What do you guys think of the NFL headquarters changing the way defense is played. Like most people I don't want to see guys get seriously injured when watching a game. However, I love smash mouth, hard hitting, good tackling defense. I enjoy that as much if not more than watching the offense score touchdowns. I have no problem with the NFL going after deliberate hits to the head. But for going after James Harrison for making a smart football move is ridiculous. Whats you take?
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I don't even know what happened.
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I hear they will be handing out the flags this weekend. If they don;t arrive in time, then it will be two hand touch on Sunday.
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I say go back to the leather padding and leather helmets and lets see how often guys launch themselves at others.
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I agree. The equipment allows these guys think they're indestructible. It's a tough thing to balance though.

I love smash mouth football too, but I think something has to be done. Truthfully, I thought Harrison's hits to were both unnecessarily dangerous. One was a blatant helmet to helmet, and on the other he didn't even make an attempt to wrap his arms (they actually expanded outward). Making yourself a head-first missile is dangerous to both the hitter and the hitee. Those hits and the one by the Patriot (forget his name) were worse than the one on DeSean Jackson IMHO.
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You gotta watch it at real speed though. Its easy to slow down a replay and say he could of done this. That game was the fastest most explosive I've seen a defense play in a couple of years. That rookie reciever didn't know any better. I saw Harrison Lead with his chest and forearm into the other guys shoulder. The guy got rattled got up and walked off the field. Whats the big deal?
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I have to disagree. Both of Harrison's were helmet to helmet. I know it's hard to control your aim when things happen so fast, but both of his hits were illegal before the new "safety policy." The one from the patriots was also helmet to helmet.

I do agree that the one on Jackson was a legal, albeit extremely hard, hit. I don't think the guy on the falcons should have been fined. It was a clean hit.
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I couldn't agree more.
Take a look at rugby. Minimal padding (compared to American football). Much more controlled contact. But still hard hitting. And those motherfokkers are tough.

The NFL these days is more about collision and violent contact. Not to mention the "look at me" showboating. More often you hear "what a hit" as opposed to "what a tackle". Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the game. I just think the game has more of a focus on collision than it needs to be.
:-)
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There was definately helmet to helmet on the cribbs hit and as soon as it happened I knew it was a dewsy. But both were legal hits. Cribs was not defensless he jumped head foward into a group of guys tackling him. One LB wrapped him up while Harrison went in for a waist high hit, that became a incidental head hit. The reciever hit was a lesson learned for 2 rookies. Neither play was a penalty. Both players walked off the field.
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IMHO, I don't think the fact that the "players walked off the field" should weigh into the decision if a player should be disciplined. Neither should if it was called a penalty. There are plenty of instances in a lot of sports where a call wasn't made on the field, but fines/suspensions are handed down after the fact.

When I learned how to play, there were two key components to tackling, keep your head up and wrap your arms. Harrison did neither on either play (I'm talking about Cribbs and Massaquoi (sp?), don't know that I've seen the hit on whatever rookie you're talking about).
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The only problem with starting these fines/suspensions is: Where do they draw the line? Every flag thrown? Because there are some flags that shouldn't be thrown. I want people to be safe, but the NFL doesn't allow the defense to do anything any more. They aren't even allowed to look at the QB any more. it's like the "roughing the kicker" rule. A couple weeks ago they were throwing the flags around in some very questionable calls. So do those defensive players also get fined/suspended for the roughing flag?
Pitterno (from Penn ST) has gone public to say that he think that they should take the face masks off.
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My understanding of the rule is that intent plays no role. Helmet to helmet hits are illegal irrespective if the player didn't mean to initiate the contact but "incidentally" did so. These kinds of hits have always been illegal, but the NFL is now going to enforce the rule. The policy is not new. The implementation is all that is changing.

The question for me was articulated very clearly on a sports talk radio show this morning: where do I want to see the players I root for -- on the field or on the sidelines in street clothes?
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I say suck it up. This isn't a chess match we are watching. These guys get paid more in a year than I'll see in a life time, get out there and earn it. All they need now is to say no contact with the QB and pass out the belts with the flags. I guess the girls field hockey league will take over as the toughest sport in America. YMMV.
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From my understanding earhole hits are legal on running backs because they are not defensless. which is why their is no flag on that play. Cribbs is one of the fastest players in the league. Looking at it again Harrison would of hit Cribbs dead on but Cribbs slowed down and fell foward at the last second. And having a 280lb DE fall on him probably didn't help.
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less padding is the way to go, leather helmets, etc. Look at college hockey, they are forced to wear a full cage helmet and the sticks are always up and hitting each other in the face/head. Back in the NHL before helmets were a forced issue, you rarely saw that. Now that helmets are forced and many wear a plexi visor, the same crap is cropping up in the NHL. I think in these cases, less is more. A guy is not going to knowingly sacrifice his own head/life to make a highlight reel on SportsCenter. Even though that is what they are doing, they believe (falsely) that they are invincible.
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What needs to happen is for these defensive players to get rid of the "thug mentality" and get back to basic tackling, with arms and shoulder pads, to the torso. Look back during the days of Butkus and Singletary. Those guys hit just as hard but did it the correct way.
Steelergar, glad you're not looking at this through black/gold colored glasses :-)
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Players are getting bigger, stronger, and faster. Until articulated armored uniforms are de riguer (protecting joints, head, and spinal injuries to a factor multiple times the possible generated force) it will become increasingly more dangerous for players. At some point, these players will reach a finite point of training, conditioning, and ability due to the limitations of the human body. We have not reached it yet, and already it is a very dangerous sport, whether the infractions are intentional or unintentional. As far as the homer argument of "Where would I rather cheer for my favorite player?," at some point it may become "from the DL, the hospital, the wheelchair, or the morgue."

Of course, logically, YMMV, if you are a rabid fan. Nothing wrong with being a rabid fan, and if you want to see gladiatorial style combats (ala' MMA), so be it. But the NFL (and their individual owners, coincidentally) must decide how much they want to gamble by taking steps to protect their multimillion dollar assets. Diminishing returns indeed on that investment are possible, if not expected, as these players "progress" to higher ability.

But what do I know? I'm just an average stupid guy.
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+1

Too many people launching themselves head first, and leading with their forearms. How exactly does one tackle someone with your head or forearm?

time to get back to the basics where tackling meant hitting low, wrapping up and taking the runners legs away with your arms.

I mean how many times a game do you see a text book tackle where the tackler hits the runner, wraps up, grabs his thighs and lifts him?

Those can be as bone crushing as anything else, if done properly
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Bravo, Marc.
You hit the nail on the head.
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B-B-b-but Vic... they have been told for their whole careers that "harder is better" and that they can be big walking ccok on the block if they are the hardest hitting badass out there... You think they could retrain themselves, their egos, and the system that inculcates this attitude to ... uh... play.. er.... better football?
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