Steroids in NFL question

[El Kabong]

Spot on match....in baseball the game is about the numbers, in football (for the majority of players) it's not about numbers or stats at all.

Offensive linemen don't usually get stats, defensive linemen can rack up sacks and tackles but the most important thing they do is keep the OL's off of the linebackers so they can get tackles.

Also there is a sense of getting lost on the field in football in regards to steroid use....someone might be on roids but they are going to have to be extremely good to effect a game by themselves. If an entire team uses then it's a totally different situation. There are 11 guys on each team and if 1 guy out of 22 is on the juice it's going to be difficult to tell....in baseball it's 1 on 1 pitcher vs batter.

[RP33]

Spot on match....in baseball the game is about the numbers, in football (for the majority of players) it's not about numbers or stats at all.

Offensive linemen don't usually get stats, defensive linemen can rack up sacks and tackles but the most important thing they do is keep the OL's off of the linebackers so they can get tackles.

Also there is a sense of getting lost on the field in football in regards to steroid use....someone might be on roids but they are going to have to be extremely good to effect a game by themselves. If an entire team uses then it's a totally different situation. There are 11 guys on each team and if 1 guy out of 22 is on the juice it's going to be difficult to tell....in baseball it's 1 on 1 pitcher vs batter.

Well put.. Baseball is a game of 1 on 1 matchups. Think of the pitchers who gave up homeruns to sosa, mcgwire, canseco, arod, bonds etc.. That increases their ERA, and it may give them a loss on their record personally. This is costing them money as a pitcher.

If a quarterback is on roids, the benefit isn't NEARLY the same as in baseball. Big deal, Manning would be able to throw 60 yards instead of 55.
If a lineman was taking roids it would actually make more of a difference than positions like DB, QB, WR. They would have more power in the trenches but everyone in the NFL on the line is huge anyway so even then you wouldn't have a huge advantage.

Not saying that the penalties shouldn't be comparably as strict but it's a completely different dynamic.

[El Kabong]

Well the pitchers (Clemens, Pettite, et al) might have been juiced too which would help THEIR stats as well.


In football there would be a bigger story if say Peyton Manning got busted for using steroids or Willie Parker or Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes just because those guys are in a position to score touchdowns and effect the game more....but usually it's just defensive players or offensive linemen or special teamers....Bill Romanowski, Lyle Alzado, and Shawne Merriman....all juicers and all on defense