Football players - land of the giants ?

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 3:05 pm

Is it just me, or are college and NFL players reaching ludicrous sizes, supposedly solely through better nutrition and exercise ?
 
 When I started watching the NFL in 82, I remember watching a Redskins - Dallas game where they raved about Joe Jacoby, because he was 300lbs and 6-6..he was the first of that size.
 
 Nowadays, he would probably be one of the smallest players on the line, barring the center. There are players who are at 340.
 
 I was watching some college games, and there was a kid, say 19 or 20, who was 6-5 and 350lb. I´ve just been watching a bit of the Alabama - Kentucky game, and there was a QB at 280lb.
 
 Please don´t try to tell me this is all better diet and exercise/nutrition. All I know is that some of these kids will have to be doing 500 press ups a day for the rest of their life, and it´ll be a lot harder to motivate yourself when no one´s paying you to do it.
 
 i wouldn´t mind so much if I was sure that I could outsprint the 350lb kid, despite him being about 11 stone heavier than me.
 
 <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_wink.gif">
 
 Seriously though, where is this going to come to an end ?

Jackdog · Post by **Jackdog** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 3:50 pm

Dave great post.
 
 I think that training year round helps make them that big. High school players are benching 400lbs these days. Massive and fast,what a combo huh?
 
 I have a friend that played linebacker at Michigan in the early 80´s and he has a son that is 13 years old and is already 6´4 280 lbs. He runs a 4´8 forty and is the only freshman to start on both sides of the ball. 13 years old!
 
 He has a BMI of 22,unfreaking real! His 11 year old brother is 6´1 240 and one hell of an athlete also. Mike married a track star from Michigan so maybe its a freak genetic thing.
 
 His name is Justin Boren and he goes to Pickerington High school in Columbus,Ohio. His brothers names are Zak and Jacoby.Keep your ears open for those names I am sure we will hear more about them. They all want to follow their dad and go to Michigan. So Buckeye fans eat your heart out <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_wink.gif">
 
 I also see kids that play football with my son that are 8 years old and weigh around 125 to 135 lbs and they are not fat!
 
 I don´t know what the hell is going on,but I can tell you I am glad my football days are over with monsters like that prowling the field. <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_biggrin.gif">

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 4:08 pm

No doubt about it, Dave. I think all of the major sports saw radical increases in the size, strenght and speed of players sometime around the early-mid 90´s.
 
 It´s amazing that William "Refrigerator" Perry was viewed as some sort of antediluvian Mammoth in 1986, while in 2003 they´d be asking him to add a few pounds if he wanted to keep playing DT <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_smile.gif">
 
 My favorite tidbit is that legendary "Hogs" OL of the 80´s Redskins had an average height and Weight equivalent to Daunte Culpepper!
 
 I think that MLB and the NBA have seen "growth spurts" like this as well, but the NFL is really becoming a freak show.
 
 (Edited because I used the phrase "have saw" and don´t live in Kentucky) <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_smile.gif">
 [ This message was edited by: RobVarak on 15-09-2003 14:13 ]

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 5:40 pm

"(Edited because I used the phrase "have saw" and don´t live in Kentucky)"
 
 That´s pretty funny.