Are the rule changes going to cause the defense to aim for the knees.
So in the interest of saving a concussion we put him in a wheelchair.
You make the call.
I was watching Fox half time show, and the guy who looks like an Easter Island statue (starts with an S - can’t think of it right now - Sharpe?) said “I’d rather take a hit to the head than the knees”
I guess, as a NFL player, they’d prefer knees. But as a civilian, I can’t believe the stupidity of that statement. It just seems way out of touch. You can live without legs, but you can’t live with a brain that’s broken.
It creeped me out a little.
Sharpe works for CBS
Sharpe was unquestionably a great player.
But he’s never been known as the sharpest tool in the shed. His analysis isn’t exactly the sterling example everybody cites.
Whether or not that’s the result of one too many blows to the head, who knows? But in any case, he’s hardly the first person I’d consult.
Kurt Warner, on the other hand, is a fairly sharp guy, even if his commentary isn’t always the most exciting. And he claims he quit before he took one too many hits to the head.
And then there’s the recent example of Brett Favre, who’s claiming memory issues due to his playing career.
Fair enough. I didn’t remember his name either.
I don’t think I’ve had any blows to the head, either.
Question - most of these guys are older, obviously. Is there any safety precaution that has taken place recently that we would be able to get data on prior injuries vs. more recent ones with safety gear? I can only think of the last three seasons re: harsher penalties for hits or helmet to helmet.
What’s the thought on how long it will take to see if any of this works? It had better be soon, or the NFL as we know it may fall apart.
If it doesn’t show results relatively soon, I don’t know that we’ll get the feeder from Little League into high school, as parents keep their kids out of football. So that gives us, what? 7 or 8 years? to see what effect it has on college teams, and then into the NFL.
It’s not really a choice between traumatic brain injury or a wheelchair - it’s more like choosing between the traumatic brain injury and being on crutches for three months. Knee injuries end guys’ seasons, but brain injuries lead to them ending their lives.
The difference to the player is that the knee injury immediately affects his livelihood. He still gets paid on injured reserve, but his contract isn’t guaranteed, so if the team is nervous about his recovery they can just jettison him. The next contract will be with a team that knows he’s coming back from the injury, and they’ll use that as leverage in the negotiations. Like anything else that impacts his ability to play football, knee injuries can end up costing him money.
The long-term effects of repeated head injuries are much more significant, but the immediate impacts are easy to ignore. Until recently, you’d just shake it off, figure out which direction your team is going, and head back out on the field as soon as you can. Twenty-something guys aren’t really known for making sound decisions about long-term risks (and I say that as a former 20-something guy). It’s not surprising that they’re making what a more level-headed, less passionate observer might call the wrong decision.
Boo! Boooooo!
(for those wondering what that’s about, Shannon Sharpe’s brother Sterling was also an NFL player)
Shoulda known better than to think I could get away with that one.
What he said is perfectly rational. He is also not alone in feeling that way. People keep acting like concussions are an NFL problem instead of a FOOTBALL problem. Most of these guys have been playing tackle football for 10-12 years BEFORE they ever get to the NFL. The average career is only about 3.5 years. Most of these guys have already taken more serious hits, at a more vulnerable age, than they will in the NFL. The NFL is the payoff for those dozen or so years they essentially played for free. If one hit to the knee could essentially take a year or more from your already short career, and probably cost you at least a million dollars, you might want to risk a concussion as well.
There is also the fact that the link between CTE, football, and the various syptoms attributed to it are not particularly well understood.
Alternatively, the knee is pretty well understood, and if you tear an ACL and your name isn’t Adrian Peterson, your career is going to be significantly altered. We know this. Why wouldn’t you trade a more probable, known, and immediate risk for a delayed, significant, but perhaps inevitable one? Especially since that latter may never be an issue, or may already be an issue by that point. And given the fact that there are many players who suffered multiple concussions, and nearly none who have had even 3 serious knee surgeries, I think we can see what the greater risk is.
What if the protective helmet was eliminated from football completely, from Pop Warner to the NFL? Players would have to be trained that they’re not to use their head as a battering ram. Might that lessen concussions?
In that situation, I think the concern might be less about using one’s own head as a hammer and more about using another player’s head as an anvil.
Removing helmets from football entirely is akin to the arguments motorcyclists make about helmet laws. Sure, it may reduce injury in a few isolated cases, but it increases the overall threat of injury. As with motorcycles, playing football without a helmet is not recommended.
Football is inherently a dangerous sport. It will never be entirely safe, but we can make certain injuries less likely than others.
Once I was down on the playing surface of the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. I was shocked to discover the playing surface was a little turf on a thin rubber padding, with a concrete floor underneath. Hit an unprotected head on that a few times and you’ll see a record number of concussions.
It might lessen concussions, but it would increase skull fractures. Skull fractures were the reason helmets were introduced in the first place.
No. There’s a reason people used to die playing football 100 years ago. The problem isn’t just people using their heads that way.
I know a lot of noise is being made about Head or Knees, but why isn’t anyone pointing out how stupid an argument it is?
A player can be tackled without targeting either head or knees. You don’t HAVE to blow someone up to make a play.
There’s also the shoulders and the toes!
Since we don’t get a like button: