NFL players moving to smaller shoulder pads - Global Sport Matters (2024)
The NFL is a violent sportwhere players frequently get injured. Throughout the years, the league has made changes to improve player protection. However, one trend that contradicts the NFL’s desire to maintain safety is that players are wearing less and thinner padding.
Football equipment has always evolvedover the years. Now, more wide receivers and defensive players prefer wearing smaller and slimmer pads compared to two decades ago.
According to current NFL players, smaller pads improve their agility and quickness, freeing a player to try to catch a ball or make a tackle.
“For a receiver, it’s about speed downfield and getting in and out of small gaps between the defenders as fast as you can,” Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Willie Snead said in an article in the New York Times. Snead agreed that players, especially receivers, are weighed down by extra padding.
The trend of smaller pads may not seem safer, but for players, too much padding that slows a player could be costly. Wide receivers and running backs, outside of the quarterback, are the most likely to touch the football and rely on their speed and physical abilities to make a play. “Right now, a good receiver doesn’t have to get hit that much. The only time you really get hit is when you’re getting tackled,” Sneed said.
On the opposing side, defensive backs prefer to have the minimum padding allowing more movement to tackle or make a play, such as an interception or forced fumble. Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Michael Bennett said that smaller pads make him a better pass rusher.
“I’ve got complete range of motion and I use my hands more instead of just throwing my shoulder into someone,” Bennett said. “I engage with an offensive lineman the right way – with outstretched arms.”
The NFL does have significantly less strict policies when it comes to padding in contrast to the NCAA and high school football. From the Times article: “All high school and NCAA players are required to wear hip, thigh and knee pads, but in the NFL rulebook, hip pads are merely ‘recommended.’ The standard requirement for padding includes a helmet, thigh, knee and shoulder pads, however, “most knee pads are smaller than a slice of bread and wafer-thin.”
Current Baltimore safety Eric Weddle stated “nobody wears hip pads in the NFL. We believe an extra pad might give a fast wide-receiver six inches of separation from us in coverage and that might cost our team a touchdown.”
The mentality that less padding will make the player better is certainly one way to look at it, however, player injuries becoming more frequent (up 13.5 percent in 2017 from 2016). The NFL has implemented more rule changes to emphasize the player protection, including the use of helmet and on calls for roughing the passer, which could help players who prefer to wear lighter and fewer pads.
Tyler Dare is a senior journalism major at Arizona State University
Football equipment has always evolved over the years. Now, more wide receivers and defensive players prefer wearing smaller and slimmer pads compared to two decades ago. According to current NFL players, smaller pads improve their agility and quickness, freeing a player to try to catch a ball or make a tackle.
They've been getting smaller roughly since the onset of the 21st century. Players began to feel the big pads didn't make them all that invulnerable to injury, and as the game turned toward speed and passing, extra equipment weight was targeted.
If this is a real trend, there are likely several factors causing the decrease in the number of large players (e.g. better drug testing, more emphasis on nutrition). One of the big factors may be the recent decrease in the number of rushing attempts by teams.
During pregame team warm-ups, players may omit certain protective equipment at their option, except that helmets, shoulder pads, thigh pads, and knee pads must be worn. Read more about NFL Rules Enforcement.
Better, lighter plastics absorb shock better. Also, the blocking and tackling techniques have changed as the players have gotten bigger. The offensive line uses their hands to block today, because trying to block the modern defensive lineman with your shoulder would result in him running around you.
By the 1950s, shoulder pads appeared only in jackets and coats—not in dresses, knitwear or blouses as they had previously during the heyday of the early 1940s. By the early 1960s, these slowly became less noticeable and midway through the decade, shoulder pads had disappeared.
Proper fitting shoulder pads are essential to athlete protection and performance in the game of football. Whether taking a hit or delivering one of your own, shoulder pads make all the difference in a game of inches.
Joseph said that neck rolls probably disappeared because the game had sped up and equipment had been altered to allow players to keep pace. Linebacker Michael Boley, who said he never dabbled with a neck roll in his younger days, agreed, saying most players today want pads that are light and allow for movement.
According to data from the Aspen Institute and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), from 2008-19 to 2018-19 the total number of youths aged 6 to 18 playing tackle football fell by more than 620,000, from about 2.5 million to less than 1.9 million.
Since performance is so strongly dependent on body morphology and composition, the ability to measure these changes in an athlete over time is essential to both coaches and players. In addition to performance, there is growing interest in body composition of football athletes because of its impact on health.
The short answer is no, the NFL is holding its popularity better than college football. Over 5 years, Super Bowl viewership declined -19% while college football championship viewing declined -24%. Of course, the numbers don't tell the full story.
Douglas shoulder pads are pretty common in the NFL. They're light, protective and fit great. They also offer players range of motion which makes playing the game of football much easier.
The NFL reports Guardian Caps reduce the impact of a collision by 10% if one player is wearing it. If both players wear the cap, there is at least a 20% reduction in severity. While players have worn the caps in previous seasons, owners voted in March to require players from all 32 teams to wear the caps.
As some call it, the leg lift, or a back tap, is a simple way to send players in motion across the formation before the ball is snapped. It helps younger/newer players identify the motion and get in the correct position at the youth level.
The NFL quietly but dramatically has shifted the traditional breast cancer awareness focus to a broader cancer-awareness effort. This has resulted in the replacement of pink with a broader array of colors, as reflected in the league's “Crucial Catch” logo.
The so called GPS bras are common in the big football clubs. They're used for the training or test matches. These bras record the movements on the pitch and the physical data. Like this it's easier to analize: how fast is the player, where is he moving to, what is his heart rate like etc.
“Is the NFL going soft?” No. However, as more is discovered about injuries like CTE, there are efforts to make football a safer sport to play. Fans may not agree with these changes, but they may be for the better.
As for the football used: In overall circumference, college footballs can be up to 1-1/4 inches smaller than NFL footballs. To get more detailed, the circumference of a college football ranges from 20-3/4 inches to 21-1/4 inches lengthwise from end to end, vs. the 21 inches to 21-1/4 inches in the NFL.
1945: Commissioner Elmer Layden, apparently with way too much time on his hands, decides that NFL players have unsightly legs and decrees that all players must wear long stockings. This rule, still on the books, is why NFL players wear high socks while so many NCAA teams still play bare-legged.
As a reminder from discussions and documentation provided last pre-season, all players will be required to wear "EKG Shoulder Pads" for the 2022 season based on the new Rule 1-9-1 Equipment Changes 2021-22.
In 2021, as we emerged from our sweatshirt-clad cocoons, celebs like Ciara, Hailey Bieber, and Megan Fox were spotted wearing shoulder pads. The exaggerated shoulder trend graced the Spring 2021 runways of Givenchy, Balenciaga, and Isabel Marant. More recently, shoulder pads have evolved into a subtler silhouette.
Beginning in 2022, field players must wear protectors for commotio cordis (shoulder pads) that meet the NOCSAE ND200 standard and contain an SEI certification mark.
For example, if you wear a medium and have light flow, we recommend Size 1. But if you have heavy flow, we recommend Size 3. For extra night protection you can use Size 4.
Football players use the towels to keep their hands and/or forearms dry when they play. Wet or moist hands can affect one's grip on the ball, and can even spell the difference between winning or losing a match.
For players who are consistently on the ground, slide tackling with hairy legs can cause more friction between the surface and the leg, resulting in turf burn or grass burn. Shaving the legs will make the slide tackle easier and more fluent.
In 1945, Elmer Layden, who was the commissioner of the National Football League from 1941 to 1946, decided among other things that NFL players have “unsightly legs” that should be covered by long stockings.
AS Adema 149–0 SO l'Emyrne was a football match played on 31 October 2002 between two teams in Toamasina, Madagascar. It holds the world record for the highest scoreline in a football match, recognised by The Guinness Book of Records.
Since 1944, only five teams have had winless seasons in the NFL: the 1960 Dallas Cowboys (0–11–1), the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0–14), the 1982 Baltimore Colts (0–8–1) the 2008 Detroit Lions (0–16), and the 2017 Cleveland Browns (0–16).
Offensive Linemen seem to be the heaviest on average but the heaviest player from the samples was a Defensive Tackle. Quarterbacks seem to have the smallest range of weight but have a couple of outliers.
In terms of the raw number of fans in the US, two things stayed consistent throughout the past five years: the Dallas Cowboys have the largest fanbase in the NFL, and the Jacksonville Jaguars have the smallest.
As per Pro Football Reference, 73 games in pro football history have ended in a 0-0 tie. However, the last time that took place was almost 80 years ago, meaning there's been no scoreless ties in the Super Bowl era.
“Small pads make me a better pass rusher,” he said, displaying the pads flexibility. “I've got complete range of motion and I use my hands more instead of just throwing my shoulder into someone. I engage with an offensive lineman the right way — with outstretched arms.”
There are no NFL rules governing the size of shoulder pads, which got bigger through the 1960s and '70s, reaching what might be recalled as the Joan Crawford era of big shoulders in the '80s and '90s. They've been getting smaller roughly since the onset of the 21st century.
Wide receivers wear towels similar to how running backs do; to keep the biceps and forearms dry. Wide receivers often hit the ground diving for low and high thrown balls. Having a towel tucked into the pants is great to dry the hands before each snap.
players protect their home field. Strange as it might seem, however, N.F.L. players do not protect — in any way, apparently — perhaps their most sensitive possession. “In my life, at every level, I have never worn a cup,” Giants tight end Martellus Bennett said this week.
Athletic cups consist of hard plastic and are worn over the groin area. Athletic cups provide shielding and safety for the testicl*s. Another option is an athletic supporter, more commonly referred to as a jock strap.
The fanny packs football players wear are actually known as hand warmers. These hand warmers often have air-activated warmers inside them, which allow the hands to stay warm, away from the cold. Quarterbacks and wide receivers are the top two positions to wear these hand warmers.
Why do footballers wear bras? The bras are not used for the same purposes as a woman may wear one for - to support her breasts and reduce pressure on her shoulders, back and neck. Instead, footballers wear the clothing to hold a GPS tracker which monitors several factors of the players physical performance and health.
Now, more than 70% of all NFL players wear these shoulder pads. In addition, more than 200 colleges also chose Xtech NFL shoulder pads for their players.
Defensive players, like lineman or fullbacks, will want heavier, more protective padding. Quarterbacks, running backs and other skill positions opt for lighter pads for better mobility and visibility.
He then switched to a helmet with the same shell, the Schutt Air XP Q11, to keep that classic look. He still wears the bulky Douglas shoulder pads he's worn for most of his career and a baggy jersey to go over them.
When it comes to football shoulder pads, no two sets of pads stand out like the XTECH Super Skill and Riddell CarbonTek. You know that if the likes of Odell Beckham Jr. is putting on a set of pads, that they are designed to perform like no other. That is exactly what you get with the XTECH Super Skill shoulder pad.
The fanny packs football players wear are actually known as hand warmers. These hand warmers often have air-activated warmers inside them, which allow the hands to stay warm, away from the cold. Quarterbacks and wide receivers are the top two positions to wear these hand warmers.
How much does the NFL towel boy make? According to the statistics, the salary of an NFL towel boy is similar to that of an NFL Waterboy. That means an NFL towel boy can make $53,000 a year.
More recently, shoulder pads have evolved into a subtler silhouette. The Regencycore trend, inspired by the Bridgerton series calls for puffy or balloon sleeves and sculpted shoulders, a far cry from Joan Crawford's iconic dress.
Douglas shoulder pads are an excellent option for QBs. They are very protective, lightweight and allow you have plenty of range of motion. You can get the same shoulder pads as Joe Burrow for $560 […]
Introduction: My name is Nathanael Baumbach, I am a fantastic, nice, victorious, brave, healthy, cute, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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