M O N S T E R   H I T S

1. Big. Fast. Painful.
A DB weighs an average of 200 pounds and runs a 4.56-second 40. At impact he unleashes 1,600 pounds of force, according to Dr. Tim Gay, author of Football Physics: The Science of the Game. That’s like having a bowling ball dropped on you from the 10th floor.

2. Hard Landing
What happened to the greatest show on turf? It got safer. The Rams ditched concrete-hard AstroTurf for FieldTurf after an investigation by a local professor of emergency medicine determined that artificial surfaces increase the risk and severity of concussions.

3. Rocket Science
How does the body survive a blow packing more than half a ton of force? Pads and helmets are shaped to spread that impact over a larger area. Under the hard shell of pads, NASA-designed polyurethane memory foam absorbs the energy of a hit.

4. Bodies Go Snap!
According to a 2005 report, more than 50 percent of NFL players suffer injuries each year—including two out of every three defen-s­­ive backs. Players’ knees are most likely to ruin your fantasy lineup, accounting for nearly one out of every six injuries.

5. Protect the Jaw
While designing their RevolutionT helmet, Riddell found that 70 percent of the approximately 100 reported NFL concussions annually were caused by blows to the face, jaw, and the side of the head—not to the front or top, as had been thought.

6. Head Cases
Researchers at Virginia Tech concluded that college players take an average of 50 head shots a season, each with an average force of 40 Gs—the force of a boxer’s gloved wallop. The big hits came in at around 120 Gs—similar to a serious car crash.

7. Concussion Crisis
Does head trauma cause depression—even suicide—in later life? The NFL is spending $3 million to find out. The league is also establishing a hotline to help players blow the whistle on coaches who try to get them to play too soon after a concussion.

8. That Brain’s Moving
Your brain is surrounded by spinal fluid so it won’t bang into your skull. A concussion is when brain hits bone, busting nerve cells and blood vessels.