American Football players in the NRL?

[Danish]

That's not true.

Its reasonably true.

I actually like the NFL, have started watching it more this season basically out of desperation for top flight contact sport after a several year hiatus, and I've yet to see much improvisation going on.

Certainly there is no improvisation in attack. Defensively linebackers and safeties have to do a lot of thinking on their feet, but even then that generally that just involves deciding on which man they think is going to receive the ball and who they need to cover.

 

[Squatdog]

That's not true.

It is true.

Step 1: Quarterback calls pre-determined play

Step 2: Team mindlessly follows pre-determined play

Repeat for 16 minutes of a 3 hour broadcast and you have American Football.

Amount of independent thought required? Zero.

 

[Danish]

I think gridiron is a sh*t sport, so I don't think they're awesome. I'd be shocked if their wide receivers/running backs weren't generally faster than our players though.

Thats fair enough and I'd agree with you that they would be faster, however being fast does not automatically equate to being good.

I think people would also be surprised at how little difference there would actually be in those skill tests between NFL and NRL players. Certainly over the 40 yards there'd only be a few tenths in it, and with stuff like the bench press etc our boys would only be limited by practicality. Its simply not practical for an NRL player to try and bench more than 180kg or so without sacrificing mobility.

 

[zombie jesus]

It is true.

Step 1: Quarterback calls pre-determined play

Step 2: Team mindlessly follows pre-determined play

Repeat for 16 minutes of a 3 hour broadcast and you have American Football.

Amount of independent thought required? Zero.

So no players, besides the quarterback, reacts to what happens around him in the field? Even in defence when the quaterback is on the side line? :lol: Good one.

 

[Squatdog]

So no players, besides the quarterback, reacts to what happens around him in the field? Even in defence when the quaterback is on the side line? :lol: Good one.

The Offensive team mindlessly adheres to a series of rigid set plays, then spends literally half the game sitting on the sideline.

The Defensive team adheres to pre-determined patterns and the only use of lateral thinking is to predict which single player the ball will be thrown or passed to. They then spend literally half the game sitting on the sideline.

Don't get me started on Special Teams...

 

[Lambretta]

Padball players other than the quarterback literally aren't allowed to do anything other than perform their one-dimensional role as they mindlessly adhere to a pre-determined set play.

Are you drunk as you appear to be repeating yourself?

The type of arguement that you are putting forward about how individual players from the NFL wouldn't handle league is as dumb as the arguement of the people who are stating that these people would "kill it" in Rugby.

You can no more state that say Adrian Peterson would be the best Centre in the World than you could claim that Israel Folau would have made a fantastic Corner Back had he gone to NFL. Such claims are completely pointless as they are not proveable.

You may as well state that a Chess master would kick the arse of an Astronomer at Sudoku because of a, b & c.

There are many athletes in the US, who play NFL that would play either code of Rugby if they were taught to do so. But that is just an opinion - just as your obviously anti NFL point of view is merely an opinion based on nothing more than your own prejudice.

 

[dragon_around]

Jason Ryles would dominate in the NFL.

 

[Slippers]

squatdog you have made yourself out to be a moron. Your argument is ridiculous. They are different sports - stop trying to compare them. There are many aspects of the NFL that an NRL could never handle just as there are many aspects of the NRL that an NFL player could never handle.

Just because it doesn't flow like rugby league does NOT make it a factually inferior sport. It's all subjective. NFL cannot flow like league, and league will never have the intricacies of the NFL.

We understand you don't like "padball".. you've tediously made yourself quite clear on that one.

 

[Lambretta]

The Offensive team mindlessly adheres to a series of rigid set plays, then spends literally half the game sitting on the sideline.

so how do you explain metres gained running by the Quarter back?

How do you explain Running Backs changing direction?

They're not designed plays, but reactions to what happens as the play unfolds.

 

[morri (cWo)]

I would love to see a second row of Clay Matthews and Brian Cushing in red and blue....

clay matthews would destroy in the nrl with his speed, agility and size.

Fitness would always be an issue for NFL players but

 

[zombie jesus]

Its reasonably true.

I actually like the NFL, have started watching it more this season basically out of desperation for top flight contact sport after a several year hiatus, and I've yet to see much improvisation going on.

Certainly there is no improvisation in attack. Defensively linebackers and safeties have to do a lot of thinking on their feet, but even then that generally that just involves deciding on which man they think is going to receive the ball and who they need to cover.

You've just fundamentally described defence in rugby league there.

 

[The Engineers Room]

It would take the American's a generation to be competitive. They just wouldn't have the football brain to do it. Sure they are great athletes but they would fall down if they had to ad-lib.

 

[Danish]

You've just fundamentally described defence in rugby league there.

Certainly did. NRL defence is very structured, with individual plays like trying to rush out of your line or coming in off your man generally frowned upon as they are high risk moves.

Really defence is probably the most structured, most controlled part of our game. Ironically its probably the most ad lib, reactive part of an NFL game.

Its not to say that 1 is better than the other. NFL offence is incredibly regimented and structured because that is what is required in that game. You have 4-5 seconds to coordinate 11 men in such a way that you either create a gap big enough for a runner to get through, or for a receiver to get open. Trying to achieve that without a plan is basically impossible.

 

[aqua_duck]

clay matthews would destroy in the nrl with his speed, agility and size.

Fitness would always be an issue for NFL players but

If supremely fit guys like Owen craigie, Carl Webb, Danny wicks, Greg inglis, Jamal idris, Jarryd hickey, and yileen Gordon can handle the fitness side of things I'm sure a guy like clay Matthews could cope with say the benefit of a preseason

 

[BranVan3000]

NFL players are burst athletes. Their entire skillset is about putting EVERYTHING they have into 10 second bursts. It is a completely different skillset from league, and any athlete making the transition needs to be very naturally gifted to make the change and still be good

There are very few League players who do actual bursts, but the ones who do operate at the top of the game.

You need a balance between burst and attrition to be successful in League. NFL athletes could do it as well as any here, it's all about quality of training

 

[Stranger]

It is true.

Step 1: Quarterback calls pre-determined play

Step 2: Team mindlessly follows pre-determined play

Repeat for 16 minutes of a 3 hour broadcast and you have American Football.

Amount of independent thought required? Zero.

I wanna know what planet you are on if you think in the NRL they don't call every play that happens.

They may not be able to pre-determin the result, but in NRL, every play from the first hit-up to the last chip and chase will be called by someone.

 

[BranVan3000]

Why is it that athletes seem a touch less fit than NFL athletes? Like comparing the top NFL athlete to the top NRL athlete, the NFL athlete will be huge, cut and fast as hell. Is their training that much more intensive?

 

[aqua_duck]

Look at Olympic Wrestling. The sport is HUGE in America at highschool and college level and has an extensive elite program, but they literally didn't win a single men's medal in this year's World's and managed a single gold at the 2008 Olympics, behind such luminaries as Georgia...

This is off topic but you do know Olympic (freestyle, Greco-roman) wrestling, is not the same as folkstyle (collegiate) wrestling right?

 

[macavity]

Why is it that athletes seem a touch less fit than NFL athletes? Like comparing the top NFL athlete to the top NRL athlete, the NFL athlete will be huge, cut and fast as hell. Is their training that much more intensive?

Erm, endurance?

That is like saying ....

"sprinters are all buff, but marathon runners are weedy dudes. do sprinters train better?"

:crazy:

This whole thread is in part based on the premise that NFL players don't have the endurance to play NRL. And as trained, most probably don't. They could sacrifice power for endurance though.

 

[Danish]

This whole thread is in part based on the premise that NFL players don't have the endurance to play NRL. And as trained, most probably don't. They could sacrifice power for endurance though.

Not necessarily.

NFL players don't just train for power, they are naturally gifted for it. Their body type is made for it.

Trying to turn them around and train for endurance wont always work.