Athletic Strength

14
Jan/090

How would starting lineman in American football stack up against speed and strength of a Neanderthal man?

or something like him? Linemen can bench 655 15-20 times, jump out of pools in a single bound. Some can run with speed and power or a train. I don't know how all of this equals out, but is modern athletic men who depend on power and speed able to match the physical specimens of days gone by? Please let me know your best consideration, I am just trying to learn. Thanks so much.

Interesting. Skeletal remains of the sub species of homo sapiens, Neanderthal, are almost 5 foot tall. The University of Oklahoma has a male neanderthal skeleton, that made him 5 feet 4 inches tall fleshed out. Neanderthal females were about 4 1/2 feet tall. They walked bent over, and so do offensive lineman. They were more ape like, than human. The neanderthals strength was upper body. The legs were ape like. Watch a chip and that will give you an idea of the speed and motion of a adult Neanderthal.
The arms were built for gripping and clamping down on. The head with the thick reinforced skull with protruding brow was a weapon. He had extremely massive neck and jaw muscles, which operated a mouth twice as big as a todays human with a jawbone of ripping and grinding teath. Neanderthal was mainly a scavenger eating other animals left overs. Neanderthal did become a hunter with stone weapons and spears. His best asset was still his head and jaw muscles, he would physically wrestle prey, then strangle or bite its throat out.
Man's average height did not go over 6 feet until the 20th Century. President Lincoln was 6' 4" at a time in the 1860's, when the average height for a man was 5' 4" to 5' 6". Havard and Cambridge have an on going study. In 1970 Americans were the tallest on earth at an average of 6' 3". They completed the 2010 study, and Americans average 5' 10". The tallest today are Norwegians at 6' 4" Germans 6' 3" Demark 6' 2" Americans are the 4th tallest today. The reason for man's growth is easy access to food. Neanderthal had to scavenge and hunt, and was starving most of the time.
NFL lineman are about 6' 6" 380 LBS. Neanderthal about 5' 160-180 LBS.
Speed probably a toss up. NFL lineman are not that fast today. Lineman of the past were actually faster in 40 yards. Chimps can actually move fairly fast.
Upper body strength would go to Neanderthal. He would latch on and clamp down.
Head, neck and jaw muscle strength no comparison...Neanderthall.
In battle Neanderthal would latch onto the lineman, and use his thick skull and head, until he got an openning, then would bite and ripe the offensive linemans throat out using his jaws and teeth. All battles for the Neandethal were to the death..his or his opponent.