Posted on 10/18/2010 10:35:15 AM PDT by Mind Freed
NEW YORK -- The NFL could soon start suspending players for dangerous helmet-to-helment hits, vice president of football operations Ray Anderson told The Associated Press on Monday.
A day after several scary collisions in Sunday's games, Anderson acknowledged the league might need to do more than fining players to prevent such hits. "There's strong testimonial for looking readily at evaluating discipline, especially in the areas of egregious and elevated dangerous hits," he said in a phone interview. "Going forward there are certain hits that occurred that will be more susceptible to suspension. There are some that could bring suspensions for what are flagrant and egregious situations."
Anderson said the NFL could make changes in its approach immediately, with Commissioner Roger Goodell having the final say. League officials will consult with the union, but he didn't expect any opposition.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.espn.go.com ...
F=ma. The fact is players today are much bigger and much faster than before. So the only way is to limit the size and speed of players.
Give them leather helmets without face masks and this problem disappears.
A textbook example of the pitfalls of head-first tackles was this last weekend, when the Rutgers player made a head-first tackle on a kickoff and finds himself now paralyzed from the neck on down.
While mass certainly makes the hits harder the problem is the location, they’re banging heads and that’s not good. They know injuries are a part of the game and can never be eliminated, even head injuries can’t be eliminated, but they’re becoming too common. 2 or more concussions a week is too much, you can’t have it, and they know how to fix it. The league already instituted similar rules on QB hits, they forced the players to aim lower, and it’s helped a lot. Now they’re just talking about broadening the rule to all tackles.
The NFL is clearly recognizing the fact that it needs more rules, it currently has so few.
lots of hard hits this year, the NFL needs to step up and address the issue.
This just out........NFL will be dropping all padded contact and will be taking up FLAG fottball!
What the hell is wrong with this country? Football is a CONTACT sport. It is not a game for the weak. Hard hits and injury are a part of the game. Everyone who plays knows this! If you don’t go full speed, your chances of getting hurt are much greater!
I had not heard that. I found a link ...
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/10/17/2323060/rutgers-player-is-paralyzed-after.html
Very sad for the family and players as well.
I took this quote from an article:
“A 1994 study of 7,000 former players by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health found linemen had a 52 percent greater risk of dying from heart disease than the general population. While U.S. life expectancy is 77.6 years, recent studies suggest the average for NFL players is 55, 52 for linemen.”
“That frightening DeShawn Jackson hit should cost that player one game suspension. I don’t think Jackson will ever be the same.”
I watched the play and felt sorry for the defensive back. He made a good hit leading with his shoulder and was penalized because of it. The fact that both bodies were in motion in mid air seems to be forgotten by “the league” in their hasty opinions. If the league wants to restore an even balance between offense and defense I am all for it. What I am getting tired of watching is defense being penalized for playing the game. The league has now spent the last 30 years penalizing defense to produce more passing. The result is we are watching basketball on turf instead of football.
No, you are not the only person who sees that.
However, if Farrrvvveee can cry like a little boy in public, and men use the term “scary”, then I guess it’s only a matter of time before football is considered too violent to play.
But after viewing some of the highlights of yesterdays games, and others over the last few years, I am beginning to think the NFL is turning into a predetermined joke. Maybe having a franchise built on years of futility means having to get flagged for barely touching an opposing teams jersey....whereas the "elites" of the league get away with molestation....with the blessings of the leagues hierarchy, their enablers in stripes....and of course the bottom feeding media.
I like to watch a hard-hitting football game as much as the next guy...only it would be more competitive, if not more realistic, if it were officiated a little more, shall we say,..."fair and balanced?"
The Lingerie Football League is looking more credible(not to mention...more entertaining).
Even the college players are so big and strong that terrible damage can be done if more care is not taken.
A tragedy that might have been avoided if there wasn’t so much attention to the violent hits that show up on the highlight reels.
They’re trying to turn it into the “Not Football League”
What a load of BS. If it is intentional, they get a penalty. If it’s real bad, then I can see fining the person. But Come on! It’s football for pete’s sake!
>>>Okay, am I the only person that sees this as just another example of mamby pambyism?
Leading with one’s head when making a hit is a choice. It’s already a rule not to. They need to enforce the rule. Kind of like immigration...
I saw a video clip of a rugby player that played a match with a fractured skull. IIRC they didn't find the fracture until after the game.
Bending down (and ducking the head, as did the Falcons player) is typically an indication that you are trying to use your helment as a tackling weapon. If players tackled with their heads up, there would be many fewer head and neck injuries, to both tacklers and the ones being tackled.
The NFL ain’t been right since this POS Goodell took over.
Just take their helmets away and leave all the other “padding” on. The ferocity of hits as well as head-first hits will be much better.
NFL games bore me ever since I have taken to watching rugby. There are no constant commercial breaks... no "2 minute" warning that means 20 more minutes of commercials (aka propaganda for the effemination of the male population) with 2 more minutes of play... oh, and when there are injuries on the field, play continues.
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