Rookie Symposium Cancelled & 'Defenseless Players' Rules Changed

[DaCityKats]

it's really simple...don't hit the WR until he hits the ground and starts running with the ball. if you hit him while he's in the air or has a chance to get his feet planted, then you've hit him too early.

that is bs. you learn from day 1 if you cant get to the ball than you run threw the wr. i hate the changes.

[Vagrant]

People need to get over themselves here. Do you not realize that the danger of concussions are increasing exponentially with every passing year as the players get faster, the equipment gets harder, and the hits get higher and higher?

This is the reason that Dave Duerson decided to fire a shot directly into his heart to save his brain for research. Even in his darkest hour he desired for others to never experience the pain that Chronic traumatic encephalopathy had caused him. His brain was black and dying slowly. Mike Webster is another example. Chris Henry is another player who had his brain chemistry altered by the number of hits to the head he had taken. Terry Long. Andre Waters. Players we watched growing up and loved that were shells of themselves and lost the battle to this disease.

"Might as well make it flag football", my ass. There will ALWAYS be room for hard and clean hits in the NFL. What there will not be room for anymore are players that are intentionally targeting the head of their opposition, hitting players in defenseless positions, and launching themselves like a human torpedo into the opposition. Not only is it unsafe for the player being hit it is unsafe for the player doing the hitting.

I want to be able to watch football with a clear conscience and know that these guys will be able to live long and full lives after their playing career is done. Life after football is more important than life during football by a country mile.

If you want to watch things trying to kill each other to satiate your blood lust, then go watch a cock fight or a dog fight or make the trip down to Mexico and watch them gut a bull in front of a captive audience. Football is not the sport for you if you take any kind of pleasure in a player getting a head shot and laying prone on the ground unable to remember the last hour of his life.

[Ja Rhule]

Soon, soccer will be more physical than football.

[Galvatron]

Soon, soccer will be more physical than football.

[rayzor]

that is bs. you learn from day 1 if you cant get to the ball than you run threw the wr. i hate the changes.

i'm sure that people that are having to deal with the long term effects of concussions wish something like this had been in place.

screw enjoyment of the game if it's at the expense of players having to endure long term brain damage or possible spinal injury just because players don't want to adjust how they play a little and fans want to see defenseless/prone players get knocked the f*** out.

[Ja Rhule]

People need to get over themselves here. Do you not realize that the danger of concussions are increasing exponentially with every passing year as the players get faster, the equipment gets harder, and the hits get higher and higher?

This is the reason that Dave Duerson decided to fire a shot directly into his heart to save his brain for research. Even in his darkest hour he desired for others to never experience the pain that Chronic traumatic encephalopathy had caused him. His brain was black and dying slowly. Mike Webster is another example. Chris Henry is another player who had his brain chemistry altered by the number of hits to the head he had taken. Terry Long. Andre Waters. Players we watched growing up and loved that were shells of themselves and lost the battle to this disease.

"Might as well make it flag football", my ass. There will ALWAYS be room for hard and clean hits in the NFL. What there will not be room for anymore are players that are intentionally targeting the head of their opposition, hitting players in defenseless positions, and launching themselves like a human torpedo into the opposition. Not only is it unsafe for the player being hit it is unsafe for the player doing the hitting.

I want to be able to watch football with a clear conscience and know that these guys will be able to live long and full lives after their playing career is done. Life after football is more important than life during football by a country mile.

If you want to watch things trying to kill each other to satiate your blood lust, then go watch a cock fight or a dog fight or make the trip down to Mexico and watch them gut a bull in front of a captive audience. Football is not the sport for you if you take any kind of pleasure in a player getting a head shot and laying prone on the ground unable to remember the last hour of his life.

Yo, chief. They sign up for this poo no one forced them. They got paid millions. Go look at US soldiers, some handicapped for life and they made little more than $20,000 a year. Do you see them cry? No. Today players make millions and cry over concussions. Again, no one is forcing them. They know the danger, the accept it... Do not look back and whine about it.

[rayzor]

People need to get over themselves here. Do you not realize that the danger of concussions are increasing exponentially with every passing year as the players get faster, the equipment gets harder, and the hits get higher and higher?

This is the reason that Dave Duerson decided to fire a shot directly into his heart to save his brain for research. Even in his darkest hour he desired for others to never experience the pain that Chronic traumatic encephalopathy had caused him. His brain was black and dying slowly. Mike Webster is another example. Chris Henry is another player who had his brain chemistry altered by the number of hits to the head he had taken. Terry Long. Andre Waters. Players we watched growing up and loved that were shells of themselves and lost the battle to this disease.

"Might as well make it flag football", my ass. There will ALWAYS be room for hard and clean hits in the NFL. What there will not be room for anymore are players that are intentionally targeting the head of their opposition, hitting players in defenseless positions, and launching themselves like a human torpedo into the opposition. Not only is it unsafe for the player being hit it is unsafe for the player doing the hitting.

I want to be able to watch football with a clear conscience and know that these guys will be able to live long and full lives after their playing career is done. Life after football is more important than life during football by a country mile.

If you want to watch things trying to kill each other to satiate your blood lust, then go watch a cock fight or a dog fight or make the trip down to Mexico and watch them gut a bull in front of a captive audience. Football is not the sport for you if you take any kind of pleasure in a player getting a head shot and laying prone on the ground unable to remember the last hour of his life.

i agree with the post. the bolded is something that rivera said he wanted to coach the players away from. he basically implied it was a lazy way of playing defense. tackling > using your body like a missile. it won't make for more crushing highlight reels, but it makes for better football.

[Vagrant]

Yo, chief. They sign up for this poo no one forced them. They got paid millions. Go look at US soldiers, some handicapped for life and they made little more than $20,000 a year. Do you see them cry? No. Today players make millions and cry over concussions. Again, no one is forcing them. They know the danger, the accept it... Do not look back and whine about it.

Comparing NFL players to soldiers is always a slippery slope. However, since you are the one that brought it up, I will indulge you.

What we do for the US soldiers is spend BILLIONS every year in new techniques to make their job safer for them. Unfortunately, events still transpire that are beyond our control but due to the investment both emotionally and financially into their well being we are seeing fewer and fewer soldiers killed. That is because somebody at one point in time said that these men deserve protection not only from the enemy, but from themselves. They WILL die for our country. They WILL storm into situations where the odds aren't favorable. What you have to do is create a system where they don't have to do those things as often as they have in the past. That is why we invest into defense and the newest technology. To save American lives.

Basically, allowing football players to play by their own rules is like sending a soldier into battle with WWII era equipment and saying, "oh well, he signed up for being a soldier he should have known the risks". When we have something to say about preventing people from getting hurt or dying, then we have the impetus upon us to make those changes even in a situation where service or participation is not mandatory. Even in the instance of football players that give up their health for our entertainment and their own financial gain.

Even still a lot of the time the players are not educated enough on the issue of post concussion life that they even care. When you're 20 years old and you're being offered millions you do what you're asked to do.

NFL players and soldiers have a bit more in common than many like to think. When they come home battered and bruised after a career of serving the public, they're generally ignored when the health issues of that lifestyle start to crop up. PTSD for soldiers, and post concussion issues for athletes. We should be doing more in both instances to prevent and treat these unfortunate side effects.

[rayzor]

Yo, chief. They sign up for this poo no one forced them. They got paid millions. Go look at US soldiers, some handicapped for life and they made little more than $20,000 a year. Do you see them cry? No. Today players make millions and cry over concussions. Again, no one is forcing them. They know the danger, the accept it... Do not look back and whine about it.

shame on you for comparing soldiers to players in a game. you don't think the military tries to do things to protect soldiers? you think the proper response to spending money on protective gear for them is "f*ck it. they knew what they were signing up for. if they get hurt, they get hurt." bad analogy. the two are worlds apart in all aspects.

moving on from that...how many players get paid millions? it isn't the majority or even close. they volunteer for the job, for sure, but it's the responsibility of the league to make sure that the players aren't putting their lives at stake doing it. thats why they wear helmets and shoulder pads. it isn't to turn themselves into missiles. it's to protect them. did it screw up the game when they started using them? they always risk injury, but they can change things to make it safer for them without changing the fundamental fabric of the game.

the truth is, they are making changes like this in all levels of the game, mainly because they are finding out how dangerous it can be. no game is worth putting people at high risk for long term or lifetime injury. i don't care how much they get paid. that doesn't mean that the game should shut down or change to flag football. just make little changes like this. the game will still be fun to watch and make billions a year. it just won't have people launching themselves into prone players. it's a cheap shot anyway. people love to see their team make hits like that, but when it's their players getting hit like that they hate it and start calling for a flag. better for everyone if they put an end to it.

[DaCityKats]

i'm sure that people that are having to deal with the long term effects of concussions wish something like this had been in place.

screw enjoyment of the game if it's at the expense of players having to endure long term brain damage or possible spinal injury just because players don't want to adjust how they play a little and fans want to see defenseless/prone players get knocked the f*** out.

thats part of the game and always have been. thats why its a collusion sport, the players know what they are getting into......if you cant handle dont play.

i understand the leading with helmet, and going after the head but if you launching with your shoulder it should not be a problem. im still pissed about that Martin hit on that TE from cleveland game.

[Brooklyn Bully]

Roger Goodell is the worst damn comissioner ever... until a Panther gets hurt by these launches. Then I agree with the new rules.

Fixed for the entire board. ;)

[Ja Rhule]

That is such a bullpoo argument.

Pro football players are NOT soldiers and any attempt to compare them insults the men and women that have made the commitment to serve (and die for if necessary) their country.

Of course they're not soldiers. Both made personal choice, both accept the responsibility. Both got paid for what they sign up for. Or would you rather me take out soldiers and add miners?

[DaCityKats]

Fixed for the entire board. ;)

exclude me from that, it's part of the game.

[Ja Rhule]

Didn't think so many ppl vagina gonna hurt when I compare soldiers to players. I'm not comparing literally soldiers to players... I compare em because its a dicision individuals made and rip the consequances of their decision. Gosh..