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The NFL is finally pushing for its players to put their pads back on. More and more NFL players have been wearing less and less pads over the years in order to gain speed. I have even heard of some wide receivers and defensive backs going without knee pads and finding kid size shoulder pads just to be as sleek as possible. The NFL has let this go over the years but wants to turn back the clock in order to prevent injuries. I don't think they even understand how it creates these injuries. It is not that the player without the pads get hurt (though they do), but the fact that the players rely more and more on the helmet to use as the first thing to hit the other player with. It is called spearing. To prove this point, watch this video of Ronnie Lott in the 80's. He is probably the greatest "hitter" of all time. Look at the size of his shoulder pads! They are huge. And that is what he hit with - not his helmet. Zone in on around the 4 minute mark and you will see he is NOT spearing. The NFL needs to increase the size of players' shoulder pads and penalize much more those players who choose with the helmet (and get brain damage).