NFL legend Earl Campbell still hits hard, compares current NFL to wrestling

[muwarrior69]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/super/2017/01/31/earl-campbell-super-bowl-li-51-houston-oilers-texas-running-back-pain-gain-pro-football-hall-of-fame/97258738/

He has a point as the players are more entertainers than athletes today. That said the NFL has a concussion problem that prevents the game from being played the way it was meant to be played.

Your thoughts.

[GGGG]

Players were always paid to entertain. 

[tower912]

I, too, walked 5 miles barefoot in the snow uphill both ways to school.    Fire was hotter.    Women were hotter.   

[muwarrior69]

I, too, walked 5 miles barefoot in the snow uphill both ways to school.    Fire was hotter.    Women were hotter.   

1920s
The 1920s marked the first time that helmets were widely used in the sport of football. These helmets were made of leather and had some padding on the inside, but the padding was insufficient and provided little protection.
Football helmet - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_helmet

I guess the players prior to the twenties could probably make the same criticism of Earl's generation and they just might have a point.

[tower912]

Helmets made it commonplace to tackle leading with the head or use the head as a weapon.  Darryl Stingley probably wishes he played today.

[MUBurrow]

Trying to piece this

He said he has had both knees replaced and had four back surgeries and battled substance abuse since his playing career ended three decades ago..."I'd give anything to be able to hit a 9-iron," added Campbell, whose physical problems prevent him from playing golf.

and this

Shaking his head at the excuses he hears from contemporary NFL players, Campbell said, "I can't play because I've got a hangnail on my toe. I can't play because I didn't get a pedicure this week. I don't play because my head hurt.

and this

Another priority is developing a non-profit venture called Project Rose, which will focus on research related to spine and joint issues that would benefit people such as Campbell.

into a cohesive published narrative about the current state of football doesn't reflect particularly well on anybody

[CTWarrior]

Earl was phenomenal and as tough a guy as you ever saw on the football field, but he has had a physically miserable, painful existence since he stopped playing football, with all kinds of surgeries and addictions spawned from painkillers, etc.

You'd think he'd understand why the game has had to move in a less physical direction.

[brandx]

Players were always paid to entertain.

As a secondary reason.

First, players were paid to make money for owners. That is always reason #1.

[HouWarrior]

Earl was the hardest hitting RB I ever saw. In his day he wore huge shoulder pads, and big thigh pads (over his already huge, powerful upper legs) added to the punch in his running. The Luv Ya Blue Monday night game against the Dolphins remains the best single game RB performance I ever saw in person.
He threw every ounce of his body into the game and has had a lifetime of issues because of the sacrifice.
For those who never saw him, here is a sample of his play:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUWLVE-UvqE

[MerrittsMustache]

Trying to piece this

and this

and this

into a cohesive published narrative about the current state of football doesn't reflect particularly well on anybody

There is some irony to a former player complaining about how soft current players are when it comes to injuries as he gimps around as a guy who could barely walk in his mid-40s.

Don't get me wrong, Earl Campbell is a badass, but he's paying the price. Players know more now and don't want to be gimpy former badasses after football.

[tower912]

Which, in a way, circles back to the whole debate about the players who chose to not play in bowl games with their teams.    The retired football player, barely able to walk, 4 back surgeries, beating a painkiller addiction, unable to golf.   

[brewcity77]

As a secondary reason.

First, players were paid to make money for owners. That is always reason #1.

Not really. The owners make money of them because the public finds them entertaining. It's one in the same.

[dgies9156]

As a secondary reason.

First, players were paid to make money for owners. That is always reason #1.

Damn straight. Welcome to Capitalism 101!

Are you a bizader :-) ?

[GGGG]

There is some irony to a former player complaining about how soft current players are when it comes to injuries as he gimps around as a guy who could barely walk in his mid-40s.

Don't get me wrong, Earl Campbell is a badass, but he's paying the price. Players know more now and don't want to be gimpy former badasses after football.

This irony has everything to do with pride.