NFL?

[cbeebies is poo]

Watched it alot in the 80's on Ch4.
Used to love it tbh.. Don't watch it these days due to no sky sports and time.. Love super bowl night...
Cricket? Jesus wept man, it's a cracking sport... One of the best...

 

[Chris Mac]

Injuries are common because they can tackle you at knee level most of them weigh 300/350 pounds can run 60 yrads in about 4 seconds and are built for pain. Without the pads with the way they are allowed to tackle people would die every weekend. Its a great game you just have to get over the initial non stop action of sports we grew up with, i learnt to love it along with baseball just by forcing myself through a couple of games, couple of bbers while watching quite fun.

Theres no need for padding. Look at rugby the speed and power of those people in the tackle is a lot worst than Nfl. Also no padding and the injuries in the tackle are slim compared to Nfl.

See i used to think this but the difference in size between rugby player and nfl player is quite significant. Alot of tackles in NFL quite rightly are banned in rugby due to lack of padding. Also if you look these days most players have protection on there chests shoulders and arms in rugby due to pro making everyone monsters. The average playing career of an NFL player is 3 years due to injuries

They might have padding in Union but very few wear it in League. The reason being it caused more injuries to the wearer more often than not. I used to wear it back in the 80's and it severely restricts shoulder movement, shoulder injuries being the most common in League. Catch a few League games in the new season and see how many players you can spot, it won't be many if any at all.

 

[buckshot]

The NFL has become horrible, it's more about advertising than it is about the game. They've added another 15 minutes of commercials to each game in the last 10 years. If you think it's boring on TV you'd really hate it in person. The players will literally just stand around on the field for 5 minutes at a time waiting for the ref to give them the signal that the commercials are over.

And these criticisms aren't from some bitter fan of a horrible team. I've been a Steelers fan since the 70's and seen them win more Super Bowls than any other team. The sad fact is that they've changed the rules to discourage good defense, they've expanded to the point that the talent leve is pathetically thin and they're more worried about money than the product on the field. And don't even get me started on the jackass celebrations after almost every play or the fact that half of the players are arch criminals...

 

[yankblue]

Thing I've always found funny is that the things Americans complain about in football/soccer are the same things Europeans complain about in American football

Both sides say it's boring, slow, not enough scoring, and the players are pussies...always found this ironic

 

[BoyBlue_1985]

Yeah a linebacker you are looking at 350 pounds with some serious pace to back them up. The days of the lumbering fat slow linebacker are well and truly gone

 

[Thaksinssoldier]

Leighton you are talking complete shite.

I coach the sport and travel over quite a bit and have worked closely with some top nfl coaches.I've played it all over Europe.

Rugby is a contact sport.american football is a collision sport.there is not one example in rugby where a player can build the velocity to tackle like in football.

Ever took a helmet at 30 mph to the knee?didnt think so.

Sports science has proven the average force of a tackle in football causes 8 times,yes 8 times the impact of a rugby tackle.

And if u don't believe me ask Jonah Lomu,who lasted 10 days with the Dallas Cowboys before quitting as he couldn't handle the physicality.

As for the stop start nature of the game,it's a tactical game.every play can be a gamebreaker,far more exciting than seeing 2 centrebacks passing it to the keeper for half a game.


Of course if you don't believe me,contact me mid jan and I'll happily let u join in on a practise session and you can feel a hit and then have a good close look at how u are actually really talking out of ur ass ;-)

 

[softlad]

Leighton,

I can only concur with what the majority of people on here are saying. You're talking shite.

I have played both sports, and believe me getting a hit in Football hurts a hell of a lot more than in rugby. Yes there is protection, which covers you to about your 2nd or 3rd rib at the top. But imagine getting hit just below that, by a guy weighing 17 / 18 st (im erring on the side of caution there)....it hurts. ALOT.

The sports are different in that Rugby players need to be built for endurance as well as power to some degree. NFL players are built for 5 or 6 seconds of pure explosive power.... There is no comparison and no doubt in my eyes who I would rather take a tackle from, and thats from experience....

Couple of Stats for you...

Top Bench from a Rugby Player (Andrew Sheridan) - 495 pounds
Top Bench from a NFL Player (Larry Allen) - 700 Pounds

Average weight 198 pounds Rugby, 248 NFL

You do the maths...

 

[yankblue]

Leighton,

I can only concur with what the majority of people on here are saying. You're talking shite.

I have played both sports, and believe me getting a hit in Football hurts a hell of a lot more than in rugby. Yes there is protection, which covers you to about your 2nd or 3rd rib at the top. But imagine getting hit just below that, by a guy weighing 17 / 18 st (im erring on the side of caution there)....it hurts. ALOT.

The sports are different in that Rugby players need to be built for endurance as well as power to some degree. NFL players are built for 5 or 6 seconds of pure explosive power.... There is no comparison and no doubt in my eyes who I would rather take a tackle from, and thats from experience....

Couple of Stats for you...

Top Bench from a Rugby Player (Andrew Sheridan) - 495 pounds
Top Bench from a NFL Player (Larry Allen) - 700 Pounds

Average weight 198 pounds Rugby, 248 NFL

You do the maths...

Good point that. Even the huge, 300-400 pound lineman can run a 40 in under 5 seconds...fucking unbelievable when you think about it.

I don't know how much you can compare Rugby to American Football though, as another poster said it's apples and oranges. Either way, Rugby is tough as hell as well and the players are fucking mental. I've just recently been turned on to Rugby and as soon as I got the rules down I came to thoroughly enjoy it.

But Leighton, the pads really don't offer the protection you'd think mate. I know I said it earlier but ultimately they cause more serious injuries then they prevent. Pads allow players to hit each other much harder and in unnatural ways.

The abuse American Football players bodies takes is unreal. Rugby and football are more demanding endurance wise but when it comes to pure physical contact and collision theres not much of a comparison. When I used to play in high school and local leagues, there was never a practice where I wasn't icing some party of my body after. I was a little lucky with injuries, always had odd sprain or aggravation but you'll get that in any sport, but only once did i get seriously injured. I was playing as a wide receiver (the guys who they throw the ball to) running a route, cut in a across the field, quarterback made the throw just a bit too high and in front of me so I jumped for the ball and this brute of a linebacker drilled me mid air right in my side and drove me straight into the ground and broke my ribs. Most common injuries you'll see though are ankle sprains, mcl/acl/meniscus tears, concussions, and broken collarbones.

Even if you think it's shit, if you ever have the opportunity to play you should give at a go. I understand watching can be boring if you don't like the sport but actually being on the field is very different.

 

[malg]

If you're on about pointless/boring sports, you also need to start the following threads:

Golf? - most boring sport on God's good earth
Tennis? - shite
Formula 1? - utter, total shite
Cricket? - fuck off

 

[mancity5]

I go Wembley every year for the NFL International game and I have a great weekend.
This years was the best as I watched City smash the scum 6-1 in a pub in Central London, then went and watched The Bears(my team) win.

Couldn't give a shit who else likes the sport.