Thursday 19 October 2017 22:22, UK
Arizona Cardinals stars Larry Fitzgerald and Tyrann Mathieu are not ready to give up their pads and swap the NFL for a career in rugby union.
The Cardinals are in London preparing for the International Series clash with the Los Angeles Rams at Twickenham on Sunday, the first of two NFL games this season at the home of English rugby.
Arizona's players have been getting ready for their week seven clash in Sunbury, sharing the training base of Aviva Premiership team London Irish and getting a close look at some athletes from a very different sport, who use a lot less protective equipment.
Safety Mathieu is known as one of the hardest-hitting players in the NFL, but he said the lack of padding would definitely put him off having a go at rugby.
"I played sandlot football [youth football with no pads] a lot when I was growing up but we were 80 pounds back then," Mathieu said.
"I can't imagine someone 240lbs tackling me without any pads on - I'm pretty sure I would be on injured reserve!"
Fitzgerald is coming towards the end of what should be a Hall of Fame career as a wide receiver, and he appreciates what rugby players put themselves through every week.
The 34-year-old, who is closing on 15,000 regular season yards and has more than 100 touchdown catches, said: "Those guys have much better technique than we have.
"You see them tackle - they tackle proper, heads up, wrap and run. They have less issues than we do and we can learn a thing or two from the way they play."
