Headbangers: 5 Ways The NFL Can Put A Lid On Concussions
Here’s how I can tell some NFL hits are becoming too vicious: When I see them on TV, I get a headache.
Last weekend alone, I witnessed at least three devastating hits that had me reaching for the Tylenol. The first and most obvious was the hit Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson took during a game against the Atlanta Falcons. A couple others were during the Pittsburgh Steelers/Cleveland Browns game where it wasn’t rookie Browns QB Colt McCoy taking all the hits, but rather, his receivers getting knocked out of the game thanks to the two hits by the same guys on the Steelers (Steelers LB James Harrison sidelines both Joshua Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi). And Baltimore Ravens tight end Todd Heap took a terrible hit to his head and somehow managed to return.
It got me—and a bunch of other columnists and bloggers— thinking: How can the NFL stop this from happening? For years, the league has built a reputation on hard hits and big tackles. So, how can they can combat this growing trend and make the game—and, most importantly, the players that play the game—safer? I’ve come up with a plan—what do you think?
1. Tell ESPN to stop showing great hits by defensive players.
It sounds sort of contradictory, right? Why you want to stop ESPN from showing the best defensive plays of the week. The truth is, NFL players use those plays to gauge their own effectiveness. If they’re not making highlights on ESPN, they need to hit harder. Get tougher. Send a receiver or a tight end to the ground. So that’s what they do. Only they take things too far and end up handing out concussions. If ESPN wasn’t showing devastating hits in the first place, a lot of the NFL’s defensive players wouldn’t be aspiring to hand them out.
2. Teach younger players how to tackle properly.
NFL players have gotten bigger, quicker, stronger, craftier and more versatile over the last ten years or so. But most of the same tackling techniques that were used ten years ago are being used today. To put an end to the concussions caused by poor tackling, the NFL (and the NCAA and high-school ranks, for that matter) need to focus on teaching all players how to tackle properly again.
3. Suspend defensive players for registering hits deemed to be too big on offensive players.
Right now, NFL players who get penalized for illegal hits are subject to a (relatively) small fine and a 15-yard penalty. The NFL needs to find a creative way to make their penalties harsher. Go the unconventional route and penalize players for a quarter or a half of the next game for an illegal hit. Repeat offenders receive additional time and can be suspended for up to a game. This way, guys will think before they lay another big hit.
4. Put a muzzle on guys like James Harrison.
Harrison is a great, great player. He’s quick and he delivers big hits. But he also basically refused to show any type of remorse for knocking two players out of a game. That doesn’t bode well for the influence he has on other players, who will likely do the same. If he’s going to deliver big hits, fine. Let him put himself at risk. But comments like he made after the game helps make it seem okay for guys to level each other and dish out concussions during games. That’s something the NFL culture doesn’t need right now.
5. Rethink the 18-game schedule.
I doubt they will, but if there’s anything we’re all learning about the NFL right now, it’s that it’s become more violent than ever before. There are teams that are literally decimated by injuries right now. Going to an 18-game schedule in the future is only going to make things more difficult on the players’ bodies. It’ll most certainly result in more injuries, including concussions. For the sake of all the players, the NFL has to limit them now and avoid facing an even bigger headache in the future.
this is garbage its football there are gonna be bone crushing hits get used to it or go watch soccer
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its cause of people like you the nfl will go out of business.. football is a FULL contact sport. thats why they get paid millions to play. man up..play the game.. quit complaining about hard hits, thats what football is all about. does UFC complain about punching too hard?
Yeah I kind of agree with the others. It’s football. It’s what they get paid to do. And even as a kid when we tackle that person you hit that dude full impact. It’s not like you can gauge a hit. Why are you going to fine a guy for doing his job? It’s what they get paid for and it’s why they have equipment.
But on the ufc thing while they don’t complain about hitting hard there’s alot of techniques not allowed due to amount of damage they cause.
ya your right about the technique used in ufc but a kick to the jaw is a kick to the jaw.
and the nfl has rules and regs about what you can a cannot do. ex:no horsecaller, cant even touch the facemask, no clothes line, no running into the kicker/punter, you can barely tackle the qb. when is it going to stop? you have to let them play. james harrison had 2 great hits. the hits people love to see in football. thats why theyre the best of the best and thats why we pay to watch it. they keep making these rules, and theyre going to lose viewers.
Only thing you mentioned that makes sense or is not already being done is rethink the 18 game schedule. From day one in little league, middle school, high school and college, players are taught to not duck their head when making contact. Injuries are a part of the game, they are gonna happen. Player saftey is not the concern, money is. Owners want more games to make more money, They know fans pay to see star players so they want to keep them healthy. Asking for more game and being concerned about the players health do not go hand in hand. Players are bigger stronger faster, but joints, ligaments, bones are still the same. ESPN will always glorify the big hit because thats what people want to see, Suspend players for illegal hits, not hits that just look too violent but are clean (Dunta Robinson) Money is ruining the world, not just football. Thats why college is so much more entertaining, but NCAA is raping them too.