Quote:
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut
I got hit by a kid that ended up playing high-level DII ball (I think). This wasn't some freak of nature but just a strong, fast, aggressive kid who ended up getting a scholarship and some run at a small school. Held onto the ball and was damn proud of myself. And I wasn't going off the field because I wasn't gonna let him see that he drilled me.
But evidently I didn't look nearly as good as I thought I did because the coach came out there and dragged me by my shoulder pads out of the huddle. I guess I was a little wobble-legged or something, I dunno. I saw stars and yacked and that was the end of my day. Felt it for a couple days afterward.
And that was nothing compared to what these guys face. And while bigger, stronger, faster men can exponentially increase their ability to deliver abuse, the body's ability to take said abuse can only go up so much. Bones don't get bigger and stronger when you work out. Tendons don't. Nerves don't. Your brain bouncing around your skull doesn't.
Were I 26 yrs old and 225 lbs, I would still feel 80% as much of that blow as the 18 yr old, 165 lb version of me. Meanwhile, the NFL caliber version of Cordell (the dude that smoked me) is delivering 100% as much force. He's bigger, he's stronger, he's faster and he's !@#$ing meaner because this is his life.
And you just don't realize it from afar. The sights and sounds from up close are alarming. I lack the capacity for empathy so it's not something that's ever made me consider not being a fan anymore (DANCE FOR ME, CLOWNS!!!), but it was damn sure eye-opening.
Keyboard warriors can chug cock on this one. They're just absolutely wrong.
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Yeah, I got rocked a few times by a dude from Marionville that went to set the sack record, I think, for the Mules at Warrensburg. My left tackle kept apologizing coming back to the huddle as I peeled myself off the ground.
"Sorry man, i'm trying to keep him off you" "Yeah, maybe try something different"?
The craziest athlete I remember playing was William Moore. I started as a freshman on a pretty good team at safety when he was at Hayti and a SR. Thought I had one lined up for a pick that I was gonna be pretty proud of, dude just went up, caught it and I somehow got him on the ground for a minimal YAC play. He took a slant 40 yards for a TD on the next play but I got a tackle so it's all good.
It's not even the big monster hits that people don't realize, it's the every play, lb on a fb or safety on a TE that looks normal on TV, but is a damn wreck.