Human Body limits

[mmi16]

We all love football. Smashmouth, slobber knocking football. With that being said....


Have the training routines, weight rooms, nutrition and nutrition supplements that are a standard part of today's athletic development caused the game we know as football to exceed the ability of the human body to withstand the impacts and collisions?

Old phart that I am....when I played in a rural High School as a 150 pound linebacker, the linemen were generally in the 180-200 pound range and the running backs and receivers were in the 160-190 pound range. At that time in the NFL, linemen were in the 230-250 pound range, with the HUGE ones being 270. Backs and receivers were in the 180-200 pound range.

Today, even in High School...linemen are in the 270-290 pound range and the backs are in the 200-230 pound range...when you get to the NFL the linemen are in the 300-350 pound range with the receivers being in the 200 pound range and the running backs being in the 230-260 pound range.

With all the weight & strength training that is done in athletics, there are two elements in the body that can't be trained...ligaments & tendons. Ligaments and tendons are the elements that hold joints together and affix muscles to bones...they come in the strength one was born with...PERIOD.

We have been training our athletes bodies to exceed the ability of the ligaments & tendons to hold it all together....especially when viewed from the standpoint of full speed collisions of the 'supersized' bodies that are moving at enhanced speeds from the strength of the developed muscles.

In all games that we play there is a RISK of injury. Football has passed the risk stage, for injury to the point that among all the players on the team there is a certainty that one or more players WILL be injured during the course of every game played.

If manufacturing companies were to have the injury 'Frequency/Severity' index ratio that NFL teams have....they would never be able to get any form of insurance on their operations.

I love football, however, but I do believe it has become a game that has exceeded the capacities of the human body to play it.

[JustaslowZ06]

Where have I read that before? Maybe just deja vu but I swear I've read something similar. In any case wit all the ACl injuries nowadays maybe it has a point. But I'll look at it like this. For 100M dollars you can make me walk with a cane for the rest of my life for all I care. Lol.

[Terpsfan82]

The use of PED's exacerbate the problem. Hypertrophy puts a further strain on ligaments and tendons. When you add to that the fact that today's youth generally aren't as active as we were (studies show more running activity in your formative years actually strengthens tendons and ligaments) then you are going to get more injuries.

[HKusp]

People always got injured playing pro football. I am sure there is a slight difference the the percentage of injuries today for sure. The things that I think could account for the upswing today are varied but would include guys taking less risk because of the amounts of money involved. Guys in the 50's 60's and 70's had to play hurt as much as possible for fear of being replaced and they weren't making life altering money in most cases. Most had to work offseason jobs in order to make ends meet up until the 70's. Single mid level players today, routinely make as much money as a whole roster made in those days. Ed Reed makes $430,000 a game. It doesn't fully account for them being more cautious today vs. back in the "old days", because they are still red-blooded high testosterone males in a violent, aggressive game. I am sure many of them really enjoy what they are doing and want to play hurt, but the business side of it dictates that they be cautious.

Another factor has got to be better diagnosis of injury as well as better treatment. Guys would have to play through and deal with injuries in the "old days" that they can diagnose,treat, and heal faster and more effectively today. The other big factor has got to be reporting. All the publicity around the concussion issue the last few years has brought many of those types of injuries to light that even in the recent past , would not have been known to most people except possibly the player and the training staff at best.

[HoustonRaven]

Where have I read that before? Maybe just deja vu but I swear I've read something similar. In any case wit all the ACl injuries nowadays maybe it has a point. But I'll look at it like this. For 100M dollars you can make me walk with a cane for the rest of my life for all I care. Lol.

Because it was posted word for word in the Sun forums two years ago by the same OP .....

http://talk.baltimoresun.com/showthread.php?t=271635

Post 12

[HKusp]

Because it was posted word for word in the Sun forums two years ago by the same OP .....

http://talk.baltimoresun.com/showthread.php?t=271635

Post 12

Interesting....

[pslholder96]

Because it was posted word for word in the Sun forums two years ago by the same OP .....

http://talk.baltimoresun.com/showthread.php?t=271635

Post 12

How the hell did you remember that. Great find and too funny

So much for putting a lot of thought into that post.

[RavenMadness]

Because it was posted word for word in the Sun forums two years ago by the same OP .....

http://talk.baltimoresun.com/showthread.php?t=271635

Post 12

<blink>

OUCH!!

I havent been on BS board in so long - I forgot it existed!

[mmi16]

How the hell did you remember that. Great find and too funny

So much for putting a lot of thought into that post.

Is it necessary for a working wheel to be reinvented?

Were this any organization but the NFL the insurance companies would shut it down for the frequency and severity of it's injuries. It is easy for us to say they are getting paid to do it. There are thousands from Pee Wee through college who suffer the same disabling injuries that did not get paid for playing the game or for rehabilitating their injuries. Jim Parker (Colts All-Pro and HOF tackle from the Championship years) were he to reappear in today's game would be told, you are much too small at 6'5" & 270 to play the game at Tackle, Bulk Up or your gone. How many cripples does the game want to manufacture?

I am NOT advocating the end of football at any level ... but we need bring a higher level of safety to the participants at all levels of the game, if not those the view it as barbaric and cruel will be mounting campaigns to have the game banned. I grew up in a period of time when only Baltimore City schools played the game - there was NO High School football played in the counties - I don't want to see that occur again.

[pslholder96]

Is it necessary for a working wheel to be reinvented?

Were this any organization but the NFL the insurance companies would shut it down for the frequency and severity of it's injuries. It is easy for us to say they are getting paid to do it. There are thousands from Pee Wee through college who suffer the same disabling injuries that did not get paid for playing the game or for rehabilitating their injuries. Jim Parker (Colts All-Pro and HOF tackle from the Championship years) were he to reappear in today's game would be told, you are much too small at 6'5" & 270 to play the game at Tackle, Bulk Up or your gone. How many cripples does the game want to manufacture?

I am NOT advocating the end of football at any level ... but we need bring a higher level of safety to the participants at all levels of the game, if not those the view it as barbaric and cruel will be mounting campaigns to have the game banned. I grew up in a period of time when only Baltimore City schools played the game - there was NO High School football played in the counties - I don't want to see that occur again.

I think you fail to see why I found your post amusing. It has nothing to do with the substance. The claims you make are valid.

[HoustonRaven]

Science tells me otherwise.

An individuals body does have it limits, but as science has proven over and over again, the human body as a collective will adapt over time, thanks to evolution.

The more athletic we become, the more the body will adapt in future generations. Nobody ever thought a human would run a mile in under 4:30. That changed in the 1800's. Then, nobody ever thought it was possible that a human can run a mile in under 4 minutes. Roger Bannister blew that thinking out of the water.

Same goes with football. Every time someone says a human can't do something athletic, low and behold then end up doing it. Just takes time.

[Coastergenius]

People always got injured playing pro football. I am sure there is a slight difference the the percentage of injuries today for sure. The things that I think could account for the upswing today are varied but would include guys taking less risk because of the amounts of money involved. Guys in the 50's 60's and 70's had to play hurt as much as possible for fear of being replaced and they weren't making life altering money in most cases. Most had to work offseason jobs in order to make ends meet up until the 70's. Single mid level players today, routinely make as much money as a whole roster made in those days. Ed Reed makes $430,000 a game. It doesn't fully account for them being more cautious today vs. back in the "old days", because they are still red-blooded high testosterone males in a violent, aggressive game. I am sure many of them really enjoy what they are doing and want to play hurt, but the business side of it dictates that they be cautious.

Another factor has got to be better diagnosis of injury as well as better treatment. Guys would have to play through and deal with injuries in the "old days" that they can diagnose,treat, and heal faster and more effectively today. The other big factor has got to be reporting. All the publicity around the concussion issue the last few years has brought many of those types of injuries to light that even in the recent past , would not have been known to most people except possibly the player and the training staff at best.

I've been saying for a while that the dangerous part about the NFL is the weight differential. Having 350 pound guys tackling 200 pound guys. In a sport like rugby, you have guys wearing the same padding that you would wear for soccer piling on top of each other on every play, but it's still less dangerous than football, because you have skinny guys tackling skinny guys. Back in the old days, the rules were more relaxed, but you didn't 350 pound, agile, athletic freaks hitting guys much smaller than them.

Who knows, maybe the NFL's problems can just be solved by having a maximum weight, where the players weigh-in before game time. They do it in wrestling.

[jonboy79]

Science tells me otherwise.

An individuals body does have it limits, but as science has proven over and over again, the human body as a collective will adapt over time, thanks to evolution.

The more athletic we become, the more the body will adapt in future generations. Nobody ever thought a human would run a mile in under 4:30. That changed in the 1800's. Then, nobody ever thought it was possible that a human can run a mile in under 4 minutes. Roger Bannister blew that thinking out of the water.

Same goes with football. Every time someone says a human can't do something athletic, low and behold then end up doing it. Just takes time.

Roger Bannister is further proof that the mind holds the body back... After he broke the 4 minute barrier, it was broken repeatedly and in short order.

[NCRAVEN]

I've been saying for a while that the dangerous part about the NFL is the weight differential. Having 350 pound guys tackling 200 pound guys. In a sport like rugby, you have guys wearing the same padding that you would wear for soccer piling on top of each other on every play, but it's still less dangerous than football, because you have skinny guys tackling skinny guys. Back in the old days, the rules were more relaxed, but you didn't 350 pound, agile, athletic freaks hitting guys much smaller than them.

Who knows, maybe the NFL's problems can just be solved by having a maximum weight, where the players weigh-in before game time. They do it in wrestling.

I thought about that too. In ever other competitive contact sport guys are matched up in weight classes.

I am not sure about having a weight limit for all, but maybe a weight limit for positions...?

[Ravenswintitle]

With all the weight & strength training that is done in athletics, there are two elements in the body that can't be trained...ligaments & tendons. Ligaments and tendons are the elements that hold joints together and affix muscles to bones...they come in the strength one was born with...PERIOD.

I've seen many articles on resistance training and other ways to strengthen ligaments and tendons. Are you saying that there is no way to do that?

[RavensQB]

I have said it before and will say it again. The body can only be ready for CAR/TRAIN wrecks if it is getting it more than 1 time a week. The CBA has alot to do with the injuries also. Not all of it but, it is adding to the problem.

The training and workouts etc etc etc. Is only part of football training. Gamespeed and GAMEHITS cannot be simulated. The fact that practices are easier and the fact they can only do the one practice with pads has and will continue to cause injury. The body is an amazing machine. But it has to be used to a routine. The CBA took that routine away.

[mmi16]

I just tried to do a Google search for inhabitants of the NFL's Injured Reserve List - could not find it on the NFL site or the NFLPA site.

Closest thing was from a LasVegas gambling site (whose accuracy may be suspect).

Looks like 182 players are currently on Injured Reserve out of 1696 active roster spots on the 32 team 53 man active rosters (does not count practice squad). 10.7% on IR - who knows how many 2nd & 3rd rank players were 'nicked' and outright released without making it to any injury list (undrafted FA's cut during camp).

[Paintballguy]

Lets be honest steroids are a big reason why there are so many bigger and faster players out there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[HoustonRaven]

I just tried to do a Google search for inhabitants of the NFL's Injured Reserve List - could not find it on the NFL site or the NFLPA site.

Closest thing was from a LasVegas gambling site (whose accuracy may be suspect).

Looks like 182 players are currently on Injured Reserve out of 1696 active roster spots on the 32 team 53 man active rosters (does not count practice squad). 10.7% on IR - who knows how many 2nd & 3rd rank players were 'nicked' and outright released without making it to any injury list (undrafted FA's cut during camp).

Point?

Correlation does not equal causation.

[wickedsolo]

I've seen many articles on resistance training and other ways to strengthen ligaments and tendons. Are you saying that there is no way to do that?

You can absolutely strengthen ligaments and tendons. They won't get bigger like muscles do, but you can strengthen them.