Actually there has been an increase in concussions. The game is faster now than it was in the leather helmet days. But part of it is running less and throwing more. What many people don't think about is more wide receivers than running backs suffer concussions. Think about it: Austin Collie, Cecil Shorts, Laurent Robinson, Wes Welker - all wide receivers - suffered multiple concussions in a single season, but no running back in Indiianpolis, Jacksonville, or Denver was concussed once to my knowledge. It can't be a coincidence if most teams have more receivers than running backs getting concussed. Back in the leather helmet days, pass-first offenses were a rarity.

If you want those hits to end you have to narrow the field and bring back the bump and run. 3 steps to line up the hit is too much. But the NFL and the players both need big hits to keep the game exciting.

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“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

Just watched Williams drop his head to hit Kapernick after an interception. Removing face masks might not be a bad idea.

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The Khan Years

Patience, Persistence, and Piss Poor General Managers.

If you want those hits to end you have to narrow the field and bring back the bump and run. 3 steps to line up the hit is too much. But the NFL and the players both need big hits to keep the game exciting.

 

What does field size have to do with it? Haven't American football fields always been 160 feet (about 53 yards) wide? Using that logic, there should be more concussions in Canada.

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Just watched Williams drop his head to hit Kapernick after an interception. Removing face masks might not be a bad idea.

 

Players are taught to keep their heads up. I have no idea why Tramon Williams thought lowering his head was OK there.

 

Troy Aikman reminded everyone "knee to the head is dangerous" after another Packer was sent to the locker room for the concussion protocol.

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I think what you see is really a tightening by the league in what is considered a "concussion". I do not think even five years ago half of what is one today would have been one then.


I think you see a scared league. Whether or not the concussion thing is overblown or not is not my opinion to judge.

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I think what you see is really a tightening by the league in what is considered a "concussion". I do not think even five years ago half of what is one today would have been one then.


I think you see a scared league. Whether or not the concussion thing is overblown or not is not my opinion to judge.

 

Not true. Five years ago there was no standard protocol for diagnosis and reporting, so players were allowed to stay in if they could perform. The definition of a concussion has not changed.

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Seriously JW thats what you got out of that. You mean the medical community has not redifined the meaning of a concussion in the past 5 years? WTH.

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Lots of concussions with what appear to be small hits. What can they do to make better helmets? This is getting crazy.

This is like asking how can we make drunk driving safer? Think of football the sport, what does it entail? High impact collisions at high speed. Nothing about football is intrinsically safe.

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Seriously JW that's what you got out of that. You mean the medical community has not redifined the meaning of a concussion in the past 5 years?

 

I was taught a concussion is a bruise on the brain caused by the brain's movement inside the skull during a high-impact collision. Now the medical community is calling it a traumatic brain injury, but it's still a brain bruise, with the same symptoms (including headache, vomiting, memory loss, and dizziness).

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Think about this, lineman get hit on nearly every single play yet I would venture to guess that they experience the least amount of concussions.  The distinction for having the most concussions has to go to WR's and defensive secondary.  This tells me that space to generate more speed and higher impact hits also increases concussions.  Changing the rules of the game to favor the passing attack and create more space has directly resulted in an increase in concussions.

 

Couple the above with the fact that not only are players getting bigger, stronger, faster on average but the awareness of concussions and the crackdown on protocols for concussion treatment have sharply risen brews a perfect storm for an increase in reported concussions.  I only played high school football but can guarantee I had at least one concussion and saw some of my teammates get concussed as well.  Back in the late 90's we just saw it as getting your bell rung and were told to get back in the game.  Only once did I see a kid get held out of a game and that was because he was talking nonsense and vomit on the sideline.

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Think about this, lineman get hit on nearly every single play yet I would venture to guess that they experience the least amount of concussions. The distinction for having the most concussions has to go to WR's and defensive secondary. This tells me that space to generate more speed and higher impact hits also increases concussions. Changing the rules of the game to favor the passing attack and create more space has directly resulted in an increase in concussions.

 

Couple the above with the fact that not only are players getting bigger, stronger, faster on average but the awareness of concussions and the crackdown on protocols for concussion treatment have sharply risen brews a perfect storm for an increase in reported concussions. I only played high school football but can guarantee I had at least one concussion and saw some of my teammates get concussed as well. Back in the late 90s we just saw it as getting your bell rung and were told to get back in the game. Only once did I see a kid get held out of a game and that was because he was talking nonsense and vomit on the sideline.

 

Quarterbacks suffer a lot more concussions than defensive backs. The reason offensive linemen are rarely concussed is the nature of their jobs. If you don't touch a ball after the snap you don't get tackled. Green Bay's left tackle was injured by hitting somebody's knee. When T.J. Lang tackled a 49ers player his head stayed off the grass so he was not hurt on the play. It is not just because they have no room to accelerate.

 

I think concussions were not treated seriously in the past because the medical community was not aware of their long-term effects. Heightened awareness started when it became known repeated concussions cause permanent brain problems including ALS, dementia, and depression. Football players especially are too tough to accept the fact they should be on the sideline when they think they can play. If his only symptom is a headache, chances are he will just think that tackle hurt and nothing is wrong.

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Players are taught the right way to tackle. Why they choose not to do it is beyond me.

 

I think the NFL should do some sports psychology research to find out why players willingly and knowingly use their helmets to hit opponents.

It's called Sports Center.

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Original Season Ticket Holder - Retired  1995 - 2020


At some point you just have to let go of what you thought should happen and live in what is happening.
 

It's called Sports Center.

 

What does that have to do with anything?

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They appear to be small hits to us because we never played football. I think if I played football, I would truly appreciate how big those "small" hits are.

 

I don't know if this is true, but maybe concussions are like sprained ankles: if you get one, you are more likely to get another.

There was a study about this that came up earlier in the year by a college i can't remember which, but they said that all of the small hits over and over are actually more harmful and lead to more concussions than suffering one big hit on occasion. 

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Quarterbacks suffer a lot more concussions than defensive backs. The reason offensive linemen are rarely concussed is the nature of their jobs. If you don't touch a ball after the snap you don't get tackled. Green Bay's left tackle was injured by hitting somebody's knee. When T.J. Lang tackled a 49ers player his head stayed off the grass so he was not hurt on the play. It is not just because they have no room to accelerate.

 

I think concussions were not treated seriously in the past because the medical community was not aware of their long-term effects. Heightened awareness started when it became known repeated concussions cause permanent brain problems including ALS, dementia, and depression. Football players especially are too tough to accept the fact they should be on the sideline when they think they can play. If his only symptom is a headache, chances are he will just think that tackle hurt and nothing is wrong.

 

Just because lineman don't touch the ball doesn't mean they are not getting hit.  What do you think they are doing along the line of scrimmage, playing patty cake?

 

No offense to you but you have no idea what you are talking about.  Think about what causes concussions most of the time, a jarring of the brain inside the skull causing injury to the brain itself.  Now think back to high school physics and tell me if it's easier to create a bigger impact with more speed or less.  More space equals more velocity, greater acceleration and larger impact which also equates to a greater frequency of concussions.  Sure there will be examples that lie outside of the norm, but for the most part this is the root of the problem.

 

Improper tackling and the training of players to tackle with better form will help with neck and spine injuries, especially at the lower levels like pop warner and high school.  There is no amount of training that you can give to a professional athlete that will lessen the amount of concussions on the field of play given the current game in the NFL.  I'm pretty sure the NFL knows this too but is dragging their feet in instituting changes that will actually create a safer game solely out of greed.  Higher scoring games, more violent hits and spectacular plays means more money for the NFL.

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There was a study about this that came up earlier in the year by a college i can't remember which, but they said that all of the small hits over and over are actually more harmful and lead to more concussions than suffering one big hit on occasion. 

 

So we should be seeing more older players get concussed and the most concussions in December. Austin Collie and Cecil Shorts probably would not believe that study's conclusion is accurate, but it certainly is true for Brett Favre, who was only diagnosed with a concussion during the last month of his career, but suffers memory loss now.

 

Just because lineman don't touch the ball doesn't mean they are not getting hit.  What do you think they are doing along the line of scrimmage, playing patty cake?

 

No offense to you but you have no idea what you are talking about.  Think about what causes concussions most of the time, a jarring of the brain inside the skull causing injury to the brain itself.  Now think back to high school physics and tell me if it's easier to create a bigger impact with more speed or less.  More space equals more velocity, greater acceleration and larger impact which also equates to a greater frequency of concussions.  Sure there will be examples that lie outside of the norm, but for the most part this is the root of the problem.

 

Improper tackling and the training of players to tackle with better form will help with neck and spine injuries, especially at the lower levels like Pop Warner and high school. There is no amount of training that you can give to a professional athlete that will lessen the amount of concussions on the field of play given the current game in the NFL. I'm pretty sure the NFL knows this too but is dragging their feet in instituting changes that will actually create a safer game solely out of greed.  Higher scoring games, more violent hits and spectacular plays means more money for the NFL.

 

I never said they aren't getting hit. I said they are not getting tackled, so their heads stay off the ground. I also was not denying more space creates more velocity. Space only partially explains the difference. Have you ever noticed offensive linemen never get flagged for bumping heads with the defense? That is because they don't.

 

Between Pop Warner and high school, there is middle school. Those kids also need to learn proper tackling methods. The NFL's Heads Up campaign for youth football is  teaching kids proper tackling form and how to avoid a hit to the head so they grow up doing it right and don't have to relearn everything when they are big men. What the NFL is doing can't be called "dragging their feet" because every year they create new rules to make the game safer.

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What does that have to do with anything?

When was the last time you saw a text book tackle on Sports Center?  All you ever see are big hits.  ESPN's highlights have greatly influenced sports at every level.  Kids grow up today dreaming of making on the Top 10.  Hence text book boring tackles have taken a back seat to guys launching themselves at ball carriers.  Ergo, blame ESPN.

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Original Season Ticket Holder - Retired  1995 - 2020


At some point you just have to let go of what you thought should happen and live in what is happening.
 

When was the last time you saw a text book tackle on Sports Center?  All you ever see are big hits.  ESPN's highlights have greatly influenced sports at every level.  Kids grow up today dreaming of making on the Top 10.  Hence text book boring tackles have taken a back seat to guys launching themselves at ball carriers.  Ergo, blame ESPN.

 

I never watch Sports Center.

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I never watch Sports Center.

You might not, but kids playing sports do.

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Original Season Ticket Holder - Retired  1995 - 2020


At some point you just have to let go of what you thought should happen and live in what is happening.
 

What does field size have to do with it? Haven't American football fields always been 160 feet (about 53 yards) wide? Using that logic, there should be more concussions in Canada.

 

Not when they are playing at slower speeds like they do in Canada. More space means more time to achieve top speed which means more violent collisions. Narrower fields and allowing more incidental contact with moving players means less ramp up time.

 

Try this: go sit in your car. Park in front of a brick wall with the front end 6 inches from the wall. Slam on the gas.

 

Now back your car up 300 hundred feet and do the same thing.

 

Which one hurt your car worse?

 

The same dynamic applies to football players, especially as we've reached the ceilings of human weight and speed. Eliminating the extraneous space is one way they could help reduce the violence of the collisions. Obviously it won't help much with the "many small impacts" issue, but it would make headway on the "knockout" hit one.

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“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato