Got no evidence that they are not. Not only are they up and down the sideline at times, they are on bikes. I don't think any of us are sitting through a game monitoring what all the player activity is on the sideline. The more they keep themselves moving and keep the muscles warm, the less tightening that will occur and the less need to "re-stretch".
Originally Posted by: PackFanWithTwins
Keeping muscles "warm" is not necessarily the same as stretching.
Riding the bike is a good warm-up for stretching; but can never be a substitute for actual stretching for extreme athletic activities. Physiology of stretching is way to complicated. EG. if your glutes are tight or fatigued it can cause problems in lower back and hamstrings. A routine needs to be established by a pro, and ADHERED to, that assures all muscles are in balance and well oxygenated. And I'm telling you if you are in tip top stretching shape at Noon, when the game starts, you will not be ready for full exertion at 3pm, late in 4th quarter, unless the muscles have remained oxygenated, relaxed and balanced.
Nerd has been harping on Hamstrings, rightly so, but this week we had at least 2 quad injuries. Though, they could have been from getting banged as well. BTW, Bahktierir's problem came when he did the splits in Seattle game. the quads may have been cause by game trauma and not a failure to stretch or hydrate. I'm guessing, but I'd think that too much focus on hamstrings could lead to quad pulls and strains.
And we have volumes of evidence indicating these guys are not stretching during the game. There is a legal doctrine Res ipsa loquitur. It was developed in 15th century England, when a worker, who was alone, was found dead in a wine cellar by a knock on the head and a barrel that was at one time on a rack above where the man laid was on the floor. The doctrine closed the gap to account for what no one could know for a 100% certainty,but it was damn probable; that is, the man was killed when the barrel rolled off the rack above his head.
Likewise, when we get 30-40-50 glimpses of full or partial sideline shots and no one is ever doing a toe touch or other stretching move. We dont have a video to monitor every move of every guy because Res ipsa loquitur allows us to conclude from what we do know that as a rule players are not straetcing during the game