re: 20 NFL players start the year suspended for PED use

They're bigger , faster, and stronger than any group of contact athletes in history. The game is now moving wider and wider from the center with bigger guys running in more space, and the schedule is calling for less and less rest between games. Things are giving (mainly connective tissue such as ligaments and tendons) due to their inability to keep up with the amount of power these guys generate. I think they are simply trying to keep up with the physical requirements of the sport.

I honestly think for long term survival of quality nfl games, players may need to scale back freakish size/strength/speed as well as the league cutting the number of games or lengthening recovery time.