Rookie Symposium Cancelled & 'Defenseless Players' Rules Changed

[Vagrant]

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?

Do you understand that miners and former miners alike are OVERJOYED when they come up with new ways to make their profession safer for those that still do mine? They don't say, "oh man, mining is for little girls now it sucks", they are happy that future generations of miners will not have to face the consequences they faced due to lack of technology or rules to prevent them from being forced to operate under obscene conditions.

It is the same way with football. Most of the veteran players are happy that the league is cracking down on illegal hits to the head because they, with the wisdom of age, know what it does to your body. These young bucks that think they're invincible and want to make ESPN every week for giving somebody nose bubbles simply don't understand the risk and what they're doing to their body.

It is surprising how long this caveman mentality has survived in regards to professional sports. In virtually every other realm of life, what gets less people hurt is usually considered advancement and is viewed as a positive thing for the practitioners. In sports, people think we're supposed to operate like the technology hasn't changed since the inception of the game.

The fact of the matter is that players want to move faster. They want less bulky pads. What do the companies do? They provide equipment made of harder shell equipment that is more compact and ten times harder than what they were using in the 80's. With the improvement in training and the evolution of the human body, players on average are MUCH faster than players of the past. So we have what amounts to faster than human cyborgs running around the field with equipment that is as hard as metal that play the game the same way they did when the game was slower and the padding was more for protection than aggression.

The evolution of the human body in terms of getting physically faster is not a process that has carried over to the brain. The brain is just as likely now as it was then to slosh around in your head and cause brain damage. The problem is that impacts are happening faster. The force with which the brain hits the skull is much faster because the collisions are more violent. The game must change to account for that. Either we put the players back into the old equipment, find a way to make them slower, or we change the ways they can hit to protect everybody involved.

[Ja Rhule]

Do you understand that miners and former miners alike are OVERJOYED when they come up with new ways to make their profession safer for those that still do mine? They don't say, "oh man, mining is for little girls now it sucks", they are happy that future generations of miners will not have to face the consequences they faced due to lack of technology or rules to prevent them from being forced to operate under obscene conditions.

It is the same way with football. Most of the veteran players are happy that the league is cracking down on illegal hits to the head because they, with the wisdom of age, know what it does to your body. These young bucks that think they're invincible and want to make ESPN every week for giving somebody nose bubbles simply don't understand the risk and what they're doing to their body.

It is surprising how long this caveman mentality has survived in regards to professional sports. In virtually every other realm of life, what gets less people hurt is usually considered advancement and is viewed as a positive thing for the practitioners. In sports, people think we're supposed to operate like the technology hasn't changed since the inception of the game.

The fact of the matter is that players want to move faster. They want less bulky pads. What do the companies do? They provide equipment made of harder shell equipment that is more compact and ten times harder than what they were using in the 80's. With the improvement in training and the evolution of the human body, players on average are MUCH faster than players of the past. So we have what amounts to faster than human cyborgs running around the field with equipment that is as hard as metal that play the game the same way they did when the game was slower and the padding was more for protection than aggression.

The evolution of the human body in terms of getting physically faster is not a process that has carried over to the brain. The brain is just as likely now as it was then to slosh around in your head and cause brain damage. The problem is that impacts are happening faster. The force with which the brain hits the skull is much faster because the collisions are more violent. The game must change to account for that. Either we put the players back into the old equipment, find a way to make them slower, or we change the ways they can hit to protect everybody involved.

You do realize I'm not reading your 20pages posts? But go ahead pritch brother.

[Vagrant]

You do realize I'm not reading your 20pages posts? But go ahead pritch brother.

You wouldn't be able to comprehend them anyways, you plebeian. It was more for the benefit of the rest of us that can breathe without our mouths open.

[Ja Rhule]

You wouldn't be able to comprehend them anyways, you plebeian. It was more for the benefit of the rest of us that can breathe without our mouths open.

Yeap, sorry I'm not into writting. I'm more into numbers, pays more.

[Montsta]

It's not even as much to me that they are pussifying football as it is the heavy fines, ejections, or suspensions they are putting on the defensive guys. These guys come for the ball, and if you are holding it, god help you. I'm all for player safety, but it seems to be getting to a point where guys can't play defense for fear of fines and suspensions.

[Vagrant]

It's not even as much to me that they are pussifying football as it is the heavy fines, ejections, or suspensions they are putting on the defensive guys. These guys come for the ball, and if you are holding it, god help you. I'm all for player safety, but it seems to be getting to a point where guys can't play defense for fear of fines and suspensions.

I don't know if many, if any of you guys, are fans of the NHL but the same thing is going on in that league as is the NFL. Head shots are being slowly escorted out of the game and the adjustment period has been pretty painful for a lot of check books. It is just like when you set rules and limitations for children, the adjustment period is the hardest. They will test you and try you to see exactly where the limit is regarding how much they can get away with.

Over the course of time, the bad habits the players learned at lower levels will work itself out of the game and teaching at lower levels will also adjust to the new rules. It is just a period of time the same way it was when the QB hitting rules first changed and everybody was getting flagged for roughing the QB.

[Montsta]

Again I call bullpoo.

There are plenty of ways to deliver big crushing intimidating hits without putting either the defenders or the offensive players health at unnecessary risk.

Well I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. Get a guy like Calvin Johnson on your team and there is no reason why he shouldn't have 160 receptions every year. Throw the ball up to him, he'll catch it and come down with it, and then when he has properly secured it and turned up field, he will be caressed ever so gently until his knee touches the ground. Final score 70 - 63. :D

[Wither]

You do realize I'm not reading your 20pages posts? But go ahead pritch brother.

You're being an idiot right now. If you're going to bring out responses like this then don't even continue your argument.

[CatMan72]

I don't know how they expect guys to play defense under these new rules... I understand trying to eliminate some of the truly dirty hits, but this whole "defenseless" receiver thing is so subjective now it's going to be ridiculous.

I can understand making a rule to prevent a malicious Warren Sapp-type block on a QB once a turnover occurs... that was nothing more than head hunting, was nowhere near the ball.

[rayzor]

how is it subjective?

if nothing else, they made it more plain...

"It used to say he was somebody who had not completed the act of the catch," explained competition committee co-chairman Rich McKay, president of the Atlanta Falcons. "Now it will give a receiver protection until he becomes a runner and has the opportunity to defend himself.

the player can be hit once he's on the ground and can run. no more cheap shots to players up in the air.

[Montsta]

how is it subjective?

if nothing else, they made it more plain...

the player can be hit once he's on the ground and can run. no more cheap shots to players up in the air.

But it says once he has landed and he can 'avoid or ward-off' a hit. So it's right back to being subjective again.

[rayzor]

he plants his feet on the ground. it's going to come to something as simple as that. how do refs know when to call charging in basketball? if he hits the ground and starts moving, it's obvious. it won't be as complicated to figure out at people are making it out to be. it will be a lot easier to avoid if players quit turning their bodies into missiles.

[Ja Rhule]

You're being an idiot right now. If you're going to bring out responses like this then don't even continue your argument.

I'm making small posts while I'm at work and the dude responds with a 20 page essey... He tells me about technology and other stuff... Thats great but thats not my point. We're not on the same page.

[Vagrant]

I'm making small posts while I'm at work and the dude responds with a 20 page essey... He tells me about technology and other stuff... Thats great but thats not my point. We're not on the same page.

I find it sad that:

1. You view 400 words as an "essey", when in truth that wouldn't even constitute a journal entry at any reputable university.

2. In this day and age you don't have a spell check program built into your browser where you can right click and correct your mistakes so we all don't have to be reminded of the failings of our education system.

3. If you knew what page YOU were on, then you would easily be able to see how my response was applicable to your skewed grasp of the issue.