|
The new NFL rule on violent hits will suck!
Okay, I've mulled this over for a couple of days now and I've come to the conclusion that I just don't like the sound of the new rule going into effect this week. Don't get me wrong, I wish no player of any team to be injured, carted off the field, hospitalized, etc. The fact of the matter is that football is a violent game and that's what draws most of us to it. I don't agree with some of the current rules put in place to "protect" the quarterbacks and punters but I can live with them.
For anyone who's played football at any competitive level we know the risk involved with playing the game. I've watched my 14 year old play football for the past 8 years and you can see the hits get progressively harder. Tack another 7 years on that and you have full grown buffed out soldiers going head to head. What do we expect? Out of all the "violent" hits this past weekend I only saw one that I thought was wrong however quite a few that would violate the new rule. And we're also talking about a rule that is going to be discretionary. This has the real potential to change the game as we know it. Time to bust out the flags to protect everybody. |
I agree. Biggest thing to me, and the MNF crew said it well, is this is a combination of a lot of variables, and only the defender is being punished.
How are they supposed to hit? What about the receiver/runningback's ability to spear them, run them over, hit them hard? Here buddy, while you try and run through me I'm going to try and wrap you up nicely? In most hits the receiver's head is down, or moved also. Also, QB's are leading receivers into these situations way too much. It's part of going over the middle, there's a possible price to pay. Bottom line, I feel for Defensive players. They're job is to stop the offensive player, not allowing him to gain another inch. The offense is allowed to be as physical as desired, all while able to step out of bounds if needed, and put their head down. It will change the game, and hopefully some of the defensive players just don't care, and continue to do their job. |
too add: The Pats hit was bad, the others, imo, were just a part of the game hit
|
James Harrison is a dirty player, IMO his hits were pretty bad also. Clearly going for the head.
|
He is a dirty player, and likes to be one, however those hits were merely just physics
|
"I've watched my 14 year old play football for the past 8 years and you can see the hits get progressively harder."
I think watching your son laying on the field (possibly paralyzed) from a cheap helmet-to-helmet shot would change your opinion on this. This is a game for our entertainment purposes, people are facing dire consequences from helmet shots and I think something needs to be done. |
Jeremy- That's a risk involved with playing the game. I myself played football from the time I was 8 through my senior year at a D1 school. The possible ramifications is not something you think about as you're playing the sport but you know that's a remote possibility going in. Is it hard to see your kid get cracked every now and again? Absolutely. Will I take it away from him? Absolutely not. My family is also actively involved in supercross and I can't tell you the number of people we see in wheelchairs at every event. You understand that going in.
The changes that they are proposing are not going to only target cheap helmet to helmet shots. They are saying they are going to target unnecessarily violent hits. The game isn't two hand touch or flag football. The game is a violent sport. When you've got two guys going at 6'3" 230 pounds of muscled going full speed opposite ways on a one way street what do you think will happen at the impact point? Again, the hits they are proposing to stop are not only cheap shots, they are legitimate legal football tackles. |
I'm torn. On one hand I love the sport I grew up playing as it is. However, it wasnt meant to be played by super-athletes we have these days. Taking the aggression out of the game seems to be a disservice. I'm also not sure that this is strictly for the welfare of the players either. The entertainment side of the league has been hamstringing the defense for years now trying to generate more highlights.
To me, it seems like they need to slow the game down but Im not sure how to do it without affecting the fabric of the game like these new rules are. Make the field bigger? Smaller? more guys on the field? less? I just hate to see the all out roughness of the game being stripped, but I also cringe every time a player gets hurt. |
"...know that's a remote possibility going in."
That is the thing, it is becoming a less "remote possibility" to something that is becoming a more likely occurrence (this past weekend: three in the NFL, and the paralyzed player from Rutgers). I agree it is a risk to play football, but I believe it is more detrimental to the game if players become more apprehensive when playing for fear of a player coming at you leading with their helmet. And seeing "people in wheelchairs" is different than seeing someone in your immediate family in a chair. The league ruled today that Harrison's hit on Cribbs was a legal hit. The helmet-to-helmet shot he laid on Massaquoi is the one he was fined for, which I agree was a cheap shot. The league is not trying to stop hard hits. It's when a player launches themselves and lead with their helmet, they deserved to be punished. I liked to see a hard hit as much as the next fan, but I do not enjoy seeing players getting carted off the field, especially for a cheap shot (ie Meriweather). |
All those pads and they want to tone it down?
Illegal tackles should be punished, no one wants to see a guy get hurt, but this is a game where you can hit a guy hard and get into their head, they're not going to run at you if you put them down hard first time. Granted I've never played football but I have played Rugby and Aussie Rules, similar, not line up and smash each other quite so much but still the same sort of game. Seems to me that if a defender can't hit hard he can't do his job. |
Article with quotes from NFL players offense and defensive.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner |
the article on Rodney Harrison is spot on. That was bush league, put the helmet back on and follow up with his comments if that's what he thinks. Dirtiest player turned Mr Clean
|
|
Every year they delute the game a little more. Given the over reactive nature of the commission I wouldn't be surprised if the sport eventually turns into flag football.:confused:
|
|
awesome
|
back to leather helmets.... the old days people weren't going in head first when it was a flap of animal skin protecting it
|
^Exactly. Or at least take the facemasks off.
|
Its the new National Fluff League.
|
| All times are GMT -7. The time now is 9:17 PM. |