NFL - Are You Ready For Some Football?! - Off Season

[-Jrabbit]

It is fundamentally unsound to attempt outlawing violence from a full-contact game. The players know the risks, and have decided the reward is worth it. Attempting to protect the QB position has been laughable enough; now they are toying with the fundamental actions (and attraction) of the game itself.

Look at the NHL, where suspensions are based on medical outcomes rather than intent. It's just not possible to be consistent and fair about this sort of thing in realtime.

[SlowwHand]

There's no reason to go head to head. That's not even good tackling form and it's a stupid thing to do.

[-Jrabbit]

This stuff happens at full speed, dude. Contact happens, and not always in the way you hoped or planned.

As it turns out, your helmet is on your head, and your head is attached to your body.

[SlowwHand]

Yes, it's a violent sport. There's no reason to do something stupid. It only makes sense. People that like it, watch NASCAR for the wrecks.

[Al B. Sure!]

I'd say one thing they need to stop doing is stop putting these crazy hits with helmets flying off on the frontpage of NFL.com like they always do and that NBC/CBS/FOX/ESPN need to stop focusing on big hits on the broadcasts. I had to give props to Daryl Johnston for being very solemn on the Desean Jackson hit and speaking out against that but that didn't stop FOX from showing the hit over and over again. Some places are worse though... I like Cris Collinsworth but he needs to stop saying things like "He just got his bell rocked" laughing when guys get brutally hit and networks need to not emphasis the hits so much with 'hit cams' and stuff where they show it in full speed with sound then show it three more times in slow motion.

The hits are getting overly-glorified and that's a problem. It's usually the only way for defensive players to make the highlight reels so they go for big hits. In fact, NFL.com even had the James Harrison hits on Massaquoi and Cribbs given individual highlights but I think they may have taken them down.

[SlowwHand]

No kidding. They don't show fights on the field, but replay over and over injuries. They did that crap when Theismann got hurt, and I was like, "WTF is wrong with you people?".

[-Jrabbit]

My point is, the rules in place are fine. People need to realize that this game needs to be played full-bore, and with these huge bodies at that speed, there are going to be incidents. It's the nature of the beast.

[Al B. Sure!]

Linebackers across the league are really showing their ass now:

"If I get a chance to knock somebody out, I'm going to knock them out and take what they give me," Crowder said Wednesday. "They give me a helmet, I'm going to use it."

[Solomwi]

I'd say one thing they need to stop doing is stop putting these crazy hits with helmets flying off on the frontpage of NFL.com like they always do and that NBC/CBS/FOX/ESPN need to stop focusing on big hits on the broadcasts. I had to give props to Daryl Johnston for being very solemn on the Desean Jackson hit and speaking out against that but that didn't stop FOX from showing the hit over and over again. Some places are worse though... I like Cris Collinsworth but he needs to stop saying things like "He just got his bell rocked" laughing when guys get brutally hit and networks need to not emphasis the hits so much with 'hit cams' and stuff where they show it in full speed with sound then show it three more times in slow motion.

The hits are getting overly-glorified and that's a problem. It's usually the only way for defensive players to make the highlight reels so they go for big hits. In fact, NFL.com even had the James Harrison hits on Massaquoi and Cribbs given individual highlights but I think they may have taken them down.

A big hit makes for a much better highlight than a touchdown or interception. Perhaps the ballet is more your speed, Albie.

[Al B. Sure!]

A big hit makes for a much better highlight than a touchdown or interception. Perhaps the ballet is more your speed, Albie.

Less injuries the better. Especially when you're talking about something like neurological damage. These guys don't deserve to have brains of mush. Remember that former NFL player who committed suicide a few years back and his autopsy showed his brain had the damage of an elderly man with alzheimer's.

[SlowwHand]

My point is, the rules in place are fine. People need to realize that this game needs to be played full-bore, and with these huge bodies at that speed, there are going to be incidents. It's the nature of the beast.

No one is talking about speed or bulk. We're talking about the position of a tackler's head and the intended target area.

[Al B. Sure!]

And despite the cliche, think about the children! Don't glorify bad tackling form to make dramatic hits so the kids can imitate James Harrison on their pee wee teams.

[-Jrabbit]

Slow-mo replay makes a lot of this look a lot more avoidable than it is in realtime. You can't legislate intent, and there are definitely times when the target moves into the path of the helmet. You aim your helmet at the ball, the runner turns and takes a kidney shot, or tries to duck and the helmets hit. You hit a guy with your spine misaligned due to pulling your head back and pop a vertebrae. So who gets punished for what? It's a collision sport, and there will be injuries. Pretending otherwise is ridiculous.

[Solomwi]

Less injuries the better. Especially when you're talking about something like neurological damage. These guys don't deserve to have brains of mush. Remember that former NFL player who committed suicide a few years back and his autopsy showed his brain had the damage of an elderly man with alzheimer's.

He was retired. His days of entertaining me were already over. And these guys get paid well to assume the risk of having brains of mush. They volunteer for it knowing, ex ante, the nature of the game. That violent nature is a big part of the game's drawing power. Injuries are an unfortunate by-product, but not a reason to try to change the nature of the game.

[Solomwi]

And despite the cliche, think about the children! Don't glorify bad tackling form to make dramatic hits so the kids can imitate James Harrison on their pee wee teams.

Big hits don't require poor form.