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Two steps away from implementing player-worn flags. Someone farts on the sideline and a fine is handed down.
I’m sure 5-10 years ago Jaren Hall would’ve finished that game last week, media would’ve called him a “tough kid”. So I guess there’s that
Didn’t it turn out that concussions weren’t the direct problem regarding CTE? I suppose the league can measure and do something about concussions, but not linemen headbutting each other 100 times a game.
My tinfoil hat conspiracy is that the NFL itself pushes a lot of this “concussions are bad” narrative because it gives them an actual attainable goal. They can hire independent neurologists, change the kickoff rules, make players go through lengthy concussion protocols, etc. and help with that regard.
What they cannot help with are the smaller hits that happen multiple times every play, and those hits are the real enemy. If people focused on those hits, which are the real driving factors behind CTE, then the NFL would be hopeless. There’s no removing those hits, and thus CTE from the game. But if we all just pretend like big concussions are the problem then the NFL can do something about that.
It’s only a matter of time until the truly dangerous part of the game comes under real fire, and I’m interested to see the NFL’s plan.
One of the biggest things I think they will accomplish is working to design more specific helmets for specific positions. They’ve already started working on it and in theory can decrease the impact on the brain from all the linemen hits by designing the helmets differently, just as they could work on creating a helmet for QBs that can reduce the risk of concussions from hitting their head on the ground while being tackled backwards.
Even, then, if they really cared they would make the friendly helmet to helmet illegal celebrations, but they probably don’t want to put the idea in people’s heads that those small hits can also cause damage.
Yes. The concussion focus was to distract people from that. By showing all these protocols around concussions they can better sell the illusion that football is safe.
I think too good of a job. Time we start bumping those numbers back up. Bring back big hits.
We’re going to have to comb through a lot of MacGruber data to find out for sure.
Unless prevention starts at the peewee level it’s hard to pinpoint when the damage was done. To make it to the NFL you’re going through some punishment.
A lot of people who are being reported as having CTE now have had bad protocols since peewee. There were no guardian caps when I played.
It’s substantially safer now but that doesn’t help dudes in their 30s and 40s who played in the late 90s early 00s
100%. All the vets in the league grew up watching NFL published hard hit highlight reels. They all played in middle school and high schools where hard hits were encouraged.
It takes a LONG time for safety related messaging to soak in through all the levels of the sport. The kids just starting peewee today are the ones who will have coaches/protocols that care about concussions for their entire career.
Until they’re in their 50’s we won’t truly know how much better the preventions are.
Better at pretending like they give a shit and are doing something about it, yea.
Anthony Richardson’s concussion earlier this year was self-reported. In years past, he wouldn’t have been able to raise a flag to a dedicated neutral medical professional while the game was ongoing. He likely would have been told by the team that he just got his “bell rung” and get back out on the field.
A lot more players are able to report concussions, which is a good thing. Seems like this generation of players are also more aware certain actions will have on their long-term health and also feel comfortable reporting these issues.
I am inclined to say yes as they have the independent neurologist, concussion protocol, better equipment for avoiding concussions, etc.
The truth is that only time will tell.
All depends on how you define progress, probably in managing it but not much in preventing. I doubt you would make serious reduction without eliminating the defense or making it flag football.
The nfl is going to create helmets with guardian caps fused in
Give skilled position players the option to play with a flag. Penalty if you tackle someone with a flag. Tradeoff is that it’s harder to get yards after the catch, but dramatically lower risk of injury for these critical players.
I would expect nearly all QBs to use this option, and many older and more injury-prone players.
How do you prevent a WR from making a catch if you can’t play the body at the point of the catch? Put a flag on any skill player and they immediately become unguardable. No corner in the league is good enough to clamp even a league average WR with only deflections and interceptions (especially with all the other rules that boost offensive production)
The concusion book stated it was the sub concussion blows that were the problem. When offensive linemen smash deads with dlineman.
That cases the release fo taw protien, which causes the occlusions in the brian.
Not playing while concussed is great. Butnsolves half the problem only.
Waiting for boxing, mma, soccer, and cheerleadering to get the scrutiny that football gets…
Boxing and MMA get a pass because beating the shit out of each other is the point, and the banning of headers at low levels of soccer is already a thing that’s happening to a great deal of controversy.
I think the solution might be the NFL investing millions of dollars into football helmet research to come up with a helmet that actually protects the brain. These current helmets are designed to protect the skull, not the brain…there is a difference.
Technology advances every single year…at some point someone will have a breakthrough. Just have to make the effort to start that resarch on the league’s behalf…not on private helmet companies’ behalfs.
As a 49er fan, the death of Dwight Clark in his mid 50s to ALS really hits hard and was a big reality check about the long term effects of those small headhits…even the ones that don’t get diagnosed as concussions.
The NFL need to put their moey where their mouth is and start a research program into helmet improvements.
I’ll trade you one concussion for 5 torn Achilles…