Injuries and Safety, real solutions

Originally posted by GreenReaperTT:

after watching yet another breathless analysis of how many injuries are happening this year (bahhh, golden boy QB gets injured suddenly the sky is falling) it did get me thinking about the overall push for more safety, which has lead down the path everyone hates: more BS calls on defensive plays.
but as we all know, that is an idiotic knee jerk reaction that hasnt worked at all. the rules cant really get more pussified, and yet more injuries are happening than ever before. even to the QB's they are so fukin desperate to protect.

so here it is, a thread dedicated to things that could actually work. guaranteed to be outside the box and (knowing the crowd) probably sarcastic. if you've ever b***hed about a safety rule, lets hear what you would do different.

i have a few crazy ideas: one being instituting weight limits on players. nobody over 280.

I agree with the weight limit. But have minimums, not maximum.

If you are under 200 you can't play. This is a big mans game so keep the pipsqueeks like Brees out. Otherwise we are just making special rules for the few shrimps who can't take big hits.

Originally posted by Young2Rice:
I agree with the weight limit. But have minimums, not maximum.

If you are under 200 you can't play. This is a big mans game so keep the pipsqueeks like Brees out. Otherwise we are just making special rules for the few shrimps who can't take big hits.

well, the over 300 club that started in the 80's is just not healthy or safe for the players. they say they want more safety, but then a lot of guys keep weight on that they really shouldnt from a health standpoint, and heavier guys across the boards means more danger to everyone, since those MFers fall down and take knees with them.

IMO just limit HGH and testosterone levels. Most of the big hits are from LB's or DB's that rarely hit the 250 lb mark. They have an increased amount of muscle and they carry less fat which makes them much more explosive.

You know when guards crush LBs and DBs nobody gets a flag. Refs don't watch for that.

Originally posted by LBSI9ers:
You know when guards crush LBs and DBs nobody gets a flag. Refs don't watch for that.

those are the guys that end up with the CTE though. theres the REAL problem thats still completely un-addressed, which is just the repeated bam, bam, bam, that happens every play. then theres the big hits, which are much more visible, but only happen on a small percentage of plays. they are ridiculously going after those when the real problem is just getting worse. guys are getting bigger, padding getting better, making them feel more invincible

Originally posted by GreenReaperTT:

Originally posted by LBSI9ers:

You know when guards crush LBs and DBs nobody gets a flag. Refs don't watch for that.

those are the guys that end up with the CTE though. theres the REAL problem thats still completely un-addressed, which is just the repeated bam, bam, bam, that happens every play. then theres the big hits, which are much more visible, but only happen on a small percentage of plays. they are ridiculously going after those when the real problem is just getting worse. guys are getting bigger, padding getting better, making them feel more invincible

This. These new rules are not helping the issue. It is all window dressing.

Originally posted by GreenReaperTT:

Originally posted by LBSI9ers:
You know when guards crush LBs and DBs nobody gets a flag. Refs don't watch for that.

those are the guys that end up with the CTE though. theres the REAL problem thats still completely un-addressed, which is just the repeated bam, bam, bam, that happens every play. then theres the big hits, which are much more visible, but only happen on a small percentage of plays. they are ridiculously going after those when the real problem is just getting worse. guys are getting bigger, padding getting better, making them feel more invincible

no pads, no helmets. waaaaaay fewer hits

Interesting article on Bill Belichick's take on increased injuries around the league.


http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/12/26/belichick-blames-increased-injuries-on-practice-limits/

Another possible option that sucks is limiting the number of snaps each player may participate in per game. We are a little better at it this year but last year, we never rotated on defense. I don't think the one off clean woooo hit by Hitner does as much damage to the brain as the collisions that occur each play. I'd rather get punched in the face by Tyson once rather than getting punched in the face by Pacquiao 100 times. Limiting the number of plays will help control this.

Originally posted by btak49:
Another possible option that sucks is limiting the number of snaps each player may participate in per game. We are a little better at it this year but last year, we never rotated on defense. I don't think the one off clean woooo hit by Hitner does as much damage to the brain as the collisions that occur each play. I'd rather get punched in the face by Tyson once rather than getting punched in the face by Pacquiao 100 times. Limiting the number of plays will help control this.

Maybe don't limit the number of snaps per game, but per season? Increase the size of the active roster from 53 to 75 and have the teams rotate starters similar to the way they do pitchers in baseball. Guys take fewer snaps, less wear and tear, and you increase the strategy factor by picking which players to activate for a game based on match ups

Originally posted by swayze:

Originally posted by GreenReaperTT:

Originally posted by LBSI9ers:
You know when guards crush LBs and DBs nobody gets a flag. Refs don't watch for that.

those are the guys that end up with the CTE though. theres the REAL problem thats still completely un-addressed, which is just the repeated bam, bam, bam, that happens every play. then theres the big hits, which are much more visible, but only happen on a small percentage of plays. they are ridiculously going after those when the real problem is just getting worse. guys are getting bigger, padding getting better, making them feel more invincible

no pads, no helmets. waaaaaay fewer hits

i agree on this, but there's no way it's going to happen only because it's going to look bad in the public eye.


just say you need to attempt to wrap up when making tackles.

i wonder about going back to a more old school padding. soft helmets and shoulder pads, made with modern materials. i dont suppose it would help all that much but i think it would be cool lol

Originally posted by GreenReaperTT:

Originally posted by Young2Rice:
I agree with the weight limit. But have minimums, not maximum.

If you are under 200 you can't play. This is a big mans game so keep the pipsqueeks like Brees out. Otherwise we are just making special rules for the few shrimps who can't take big hits.

well, the over 300 club that started in the 80's is just not healthy or safe for the players. they say they want more safety, but then a lot of guys keep weight on that they really shouldnt from a health standpoint, and heavier guys across the boards means more danger to everyone, since those MFers fall down and take knees with them.

Whether you weigh 320 lbs or 120 lbs, if you come down on top of someones leg, its a season ending type injury. Its about the angle of the force being applied, not the amount of weight.

Limiting weight isnt going to make the game any safer, considering the players who usually commit the most injury causing hits are S and LB, who both weight under 280 lbs.

There is no real way to make the game safer, outside just playing flag football. Its a violent game, and the players understand the health risks. This whole brain injury saga in the NFL is a big legal issue. They couldnt care less about player safety, they care about the safety of their wallets. The product was at its best when it was violent, and thats why the NFL tried to ignore the concussion issues for so long.

Players understood what would likely happen to them someday after being bashed in the head hundreds of times. It was just a money grab stemming from the loopholes in our legal system.

If the NFL just gave retired players a nice medical plan, every single player would agree to risking their personal health for the millions and the fame. Just bring back the game we all knew and loved. If you want to protect the QB, fine. They make the most money for the league. But make it uniform. Dont favor guys like Brady and Brees, and then ignore guys like Brandon Weeden.

And PLEASE make helmet to helmet calls reviewable. Its going to cost someone a HUGE game one of these days. It might have already cost us the 1 seed.