NFL's new safety policy

[Volt]

Originally Posted by Mugen910

damn and here I thought we were friends

What's funny, is I'm originally from LA. I was a Saints fan back in the days they wore bags on their heads to the stadium. Archie never had a team to play with. Started following the Steelers when Terry Bradshaw got picked up by them. It's a club with "usually" little to no drama, no prima donnas, and a real good basic football program. Of course our "alleged" molester has changed it a bit. I'd as soon see him get canned and have Batch take over.

I think there are going to be many opinions on what is excessive and what constitutes a good hit. Mostly in part I just see the NFL going the way of most things that get over regulated - dull and uninteresting. Take NASCAR as a recent example. France and crew took the race out of racing and now they are scrambling to recover a lot of what they lost. Rubbing and tempers are a part of it, other wise go race Indy/CART and keep your courtesy 2" (sorta like dancing with your mom), not much fun.

Deliberately wreck a person - take a 1 lap black flag like you used to, but "racing" for a clean, image correct corporate world is boring. I haven't watched a whole race much less a part of one in 5 - 7 years.

[replicant_argent]

Players are getting bigger, stronger, and faster. Until articulated armored uniforms are de riguer (protecting joints, head, and spinal injuries to a factor multiple times the possible generated force) it will become increasingly more dangerous for players. At some point, these players will reach a finite point of training, conditioning, and ability due to the limitations of the human body. We have not reached it yet, and already it is a very dangerous sport, whether the infractions are intentional or unintentional. As far as the homer argument of "Where would I rather cheer for my favorite player?," at some point it may become "from the DL, the hospital, the wheelchair, or the morgue."

Of course, logically, YMMV, if you are a rabid fan. Nothing wrong with being a rabid fan, and if you want to see gladiatorial style combats (ala' MMA), so be it. But the NFL (and their individual owners, coincidentally) must decide how much they want to gamble by taking steps to protect their multimillion dollar assets. Diminishing returns indeed on that investment are possible, if not expected, as these players "progress" to higher ability.

But what do I know? I'm just an average stupid guy.

[shilala]

I was gonna say much the same thing, Pete.
It's a business. Business is to make money. The owners don't give a red rat's ass what we think, they need to protect their investment.
I watched the Steeler's game. I don't feel that Harrison intentionally went helmet to helmet in either hit, nor was it his intent. I don't think either were a big deal, but guys got hurt. Guys are gonna get hurt in football whether the hits are legal, questionable, or illegal. It's a violent sport. It's why I watch it.
I'm more concerned with the crybaby way he's handled himself since the game. He's a douche. Don't tell him I said that.

Originally Posted by replicant_argent

Players are getting bigger, stronger, and faster. Until articulated armored uniforms are de riguer (protecting joints, head, and spinal injuries to a factor multiple times the possible generated force) it will become increasingly more dangerous for players. At some point, these players will reach a finite point of training, conditioning, and ability due to the limitations of the human body. We have not reached it yet, and already it is a very dangerous sport, whether the infractions are intentional or unintentional. As far as the homer argument of "Where would I rather cheer for my favorite player?," at some point it may become "from the DL, the hospital, the wheelchair, or the morgue."

Of course, logically, YMMV, if you are a rabid fan. Nothing wrong with being a rabid fan, and if you want to see gladiatorial style combats (ala' MMA), so be it. But the NFL (and their individual owners, coincidentally) must decide how much they want to gamble by taking steps to protect their multimillion dollar assets. Diminishing returns indeed on that investment are possible, if not expected, as these players "progress" to higher ability.

But what do I know? I'm just an average stupid guy.

[gvarsity]

The tricky part is when it is inadvertent and you can't judge intent very well from the sidelines. One of the hits I saw fined this weekend looked like the defender lept and the offensive player collapsed down into the hit. Had the offensive player stayed up he would have taken it in the chest and not the head. I'm all for preventing INTENTIONAL injury but accidental is part of the game. Shots to the head the knees and from behind are all already accounted for by rule.

Really though this appears to be a significant increase in the penalty for spearing to the helmet as opposed to an actual rule change. You shouldn't be leading with the top of your helmet period. You do that and hit someone in the head and you get fined and ejected. I think the ejection is a bad idea only because it will be to hard to judge a. intent and b. what actually happened unless it is reviewable and even then it would be hard. Can you imagine the impact if say Troy Polamalu was ejected from a playoff game by a legit hit that looked bad? Easily could change the outcome of a game and be a nightmare for the NFL.

James Harrison is a serious guy. He loves football and tries to play football the best way he can. You can't blame him for being upset for doing his job and playing defense they way the coaches teach him to, than getting an outrages fine for it. Not everybody thinks the same so you can't get mad at him for his reaction. I agree players should wrap more I've noticed that for years. You see it alot SS's and FS's leading with their head to break up passes. But learning how to tackle at a fundemental midget league level and an NFL level is different. Of course you want to wrap players up but there is more than one was to crack an egg. And NFL coaches teach their players to go for a hit when another player has them wrapped up. Its the fastest and best way to stop the play. They also train them to do that to seperate the player from the ball. That happned on both of Harrison's defensive plays in question. So from that stand point he did his job. Do you guys know a better way to dislodge the ball? Wrapping dosn't do it.

[pinotguy]

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.

Yeah the last couple years have been a joke with the rule changes. I really don't like the decisions the current president has made. But these rule changes to beef up passing and TD's has been going on since the 70's when they made a rule named after a Steelers DB that changed the way they could cover recievers. After that Rivers hit they made the Hines Ward rule. Enoughs Enough! Quit ruining the game I love to watch.

[yachties23]

Originally Posted by Steelergar

What do you guys think of the NFL headquarters changing the way defense is played. Like most people I don't want to see guys get seriously injured when watching a game. However, I love smash mouth, hard hitting, good tackling defense. I enjoy that as much if not more than watching the offense score touchdowns. I have no problem with the NFL going after deliberate hits to the head. But for going after James Harrison for making a smart football move is ridiculous. Whats you take?

James Harrison said he goes out there to hurt people, but he doesn't want to injure people. That hit was as dirty, and wasn't a smart football play. When asked around the league the players always throw his name out there as one of the dirtiest players.

That being said, I think they should fine players for blatantly dirty hits, and if a player continually aims for the head, suspensions should be handed down. I understand its a man's game, but there are limits. Merriweather's hit was intentional, so was Harrison. When your intentions are to knock somebody out of the game, you are asking to open your checkbook up,

Originally Posted by yachties23

James Harrison said he goes out there to hurt people, but he doesn't want to injure people. That hit was as dirty, and wasn't a smart football play. When asked around the league the players always throw his name out there as one of the dirtiest players.

That being said, I think they should fine players for blatantly dirty hits, and if a player continually aims for the head, suspensions should be handed down. I understand its a man's game, but there are limits. Merriweather's hit was intentional, so was Harrison. When your intentions are to knock somebody out of the game, you are asking to open your checkbook up,

and thats whats being said of why he got fined. His post game comments not his legal hits.

[yachties23]

Originally Posted by Steelergar

and thats whats being said of why he got fined. His post game comments not his legal hits.

Legal, and clean are two different things. Just because you can do something doesn't make it right. You are a big MMA guy, I've read your posts, I respect your opinions on fighters big time, but here, I disagree bigtime. Lets say Mike Wallace gets tied up by Joe Haden who has his legs wrapped up and is trying to pull away. He has no idea TJ Ward is lined up and Tees off on him. Commercial break. We come back to Wallace being boarded up, and carted off. No where near as appealing as Harrison's hit on Cribbs right?

You can't play favorites here. Yes there are hits that through no fault of the defensive player are to the head (the hit on Jackson this weekend is a good example) but there are players, James Harrison, Jared Allen, Brandon Merriweather, that are notorious for laying dirty hits on defenseless offense players.

I just figured out why the NFL office is cracking down on what they call violent hits. The US Congress had hearings with the NFL during the offseason grilling NFL representives about concussions. I guess retired players were complaining and did not feel they were taken care of corectly by the NFL and went to the goverment. Now we have a bigger problem. What buisness does the US goverment have with how football is played. I guarantee you they put pressure on League headquarters. Whats next? Boxing, MMA, Hockey, Nascar. We got a major problem now!

Originally Posted by Steelergar

What buisness does the US goverment have with how football is played. I guarantee you they put pressure on League headquarters. Whats next? Boxing, MMA, Hockey, Nascar. We got a major problem now!

I really hope you were joking. If you weren't I wouldn't even know where to begin to try to explain it to you.

Originally Posted by Resipsa

I really hope you were joking. If you weren't I wouldn't even know where to begin to try to explain it to you.

So you think its the job of the US federal goverement to tell the NFL how players should tackle? I hope your joking. However, I do know where to begin.

[forgop]

Originally Posted by Steelergar

So you think its the job of the US federal goverement to tell the NFL how players should tackle?

Why not? They're pretty much mandating what we can or can't do in every other aspect of our lives.

[Mikey202]

Cribbs ain't bitter about it.....

And although he was the victim of Harrison’s viciousness, Browns wide receiver Joshua Cribbs(notes) had a softer message for Pittsburgh’s enforcer: “Don’t change you.”

“You’re a player, so play,” Cribbs said he told Harrison, his former Kent State teammate and close friend. “Let refs ref. Let the NFL administration, let everyone do their jobs. If you get fined, just try to tailor yourself, but play the game. Don’t try to change who you are.”

The league said the shot was legal—a claim the Browns dispute—and Cribbs found it within reasonable limits as well.

“I had the ball and was going down and he came in to clean me up,” Cribbs said. “It’s his job to try to put me out of the game. If I was a linebacker, you try to knock guys out. That’s what linebackers try to do for the most part. You have to follow the rules, but that’s their job.”

If (Harrison) played for our team we’d be applauding his efforts,” Cribbs said. “I’m just trying to be honest. If he were on our team we’d be rallying behind him, just like his team is doing for him. He plays to knock people out. Wouldn’t you want a linebacker like that on your team?”

Originally Posted by Steelergar

So you think its the job of the US federal goverement to tell the NFL how players should tackle? I hope your joking. However, I do know where to begin.

Not really interested in debating this. The NFL is a business, and like any other business the gov. Has "the right" to regulate it. And with that, I'm done here

[Mikey202]

Originally Posted by Resipsa

Not really interested in debating this. The NFL is a business, and like any other business the gov. Has "the right" to regulate it. And with that, I'm done here

HEY!!! You have enough to worry about, keepin' your team healthy!! Colts boy!!! (said with luv).
Didn't Teddy Roosevelt think of banning football at one time due to people getting killed in games, back in his day? To bad we don't play Peyton and his boys this year, maybe in the AFC Playoffs?

From my revelation above, its a bigger problem with the US goverment involved in sports. Even Ray Lewis said those hits were clean. Players around the league are angry at the NFL office right now. Calling a player dirty are certain peoples opinions, thats fine. I would like some examples of these dirty plays though because I watch the Steelers every week I never see them. I see tough smart football played by Harrison. I also see OL try to clothesline him when he is running around them that rarely gets called.

[yourchoice]

Just sayin'.

Originally Posted by yourchoice

Just sayin'.