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Ponymon wrote:I guess the NFL will have to become a "flag" football league to stay in business in the future. Can't afford to have anybody hit too hard! Too many kids growing up given "participation" trophies leading to a complete change in the attitude towards the game. The "pussifying" of America? Football would never have gotten a start if the same attitude existed back at the turn of the nineteenth century. Can you imagine, they used to play without facemasks and the pads were a fraction of what they are today?

I am normally all over the pussification argument but not in this case.

Football began with 11 guys of similar average size and no pads. There is a limit on hits in that environment. Go watch a rugby game. Now with specialization of players (huge difference in size between largest and smallest on the field) and helmets and padding, hits have exceed human ability to absorb it in the brain.

It is like boxing. Gloves make it way less bloody but ultimately harder on the brain because you can punch much harder than bare knuckle.

Football will either become a 7 on 7 passing sport with little contact or it must go back and eliminate helmets and facemasks.

Ponymon wrote:I guess the NFL will have to become a "flag" football league to stay in business in the future. Can't afford to have anybody hit too hard! Too many kids growing up given "participation" trophies leading to a complete change in the attitude towards the game. The "pussifying" of America? Football would never have gotten a start if the same attitude existed back at the turn of the nineteenth century. Can you imagine, they used to play without facemasks and the pads were a fraction of what they are today?

Furthermore, there was a primitive form of that environment. Public outcry and media hysteria over the danger of football is what forced in the forward pass and the helmet to begin with.

People used to die on a regular basis playing football in the early days. Hence the helmet and pads.

I don't know where football is going with the increased awareness about head and other injuries.

A few years back there was a joke about dressing the QBs in skirts and prohibiting the defense from hitting a player so dressed. As regards the old days one of my best friends growing up told a family story about his father's uncle who had died of head injuries suffered in a game before helmets were required. Someone in his family still had the jersey he wore, cut across to remove it in the hospital. About three hours north of Dallas is Eufaula, OK, where the HS team is called the Ironheads. The Selmon brothers and J.C.Watts played there. Nowadays the mascot is depicted as a classical Greek or Roman soldier in a plumed helmet - an "Ironhead," but the term was first used when a coach long ago, remembered still in Eufaula, taught using the head as a weapon.

I don't believe football will continue as it is, and for the reasons couch'em lists. I'll leave it to others to talk about changes and how to make rulings on the field objective.

To me the participation awards given for youth sports today are a different subject that should not be mentioned in the same breath.

couch 'em wrote:

Ponymon wrote:I guess the NFL will have to become a "flag" football league to stay in business in the future. Can't afford to have anybody hit too hard! Too many kids growing up given "participation" trophies leading to a complete change in the attitude towards the game. The "pussifying" of America? Football would never have gotten a start if the same attitude existed back at the turn of the nineteenth century. Can you imagine, they used to play without facemasks and the pads were a fraction of what they are today?

I am normally all over the pussification argument but not in this case.

Football began with 11 guys of similar average size and no pads. There is a limit on hits in that environment. Go watch a rugby game. Now with specialization of players (huge difference in size between largest and smallest on the field) and helmets and padding, hits have exceed human ability to absorb it in the brain.

It is like boxing. Gloves make it way less bloody but ultimately harder on the brain because you can punch much harder than bare knuckle.

Football will either become a 7 on 7 passing sport with little contact or it must go back and eliminate helmets and facemasks.

I completely agree. This is one case where I'm either for the pussification of the sport or going to old school leather type helmets that offer almost no protection. Going to start seeing head injury problems earlier and earlier as guys get bigger and faster.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... yer-rules/

The rules are above---he was clearly in a defenseless position when he was hit and had no chance to get into a defend-able position as you are NOT allowed to hit or lead with your head OR your shoulder into the head when a player is in such position. I prefer to watch the good players play and see them perform every game, so the rules make sense. It surely doesn't mean that its a sissyfied or pussyfied sport...c'mon guys. These guys are bigger and faster every year with impacts on the bodies much more impactful and harmful than ever before, the rules deserve to be enforced.

If you love football you should favor these rules changes. The sport can't remain the same. I'm actually encouraged. Every game I see about 10-12 plays where players modified their play to try and abide by the intent of the new rules. I'd say even in about half the ejections the player made some attempt to not target the player with his helmet but did violate the rule. The grey area to me is the non-helmet contact calls that still constitute targeting under the rule

Stallion wrote:If you love football you should favor these rules changes. The sport can't remain the same.

Agree. Football is toast unless it changes. Moms all across this great land are waking up and not allowing their kids to play football b/c of the horror stories that are coming out right and left. It will take time, but unless that changes football will be a greatly diminished sport in 10 or 15 years.

"It is a foul if a player initiates unnecessary contact against a player who is in a defenseless posture.
(a) Players in a defenseless posture are: [. . .]
(2) A receiver attempting to catch a pass; or who has completed a catch and has not had time to protect himself or has not clearly become a runner.

This rule sounds very similar to a punt returner fielding a punt. If the receiver doesn't see the defender the defender must wait and let the receive make the catch and then make the tackle. I know that's not the intent but the rule seems ambiguous.

Another 100 yd game