Heck NFL just take away the helmets!

[DetDannyWilliams]

PHOENIX — NFL owners passed a player safety rule Wednesday barring ball carriers from using the crown of their helmets to make contact with a defender in the open field.

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2013-03-20/nfl-rules-changes-helmet-crown-tuck-league-meetings-2013

[SquishDaFish]

I thought it was bad at first too but read into it. It says OPEN Field. Which means when they are going up between the tackles they can lower their head. But I agree with the pansies at QB just put a red jersey on them and put flags on everyone else. OR go back to the old days with the leather helmets that will stop alot of the helmet to helmet

[POTLAND PSILBYLO]

I am of the opinion that the protective gear allows more impactful collisions. I would think that NFL vs MLS or FIFA injuries should be examined, because soccer players are naked by comparison.

[Bangarang]

Pretty soon the game is going to be 2 hand touch.

[CoolBreeze]

The rule sucks any way I look at it. It seems fine, they can still drive their head down for three yards from the line. But let it be known the first time we get called for it and get the 15 yard penalty. People will be going bonkers, myself included. I wonder how strict it will be, and curious to see how often it's called. We can thank the retirees for this. Because it's definitely not common knowledge that banging your head against something over, and over repeatedly, helmet or not in 16-19, 20 game cycles for years is bad for your head. It's okay when the pay's good, and the fame's there, but when they're taken away someone has to pay. The NFL has to pay in lawsuit. However, that's just the extremely rich becoming slightly less rich. The real losers are us, the fans who witness the game become less exciting, and fun to watch.

[feldspar]

This rule is going to be impossible to call with any semblance of consistency or fairness whatsoever.

Besides that, it's only natural to lower your head with people coming after you to tackle you. Most always they are trying to lead with their shoulder, but everything happens so fast out there.

In short, this rule is ridiculous.

[YardRat]

This rule is going to be impossible to call with any semblance of consistency or fairness whatsoever.

I agree with this ^...


Besides that, it's only natural to lower your head with people coming after you to tackle you. Most always they are trying to lead with their shoulder, but everything happens so fast out there.

In short, this rule is ridiculous.

This ^ not so much. If a defender can't lead with a helmet, than a ball carrier shouldn't be allowed to either. Yes, it extends the boundary of pussification of the league out a little farther, but it's about time the offense got neutered a little bit like defense have been over the last few years.

[SaviorEdwards]

Stiff arms will be eliminated next.

[BLeonard]

I am of the opinion that the protective gear allows more impactful collisions. I would think that NFL vs MLS or FIFA injuries should be examined, because soccer players are naked by comparison.

I agree completely. Wanna stop the players from leading with thieir head? Make them play without helmets, shoulderpads, etc.

-Bill

[feldspar]

This ^ not so much. If a defender can't lead with a helmet, than a ball carrier shouldn't be allowed to either. Yes, it extends the boundary of pussification of the league out a little farther, but it's about time the offense got neutered a little bit like defense have been over the last few years.

Meh, putting your head down and "leading with your helmet" are two different things. Think about it: we're talking about somebody running with the football in the open field, basically. Obviously they have forward momentum. You LEAN forward when you run, and you want to pick up every yard you can. When you fall, you want to fall FORWARD, which means head-first...diving forward or whatever. You CAN'T really do THAT without putting your head down at some point, really. Also, if you try to hit a guy with your shoulder, that's not always what happens. Like I say, the game happens to fast to let up, and the other guy isn't exactly doing what you want or expect him to.

You gotta be pretty stupid to go around hitting grown men with your own head in a collision, wouldn't you? I would imagine that running backs don't want to break their own necks with such "tactics," right? Most times it happens, it's completely unintentional IMO.

I see myself getting completely pissed off by this rule already.

[SpillerThrills]

I played football through high school, now I play semi pro in the Empire Football League and we use NFL rules. There is a difference between leading with your head and shoulder as opposed to leading with the crown of your helmet. when you put your shoulder down you end up leading with your head, but if you keep your head up so you are looking where you are going it won't be a penalty. if you stop looking where you are running and just try to run through someone then your going to get called for it because your head is down and you're hitting the defender with the top of your head.

[ServoBillieves]

http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/images/shows/southpark/vertical_video/season_16/1608/south-park-1608-sarcastaball-BCG-clip03.jpg

[kishoph]

The problem I have with this rule, is it's left up to the interpretation of the referee, so I imagine it will lead to more bad calls. I guess there's no other way to do it though.

[Pinkerton Security]

The problem I have with this rule, is it's left up to the interpretation of the referee, so I imagine it will lead to more bad calls. I guess there's no other way to do it though.

+1...this is going to be very hard to determine, and its going to slow down the game even further via another video booth session. I do understand the intent but I dont like its practicality...how many times do you see a safety make a clean, shoulder-led hit yet get flagged 15 yards because of incidental contact to the helmet in some way? They say the incidental contact is allowed, yet they call it every time.

[OpIv37]

This is precisely the kind of rule that leads to inconsistent officiating, and there is no doubt in my mind that Buffalo will be victimized by it, as they always are by these types of judgment calls.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist by any means, and I don't think the game is rigged. But I do think the NFL has preferred outcomes, and the refs know it. When there is a borderline call, it goes in favor of the league's preferred outcome. And the league's preferred outcome is never in favor of the small-market team with no star players (well maybe 1 in Spiller) where people buy tickets no matter how ****ty they play.

[K-Gun]

Didn't leading with your head used to be illegal, back when it was called spearing?

[Throne Logic]

Give everyone the Mark Kelso special helmet. . .

[WagonCircler]

I used to think that someday I'd have to wean myself off of NFL football because the Bills would eventually leave town and I'd never forgive the league.

Now I see that it will be because NFL football, as we have always known it, will soon cease to exist--done in by lawyers and whiny liberal wannabe Euro pussies.

[feldspar]

What Fred Jackson had to say about the new rule:


“When we sign our name on that contact, we know what we’re signing up for,” Jackson said. ” It’s a physical game. That’s what drew us to this game, instead of basketball or baseball—how physical we are. We get to go out and be physical, beat the crap out of each other for three hours, see who comes out on top.”

” We know we put ourselves in harm, our bodies in harm, whenever we step out on that field,” Jackson told host John Murphy. “For those who play this game, you have to have a love for that, or you wouldn’t be able to do it. I think I can speak for everybody in the NFL when I say, there’s a part of the brutality of this sport that draws us to it, that’s why we do it.”

Jackson says he may have to be prepared to be fined as a result of the new rule. He’s worried that adjusting to the rule may alter his running style.

“I’m not a fan of it. We’ll have to abide by the rule, because it is a rule,” he said.

http://blogs.buffalobills.com/2013/03/21/jackson-we-know-what-were-signing-up-for/

[EricStratton]

ESPN did a study from last season and a play that would result in a penalty occurred 80 times last season. 80 violations in the 250+ games played isn't exactly going to change the world as a fan.

[fluteflakes]

This is precisely the kind of rule that leads to inconsistent officiating, and there is no doubt in my mind that Buffalo will be victimized by it, as they always are by these types of judgment calls.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist by any means, and I don't think the game is rigged. But I do think the NFL has preferred outcomes, and the refs know it. When there is a borderline call, it goes in favor of the league's preferred outcome. And the league's preferred outcome is never in favor of the small-market team with no star players (well maybe 1 in Spiller) where people buy tickets no matter how ****ty they play.

It's not the leagues preferred outcome, it's Vegas's preferred outcome.

The NFL is a slave to the gambling establishment. It really is,

But yea don't like this rule, leaving even more in the hands of the officials is NEVER a good idea. Because after a while "crown of the helmet" becomes "most of the helmet" and that takes away a lot of leeway for power runners. We're going to see a HUGE paradigm shift in the NFL soon in that it's going to go the college route and fill it's rosters with perimeter runners and guys with track speed because it'll be the only way the running game can be fully effective.

And I'm pretty sure the "no touching a QB's helmet" rule is actually supposed to be "forceful blows to the crown of the head". But hey it's just the refs job to call it. And of course teams like the Pats will just roll on teams abusing the **** out of this and nobody will bat an eye and people will call it "the last remnant of hard nosed football" while any other team doing it would be called a relic or a dirty team.

[Figster]

There comes a point where the occupational hazard has to become acceptable for the games sake because If we continue down the path we're on one the game of football as we know it will no longer exsist.



Having worked construction/Nuclear head injurys are no stranger to me. I've been knocked out cold because a worker above me dropped something by accident. Its part of the job, goes with the territory, and I can guarantee you I'm making a lot less money then a proffessional Football player.



Helmet/head rules have gotten out of hand. You are asking athletes to do things that don't come natural. As a RB getting lower to the ground in many instances requires leaning your body forward and the lowering of the head. These athletes are moving at a high rate of speed and don't have time to compute and deliever what you are asking them to deliver. Defense can't predict where the Offensive players head is going to end up and the same goes for a RB.



Focus on the better helmet, the better neck protection. Incorporate liquid padding somehow into the protective wear. God in his infinite wisdom has used liquid by way of protection since the beginning of time. We are protected by liquid in our mothers womb until the day we are born. Mother Earth is shielded/protected by water and able to stand tremendious impact because of our Oceans.Works not only as a protective barrier but a counter balance.



The same could be done for a single membrane liquid inner helmet padding in my opinion. The initial impact and sloshing of the brain would be reduced because of liquids displacement properties.


Don't ruin the game of football...

[Figster]

There comes a point where the occupational hazard has to become acceptable for the games sake because If we continue down the path we're on one the game of football as we know it will no longer exsist.



Having worked construction/Nuclear head injurys are no stranger to me. I've been knocked out cold because a worker above me dropped something by accident. Its part of the job, goes with the territory, and I can guarantee you I'm making a lot less money then a proffessional Football player.



Helmet/head rules have gotten out of hand. You are asking athletes to do things that don't come natural. As a RB getting lower to the ground in many instances requires leaning your body forward and the lowering of the head. These athletes are moving at a high rate of speed and don't have time to compute and deliever what you are asking them to deliver. Defense can't predict where the Offensive players head is going to end up and the same goes for a RB.



Focus on the better helmet, the better neck protection. Incorporate liquid padding somehow into the protective wear. God in his infinite wisdom has used liquid by way of protection since the beginning of time. We are protected by liquid in our mothers womb until the day we are born. Mother Earth is shielded/protected by water and able to stand tremendious impact because of our Oceans.Works not only as a protective barrier but a counter balance.



The same could be done for a single membrane liquid inner helmet padding in my opinion. The initial impact and sloshing of the brain would be reduced because of liquids displacement properties.


Don't ruin the game of football...

UF duo designing a better helmet to curb head injuries
http://www.ocala.com/article/20140113/ARTICLES/140119926?p=1&tc=pg
Sounds like someone finally decided to practice what I've been preaching for a few years :topdog:

[Novacane]

I am of the opinion that the protective gear allows more impactful collisions. I would think that NFL vs MLS or FIFA injuries should be examined, because soccer players are naked by comparison.

Soccer players don't get thrown to the ground by 300lbers either. I don't see what that study would accomplish.

[WagonCircler]

They're trying to turn the world's greatest sport, NFL Football, into soccer.

[ticatfan]

I played football through high school, now I play semi pro in the Empire Football League and we use NFL rules. There is a difference between leading with your head and shoulder as opposed to leading with the crown of your helmet. when you put your shoulder down you end up leading with your head, but if you keep your head up so you are looking where you are going it won't be a penalty. if you stop looking where you are running and just try to run through someone then your going to get called for it because your head is down and you're hitting the defender with the top of your head.Never went to CFL mini camp in the states??

[better days]

I agree completely. Wanna stop the players from leading with thieir head? Make them play without helmets, shoulderpads, etc.

-Bill

Now we are talking Rugby pretty much.

[BLeonard]

Now we are talking Rugby pretty much.

Players back in the early days of football didn't play with much padding at all and had leather helmets.

Most of the problems occur when the players try to weaponize the protective device, as opposed to using as simply protection. Defenders leading with their heads, launching themselves like a missile in an attempt to create a "SportsCenter Highlight" as opposed to wrapping up and tackling, as they are supposed to, falls into this category as well.

Same occurs, in an extent, in baseball. Some players now, like Barry Bonds (I know he's retired, but he's a great example) go up to the plate in a suit of armor, so that they can crowd the plate and not get hurt when they get plunked by an inside fastball.

The point is, if the equipment is used properly, for protection, it works fine a good majority of the time. It's when the intended protective equipment is weaponized by the player, in an attempt to create an advantage .

Take that away and the players won't be leading with their heads anymore... Or, they'll only do it once.

-Bill

[SpillerThrills]

Never went to CFL mini camp in the states??

no, had a few friends that have gone to CFL tryouts and one of the running backs from the Syracuse team that went to a tryout for Washington then to the combine in Indy this spring.