Does Football Protective Gear Really Slow Players Down?

Question
i always wondered for the wide receivers. does the shoulder pads and helmet and gear slow you down in the game. only for widereceivers. how much slower?

Answer
John
Pads don't slow down players very much - it is negligible, A fraction of a second.
At first players will feel restricted and weighed down given the padding and helmet. At first a player's speed can be effected by 1-2 seconds. With practice any speed that was lost is usually made up by players including WR while thy become used to it.  There is some speed loss but it is a fraction of a second and actual speed loss depends on the individual player as to how well he adapts to the uniform/padding.