TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Gators' Woes A Matter Of Physics

ADVERTISEMENT

By ANDY STAPLES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 2, 2007

Updated: 10/02/2007 01:11 am

1. An object in a state of uniform motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by an external force.

2. Force equals mass multiplied by acceleration.

3. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

- Isaac Newton's laws of motion

GAINESVILLE - Clint McMillan and Javier Estopinan don't need to take a physics class to understand the three laws Isaac Newton presented in 1686. The pair, both senior defensive tackles at the University of Florida, know double teaming offensive linemen prefer to remain in motion, and they know how it feels to be the external force trying to stop that motion.

'Just imagine 600 pounds dropping on top of you,' McMillan said. 'That's pretty much how it feels.'

'It can feel,' Estopinan said, 'like one of those wrecking balls.'

Newton, who probably could have coached defensive line at the University of Cambridge had football existed in the 1680s, easily could determine how the Gators' defensive tackle situation has affected the entire defense. While they have been excellent at acting upon moving offensive linemen during run plays, they have rarely remained in a state of uniform motion toward the quarterback on passing plays. That has put more pressure on Florida's young secondary, which must cover receivers longer than usual.

But before you criticize, you need to first understand the forces at work on Estopinan, McMillan and their young backups. You might appreciate them more. You certainly will appreciate LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, the dominant external force the Gators will face Saturday in Baton Rouge, La.

In his book 'The Physics of Football,' University of Nebraska physics professor - and former California Institute of Technology offensive lineman - Timothy Gay calculates the kinetic energy produced by an NFL offensive line firing off the ball. Each player, Gay determined, produces as much energy as a bullet fired from a .357 magnum handgun.

Using Gay's calculation that a lineman comes off the ball at 8.3 feet per second and the formula for determining kinetic energy (k= 1/2 times mass times the square of velocity), it's possible to determine what Estopinan - who made two tackles for loss in Saturday's loss to Auburn - feels when the opposing center and guard slam into him to start a run play.

Essentially, two 300-pound linemen firing off for a double team drive block produce the same kinetic energy as a 2007 Ford Ranger (3,171 pounds) moving at 2.44 mph. Sound slow? Find a friend and ask him to drive his 2007 Ford Ranger toward you at 2.44 mph. Then fire off from a three-point stance and try to stop it so your linebacker can run past and tackle the tailback.

That calculation may explain why some consider LSU's Dorsey the nation's best overall player. He faces two offensive linemen on almost every play. Still, Dorsey has managed to compile 25 tackles and three sacks this season.

'Imagine what he could do one-on-one,' Tigers center Brett Helms told The Virginian Pilot last month. 'It's scary.'

So do Newton's laws take it easier on a defensive lineman when the offensive linemen back into pass-blocking stances? No, but at least impact doesn't feel like a wrecking ball or a pickup truck.

'If you stay low and you come off the ball and you beat them to the point of attack, it's so much easier,' Florida's Estopinan said. 'If you use your hands and get extension on the guy, there's nothing they can do. You're almost a cannonball.'

But if the pounding from run plays has fatigued a tackle, he might raise his pad level a few crucial inches. And because he doesn't know the snap count and his opponents do, they might catch him before he accelerates enough to produce the force to knock them backward. And because - in most cases - two 300-pound external forces with 450-pound bench presses act on one body in motion, the tackle must work that much harder to force the center and guard (or guard and tackle) toward the quarterback.

'Just work through the guard,' Estopinan said of his pass-play routine. 'Once you get off the guard, you have to work through the center. That's why you don't see a lot of nose tackles getting six, seven, eight, nine sacks in a season.'

That's also why Dorsey will be a multimillionaire after next year's NFL draft. Any man who can take on Isaac Newton and win deserves to get rich.

Reporter Andy Staples can be reached at (352) 262-3719 or astaples@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT