Helmet to Helmet hits!

[Delock]

What is your thoughts on this new ruling by the NFL!

A player can be suspended for a helmet to helmet hit.

My thoughts..I really think that a blatant hit should get a suspension. It's going to be tough to enforce right!

[Darbex]

I keep going back and forth. I think its good because some people are getting seriously injured because of it. Granted I never played football, but I would think it would be extremely difficult on the players to have to think about how they are tackling. I would think this will lead to more missed tackles because guys will try to pull up and not tackle in fear of being called on a penalty and possibly suspended.

[wesleydnunder]

That's a subjective call, IMO, and can wind up hurting the defensive player if he tries to adjust his hit at the last second to avoid a penalty. If someone is "spearing" then he should be called for it. If it's an obvious head-butt it should be called. I hope the stripes use good judgement on this one.

Mark

[myjohnson]

I wonder how football will be played 10 years from now.

[Zulaab]

I wonder how football will be played 10 years from now.

Flag football in 10 yrs from now ?

[myjohnson]

Yup.

Or the offense will score 100 points a game b/c there is no way for the defensive players to stop them anymore.

[SteveCGG]

Blatant helmet to helmet or spearing should be a suspension and a fine! Accidental (like the offensive player ducks into a helmet to helmet hit) is part of the game...

[newb]

all is fair...dont forget that they used to play with leather helmets. The game is getting weaker. All you see is constant flags being thrown. Sports are meant to be played ruff and at full intensity...if somebody is hitting to ruff for you, get mad and go back at them even harder. Basketball (in the paint) is more physical than football is nowadays

[ssrprelude]

Let them play. That's what they get paid to do.

[Darbex]

The problem is do you think its fine for guys to develop paralysis or degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head trauma? Yes back in the days they played with leather helmets but we are also smarter now then we were then about the effects of the game. Have you ever watched the sport science show? They likened a full speed tackle like a car crash at 90mph. That is some serious trauma.

[TonyO]

I had this exact same discussion the other day on ESPN.com.

Just because someone is getting paid, and it's entertainment, doesn't mean that the employer isn't responsible for safety to some degree, even when there is some inherent risk of acute or chronic injury (the employee is also responsible for following the set protocols). At every single job, the employer is responsible for having safety measures in place to protect workers to the best of their abilities, and sometimes that includes protecting them from themselves. I have had blood-borne pathogen training, chemical exposure training, basic first aid training and specialized training for zoonotic disease. . . when I lived in Maine and drove employer vehicles, I had to have special training on what to do in the event you're going to hit a moose while driving. I'm not kidding (speed up and aim for the rump. . . I'm still not kidding). I work in a lab, for crying out loud!

Now, some of these things are accidental, and I think that when a player tries to duck his head down to brace for impact, and catches a hit to the helmet because the defensive player was hitting where he should, then it's just one of those things you see. I can't see a guy getting suspended for that, nor should he be. Some of these plays we're seeing, though, are not like that. They are spearing people and people are getting injured. As Darbex alluded, it's impossible to equate to past eras, and difficult, at best, even to most other sports (I've never seen a rugby player as large, fast, and strong as Ndamukong Suh, for example), because many of them don't deal with the same repeated concussive blows or level of force applied to the head dealt with in football (you could maybe make a case for MMA, where people hit each other in the face, and even they have rules to protect the fighters, including forcing them to take time off in the event of certain injuries). . . it's just different. Brain injuries and injuries to the spine are just something else, altogether.

[TonyO]

Bob Costas just said essentially the same thing I did on the halftime report RE: the league having to do what they can to protect players. These guys could sue the league, if it is shown that the league knew of the problems with head injuries, and did nothing to try and solve it.