Quote: Original post by zedz
The only time I can imagine these guys moving quick is when someone calls out 'dinners ready'

That's why it's twice as scary when they can run faster than you. You really have to have never watched american football to think they aren't quick.

Especially those defensive linemen. I don't recognize all of the men in zedz picture, but the first guy is 7 time pro-bowler Warren Sapp (recently in the news for a domestic violence arrest). According to this he stands 6 foot 2 and weighs 303 pounds (1.8796 meters, 137.438 kg). I don't know how recent that is, so take it as he was while playing in the NFL. According to this, in 1995 he ran a 4.84 second 40-yard dash on sand-based turf (40 yards is 36.576 meters). Again, take it as he was while playing in the NFL. Someone else can do the math, but I certainly don't want to get hit by that.

For contrast, Olympic sprinter Justin Gatlin's best 40 time was 4.42 seconds. Here's a list of fastest 40 times in the NFL. Here's a list of fastest 40 times for defensive linemen.

Dwight Freeney, the defensive end for the Colts, ran a 4.48 40, link. He's 6'1", 266. I believe Jevon Kearse ran it faster than that (i think a 4.43). So yea, the big men are getting very fast in the NFL.

Quote: Original post by jtagge75
They don't stop play for commericals. There are just so many damn breaks between plays it just seems like it. If you watch long enough you will see that plays happen while at commerical.

They take tv timeouts after touchdowns and yes, play does stop. Generally if they do a quick commercial break they do it during a change of possession, penalty, or a timeout.

Hardly ever are they playing during a commercial, I can only remember once this season where they missed a part of a play because of a commercial.

I played in a televised game once and the rate of play was so much slower, it was actually quite ridiculous.

There's finally an American football team where I live now, so I've played all three footballs, Rugby, Gridiron and Soccer (excluding Aussie Rules). Gridiron is my favorite for sure, yes it's not as demanding in a cardiovascular sense but it is by far the most physical because you have to go 100% on every single play, and it just seems to manufacture big hit scenarios all the time whereas rugby is a game of attrition. And we have an ex Panthers linebacker, believe me he makes Christiano Ronaldo look like an absolute fairy. I like rugby too, but soccer is just starting to get on my nerves. Even at my local league, people are diving and playing to the referee; it's the absolute antithesis of masculinity, I've seen operas with less theatricals in them. It's a good game but its glory days are long gone.

And yeah, you got to give it to the Saints defense, they earned those SB rings.

I agree that television commercials are hurting the NFL. A break after every punt? after every touchdown+p.a.t? after every kickoff? at the end of every quarter? at the two minute warning? with every timeout or injury? College football is even worse. It would be interesting to see a gridiron game played with a stoppage time approach rather than a stop time approach. A one hour game should not take four hours to complete. As far as the Super Bowl goes it's as much about the television commercials and the half time show as it is about the game. At one point in the second half of yesterday's game the announcers remarked that it had been 70 minutes in real time since Peyton Manning had thrown a pass (including the half time). That's a long wait but it can't be entirely chalked up to the Saint's offense controlling the game. The structural delays in the televised game also contributed.

Quote: That's why it's twice as scary when they can run faster than you.

I wouldnt be to sure about that, its possible though. If we lined up these guys and me in a 200meter(*) Im pretty sure I wont be last. Doubly certain over a 3000m
(true Im no doubt an exception) I currently run ~5x a week
heres me, I think my body resembles the top sprinters more than the above guys


Whilst these guys are no doubt much stronger than me, I doubt any can clean and jerk 1.8x their bodyweight, esp without chemicals ( which I have done )

Part of the reason cited for participating in sport is fitness, I believe a few of these gridiron fatties have dropped dead due to heart problems?
Of course everyone know golf is the sport where the fit rise above to claim the glory


(*)or possibly 100m Im not sure what distance is required to get optimal speed, its certainly not 40yards

edit - (in case ppl are interested) it looks like with bolt his fastest speed was 44.72km/hr at 80meters
also it appears the the 40 yard dash is often timed from when the player begins unlike in a sprint where theres a delay (they have to wait until the gun goes)

The question with the 40 yard times is are they consistent. They appear to be. As expected, wide receivers are faster than defensive linemen, about half a second faster.

zedz, you might have a good chance at beating the linemen in 200 meters, but probably not the wide receivers.

Gridiron endurance is more about repeated sprinting than long footraces. Imagine a soccer game comprised of nothing but set pieces - free kicks, penalty kicks, corner kicks - and with referees who don't care if you knock over another player so long as you look him in the face when you do it. That is what gridiron football is like, sort of. Sprinting is about acceleration. Acceleration combined with mass equals force and force is what gridiron football is about.

Try this for practice. Starting from a three point stance, sprint five yards and stop. Then turn around get back down into a three point stance and repeat in the other direction - down, sprint, stop, turn, down, sprint, stop, turn, down, sprint, stop, turn --- again and again twenty times over. Then increase to ten yards and repeat twenty times. Then increase to twenty yards and repeat ten times. Then mix it up - five, ten, five, twenty, ten, ten, five... Then increase to fifty yards and repeat twice. Then cool off with a mile run. Do that twice a day for two weeks. Oh and do that with a five pound weight on your head, a five pound weight on each shoulder and ill fitting knickers with shin guards covering your thighs. Congratulations! You've completed hell week (more or less). (Yes I realize that it's two weeks not one week but so what). This work out is roughly equivalent to playing a gridiron game with 100 plays (except you don't have to block or tackle anyone while you do it).

Quote: Original post by zedz

Quote: That's why it's twice as scary when they can run faster than you.

I wouldnt be to sure about that, its possible though. If we lined up these guys and me in a 200meter(*) Im pretty sure I wont be last. Doubly certain over a 3000m
(true Im no doubt an exception) I currently run ~5x a week
heres me, I think my body resembles the top sprinters more than the above guys

I'm sure a lot of people could beat a defensive lineman in a reasonably long race. The point is that the defensive lineman could probably catch and tackle them before they got far enough for him to tire out.

I don't think anyone would challenge that defensive or offensive linemen can't move far, but you said they couldn't move quick, which is false. They're the American equivalent of Sumo Wrestlers.

Quote: Original post by zedz
Whilst these guys are no doubt much stronger than me, I doubt any can clean and jerk 1.8x their bodyweight, esp without chemicals ( which I have done )

Well I wouldn't say that none of them can, but there is something to be said about a persons lift max (esp clean and jerk) to body weight ratio as they get bigger. It's always easier for smaller guys to lift x.xx times their body weight. And what chemicals are you referring to? HGH/Steroids? The NFL has strict testing rules for drugs like this. They are allowed to take protein/creatine/glucosamine/etc to help keep up bulk and improve muscle/cartilidge recovery, but those are far from illegal chemicals.

As for what it takes to reach your optimal speed, here is a chart about Bolt's 100m dash broken down by 10m intervals link. I was actually surprised that it took him 50m to sustain his speed (I vaguely remember hearing somewhere a lot of sprinters could do it in 20 or less). However I do know that is one criticism of Bolt is that he has a large frame for a sprinter, and therefore usually takes him longer to get out of the blocks and up to speed (but, I'm not going to argue with his numbers, lol).