Originally posted by THEMerts80:
Originally posted by Natewillis2252:
Originally posted by Dr_Bill_Walsh:
*fixed
for real though, when I first saw this game a few years ago in its entirety i was
amazed
at the crisp, hard hits the NFL used to allow...nowadays 
So sick of that crap! just let the guys play.
I am a huge 49er and overall football fan. I used to love the hard hits but then something changed my mind. My grandfather Jerry Mertens played for the 49ers in the 50s and 60s, and a few years ago starting showing signs of Dementia/Alzheimer's. He, and hundreds of ex football players showing signs of severe brain abnormalities. Joe the Jet Perry you all know on the zone had been experiencing many brain related problems before he passed. He is an article by the Bee that talks about it more...
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/12/09/4110875/49er-great-perrys-brain-suffered.html#mi_rss=49ers
My grandfather did a lot after his playing days including becoming president of the NFL Alumni west coast chapter. Now he does things that I wouldn't like to mention but is very hard to see after such a strong successful man has crumbled so quickly to someone that resembles a 5 year old. The NFL realizes that someone is either going to die or that all of its players are going to go full retard. I hope people start realizing why the NFL is changing its ways. I know many will say yes its football and if you can't deal with the hard hits then you shouldn't play or watch but what people don't realize is that these guys lives are being cut wayyyy to short and its very sad. And trust me the ending is not pretty either.
One last link so show even more recent players are facing similar issues
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2077129/Benjamin-Utecht-Fears-ex-NFL-player-remember-best-friends-wedding.html
http://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2011/7/7/2263963/former-baltimore-colts-john-mackey-passes-away
I hope I changed at least one of the members from the zone that I have been apart of for about 10 years now. Go 9ers!!!
Ill just say this, Im sorry to hear about your Grandfather, don't wish that on anyone. With that being said, when my dad, grandfather, uncles and my brother signed up for the military, they new as well that there would be risks associated with it, the same goes for football, there are risks involved. I understand that football is just a game but the two glaring similarity's are, that there are risks to injury. Its asinine to say, "when i signed up I didn't expect this to happen" or "I didn't sign up for this". When I played football in high school my mom and dad both told me I could really hurt myself, I could break something but knowing that I could get hurt, I played anyway. Players now days now this as well, there is always going to be head injury's, and Godell trying to alter the game to reduce that is laughable and is ruining the game, sure, flag those that intentionally aim for the head but most of the flags thrown are jokes, most of the flags this year have been against hits that cannot be changed in mid air, the Broncos game is a perfect example to why you cant change the location of the way a player hits, so we say, don't hit high because he might not remember who he is but hit him low so he cant walk ever gain. Point is, the game is a violent sport, there is nothing that we can do to reduce injurys, you take away the high hit, then there is going to be more leg injury's, you take away the low hits then there will be more hip and torso injury's, (assuming they say you can only hit to the mid section) and then finally you take away the mid section, we will have ourselves a nice game of two hand touch. We will see players making some adjustments to the rules but this will never reduce the injury's and as a former player, I would rather risk a head injury than never being able to walk strait again, as I know that there are were ways to protect my head from being hit.
Again I am really sorry to hear about your Grandfather, thoughts and prayers to you and your family.