#because i was a lineman right? he's my boy. i protect him every day.

[a-god-in-ruins-rises]

tbh that last ask reminded me...

[mychemicalficrecs]

Hiya! Not sure if you do this, but would you be able to suggest some non-ao3 finished frerard fics? It seems I've read ao3's entire collection 😅 Thank you so much, you're honestly my favourite blog on here xx

Thanks for your kind words, Nonny! And... congratz on reading the entire ao3 tag, there are a lot of works there :D

Frank/Gerard is such a popular ship that I was actually able to find quite a lot from outside ao3.

Non-AO3 Frank/Gerard

Thing-Thing by sinsense, 43k, NC-17. When Gerard signed the admissions paperwork for the Fordhaven School for Boys, he knew he was signing up for four years of sexual frustration. No one was gay at Fordhaven. Gerard was all-too-aware that he would be a virgin until he graduated. In his senior year, though, this stupid gay freshman disproves Fordhaven's straightness, and throws Gerard's entire world off-kilter. Now, in between drawing, avoiding bullies, running an incredibly serious tabletop RP game, failing out of math, and hanging out with friends, Gerard is also busy kind of falling for this asshole who's way too young for him. It's not what he planned on, but it's what's happening. In conclusion: high school sucks.

I Think I Thought (I Saw You Try) by thatsfinewithus, ~3,000, NC-17. Welcome to some weird AU world in which Gee only does awesome comics and Frank is a vampire.

They Came From Outer Jersey! by thatsfinewithus, 25k, R. New London Fire is an elite fringe government force assigned the task of protecting the earth from some of its more interesting threats: those from beyond the atmosphere or even the universe. They've handled dangerous cases before, but they've never seen anything like...ZOMBIES FROM SPACE. Vampires, long hunted in lore and legend, are now the earth's only saviors. There is little information as to who sent the creatures until Mikey Way, head of the NLF, finds out more by being abducted. Is it too late for him? Is it too late for the earth? Find out how six vampires, one government general, and one frustrated comic book artist save the earth in...THEY CAME FROM OUTER JERSEY!!

I never told you what I do for a living. by not0_fuckin_kay, 60k+, PG-13 to NC-17. Frank Iero, male nurse at Pete Wentz's private hospital and possibly more to one new patient he can't keep his eyes off of. When a new pateint is brought in with amnesia, just days before Christmas, and with nothing but the clothes on his back and a strange drawing, it's left to Frank to find out who he is and what happened to him. When he does, it changes Frank's life forever, as he's thrust into love and health scares he never thought would complicate his life. This is the story of how he tries to make it through, juggling his job and his love-life and just trying to make things better. With Patrick the doctor, Bob the ward supervisor, Travis the unlikely therapist, and Mikey, the sometimes wannabe homicidal geek.

Of All The Hidden Corners by moneyes, ~44K, PG-13. An epic, adventurous tale filled with alternate universes, lords, mischief, magical powers, snark, boyfriends, and luck of the bad kind.

All We Are by lightisbreaking, 21k, R. Set in the future, where humans are on the brink of evolution. For the select few born with a special awareness of their own minds - an awareness which gives them abilities beyond the norm, life is suddenly a very dangerous thing. Frightened of what this could mean, the government set out to make this new race of humans extinct, telling the public that these people are mentally unstable defectives and must be kept under observation for the safety of the public. All of this brings together a rather odd troupe of people, hiding from the government and eventually having to protect one of their own when he's taken into custody. Superpowers AU!

Tell Us a Story by bexless, imogenedisease, 32k, NC-17. The world as these kids know it is ending, and Gabe Saporta is throwing the party. High school AU based on the movie Can't Hardly Wait.

Stay Right Here by idktbh, swagneto, 28k, R. Frank is involved in an accident which renders him paralyzed from the waist down. When Frank begins to withdraw into himself, his relationship with Gerard crumbles and the band faces the hardest decision they'll ever make: whether to continue playing or not. This is a story about how MCR copes with the biggest obstacle of their career so far.

Return to Spirit Lake by inpurity, 22k, R. Gerard Way has left Spirit Lake when he was eighteen to study to become a veterinary surgeon, and with no intention of ever coming back. Twelve years later he is back, carrying secrets of a life spent away from his family and friends, and the weight of a dark, painful sorrow. His old home town has not changed, but his life, and the lives of the people he will meet along the way, will never be the same.

These Friday Night Lights by faux-disco-sins, 21k, PG-13. Gerard is the head cheerleader and wears the cheer skirt, Frank is on the football team, Pete is the school mascot, Ryan is the school’s hobo journalist, Jon does photography for the yearbook, Spencer and Patrick are in the marching band, Gabe and Ray are AV techs who do a ESPN spin-off for the school, Bob is the big scary lineman, and Mikey tries to fit in while ignoring the fact that his older brother is wearing a skirt in public.

Of Love And Superpowers by mcrnut, 20k, NC-17. Seventeen year old Frank Iero is in his last year at Mutant High. He has a couple of good friends, is doing okay in school and even though he has some issues with his Mother, life is pretty great. That is, until one day, when he overhears some of the professors talking about the well-known Anti-Mutant organization HSA and how they have already broken into two Mutant Academies and are heading their way. Frank and his friends have to stick their heads together and try to solve the mystery, and as if Frank didn't have enough to think about already, he finds himself falling for his friend's older brother, Gerard.

Cypress Grove by slashxyouxup, 24k+, NC17. My Chemical Romance fight off a town of sperm hoarding, men hating, PMSing maniac women in order to save themselves from certain doom! Also, Frank and Gerard get closer than close while pretending to not be completely in love with each other. Mikeyway is not amused.

Sleepwalker by lyrical_tragedy, 73k, NC-17. Frank Iero is one of the best cops in New Jersey so it’s only natural that his boss dumps a seemingly unsolvable case on him and his colleague Bob Bryar. With no leads whatsoever Frank enlists the help of Gerard Way, a reclusive young man who experiences strong visions and dreams of events from the past and visions of the future. However, none of them could ever begin to expect the terrifying chain of events that come into play once they delve deeper into the unknown, questioning Frank’s very beliefs on what the world actually holds. A story of visions, sacrifices, over protective brothers and love all in the midst of the attempted destruction of the world. The devil’s got your number and he will come calling, until it’s nothing more than hell on earth.

Patience Is A Virtue (You Might Be Good Looking, But You Can’t Sleep With Yourself Tonight) by eflorentino, 22k, NC-17. Frank Iero’s biggest hero is Gerard Way; the outspoken, obnoxious lead singer of the multi-platinum selling band My Chemical Romance. His world changes completely when he finds himself suddenly shoved into the limelight, playing sell-out shows every night and earning more than his usual $6 an hour. However, the infamously homophobic frontman isn’t what Frank expects, and after mixed signals and unsolved revelations he learns that, with Gerard Way, things are never simple.

But Nobody Cares If You're Losing Yourself by red_ones_fly, 16k, NC-17. It took me a while to work out that there was something wrong with Gerard, he kept it hidden well and, really, he didn’t even know something was wrong with him. To him it seemed like normal, everyday stuff. He never found any of his behaviour out of the ordinary. To him it was just reality.’ After Gerard's grandma passes away his behaviour becomes strange. He becomes less outgoing and more paranoid. As Frank tries to work out what’s going on with his friend/love interest, between school, learning psychology and dealing with the jocks, he doesn’t realise just how bad it is.

Parks and Recreation by vinvy, 35k+, PG-13. Gerard Way is an art school drop out with no prospects, student loans to pay off, and a dead end job. His mother works too hard and his little brother Mikey is keeping secrets. His boss runs shady contracts and smiles too much. It's nothing special and he tells himself that he'll learn to make peace with that- in the meantime he's got to carve out a living that doesn't involve artwork. Really, he's going to be okay. Then a crazy homeless kid comes along and screws up Gerard's Adventures in Normal Employment with his hippie magic and soulless eyes. Gerard can't shake the feeling that this guy "isn't quite right" but he's too busy fending off the freak accidents that are following him around to worry about that particular winged freak.

Empire Boys by noctecaelum, 30k, NC-17. In the city that never sleeps, it's tough to get your foot in the door. While Gabe Saporta may find it easy to blend into the socialite scene; Gerard Way spends his day blending eyeshadow at Bloomingdales. As newcomer Frank triumphs in Women's Lingerie, Gerard sparks a bitter rivalry in the vicinity of Lexington and 59th; but there's no use crying over spilt coffee because things are about to fire up. Meanwhile, on the Upper East Side, Gabe Saporta is none too pleased to read a socialite-bashing article, but when confronting the writer, he doesn't expect to meet fresh faced, pretty-boy William Beckett, who turns out to be the biggest tease this side of the Downtown Dunkin' Donuts.

The Evolution Index by theficisalie, 32k, NC-17. In a world where superpowers are just another thing that can get you sent to boarding school, Frank Iero and his friends know what it's like to operate under heavy levels of stress. After all, they did spend their formative years under the wings of the United States Government's most widespread and successful initiatives; a program that was created to protect and train young Americans with superpowers to become functioning members of society. And, as a side-benefit, the government realized that not only were telepaths great at taking drink orders, but they could also be trained to be highly successful secret agents. Under the guidance of Frank's volatile and (literally) power-hungry boyfriend Gerard Way; Frank, Mikey Way, and Ray Toro are an accomplished team of super spies. When a handful of people from Frank's sordid past crop up during an investigation of rash Superhuman disappearances across the country, the team finds themselves challenged both on and off the field as they fight to solve the mysteries plaguing their beloved nation. Frank knows all too much about uncovering things that he'd rather keep hidden, but can he and his team unravel the intricate web of crime and kidnapping surrounding Chicago without losing themselves in the process?

A Good Ocean Gone Wrong by xoxxblitz7, 32k, NC-17. Titanic AU - The Way's are one of the richest families in America and sometimes being an artist requires the need to travel. On the doomed maiden voyage of Titanic old friends are found, new love is formed and put to the test and the most luxurious crossing of the Atlantic ocean becomes a fight for survival.

A Fanfiction (In Which Gerard Has A Secret Stash of Star Wars Fanfiction) by sparklefap, 10k, R. Frank finds Gerard's bizarrely erotic Star Wars fanfiction, and is both disturbed and aroused by it. Those feelings won't do for Frank. He seeks revenge.

[junker-town]

An NFL player’s guide for the right (and wrong) time to hurdle

Ezekiel Elliott and Todd Gurley are two of the NFL’s best hurdlers. | Credit: Getty Images / SB Nation illustration

NFL players aren’t going to stop hurdling, but hopefully they take these suggestions into consideration.

Hurdling is both an exciting and terrifying aspect of football. When hurdling another player actually works, it’s awesome. But when it goes poorly, it’s embarrassing, and worse, it can lead to an injury.

Hurdling has been a go-to highlight move for years, but recently it seems to that more and more players are doing it in the NFL.

That doesn’t mean every player should attempt it during a game. Luckily, we put together a handy guide to help.

Hurdle if you have the genes to do so

Case in point: Ezekiel Elliott

Elliott was drafted by Dallas fourth overall in 2016, and led the NFL in rushing twice in his first three seasons. His production over the last few years has made him worthy of being considered one of the NFL’s best backs.

Doing things like this certainly helps that reputation. Elliott absolutely destroyed Eagles cornerback Tre Sullivan during a Sunday Night Football game in 2018:

Zeke, this man has a family pic.twitter.com/K6GRcEvZaM

— Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) November 12, 2018

That is absolutely perfect form: he clears the defender with ease and lands his feet and body forward so he can keep barreling downfield.

“Zeke says if these guys are gonna go low, I have to be able to show them that I’m gonna go over the top of them by hurdling ‘em,” said Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett in NFL Films’ The Hurdle.

He also had this hurdle against the Bears in 2016, during which he was airborne for a solid three years:

This isn’t a new move for Zeke whatsoever. He also did it at Ohio State:

Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

Part of the reason Zeke can hurdle like this is that it’s literally in his genes — he hurdled in high school, and his mother, Dawn, was an all-conference track star at Missouri. His sister Lailah is a sophomore on OSU’s track team, where she runs hurdles, too. His other sister Aaliyah ran track and hurdles in Missouri as well.

It runs in the family... (Photo cred @pj844) pic.twitter.com/ipmTwuWRBC

— Momma, Mom & Mommy (@itz_mizdee) November 12, 2018

Not all running backs agree with his decisions to go jump over defenders, though:

“He better stop that,” said Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett in 2017 via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “That’s one thing that I don’t like. When you get airborne, you’re at the mercy of the hit, and sometimes you can’t protect yourself.”

Dorsett disagrees with Zeke hurdling, but genes don’t lie.

Hurdle if you’ve ever won a state championship in the event

Case in point: Todd Gurley

The Los Angeles Rams running back is a freak of nature, and he could probably hurdle in every single game if he wanted to. One of his best hurdles came during a 2017 game against Washington when Gurley jumped over D.J. Swearinger like it was nothing:

“You don’t really ever teach a guy — that’s not something that you coach,” said Rams head coach Sean McVay via The Hurdle. “I think certain guys, they just kind of have had to feel how to control their body and really since they were younger kids.”

Gurley does this type of thing a lot:

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

A good reason Gurley is so good at this? He won a hurdling state championship in high school in North Carolina, setting school records in the 110 and 300 meters. Gurley’s high school track coach, Andrew Harding, thought Gurley was a good enough hurdler to win a gold medal in the event.

“That’s how talented he was,” Harding told ESPN in 2017. “I really do believe he could have been that. I don’t make that comment with just about anybody, but Todd was that gifted.”

Like Zeke, Gurley hurdled in college, too:

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Although Gurley hasn’t gotten injured from hurdling, he realizes the risks that are involved.

“One day, it’s probably going to end bad,” Gurley said on ESPN’s Undisputed in 2018. “Until then, I’m going to keep jumping. For the most part, it’s more DBs. Most DBs are not going to hit a running back high, especially if they’re going 100 miles per hour fast at them. It’s kind of just a reaction and for the most part, it’s been working.”

Hurdle if you’re 6’5 and have impressive athleticism

Case in point: Josh Allen

The Bills’ first-round draft pick made his second career start on the road against the Minnesota Vikings in 2018. He finished with 39 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, including this amazing hurdle over the Vikings’ Anthony Barr for a first down:

This just in: Josh Allen has ups!#BUFvsMIN #GoBills pic.twitter.com/xv6cxtKu2h

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) September 23, 2018

“I was trusting my feet, trusting my gut,” Allen told ESPN after the game. “There was a guy who was maybe three yards in front of the sticks. I knew we needed a first down there and we went on to score on that drive. It was a big play, but it was just another first down.”

This type of play coming from Allen might’ve been unexpected coming from a quarterback. But as Adam Stites pointed out, Allen’s athleticism shouldn’t be too surprising:

He had above-average results in just about every drill at the NFL Combine, including his 4.75-second 40-yard dash, 33.5-inch vertical, and 119-inch broad jump. But other quarterbacks have put up similar numbers and never looked good on a football field.

Those who want the Bills’ franchise QB to stay healthy might not want him to hurdle and risk injury, but it’s pretty awesome that Allen is able to do this in the first place.

Hurdle if you have ridiculously strong, tree-trunk like legs

Case in point: Saquon Barkley

The former No. 2 overall draft pick made a name for himself in college, where he finished as Penn State’s all-time rushing touchdown (43) and total touchdown (53) leader. But he was powerful off the field, too. Back in 2017, Barkley broke a Penn State weightlifting record when he did this:

Penn State Strong! Barkley 405lbs Power Clean pic.twitter.com/1LnAEYqy73

— Iron Lions (@IronLions1) June 29, 2017

Barkley’s thighs are so jacked we once came up with 20 nicknames for them. His speed and athleticism for his size is quite the combo. At the combine, he checked in at 6’0, 233 pounds, and still managed to run a 4.4 40-yard dash with a 4.24 shuttle and 41-inch vertical leap. During Barkley’s rookie season with the New York Giants, he rushed for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns, and was selected to the Pro Bowl.

During that same rookie season, he hurdled over dudes like Malcolm Jenkins with ease:

Best 9-yard run you'll ever see? @Saquon #PHIvsNYG : @nflnetwork + @NFLonFOX + : https://t.co/DJUityQHC9 pic.twitter.com/fbSXGmIRo4

— NFL (@NFL) October 12, 2018

To avoid risking injury, Barkley may not hurdle in the future all too often, but it’s certainly fun to see when he does it.

Hurdle if you can make a pass rush play

Case in point: Seattle linebacker Mychal Kendricks

The eight-year NFL veteran suffered a knee injury in December 2018 that sidelined him for the rest of the season, but he’s fully healthy for Seattle this season. So healthy, in fact, that he freaking hurdled Ravens running back Mark Ingram while trying to pressure Lamar Jackson:

Mychal Kendricks with the pass rush hurdle @MychalKendricks pic.twitter.com/TLKNlD18ie

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) October 20, 2019

Granted, Ingram was probably a lot easier to hurdle than, say, an opposing offensive lineman, but Kendricks made a good decision here since he was able to get to Jackson afterward.

Hurdle if you’re an ageless wonder

Case in point: Vernon Davis

During his NFL Combine, Davis ran a 4.38 40-yard-dash — part of the reason he was the No. 6 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2006, the fourth-highest tight end selected in draft history.

Incredibly, Davis has been able to maintain a 14-year NFL career, which is double the average league career length. At 35 years old, his style of play hasn’t slowed down one bit. During a 2019 game against the Eagles, he showed off this hurdle:

What’s even more impressive is that he scored a 48-yard touchdown after making this leap!

I’m just saying, I don’t know many 35-year-olds who can hurdle like this.

Don’t hurdle if you’re a tight end born after 1996

Making mistakes when you’re still a young player is part of the game of football. That’s been evident with tight ends, who have made incredibly poor decisions to hurdle in games, especially in 2019.

Case in point: Ravens TE Mark Andrews

The 23-year old Andrews tried hurdling against the Cincinnati Bengals and well, he ended up fumbling the football because of it:

Some things are just a little too ambitious...#CINvsBAL | #SeizeTheDEY pic.twitter.com/8Y41z7ROqY

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 13, 2019

But even after the game Andrews admitted he isn’t ruling out hurdling completely in the future.

“I’m not going to stop being me, being an aggressive player,” Andrews said via Penn Live. “It wasn’t anything they did. I hit the ball out with my own knee, and I gotta be better than that. I can’t do that to my team. That’s not acceptable.”

Case in point: Buffalo Bills TE Dawson Knox

Knox was selected by the Bills out of Ole Miss in the third round of the draft. Call it a rookie mistake, but Knox made an equally ill-advised decision to hurdle against the Titans:

O U C H (via @thecheckdown)pic.twitter.com/YCCLrDyOt0

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 6, 2019

The best part in this video is the announcer going “Mm!” during the replay because yeah, ouch.

Case in point: Lions TE T.J. Hockenson

Hockenson — a former Iowa Hawkeye and Detroit’s first-round draft pick — made a bad he had this scary hurdle attempt against the Kansas City Chiefs:

The hurdling phenomenon may have just come to an end. TJ Hockenson is hurt after this play pic.twitter.com/Dv4pGGCD5W

— Jordan Dajani (@JordanDajani) September 29, 2019

What’s worse is that Hockenson actually got hurt on this attempted hurdle, and had to get carted off the field after the play.

Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images

He was in the concussion protocol for a couple weeks because of this injury, too. But like the Ravens’ Andrews, Hockenson isn’t completely ruling out hurdling in the future:

“Nah, I’m going to go out there and play the game,” Hockenson said when asked if he’d stop attempting to hurdle. “I’m not worried about anything else. I’m just going out there to play the game, whether that opportunity presents itself or not. I’m not going to change anything based on one thing.”

Don’t hurdle if it’s illegal

Case in point: Hurdling over linemen to try and block kicks

In 2017, the NFL banned defenders leaping over linemen to block kicks. It’s a pretty tragic rule change, because at its best it produced beautiful block plays like this one:

That’s former Seahawks DB Kam Chancellor hurdling against the Panthers in the playoffs in 2014. This particular block didn’t count (Chancellor ran into the kicker after the hurdle), but it was still an amazing attempt.

Here’s what the NFL rulebook says about leaping now:

Running forward and leaping across the line of scrimmage in an obvious attempt to block a field goal or Try Kick, or apparent kick, unless the leaping player was in a stationary position within one yard of the line of scrimmage when the ball was snapped. A player who is more than one yard behind the line of scrimmage before or at the snap, may run forward and leap, provided he does not cross the line of scrimmage or land on players.

That doesn’t mean players haven’t tried. During a 2018 game between the Seahawks and Vikings, Bobby Wagner used his teammates to jump over the line to block a kick:

Bobby Wagner is a freak pic.twitter.com/tIA4EMxDha

— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) December 11, 2018

The refs should have called a penalty on the play since you aren’t allowed to use your teammates for leverage, but they didn’t throw a flag. So Wagner got away with one there.

There are obvious concerns with hurdling linemen, and the first one being safety.

Don’t hurdle if you’re playing in a dang preseason game

Case in point: Reggie Bush

During an August 2015 game between the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos, the then-49ers running back Bush attempted to hurdle five-time Pro Bowl corner Aqib Talib. Let’s just say it did not go ideally:

First of all, to address Bush’s decision to hurdle: this is absolutely terrible, especially given how low Bush still was to the ground. Bush was lucky he didn’t get hurt here, as Niners Nation pointed out at the time.

Bush, at least, could laugh at himself after the game:

Lol damn did it look that bad on TV? All I could do was laugh at myself! #iwasntready… https://t.co/M9Lb0ABloi

— Reggie Bush (@ReggieBush) August 30, 2015

Glad Bush found the humor in this, but just a bad idea all around here.

As you can see, there’s a very thin line between being a highlight and a blooper when it comes to hurdling.

What side of that line you might end up on might be a bit difficult to gauge in the middle of a play, but hopefully this guide helps. While NFL players aren’t going to stop hurdling completely, they can certainly take these suggestions into consideration.

[junker-town]

Football's next generation isn't as worried about concussions as you might think

We asked high school football players how they feel about concussions. Some players are worried, but plenty aren't.

In January, Bo Jackson told USA Today that he never would have played football “if I knew back then what I know now” about head injuries. Jackson was a Superman athlete, and he wanted his kids to be athletes in literally any other sport.

“Even though I love the sport, I’d smack them in the mouth if they said they wanted to play football,” Jackson told the newspaper. “I’d tell them, 'Play baseball, basketball, soccer, golf, just anything but football.’”

It’s a familiar refrain among players and ex-players over the last few years. Brett Favre doesn’t have a son but would be “leery” of him playing football if he did. Troy Aikman doesn’t know “that I’d be real inclined” to have a 10-year-old son play. Longtime NFL linebacker Bart Scott was as succinct as anyone when, in 2012, he said he played football so his son wouldn’t have to.

High school football remains a force. There are more than a million high schoolers playing football in the United States in a given year. We can’t know how all of them feel about head injuries, but we can guess that they feel differently from older players who are now leaving the game.

SB Nation interviewed dozens of players who are just embarking on their football careers at camps this spring, in the hope that we could get a sense of the range of opinions among them. Here’s what we learned.

The players seemed, for the most part, not worried

Alex Kirshner - SB Nation

“I think football's kind of getting soft a little bit, to be honest.” - Jackson Carman, five-star offensive tackle

I don’t really keep up with the helmets and the gear and whatnot. But everyone’s like, ‘Ah, you know, we got the [Riddell Revolution Speed helmet], so we’re good.’ But a lot of the guys in our locker room, they’ll just say, ‘Oh, I don’t do the keep-the-head-up thing when I tackle. I wanna put his head in the chest,’ and those are what farm boys from Kentucky do anyway.

— Drew Zaubi, Crestwood, Ky., quarterback in a wing-T, run-heavy offense, Class of 2018

Some players said concussions aren’t a popular topic in their high school locker rooms.

I think football's kind of getting soft a little bit, to be honest. Football wouldn't be football without the elements that make it football, which is physicality, hitting, explosiveness, and I think a lot of the new rules take away from that. Of course it's to protect people, but that's the risk you take being out here on the gridiron.

— Jackson Carman, Fairfield, Ohio, 2018's top-rated offensive tackle

If I’m coming across the middle on a slant or something, if I’m thinking about that, I’m not thinking about catching the ball, you know? It never really crosses my mind before, during, or after a play.

— Cade Musser, Saint Joseph, Mo., slot receiver, Class of 2018

Four-star St. Louis defensive end Trevor Trout thinks concussions are “easily preventable” if players “take care.” But even if they don’t, there’s still football to be played.

If I have a serious concussion, and I know my team needs me that day, I know I’m going to take limited snaps to the head, but I’m going to play.

— Trevor Trout, St. Louis, defensive end, Class of 2018

Many players think they can do a fine job protecting themselves

How does a player protect himself? The most obvious answer is to wear a mouthpiece and a helmet with appropriate padding on the inside, to keep your head up, only hit what you can see, and don’t lead with your head.

We don’t really talk about it that much, just because you don’t want it to happen, especially. I started football in seventh grade. I started late, just for my head injuries — not that I’ve had any — but just to protect myself from more, because some kids are starting in third grade. It’s never been a huge issue for me because I’ve got myself protected.

— Aidan Hutchinson, Dearborn, Mich., Four-star defensive end committed to Michigan, Class of 2018

Trust in a good helmet is a common thread.

We get our helmets redone every two years. It’s still a big problem, but it happens to everybody. If it happens, it just happens.

— Chris Tyree, Chester, Va., running back, Class of 2020

I take pride in training on my neck, because the neck is most important. The stronger your neck is, the bigger it is — it doesn’t prevent it — but the least likely it is to have a concussion. So when I go in for a tackle, I really don’t worry about it.

— Juan Wallace, Washington, D.C., three-star linebacker, Class of 2018

In the weight room, we try to build up our necks, because that reduces the impact and it can prevent concussions.

— Logan Lee, Orion, Ill., tight end, Class of 2019

Elijah Collins, a three-star running back, said he thinks about concussions regularly, and he and his coaches talk about head injuries often.

It’s the way the game is played. Most people who get those injuries are playing the game the wrong way, improper, and leading with their heads and things like that. If you play the game the right way, you should be avoiding things like that.

— Elijah Collins, Detroit, three-star running back, Class of 2018

To avoid serious head injuries, many players take a proactive approach.

Actually, I think that we as linemen, especially offensive linemen, I feel like we have the lowest concussion rate, you know what I mean? I feel like DBs, linebackers, safeties, those are the guys that are running across the middle head-butting guys. If you have the right technique, at least, I feel like you definitely have a low concussion rate as an offensive lineman, if you know what you’re doing.

— Josh Jefferson, Washington, D.C., three-star center, Class of 2018

If a DB almost did hit me like that, I could tell him, ‘Watch out.’

— Quinton Gregory, Virginia Beach, Va., wide receiver, Class of 2020

Some players are worried, while some would rather not think about concussions at all

Alex Kirshner - SB Nation

“If you got the yards, man, step out of bounds. Fight to live another day.” - L’Christian Smith, four-star wide receiver

I try not to talk about it. I don’t wanna think about it, because it’s gruesome; it’s bad. It happens to everybody. It happens all the time, but you just have to be safe.

— Jebril Murray, Mechanicsville, Va., wide receiver, Class of 2018

I kind of worry about it. I kind of didn’t worry about it last year, my sophomore year, because I thought, like, ‘I can’t be tackled.’ But now that I sit down and think about it and see the injuries that happened on my team, I kind of gave it a second thought.

— Joseph Scates, Dayton, Ohio, four-star wide receiver, Class of 2018

L’Christian Smith, a four-star Ohio receiver, says the topic “comes up all the time.” He takes part in a two-day session on hitting and player safety at the start of each season.

As a wide receiver, we really don’t get hit that much. I mean, we get hit, but not like the running backs or the guys in the trenches. But that one time, that’s all it takes, so it’s just all about playing safe and not doing extra. If you got the yards, man, step out of bounds. Fight to live another day.

— L’Christian Smith, Dayton, Ohio, four-star wide receiver, Class of 2018

To whatever extent head injuries change football, this generation of players will live through it

It’s not clear how much change will come, or when, however. The NFL has adopted a concussion protocol that is susceptible to fake-outs by players who don’t want to sit. College conferences have their own protocols — there’s no NCAA-wide rule about handling concussions, but the organization has a “best practices” guide. The National Federation of State High School Associations has “suggested guidelines,” but it doesn’t make policy. Different teams may have different rules at any level of the game.

That’s the state of play: NFL teams working within a flawed system, college teams under a patchwork of rules sort of overseen by conferences, and high school teams going off suggestions from local sports governing bodies and their own intuitions. That’s a lot of real estate for any reform to cover.

Maybe there will be fewer players one day if parents like Bo Jackson pull their kids away from the sport. Enrollment in the high school game has fallen in this decade — 27.7 percent among players aged 6-14 — though it rebounded somewhat in 2015.

But football players will still be football players ...

I don’t ever have that creep into my mind, because I don’t wanna play scared or be worried about getting injured. I’ve never had a concussion, so I guess if I had one, that might change my thought about it.

— Cade Musser, Saint Joseph, Mo., a 5’9 slot receiver

... making blocks, running routes, or throwing tight spirals will always be foremost on their minds.

[junker-town]

Chargers draft pick Forrest Lamp was a man among boys at Western Kentucky. He’ll be right at home in the NFL

He dominated the competition in college at WKU, including Alabama. Retired NFL defensive end Stephen White says he’s got the makings of a very good NFL blocker.

Update: The Chargers drafted Lamp with the 38th pick.

I'm going to just cut to the chase when it comes to Western Kentucky left tackle Forrest Lamp. We all know that he didn't play against a lot of top-notch edge rushers in college. Out of the five games I watched, the only team that had players who actually challenged Lamp was Alabama.

The other four games, for the most part, he looked like a man against boys.

Half the time those guys looked like they weren't supposed to be on the same field as Lamp. He was like the big-for-his-age kid in Pop Warner football who the league officials say can't play because it would be unfair.

In those other four games, by my count, he was beaten just three times in one-on-one pass-rush situations. Which isn't to say he gave up three sacks, but rather that the guy beat him with a move, whether he made it to the quarterback or not.

Even the play where Lamp did give up a sack was one where he started off doing well.

To my eye it looks like he relaxed because he thought the ball was thrown and also because he was probably bored from blocking the shit out of that guy all day long for the second time last season. Not excusing it, but I'm not exactly going to kill the guy about it either.

I could show you play, after play, after play, after play, of Lamp just owning cats in those other four games, but really, why waste everybody's time? I mean, if that's what y’all want, sure I could do that, but it really doesn't prove anything. A projected first-round left tackle is supposed to whup up on the likes of Louisiana Tech, MTSU, and Memphis State (I grew up in Memphis when it was Memphis State and we spanked that ass when I was in college, so it’s going to be Memphis State to me ’til the day I die)! That's not going to tell me a whole lot.

I mean, he was so much better than the rest of his teammates on that offensive line that his quarterback literally tried to hide behind him one time.

The plot twist is that it worked!

Yeah, I could point out Lamp owning this guy with the shitty spin move, but I was too busy critiquing the shitty spin move tbh.

What am I supposed to do with that?

So let's just focus on that Alabama game and be done with it.

Against Alabama, Lamp had what I would describe as 17 money plays.

That is to say on those 17 plays Lamp was either going against a very good player and or he made a very good block against a the National Championship runners-up.

I watched Lamp against the likes of Jonathan Allen ...

Tim Williams ...

and Ryan Anderson.

Those are three very different, very good edge players.

Not only was he not intimidated by those guys who may all go in the first two days of the draft, but he gave as good as he got several times.

And I'm not talking about Lamp just as a pass blocker in that game. He also had some outstanding run blocks against Alabama.

If you could somehow focus solely on Lamp and were able to block out his teammates getting their asses kicked all around him, it was readily apparent that Lamp was not outclassed at all. In fact, he looked like he belonged in the SEC, so to speak.

I'm going to take a break here and let some of y’all vent about SEC bias and how the SEC is overrated.

...

...

OK, got that out your system?

Good, because like. I. said. Lamp looked every bit like a standout SEC offensive lineman that day. Even Allen, who I'm a huge fan of, didn't have much success against Lamp, either.

Lamp did not give up a single pressure against Alabama in a one-on-one blocking situation as far as I can tell.

There were a few plays where it looked like either Lamp or somebody else busted the protection against the blitz, but since there is no way for me to know for sure whether it was Lamp's bust or not, I am not going to make a judgment on those plays.

And there was another play where he had Allen pretty well handled, but Lamp's quarterback had to scramble to the offense's left to try to avoid pressure from one of Allen's teammates and Allen ended up hustling to get a half sack on the play.

Again, I'm not holding Lamp responsible for that. He had Allen under control until the quarterback scrambled.

Lamp got beat in a one-on-one pass-blocking situation one time all game, but the quarterback was already scrambling away from his side that time so Williams didn't sniff him.

As I kept re-watching this game as simply as I can put it, against a trio of probably NFL draft picks, Lamp looked like he belonged.

Lamp had to know that that game was his one opportunity to really show what he could do against top-notch competition, and under the bright lights with all eyes on him, that kid brought his friggin’ A game.

Now, as far as the other four games, I only had like three concerns.

1) When I first started researching Lamp, I saw that he was projected as a guard, but watching his film he looked pretty good against those Bama edge rushers (as well as everybody else), so maybe he could spend some time at tackle in a pinch. But then I saw that while he was pretty athletic and he had 34 reps of 225, he was also only 6'3 and 2/3 with arms that are only 32.5 inches long, that started to make a little more sense to me.

And if you really want to nitpick, Lamp didn't always look really smooth with his kick step, whether he was effective as a blocker or not. You can get away with blocking edge rushers with poor feet in college, not so much in the pros.

Ask Ereck Flowers about it.

Sticking him inside at guard means just by alignment he will always have someone inside and outside of him who, even if just by being in the way, will ensure a defensive tackle normally won't have as much space to rush as an edge rusher would against a left tackle.

And with him already being a pretty good pass blocker in college, despite his not-always-great feet, I think he should do pretty well as a pass blocker at guard from day one.

2) The effort on Lamp's run blocking at times appeared to be inconsistent.

Some plays he looked like a beast.

Other plays not so much.

It wasn't a huge deal, but if he can be more consistent with his effort as a run blocker, I think Lamp has a good chance of being special at guard.

3) I am not sure I've ever seen an offensive line run 5 or more yards down the field time after time, after time, after time, and not block a soul.

I mean he looked good running, though. Good form and everything. Pumping his arms and he had the high knees going.

Then whiiiiff.

How do you get that far down the field and don't block nobody?!

I don't imagine that he will have to do much of that as a guard, but that is just a pet peeve of mine with offensive linemen. If you get 5 or more yards downfield, at least pinch somebody!

I mean it happened eight times, I just don't get it.

On the flip side, one of the more impressive things I saw Lamp do consistently was pull outside and then cut one of the linebackers who were coming from the inside.

Not only did he show off his athleticism on those kinds of plays, but also his violent tendencies as well.

There is a ton to like about Forrest Lamp. He almost definitely will end up inside as a guard, but I think he has a ton of potential to step right in and be at least good from day one, working his way up to dominant in three years or so.

Drafting a guard in the first round is a little tricky, because some folks don't feel like they are worth enough for that. But if you have a need there and Lamp is the best player available on your board, you take that chance because these days you need your offensive line to be as strong up the middle as they are on the edges, if not stronger.

I don't think the team that selects Lamp, no matter where he goes, will live to regret it, barring major injuries.

Since I don't have access to all-22 for college football games I use the next-best thing for my draft profiles and go to Draft Breakdown where they the TV copy of a bunch of top prospects already cut up and ready to go. Also their site is compatible with the new NoHuddle app, which turns your cell phone into a "cowboy clicker," which is pretty damn neat. For the purposes of this breakdown I watched Western Kentucky left tackle Forrest Lamp against Alabama, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee State, Louisiana Tech again, and Memphis. Those represented the second, sixth, seventh, 13th, and 14th games on Western Kentucky's schedule last season, respectively.

[junker-town]

Forrest Lamp was a man among boys at Western Kentucky. He’ll be right at home in the NFL

The WKU dominated the competition in college, including Alabama. Retired NFL defensive end Stephen White says he’s got the makings of a very good NFL blocker.

I'm going to just cut to the chase when it comes to Western Kentucky left tackle Forrest Lamp. We all know that he didn't play against a lot of top notch edge rushers in college. Out of the five games I watched the only team that had players who actually challenged Lamp was Alabama.

The other four games, for the most part, he looked like a man against boys.

Half the time those guys looked like they weren't supposed to be on the same field as Lamp. He was like the big-for-his-age kid in Pop Warner football who the league officials say can't play because it would be unfair.

In those other four games, by my count, he was beaten just three times in one on one pass rush situations. Which isn't to say he gave up three sacks, but rather that the guy beat him with a move, whether he made it to the quarterback or not.

Even the play where Lamp did give up a sack was one where he started off doing well.

To my eye it looks like he relaxed because he thought the ball was thrown and also because he was probably bored from block the shit out of that guy all day long for the second time last season. Not excusing it, but I'm not exactly going to kill the guy about it either.

I could show you play, after play, after play, after play, of Lamp just owning cats in those other four games, but really why waste everybody's time? I mean, if that's what y’all want, sure I could do that, but it really doesn't prove anything. A projected first-round left tackle is supposed to whup up on the likes of Louisiana Tech, MTSU, and Memphis State (I grew up in Memphis when it was Memphis State and we spanked that ass when I was in college so it’s going to be Memphis State to me till the day I die)! That's not going to tell me a whole lot.

I mean he was so much better than the rest of his teammates on that offensive line that his quarterback literally tried to hid behind him one time.

The plot twist is that it worked!

Yeah, I could point out Lamp owning this guy with the shitty spin move, but I was too busy critiquing the shitty spin move tbh.

What am I supposed to do with that?

So let's just focus on that Alabama game and be done with it.

Against Alabama Lamp had what I would describe is 17 money plays.

That is to say on those 17 plays Lamp was either going against a very good player and or he made a very good block against a the National Championship runner ups.

I watched Lamp against the likes of Jonathan Allen ...

Tim Williams ...

and Ryan Anderson.

Those are three very different, very good edge players.

Not only was he not intimidated by those guys who may all go in the first two days of the draft, but he gave as good as he got several times.

And I'm not talk about Lamp just as a pass blocker in that game. He also had some outstanding run blocks against Alabama, too.

If you could somehow focus solely on Lamp and were able to block out his teammates getting their asses kicked all around him, it was readily apparent that Lamp was not outclassed at all. In fact, he looked like he belonged in the SEC, so to speak.

I'm going to take a break here and let some of yall vent about SEC bias and how the SEC is overrated.

...

...

Ok, got that out your system?

Good, because like. I. said. Lamp looked every bit like a standout SEC offensive lineman that day. Even Allen, who I'm a huge fan of, didn't have much success against Lamp, either.

Lamp did not give up a single pressure against Alabama in a one-on-one blocking situation as far as I can tell.

There were a few plays where it looked like either Lamp or somebody else busted the protection against the blitz, but since there is no way for me to know for sure whether it was Lamp's bust or not, I am not going to make a judgment on those plays.

And there was another play where he had Allen pretty well handled, but Lamp's quarterback had to scramble to the offense's left to try to avoid pressure from one of Allen's teammates and Allen ended up hustling to get a half a sack on the play.

Again, I'm not holding Lamp responsible for that. He had Allen under control until the quarterback scrambled.

Lamp got beat in a one-on-one pass blocking situation one time all game, but the quarterback was already scrambling away from his side that time so Williams didn't sniff him.

As I kept re-watching this game as simply as I can put it, against a trio of probably NFL draft picks, Lamp looked like he belonged.

Lamp had to know that that game was his one opportunity to really show what he could do against top notch competition, and under the bright lights with all eyes on him, that kid brought his friggin’ A game.

Now, as far as the other four games, I only had like three concerns.

1) When I first started researching Lamp, I saw that he was projected as a guard, but watching his film he looked pretty good against those Bama edge rushers (as well as everybody else), so maybe he could spend some time at tackle in a pinch. But then I saw that while he was pretty athletic and he had 34 reps of 225, he was also only 6'3 1/2 with arms that are only 32 1/4 inches long, that started to make a little more sense to me.

And if you really want to nitpick, Lamp didn't always look really smooth with his kick step, whether he was effective as a blocker or not. You can get away with blocking edge rushers with poor feet in college, not so much in the pros.

Ask Ereck Flowers about it.

Sticking him inside at guard means just by alignment he will always have someone inside and outside of him who, even if just by being in the way, will ensure a defensive tackle normally won't have as much space to rush as an edge rusher would against a left tackle.

And with him already being a pretty good pass blocker in college, despite his not always great feet, I think he should do pretty well as a pass blocker at guard from day one.

2) The effort on Lamp's run blocking at times appeared to be inconsistent.

Some plays he looked like a beast.

Other plays not so much.

It wasn't a huge deal, but if he can be more consistent with his effort as a run blocker, I think Lamp has a good chance of being special at guard.

3) I am not sure I've ever seen an offensive line run 5 or more yards down the field time after time, after time, after time, and not block a soul.

I mean he looked good running, though. Good form and everything. Pumping his arms and he had the high knees going.

Then whiiiiff.

How do you get that far down the field and don't block nobody?!

I don't imagine that he will have to do much of that as a guard, but that is just a pet peeve of mine with offensive linemen. If you get five or more yards downfield at least pinch somebody!

I mean it happened eight times, I just don't get it.

On the flip side, one of the more impressive things I saw Lamp do consistently was pull outside and then cut one of the linebackers who were coming from the inside.

Not only did he show off his athleticism on those kinds of plays, but also his violent tendencies as well.

There is a ton to like about Forrest Lamp. He almost definitely will end up inside as a guard, but I think he has a ton of potential to step right in and be at least good from day one, working his way up to dominant in three years or so.

Drafting a guard in the first round is a little tricky, because some folks don't feel like they are worth enough for that. But if you have a need there and Lamp is the best player available on your board you take that chance, because these days you need your offensive line to be as strong up the middle as they are on the edges, if not stronger.

I don't think the team that selects Lamp, no matter where he goes, will live to regret it, barring major injuries.

Since I don't have access to all-22 for college football games I use the next best thing for my draft profiles and go to Draft Breakdown where they the TV copy of a bunch of top prospects' already cut up and ready to go. Also their site is compatible with the new NoHuddle app which turns your cell phone into a "cowboy clicker" which is pretty damn neat. For the purposes of this breakdown I watched Western Kentucky left tackle Forrest Lamp against Alabama, La Tech, MTSU, La Tech again and Memphis State. Those represented the second, sixth, seventh, thirteenth games and fourteenth games on Western Kentucky's schedule last season, respectively.