NFL's new safety policy

pinotguy · 10-21-2010, 06:00 PM

This week's development is just a continuation of the "*****fication" of the game, IMO. A couple of years ago, when Hines Ward broke the jaw of that Bengals LB on a perfectly legal, peel back-type block, the league outlawed that. Last year, they outlawed a wedge larger than three players on kick-offs. This year you can't line up directly over the center on FG/PAT attempts - WTF, over? The NFL reaps all kinds of benefits from this kind of contact but is now trying to legislate it and in the middle of the season? There's quite a bit of hypocrisy involved on their part as well. I just read today that earlier in the week, their official merchandise website had a photo available of the Harrison/Massaquoi hit for purchase. (This has subsequently been removed.) So, for a short time, they were making money (or at least trying to) on one of the exact examples they're holding up as taboo. Ray Lewis got it right yesterday when he essentially said that the game is too fast and trying to avoid a big-time collision is not realistic. It also seems like in a lot of these cases, the receivers and tight ends contribute by trying to get "small", which alters their body position and that's when the big hits happen.

10-21-2010, 06:00 PM	#10
pinotguy Still Watching My Back Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 200 Trading: (13)	Re: NFL's new safety policy This week's development is just a continuation of the "*****fication" of the game, IMO. A couple of years ago, when Hines Ward broke the jaw of that Bengals LB on a perfectly legal, peel back-type block, the league outlawed that. Last year, they outlawed a wedge larger than three players on kick-offs. This year you can't line up directly over the center on FG/PAT attempts - WTF, over? The NFL reaps all kinds of benefits from this kind of contact but is now trying to legislate it and in the middle of the season? There's quite a bit of hypocrisy involved on their part as well. I just read today that earlier in the week, their official merchandise website had a photo available of the Harrison/Massaquoi hit for purchase. (This has subsequently been removed.) So, for a short time, they were making money (or at least trying to) on one of the exact examples they're holding up as taboo. Ray Lewis got it right yesterday when he essentially said that the game is too fast and trying to avoid a big-time collision is not realistic. It also seems like in a lot of these cases, the receivers and tight ends contribute by trying to get "small", which alters their body position and that's when the big hits happen.