Maybe the NFL is on to something trying to curb helmet-to-helmet hits...In yesterday's games, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers left with a concussion, and both Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Derek Anderson sat out entirely due to of head injuries. That's just a snapshot of the trouble the league is having with concussions, and their data does them no favors either. The number of concussions being reported this season is up more than 20% from 2009, and more than 30% from 2008. Brain damage - it's America's game!
The NFL's data shows 154 concussions (from practices or games) reported from the start of the preseason through the eighth week of the 2010 regular season. Datahounds will note a 21% the same point in the 2009 season (127), or 34% from 2008 (115). Dr. Hunt Batjer (you never considered changing that the whole time you were getting your credientials?), co-chairman of the NFL's head, neck and spine medical committee, called the numbers "a great sign." Thanks, ambulance chaser!
The spin is that the higher numbers mean more atheletes are reporting their issues. "We're trying to make sure that players have the message: Playing through pain is good; playing through pain is what sports are about. But that's leg pain. That's arm pain. Not brain injury." Sure, but even your players don't know what is an accepatable hit and which brain-mashing ones are going to cost them games and fines. And they know the risks going into it:
That was a painful amount of blockquote, but it does illustrate the reality of the situation. The sport is not designed to maim players, but this generation are animals, and even with the advanced protective gear, there are still going to be injuries. The race is to keep the technology and improvements in safety in step with the ever growing strength and toughness of the players. There were plenty of guys getting jacked in the leather helmet days of the game, and tough as they were, they'd look like Pop Warner kids against the curent football players - even with new gear..
The NFL's data shows 154 concussions (from practices or games) reported from the start of the preseason through the eighth week of the 2010 regular season. Datahounds will note a 21% the same point in the 2009 season (127), or 34% from 2008 (115). Dr. Hunt Batjer (you never considered changing that the whole time you were getting your credientials?), co-chairman of the NFL's head, neck and spine medical committee, called the numbers "a great sign." Thanks, ambulance chaser!
The spin is that the higher numbers mean more atheletes are reporting their issues. "We're trying to make sure that players have the message: Playing through pain is good; playing through pain is what sports are about. But that's leg pain. That's arm pain. Not brain injury." Sure, but even your players don't know what is an accepatable hit and which brain-mashing ones are going to cost them games and fines. And they know the risks going into it:
“I think ever since we were young playing this game, we’re taught to be violent. A lot of things need to be corrected if players’ health and safety is such an issue. You look at some of the hits, and they were legal hits. They weren’t even helmet-to-helmet. I think this is just the way the game is evolving. Guys are getting bigger, guys are getting stronger, faster, and hits are going to get more violent. Hopefully, it doesn’t take away from the game of football, though. That’s the one concern I have. I’ve seen guys who have just hit someone so hard that ref thinks it has to be a penalty. It’s one of those things that as a defensive player, you go for the big hit, you look for the big hit, you look forward to it... It’s a very wishy-washy situation. Here’s another situation, too. You’re going to get guys avoiding the head and then they’re going to start going for the knees and then you’re going to start seeing more ACL tears than ever before. Then you’re going to have six-month injuries instead of 2-3-week concussions. I don’t know what you’re going to do. It’s a violent game. It’s a game that people love to watch because it is violent. There’s big hits and there’s big collisions and just a lot of activity. That’s something for the NFL to decide, how they’re going to correct it.” - Linebacker Brian Cushing
“I really don’t care about that [the potential of increased enforcement]. My biggest thing is to get the guy on the ground, get the guy on the ground. I could care less what happens with that, but the NFL’s going to do what they have to do. I think we can’t worry about any of that. We have to worry about ourselves. We have to do what we have to do to tell a team to stop throwing the ball over the middle. This game is built around offensive players. It really is. This game is built for offensive players. But I think me as a defensive player, I’m smart enough, I can adjust the way I hit and adjust the way I’m doing things, and I will.” - Strong safety Bernard Pollard
“I always approached it like you might as well catch it because you’re going to get hit, anyway. When you look at it, it’s hard for both sides, I think, because when you see most receivers go up for a ball in the air, after they catch the ball, most of the times the first thing they do is tuck their head and try to ball up and protect themselves. You look at a defensive guy, you see a guy jumping at him, the first thing they do try to tuck their head, too, to try to protect themselves. I think that’s what kind of leads to a lot of helmet-to-helmet hits. I don’t know; it’s tough because the sport is violent. I wouldn’t say guys are trying to intentionally hurt you on purpose, but a lot of the times, guys are just out there playing, man. They just go and hit you. I don’t really think they’re thinking about the helmet-to helmet contact.” - Wide receiver Andre Johnson
“It’s good to protect the players, I guess. You don’t want to take the aggression out of the game at all. I think some of it’s been taken away. But I think when it’s blatant and they’re going for the head, then you’ve got to address those issues. I don’t know if it’ll affect our mindset going across the middle at all. You’re still going to get hit, it’s still probably going to hurt. (That won’t change) just because they’re trying to protect us. I think most guys aren’t aiming for the head out there. They’re probably just trying to dislodge the ball and trying to be fair and trying to play the game clean. Most of those guys are just playing hard and trying to make good hits. So I don’t think it’ll change much.” - tight end Owen Daniels
“I don’t have nothing against it [a potential new policy]. I don’t want to take those licks. You can’t really fault those guys because they’re being football players, and you don’t want to take anything away from them being physical. They're just playing football. You can’t be mad at them.” - wide receiver Jacoby Jones
That was a painful amount of blockquote, but it does illustrate the reality of the situation. The sport is not designed to maim players, but this generation are animals, and even with the advanced protective gear, there are still going to be injuries. The race is to keep the technology and improvements in safety in step with the ever growing strength and toughness of the players. There were plenty of guys getting jacked in the leather helmet days of the game, and tough as they were, they'd look like Pop Warner kids against the curent football players - even with new gear..
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