Has their Luck Run Out? - NFL 19-20

[ursus arctos]

With one week remaining before the games start to count, the NFL has been rocked by the sudden retirement of one of the league's biggest and brightest stars at the age of 29.

And the reasons for Andrew Luck's retirement once again highlight the fact that American Football is not conducive to a long and healthy life.

[URL="https://twitter.com/el_belson/status/1165940096459259904?s=21"]https://twitter.com/el_belson/status/1165940096459259904[/URL]

[Flynnie]

The Colts more or less refusing to build an O-Line for him on purpose was a major contributing factor to this.

[Hot Pepsi]

American football is doomed, which is probably as it should be.

Luck is probably going to have chronic pain and mobility problems later in life, if not in his 30s. But he's very wealthy and has opportunities to make a lot more. He can pay for his health care and someday he'll be able to buy bionic legs.

But for every Andrew Luck, there are hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of guys whose knees, ankles, back or shoulders are crocked and/or have CTE because of football. Even high school and small college football can be debilitating. Perhaps junior high and Pop Warner football too, but the data isn't so clear there, I don't think.

http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/...nd-high-school

[Amor de Cosmos]

Smart decision. If fortune allows he's got another fifty years or so to live. Why would would he want to spend it dealing with multiple disabilities. I understand he's got an architecture degree from Stamford, so there's a whole other life waiting for him.

[ursus arctos]

[URL="https://twitter.com/david_j_roth/status/1166021623906017280?s=21"]https://twitter.com/david_j_roth/status/1166021623906017280[/URL]

[Kevin S]

The Guardian's preview ahead of tonight's season opener.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...owl-mvp-winner

Their correspondents are split all four ways in calling the AFC South.

[ursus arctos]

The difference in quality between the AFC North and the AFC South is striking.

At least three of the North teams would walk away with the South title.

[ursus arctos]

That was a miserable advert for the league's 100th season

[Simon G]

I've only seen the 10 min highlights on Facebook this morning but it does look like the Defences reigned.

I'm only semi-looking forward to the season this year - got a feeling it's going to be a bust for the 'skins, especially given how poor their o-line is without Trent Williams in the team.

[ursus arctos]

[URL="https://twitter.com/adamschefter/status/1170441147833114625?s=21"]https://twitter.com/adamschefter/status/1170441147833114625[/URL]

The oral history of this saga is going to be something else

[Flynnie]

I went Wooooow, then burst out laughing. You just know he’s going to be a model citizen with the Patriots too.

[Sits]

It was with mixed feelings that I received the news from my son yesterday that he’s commenced his eighth (roughly) season playing Centre in the Sydney/Canberra league. He says the guys here are smaller and slower so there’s less risk. Not sure that holds true but I can’t stop him, he’s 28.

[Hot Pepsi]

What team does he play for?

[Sits]

His official team is the Canberra Firebirds in the Canberra comp, but when he comes home every fortnight, he’ll play for his original team UTS* Gators if there’s a game he can make. A couple(?) of years ago he played for the New South Wales state team “the “Wolfpack”) for a short interstate tournament. We watched a game on Livestream, away in Queensland which was all very nice, roos bouncing in the background, then he got injured.

The Canberra comp is struggling for teams so there’s talk of the that and the Sydney competition merging next season, in which case he would just be a Firebirds player I think. Canberra’s where he lives and they’re the team he trains with.

*University of Technology Sydney. He didn’t go there but it doesn’t work that way. His Canberra team is part funded by Canberra Uni and he didn’t go there either.

[Hot Pepsi]

Yeah, that is different.

Here, even barely organized IM sports require one actually be affiliated with the institution to participate. If for no other reason than liability.

I assume he really loves playing. I can’t imagine playing American football as an adult just for fun.

Here, even high school offensive lineman are 6’4” 300+ lbs. The guys who do it in college and pro are huge and fast. It’s not safe, needless to say.

[Sits]

Sits Jnr is 5’11’ and probably just over 220lb and he bulked up a lot when he started playing. He was probably less than 200 when he started. He absolutely loves it, but thinks very tactically so I keep dropping hints about coaching.

[Sporting]

Maybe gettting rid of helmets would help:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...-to-ditch-them

[Hot Pepsi]

There is/was an amateur league trying that. If I had kids, I wouldn’t let my kids play that either.

I think gridiron is just inherently more violent than rugby. Rugby doesn’t have blocking or as many guys running from deep in the defensive backfield to blow up the runner.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/04/06/he...l-contact-a7fl

[ursus arctos]

[URL="https://twitter.com/erikbacharach/status/1173280865134239745?s=21"]https://twitter.com/erikbacharach/status/1173280865134239745[/URL]

[ursus arctos]

The 0-2 Steelers just announced that Roethlisberger will be out for the rest of the season following surgery on his throwing elbow.

[Hot Pepsi]

Might as well shut him down. They're clearly not going far this year.

I actually started to watch the Steelers - Seahawks yesterday and then two plays in I realized I don't care and don't actually like football much. I know I've said that before, but it hadn't hit me as hard as it did then. I suppose I'll still care about PSU football because so many of my friends do and it's a social thing, but it really is kinda boring, isn't it? It's mostly commercials. How is it so popular?

[Amor de Cosmos]

Habit

[ursus arctos]

And gambling

Drew Brees out for six weeks after tearing a thumb ligament against the Rams

QBs are dropping like flies out there

[caja-dglh]

That should probably be the end of Big Ben's career but the Steelers are ridiculously invested and would wheel him out with a dialysis machine if that is what it came to.

[Amor de Cosmos]

I keep about half an eye on the Squawks (the first half and the last five minutes yesterday.) Russell Wilson's an exciting QB and they could do something this year now they've got a decent RB. If I intend to watch any game on TV, except soccer, I record it and begin watching no earlier than an hour in so I can FF through the ads.