SeanTaylorJr. wrote:this argument is retarted, really shows how bad this post draft/ pre pre-season time really is. the author of that article doesnt know what he's talking about. players never get hurt because they don't weigh enough, ever! players get hurt because their limbs are twisted it unnatural ways, or have extreme force put on them in an akward position, or have damaged/ weak tendons or ligaments, or are dehydrated/ tight. ect ect ect. hmm none of those had anything to do with his height or weight; LL has never missed a game and there are 0 indications he will have that problem in the league.
Height and weight can be good indicators of strength and ability to take a hit. If you have a 230 lb. running back running full speed, and a safety flies in to make a hit, a 20 lb. difference will be hugely important on the following events. Think about the damage that happens when you have a Honda Civic colliding with an Hummer as opposed to another Civic (with all other things being equal). Throw a small enough safety in there -- however well conditioned he may be -- and he's going to get hurt.
One additional problem is when players add
too much weight, they can also incur injury. When a wide receiver has a lot of extra weight, even if it's muscle, he may gain an advantage in breaking tackles or positioning down field to make a catch, but his knees and other ligaments will take a much harder beating than they would normally (i.e., if he stuck to a more natural body weight for his frame). As far as I understand it, this is essentially what happened to David Boston: incredible talent and ability, amazing strength, but just a bit too much weight for his frame. He started getting injuries all of the time, and especially knee injuries.