DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Browns-news-notes-cont2

You may have something there.

There was a time throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s when some of the greatest NFL players indulged in steak sandwiches, lard on toast and real beer on a daily basis (often the night before games) as part of their training lifestyle. Regardless of the steroid nonsense, these guys were as mean and powerful as any players today.

Yes, the OLs and DLs were fat, but we heard about serious injuries a heck of a lot less. Heart attacks definitely, but that's how it goes. They were making little money compared to today and sometimes had second jobs, but I think their perception of the game might have been different.

I remember watching a pretty good documentary on Vitas Gerulitas (one of my favorite tennis players from the 70s and 80s). He ended up being pretty good, and his off court lifestyle - even hours before a match - was pretty well known.

I wonder how much, how intense or how recommended the weight room stuff for the best NFL players was back then.

Lol. The "Lithuanian Lion" had no time for the nuggets... with all the hookers and blow.

And don't forget... "Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row".

Do you mean like you just did in that comment?

j/c

I can definitely agree about the tighter wound bodies.

Also keep in mind, as we all know athletes are bigger, stronger, and faster. This means harder collisions. The faster the speeds the more chance for damage that can occur. These are also heavier bodies that are landing on these joints then in the past.

This also applies to bodies in motion (juking, jumping, spin moves, etc) even without contact. Now combine that with some terrible surfaces (artificial turf and etc). Speaking as an OSU fan, the Horseshoe may be fast, but ugh I swear i've seen so many times the players could've broken a long run. Instead, they end up losing their traction and slipping.