NFL v NRL are there really any lessons to be learned from study tours?

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Oatley Dog

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OK, so yesterday I went to the NY Giants v LA Chargers game at Metlife stadium. It got me thinking about all these study tours coaches/players do over here in the off season and whether there is really anything that can be learned. Let me say this is my second game at Metlife and I have enjoyed every second of both games. Live they are so much better than on TV.

It is clear that NFL is a stats driven game (sound familiar) and given how the game is played that's not really surprising as they can analyse each play in real time and make big adjustments as they go. Of course having offensive and defensive teams means they can work on tactics on the sideline with different teams so seeing things unfold makes it easier. These are things you just can't do in league. The game is constantly moving and there isn't time to reset tactics. Still though our coaches get bound up in stats (which have a place, just not an overpowering one) and talk about possession, errors, completions and the like as though that is what the game is about. In NFL possession is everything. The more you have it the further you go upfield. In league it is about position, not possession.

It seems clear to me that there isn't a lot to be learned from NFL by our coaches in terms of these sorts of things. Yes their sports science and marketing are magnificent but our game is so different that we really need our coaches to move away from the whole NFL thing and stay focused on developing the tactics and strategies that relate to league.
 

Kurrupt78

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I follow Green Bay and they played Dallas yesterday. I think in the 4th quarter, Dallas chewed up the clock by 8 mins or so in one possession, which is a god damn long time in NFL. Got in front 31-28 with 1:15 and still lost. Hahaha. My man Rodgers got us home in that little time. End score was 35-31.

So yes, possession is a great deal if executed properly.
 

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Hate NFL, tried watching it but nothing about it was interesting.. Those helmets, those skinny arms , no blood, sweat, those forward passes and shirt pulling tackles it's like watching souff v roosters .. No thank you
 

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Hate NFL, tried watching it but nothing about it was interesting.. Those helmets, those skinny arms , no blood, sweat, those forward passes and shirt pulling tackles it's like watching souff v roosters .. No thank you
wut?

 

Shanked

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OK, so yesterday I went to the NY Giants v LA Chargers game at Metlife stadium. It got me thinking about all these study tours coaches/players do over here in the off season and whether there is really anything that can be learned. Let me say this is my second game at Metlife and I have enjoyed every second of both games. Live they are so much better than on TV.

It is clear that NFL is a stats driven game (sound familiar) and given how the game is played that's not really surprising as they can analyse each play in real time and make big adjustments as they go. Of course having offensive and defensive teams means they can work on tactics on the sideline with different teams so seeing things unfold makes it easier. These are things you just can't do in league. The game is constantly moving and there isn't time to reset tactics. Still though our coaches get bound up in stats (which have a place, just not an overpowering one) and talk about possession, errors, completions and the like as though that is what the game is about. In NFL possession is everything. The more you have it the further you go upfield. In league it is about position, not possession.

It seems clear to me that there isn't a lot to be learned from NFL by our coaches in terms of these sorts of things. Yes their sports science and marketing are magnificent but our game is so different that we really need our coaches to move away from the whole NFL thing and stay focused on developing the tactics and strategies that relate to league.
i'm sorry to hear that
 

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I think they go more for the training aspects, movement drills, weight work i.e how they get 150Kg guys nimble, able to change direction quickly with fast reaction times, psychological training etc, etc. Plus the latest and greatest for telemetry/GPS type tools.
 

Oatley Dog

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Well I was watching a game yesterday and no-one looked like that!!
They were weedy looking
Let me tell you Wolfie even the bloke running the water weighs 150kgs. They are mountains. I watched them warming up and a couple of wide receivers who would've been 195cm+ were jogging and then jumping in the air. Their feet were about a metre off the ground. Their athleticism is freakish. The defensive ends weigh well over 150kgs. even Eli Manning looked like he was over 190cm and about 110 kg and he is their quarter back. All that and they are super fast. The Giants wide receiver Beckham Jr who scored 2 touchdowns looked like he broke his leg with a couple of mins to go, just getting tackled. It's a very different game at the ground to what you see on TV.
 

Oatley Dog

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The other thing I wanted to raise was the marketing of the game and this is an area where I think the NRL can learn a lot from NFL. NFL players are available to the media almost up until kick off and available to fans during the week before the game. Compare that to our precious babies who need to spend the entire week whipping themselves up to play.

Even more interesting though is that they let the fans onto the ground while the teams are warming up. They put bollards and ropes out on both sides of the field and around 1000 fans get to stand on the edges and watch the players warm up for 30-40 mins. It just looks sensational. Imagine how many more families would come to the game if the kids and parents could go on the ground before the game. Think about the potential impact on memberships if it was an offer for members only. I think that one strategy would increase every club in the NRL's membership by 5000+ overnight if the kids and members thought they could get that close.
 

Wolfmother

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Let me tell you Wolfie even the bloke running the water weighs 150kgs. They are mountains. I watched them warming up and a couple of wide receivers who would've been 195cm+ were jogging and then jumping in the air. Their feet were about a metre off the ground. Their athleticism is freakish. The defensive ends weigh well over 150kgs. even Eli Manning looked like he was over 190cm and about 110 kg and he is their quarter back. All that and they are super fast. The Giants wide receiver Beckham Jr who scored 2 touchdowns looked like he broke his leg with a couple of mins to go, just getting tackled. It's a very different game at the ground to what you see on TV.
I'll take your word for it , it sounds spectacular but I have heard NFL players talk about how they wouldn't even consider playing NRL because of the danger factor involved in the lack of protective wear.

I still think NRL is a tougher sport than NFL.
 

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Let me tell you Wolfie even the bloke running the water weighs 150kgs. They are mountains. I watched them warming up and a couple of wide receivers who would've been 195cm+ were jogging and then jumping in the air. Their feet were about a metre off the ground. Their athleticism is freakish. The defensive ends weigh well over 150kgs. even Eli Manning looked like he was over 190cm and about 110 kg and he is their quarter back. All that and they are super fast. The Giants wide receiver Beckham Jr who scored 2 touchdowns looked like he broke his leg with a couple of mins to go, just getting tackled. It's a very different game at the ground to what you see on TV.
Defensive ends 'well over 150kg' would be useless lol. Average weight of a DE is around 260lbs, so 115ish kg. Defensive tackles and Offensive linemen aren't even well over 150kg, they're more around the 300-300lbs.

ShEli is tall, but not heavy he's still under 100 kegs. Big Ben from the Steelers is one of the bigger QB's and he's only just around 110kg

I'll take your word for it , it sounds spectacular but I have heard NFL players talk about how they wouldn't even consider playing NRL because of the danger factor involved in the lack of protective wear.

I still think NRL is a tougher sport than NFL.
I don't think it's a case of which sport is tougher...it's horses for courses. Hayne proved that even our best league players in terms of athleticism are crap in the NFL...

Look at the recent studies of CTE in the NFL. Would be interesting to see more of that research done with league or union players.
 

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Defensive ends 'well over 150kg' would be useless lol. Average weight of a DE is around 260lbs, so 115ish kg. Defensive tackles and Offensive linemen aren't even well over 150kg, they're more around the 300-300lbs.

ShEli is tall, but not heavy he's still under 100 kegs. Big Ben from the Steelers is one of the bigger QB's and he's only just around 110kg



I don't think it's a case of which sport is tougher...it's horses for courses. Hayne proved that even our best league players in terms of athleticism are crap in the NFL...

Look at the recent studies of CTE in the NFL. Would be interesting to see more of that research done with league or union players.
Maybe but the top 15 heaviest players from lightest to heaviest start at 165Kgs... According to his stats manning is 6ft 5in which is roughly 195cm and he weighs 100kgs and he is 38!
Gotta say by my estimation (and I'm 120kgs and 185cm) the great majority of the linemen on both sides made me feel small. Maybe a "kasiano" scale they use.
 

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Maybe but the top 15 heaviest players from lightest to heaviest start at 165Kgs... According to his stats manning is 6ft 5in which is roughly 195cm and he weighs 100kgs and he is 38!
Gotta say by my estimation (and I'm 120kgs and 185cm) the great majority of the linemen on both sides made me feel small. Maybe a "kasiano" scale they use.
Those top 15 lists are the minority ;) Heaviest doesn't equal good in the NFL - look at last years Pro Bowl line-ups, heaviest OL was around 330lbs ;) Seen the Blind Side? "The ideal left tackle is big, but a lot of people are big. He is wide in the butt and massive in the thighs. He has long arms, giant hands and feet as quick as a hiccup" :grinning:

It still burns me that the Packers took Tony Mandarich with the second overall pick in 1989 because he was a massive OL/touted as the best ever OL prospect...and he was a massive bust. The other picks in the top 5 of that draft were Troy Aikman, Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas and Deion Sanders :confounded: all HOFers
 

Oatley Dog

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Those top 15 lists are the minority ;) Heaviest doesn't equal good in the NFL - look at last years Pro Bowl line-ups, heaviest OL was around 330lbs ;) Seen the Blind Side? "The ideal left tackle is big, but a lot of people are big. He is wide in the butt and massive in the thighs. He has long arms, giant hands and feet as quick as a hiccup" :grinning:

It still burns me that the Packers took Tony Mandarich with the second overall pick in 1989 because he was a massive OL/touted as the best ever OL prospect...and he was a massive bust. The other picks in the top 5 of that draft were Troy Aikman, Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas and Deion Sanders :confounded: all HOFers
I don't pretend to be an expert in the NFL although I have watched a few games over the years and enjoy the theatre, collision and strategy. My comments were more observational than quantified and on that basis these blokes are very big, very strong and very fast although not all in one person!!

I was trying to differentiate the NRL/NFL systems where the QB is the only general on the field whereas in league there is a whole spine who can fill that role. In NFL the QB plays a singular type role whereas in NRL our playmakers have multiple roles. Basically, my view is that there is nothing we can learn from them in terms of onfield activities but there is plenty we can learn off-field and I think that Des for one got that mixed up. I just hope Pay doesn't fall for it as well.
 
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