Will a woman play in the NFL someday?

[Deberg_1990]

Female will compete at regional combine for first time


The NFL debuted its regional scouting combine concept back in 2011. Ten cities this year hold a regional combine from January to March, with the best players going to a super-regional in Dallas in April.


The March 2-3 New Jersey regional will mark a first in the regional combine process: A female player will compete.

Lauren Silberman of New York City will participate as a kicker. A club soccer player at Wisconsin, Silberman has taken a different path than your average college kicker. She wrote a Master's thesis at MIT about how athletes use video games to enhance their own performance. She then founded a consulting company Double Play that helps athletes use video games for virtual training purposes.

"I was not aware that I was the first female registrant," Silberman told NFL.com on Tuesday. "I was actually hoping that the 2012 historical milestone rule, to allow women to play, would prompt more women to attend tryouts this year. But for me, what's important is to finally have a chance to fulfill my dreams by trying out to play in the world's most competitive football league."

Silberman, 28, will be competing against plenty of college kickers. (Greg "Legatron" Zuerlein was a success story from last year's regional combines.) She's the ultimate long shot in an event full of them. Her story reminds me of Albert Breer's piece on making the regional combines an American Idol-style buildup to the main NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

"The opportunity to attend this event could not be more exciting. Getting to meet interesting people and perfect my technique from others could not be more rewarding. ... Regardless of the outcome of the tryout, I hope there is a way I can contribute and strengthen the league," Silberman said.

We wish Silberman all the best at her tryout and congratulate her on making some history.


http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap100...for-first-time

[hometeam]

**** no. You think any woman can take a ****ing hit from Patrick Willis? Get real! That's like saying WILL HOMETEAM EVER PLAY IN THE NFL? **** no, because he will get decimated, day 1, play 1, by a ****ing WR on special teams. And so will any woman.

[Canofbier]

Originally Posted by hometeam

**** no. You think any woman can take a ****ing hit from Patrick Willis? Get real! That's like saying WILL HOMETEAM EVER PLAY IN THE NFL? **** no, because he will get decimated, day 1, play 1, by a ****ing WR on special teams. And so will any woman.

Whatever. There are women who are mentally and physically tougher than most men; if they have the physical ability to match, I'd love to see them compete.

[hometeam]

Originally Posted by Canofbier

Whatever. There are women who are mentally and physically tougher than most men; if they have the physical ability to match, I'd love to see them compete.

I would love to see how many woman are physically tougher than an NFL player.

[thurman merman]

Originally Posted by Canofbier

Honestly, though, wouldn't it be pretty ****ing cool if a woman was able to be competitive in the NFL at any position at all?

No.

[ClevelandBronco]

Originally Posted by Canofbier

Whatever. There are women who are mentally and physically tougher than most men; if they have the physical ability to match, I'd love to see them compete.

Even if that's true, it hardly matters because most men don't play in the NFL. Just...y'know?...give it a rest.

[cosmo20002]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Will a woman play in the NFL someday?

Is sammich maker going to be an NFL position?

[Canofbier]

Originally Posted by hometeam

I would love to see how many woman are physically tougher than an NFL player.

Not many, but you could say the same about men. There's no doubt that, on average, men have an advantage in most of the physical aspects that are valued in football. However, there are plenty of players in the NFL (and more in college) that achieve success based on instinct and motivation. I have a hard time believing that there isn't a single woman out there that couldn't match the play of the average college football player and challenge for a spot on an NFL roster.

I doubt that you'd see women reaching truly elite status at most positions in the NFL due to physical differences, but there are some very impressive female athletes that have a number of desirable mental and physical traits that could be above-average in football. The best female athletes in the world compare very favorably to a large portion of players in the NFL, but they understandably make the choice to pursue a sport that they can truly be elite in rather than struggle to make the team. Because of that, it's just a matter of motivation. If you could get the best female athlete in the US to specialize in football, I have no doubt that they'd challenge for a spot on an NFL roster.

[cosmo20002]

Originally Posted by Canofbier

Not many, but you could say the same about men. There's no doubt that, on average, men have an advantage in most of the physical aspects that are valued in football. However, there are plenty of players in the NFL (and more in college) that achieve success based on instinct and motivation. I have a hard time believing that there isn't a single woman out there that couldn't match the play of the average college football player and challenge for a spot on an NFL roster.

I doubt that you'd see women reaching truly elite status at most positions in the NFL due to physical differences, but there are some very impressive female athletes that have a number of desirable mental and physical traits that could be above-average in football. The best female athletes in the world compare very favorably to a large portion of players in the NFL, but they understandably make the choice to pursue a sport that they can truly be elite in rather than struggle to make the team. Because of that, it's just a matter of motivation. If you could get the best female athlete in the US to specialize in football, I have no doubt that they'd challenge for a spot on an NFL roster.

No way. Kicker is the only shot, and even then it's really unlikely.

[Lumpy]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Yea, i could potentially see that as a problem. Guys wont play as physical against a girl...we are just wired that way.

That's not entirely true. In my teenage years, I played football with some pretty big guys and they didn't back down. Long story short... I got my ass kicked. I couldn't kick or block worth a shit, so I usually played WR and occasionally QB.

I suppose in the NFL it could be different though and some would "take it easy" on a female player. Who knows.

My view on it is simple... if a female thinks she can handle it and she's good enough to make the cut, let her play.

[J Diddy]

From 4 years of a qb that throws like a girl to a qb that is a girl. No thanks.

The can start the WNFL

[cosmo20002]

Originally Posted by Canofbier

Whatever. There are women who are mentally and physically tougher than most men; if they have the physical ability to match, I'd love to see them compete.

I think you are severely underestimating the speed + strength of just about any NFL player at just about any postion. The guys that suck? They are still faster and stronger than 98% of humans.

Those female Olympic sprinters that are absolutely ripped? No way they are stronger than a DB, WR or RB, and they might not even be as fast.

A female might be able to compete for accuracy in kicking short field goals, but are they strong enough to hit consistently from 40-50 yards. Doubt it.

[MVChiefFan]

There is no way on earth that any woman could play in the NFL and it's not even close. In fact, you could take the woman who would come the closest to it and put her in a division III college game and she would get killed. It always kills me when people have an inflated sense of women athletes! I know that sounds sexist but it's true.

[unnecessary drama]

obviously dudes are just WAY better athletes than girls but yeah...when a girl plays with us in pick up basketball or flag football I'm not going to block a girl or get physical with her in football...

be adults

[unnecessary drama]

In PE I ****ing PUMMELED a foreign exchange student in soccer accidentally and it was awful. I felt so bad.

[ClevelandBronco]

Originally Posted by Peyton's Princess

obviously dudes are just WAY better athletes than girls but yeah...when a girl plays with us in pick up basketball or flag football I'm not going to block a girl or get physical with her in football...

be adults

Yeah, but when a paycheck is involved, you knock her dick in the dirt and let the training staff clean up the mess and notify her next of kin.