up and dump him also.

You can shoulder charge if you have the ball. You can block with an 'out stretched' hand also. You can't just thrust your hand out to 'hit' someone in the face. But if your hand is already out you can 'shield' him away.

Got to love Rugby.

Object of the tackle in Rugby has changed a lot in the past 5-10yrs. Before it was tackle, wrap arms around body/ legs then SLIDE down to his ankles and have him fall over. Now it has moved to hit from a lower position up in to the gut (where the person is usually carrying the Rugby ball) and try to 'dislodge' the ball and take the man out. No use taking the man out if the ball is somewhere else. You will just be out of position.

Anyone heard of Jonah Lomu? 6'5, 19st (250lbs) runs 100m in near to 10seconds. Blistering 0-40 time also. Can't remember off the top of my head. He is a monster if you have ever seen one.

Koing

NFL O-line are all monsters

 

Staples

Diamond Member
Oct 28, 2001
4,953
119
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Because they are way overpaid and the team can't have them get hurt or they will have wasted millions of dollars. Same thing with stunt doubles.
 

BigJ

Lifer
Nov 18, 2001
21,330
1
81
Originally posted by: Mo0o
Originally posted by: loic2003
Simple: because they're wusses. Check out when the American Football players took on the brit rugby players. First half was played American football style, second half rugby.

Basically, the american footballers got freaking creamed and couldn't even finish the match. Side-splittingly good to watch, I tell ya.

I refuse to believe that. With a real NFL Oline they could push the rugby players back 10 yard with every snap

Not to mention, any player that did this would probably instantly violate their NFL contracts, the the NFL Players Association would go absolutely ape-******.
 

Slew Foot

Lifer
Sep 22, 2005
12,379
96
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I doubt that this actually happened, but those Oline-men would probably last about 10 seconds running around in a rugby style game. Heck, they can barely run up to the line at the end of a game to spike a football.
 

Mo0o

Lifer
Jul 31, 2001
24,227
3
76
Originally posted by: Slew Foot
I doubt that this actually happened, but those Oline-men would probably last about 10 seconds running around in a rugby style game. Heck, they can barely run up to the line at the end of a game to spike a football.

For speed there's always RBs receivers and corners
 

imported_Pablo

Diamond Member
Jan 20, 2002
3,714
1
0
Originally posted by: loic2003
Simple: because they're wusses. Check out when the American Football players took on the brit rugby players. First half was played American football style, second half rugby.

Basically, the american footballers got freaking creamed and couldn't even finish the match. Side-splittingly good to watch, I tell ya.

proof? sounds like a good rumor to spread, though...
 

TallBill

Lifer
Apr 29, 2001
46,017
62
91
Originally posted by: Pablo
Originally posted by: loic2003
Simple: because they're wusses. Check out when the American Football players took on the brit rugby players. First half was played American football style, second half rugby.

Basically, the american footballers got freaking creamed and couldn't even finish the match. Side-splittingly good to watch, I tell ya.

proof? sounds like a good rumor to spread, though...

I too call shens. Take random athletes and put them on an american football field and they'll get crushed. Probably similar thing would happen teh other way.
 

loic2003

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2003
3,844
0
0
Originally posted by: TallBill
Originally posted by: Skiguy411
Rugby hits for comparison

Good hits, but the video quality made me cringe.
QFT.

See how they take proper full-running tackles nice and high? See how they do it without helmets and girly protective gear? THAT's what makes it a tougher game than American "don't hurt me or I'll sue you" football.
 

BigJ

Lifer
Nov 18, 2001
21,330
1
81
Originally posted by: loic2003
Originally posted by: TallBill
Originally posted by: Skiguy411
Rugby hits for comparison

Good hits, but the video quality made me cringe.
QFT.

See how they take proper full-running tackles nice and high? See how they do it without helmets and girly protective gear? THAT's what makes it a tougher game than American "don't hurt me or I'll sue you" football.

If you didn't notice in that video, for most of the Rugby tackles they lead very differently with their arms than opposed to with their shoulders and heads like in the NFL. If those Rugby players lead with their shoulders and heads on every play like most NFLers do, they'd be carried off the field within short order.

Like people have said before, 2 very different forms of tackling.

Also, as if you were avoiding it, where's the link to the video/stats about the US Football players vs Brits Rugby Players?
 

BurnItDwn

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
26,352
1,860
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Originally posted by: crazySOB297
Yes, we generally hit with shoulders / head up, no padding and we'll injur ourselves quite easily. Rugby's hitting is different from football, you don't have someone coming from 20 yards off that can run 40 yards in 4.6 seconds and weighs 230 pounds planning on barreling into you straight on.


230 pounds is rather light for football. I'd suspect the average weight is probably MUCH closer to 300.
 

imported_Rampage

Senior member
Jun 6, 2005
935
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Originally posted by: BurnItDwn
Originally posted by: crazySOB297
Yes, we generally hit with shoulders / head up, no padding and we'll injur ourselves quite easily. Rugby's hitting is different from football, you don't have someone coming from 20 yards off that can run 40 yards in 4.6 seconds and weighs 230 pounds planning on barreling into you straight on.


230 pounds is rather light for football. I'd suspect the average weight is probably MUCH closer to 300.

Agreed.

230 might pass for college football. Heres the weights/heights of the guys on my universities football team.

This is a small division 1AA school too. Not a Big 10 school (Div1A).

You'll notice the guys who deliver most of the hits on the line are 230-320lbs.
An NFL team ranges from 200 minimum upwards to 350lbs..
you really dont want to know how fast the 300lb guys are either.
The hits delivered are totally different, I've been knocked out in football before and without a helmet I would have been seriously hurt.
Probably would have killed a little rugby player. They pull hair and poke eyes like women. ;)
 

rahvin

Elite Member
Oct 10, 1999
8,475
1
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US football play changed dramatically after the introduction of the hard plastic foam core helmet to reduce injuries. In fact it caused the number of non-head related injuries to skyrocket, as a result shoulder, abdomen, shin and thigh padding were introduced (to varying degrees based on position and mobility needed. It wasn't long after that steroids hit the mainstream in Football and you ended up with 6' 240lb people running 4 minute miles and 6'4" 340lb linemen than have 15% body fat. Put that together with the hard helmets and shoulder pads and it would be equivalent to getting hit by an SUV.

Had footballers actually played NFL style football against real NFL players they would all be dead. They wouldn't have a clue how to defend themselves against injury by a 280lb linebacker hitting them at 30mph airborne with the shoulder coming in first. Not to mention that the linemen would have simply walked over the small boys the rugby team put up as the linemen.
 

iwantanewcomputer

Diamond Member
Apr 4, 2004
5,045
0
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There is not a rugby player in the world fast enough, strong enough, or skilled enough to play in the NFL, even the Texans, otherwise they would. NFL players wouldn't be great at rugby, but a good offensive line would easily be able to stop a whole rugby team from penetrating it. I seriously doubt there are rugby players that could run routs with any of the top recievers in terms of speed or agility, much lees make the athletic leaps and catches. I also bet that a fast running back like reggie bush would be able to run through an entire rugby team untouched. Download some highlight films if you don't believe me;.