Y.A Tittle RIP

[eytonxav]

LSU and Giant great Y.A. Tittle has passed away at 90. RIP.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Had to look up what "Y.A." stood for. Nee Yelberton Abraham Tittle Jr.

 

[Odiedog]

Still vivdly remember the Look magazine picture of him on his knees, with his helmet off and a trickle of blood on his head. Probably could find it pretty quick. Hard core for sure.

 

[Car-Guy]

He played back in the day when they played real football and not the water down version of game of today.

 

[dtbach]

He played back in the day when they played real football and not the water down version of game of today.

Yeah, and the guys who played in the 20's probably said the same thing about the guys who played in the 50's

 

[Texas Proud]

He played back in the day when they played real football and not the water down version of game of today.

He also played in the days when linemen were just over 200 lbs and were SLOW.... now you have 350 lbs and FAST....

The hits have a lot more energy in them today...... if you want to get a feel, go out and run at full speed into your brick wall and tell me how it feels.... OH, forgot to say, do not look at where it is so it is a surprise when you hit....

Edit to add.... found a chart...

https://deadspin.com/chart-the-average-weight-of-nfl-rookies-by-position-a-1490494148


Here is the interactive one....

http://www.aragorn.org/visualization/nfl/features/draft_player_evolution/

 

[eytonxav]

Other things have changed substantially over the years as well: nutrition, training/fitness, genetics (people are getting bigger), not to mention more specialization, rehab, protection protocols, and drugs have all changed the game from Y.A.'s era.

 

[Car-Guy]

No doubt in my mind that most of the players today are bigger, strong and general quicker especially with the help of today's modern chemistry. But I don't they are tougher.

BTW, not too many faster than someone like Bob Hayes (60's and 70s'). Heck even OJ was pretty quick back in day, and that's before he was running from the cops.

By water down, I mean today you can't hardly touch a QB or kicker today without drawing a flag or getting penalized for hitting a defenseless receiver when you are just playing the game. While I agree they need to do somethings to protect the players, it's gone way overboard, IMO. Football is a rough game.

 

[brucethebroker]

I read a bio on Dick "Nighttrain" Lane when I was a teen. He more or less perfected the "clothesline" tackle and also pulling players down by their facemasks. He was credited with causing those two rule changes.

A few years ago he was one subject of the top 10 most feared NFL players of all time. The film clips will make you cringe...

 

[Eagle43]

Wonder if Y. A. Tittle had dementia. Since they hit harder with less protection, you'd think that is a possibility.

 

[marko]

... if you want to get a feel, go out and run at full speed into your brick wall and tell me how it feels.... OH, forgot to say, do not look at where it is so it is a surprise when you hit....

When I was a kid we played touch football on a dead end street. I went out for a long pass looking backward and ran right into a parked car. Man!

Still remember it 55+ years later.

 

[BUM]

Around 25 years ago I attended a motivational seminar. YA was the keynote speaker. I recall his theme was, “THINK WIN”. Very enjoyable. At the end I asked YA to autograph a $100 bill I just happened to have.
Spent it ��

 

[haha]

By water down, I mean today you can't hardly touch a QB or kicker today without drawing a flag or getting penalized for hitting a defenseless receiver when you are just playing the game. While I agree they need to do somethings to protect the players, it's gone way overboard, IMO. Football is a rough game.

It is possible that the NFL will be more dead in 2 generations than baseball is today. I have two sons under 40, they have plenty of money and have season tickets to pro soccer but never go to a college or NFL football game. And do they or their friends play touch football? No, they play soccer, and I think this is typical of most young men and women today.

There are many reasons for this, but it seems undeniable to me.

Ha

 

[eytonxav]

It is possible that the NFL will be more dead in 2 generations than baseball is today. I have two sons under 40, they have plenty of money and have season tickets to pro soccer but never go to a college or NFL football game. And do they or their friends play touch football? No, they play soccer, and I think this is typical of most young men and women today.

There are many reasons for this, but it seems undeniable to me.

Ha

My guess is with respect to college football, most millennials that attended a Division 1 university love watching college football and remain fervent fans. My DS played HS baseball, plays flag football, and occasionally attends pro soccer matches, but he and his fiancé are huge college football fans.