>science begins understanding the horrific effects of concussions on the brain
>NFL tries to cover it up
>that fails, NFL reacts by creating safer gear
>ends up corresponding with less discipline in tackling, players going for bigger and bigger hits instead of form tackling
>concussion issues become a thing again
>helmets change again
>players become more emboldened, hit harder
When will it end, /sp/?
I propose a controversial solution: bring back leather pads.
We don't want no pads, because that would be rugby, and leather padding can prevent against bruises and scrapes...BUT wouldn't embolden players. Self preservation would kick in. Wouldn't this reduce concussions? Wouldn't it reduce injuries of any kind?
It would change the game radically, but really we'd be going back to the games roots. And I think for the better.
Lets' start this conversation bros. It has to start somewhere. What do you think?
I think the biggest problem is helmet regulation.
It's always been so loose that some players could have the more advanced gear while others chose not to. Of course everyone eventually adopts the state of the art helmet and padding because those who have it tend to hit harder, and people want to protect themselves.
League bans on older styles always seem to follow this shift.
Meaning, it's a snowball effect. Players become more protected, prompting them to hit harder, get stronger, run faster, etc, and tech is always struggling to keep up.
Abandoning that would be interesting, but I think it would create a lot more injuries inn the short term because players are so much bigger.
I think we're on a path created by loose regulation, and we are too far gone to get out of it. Concussions and injuries will always outpace technology, and tech can really only go so far. All this to say I don't have a solution, and don't think there is one.
>>63405295
this wouldnt work. in rugby just the scrumcap and thin padding alone gives people the idea that they can hit harder. leather wouldnt cause self preservation to kick in
>>63405295
Could work long term, but it will never happen.
>>63405295
>"I propose a controversial solution"
no one will ever care
>>63405295
>put shock absorbing shit in helmets, use a spring safety layer inside
>magically no brains rock a player dead ever again
But such a thing costs money, something this revolutionary billionaire teams can't afford.
i propose strict tackling regulation for high school players and then let grown men do whatever the fuck they want with their own brains.
>introduce leather caps
>player dies after head hits the ground
>>63410946
>scrumcap and thin padding alone
This is incorrect, the addition of weight/height gives people the thought they can hit hard. Matt Giteau wears headgear and he doesn't hit hard at all. In fact, the biggest enforces to play rugby barely ever wore head gear.
You really want to be controversial? Get rid of shoulder pads.
NFL doesn't have a problem with disciplined tackling, it's youth football where kids are dying. NFL cte problems are from repeated (relatively) small blows to the head over 20 years. They've addressed that by pretty much getting rid of contact in practice.
>>63412478
>They've addressed that by pretty much getting rid of contact in practice.
And just look at how good football is now!
>>63405295
Don't allow separate offensive, defensive and special teams units. All layers have to play both sides of the ball. Substitutions only for injuries.
Players would have to hold back a bit or they wouldn't have the energy to finish the game.
>>63412494
Denver has a chance at finishing with the best defense since the 91 Eagles.
>>63405295
holy shit a smart american
ive been saying this for a while. the helmets are the problem. they make players think theyre invincible.
>>63412478
while youre kinda right, concussions can ruin careers, like austin collie got knocked the fuck out from big hits and now he cant play because hes become so prone to it
>>63412552
Well him and Wes Welker should sue Peyton for hate crimes against manlets.
>>63412306
that's what i said. i meant all of it
Not feasible. Head on head injuries may be reduced, but the chance for life threatening injuries increases dramatically. In football, everything happens so fast, and in certain situations no amount of self preservation can help. Imagine being tacked, falling down with a 300 pound lineman on top of you, and landing your head directly on some guy's knee. Good luck getting to the hospital on time.
You can get away with this in rugby because most contact is done at a slower pace, with less initial distance between players. It's very easy to calculate what to do to prevent getting hurt when you are only in contact with a person a few feet in front of you.
Now contrast this with football. Often times, the most brutal hits are when a wide receiver catches the ball and immediately gets hit by a cornerback. In these situations, you have two men with enough wind-up time to run into each other at full speed. Since the receiver is focused on catching the ball, he doesn't have enough time to react to the defender. Even if their eventual collision isn't head on, if the receiver is dropped straight to the ground, he's still likely seriously injured.
The inception of the forward pass pretty much ensured the necessity for helmets. The kind of football that was played in the days of leather helmets was similar to that of today's rugby. But that was then and this is now. The game is all about speed.
>>63412105
>linemen's face when he tackles QB to the ground and his unprotected head slams into the turf causing a brain aneurysm
The problem with football is the fact that they line up every 20 seconds, against eachother, and go head to head as hard as they can. In hockey or even rugby, there's flow to the sport, that's why they can wear less padding and not kill themselves. American football is just fucking retarded.
>>63413276
>In football, everything happens so fast
but would everything happen as fast if the players weren't as well protected? I'd argue no
>>63413387
For a few years: without a doubt. Afterwards? The way the game is designed it would still happen pretty damn fast. Faster than just about every sport due to the start/stop nature of football.
>>63405295
You're missing some key facts here. Number one concussions nowadays are more "prevalent" partially because advancing medical knowledge has allowed us to better diagnose and understand them. Before, a good number of football players probably suffered similar brain injuries but their habit of drinking a fifth of bourbon, poppin' some barbiturates/painkillers and fucking their 4 mistresses unprotected everynight led them to die of syphillis/liver disease/heart attacks before they aged long enough for brain injuries to kill them.
Secondly, players today are bigger and faster which is an unavoidable consequence of sports science evolving.
While I do agree that helmets and pads lead players to hit harder I don't think this lessened inhibition cancels out the protection of better helmets/pads. In short, a modern player hitting harder with his advanced pads still does less damage than an older player hitting softer with inferior pads. Also, going back to leather helmets would most certainly lead to more serious injuries on accidental head to head contact.
Lastly, these are grown men making millions of dollars. Educate them on the consequences and allow them to an hero their rich asses for our entertainment. The same thing happened in boxing before everyone eventually said, "fuck it, let'em make their own decisions now that they know the consequences". Football is a very American sport and I would argue the very essence of America is being free to do what you please as a consenting adult.
>>63405295
Right, so I played Linebacker in High School and I had to stop playing because I suffered a couple concussions and my family and I made the call to stop. Not like I was going to play in college or anything. But I've also coached, my dad was a coach, my brother in law is a coach, and his father is a College Coach. So here's my thoughts:
The issue, at least at the NFL level are a few things:
1) How freakishly athletic players are. Those players are bigger, faster, and stronger than they have ever been in history. You can put people in padding but you can't beat physics.
2) Wearing helmets. Half the players on the field don't even wear their helmets right anymore. They wear them loose so they can easily pop them off on the sideline or wear it with the lower strap undone. That gives a bad fit, and therefore it makes it easier to get hurt.
3) Style of Play. Most of it's been addressed on the defensive side, but at some point the NFL is going to have to get receivers and running backs to stop ducking their heads as well. That's where the injuries are.
4) Length of Play. Guys are in the league a lot longer than they used to. You're seeing more and more players into their late 30s/early 40s now. It's not much different than career boxers at that point in some positions. But the NFL (and the players are at equal fault with this) doesn't really do much for health/medical/pay after they leave. So these players blow their money and don't get proper medical attention. So things get worse.
It's not a simple situation. As for the High School and lower deaths, a lot of that is because parents don't get physicals for their kids and a lot of community coaches aren't even close to being qualified.
>>63405295
I think it would force proper tackling, Sure big hits are set a tone and intimidate the WR (not to mention fun to watch) but but aren't necessary with skilled play.
>>63411625
I tend to agree with this. Surely there is a way to design helmets that all but eliminate brain injuries.
As others have said the nature of the sport is too full speed to count on self preservation as a safety precaution
>>63411625
Dumbest post ever congrats
I've been advocating for offensive lineman to be allowed to conceal carry for years. This would make the opposition's D much less willing to cause undue physical damage to their armed adversary.
>>63414142
But Offensive Lineman are dirty as fuck, man. Nutpunches and grabs all day erry day
>>63414268
My plan is this: one Offensive player and one defensive player get 1 sidearm with one shot. Only the head coaches know who is armed on their side and this person can change depending on the situation. I figure you can use the ammo kind of like a challenge but instead of burning a time-out yr just out of ammo. This solves the accidental injury issue and makes /bet/ that much more entertaining.
>>63414358
You're so edgy, cool and funny. Teach me your ways o wise high schooler.
>>63414542
Lol @canned retort. #tryharder
>>63414577
>lol
>hashtag
Wow you're sure showing him that you're not a high schooler.
Well this discussion devolved pretty quickly
>>63413916
>1)
It's true. Because tech keeps evolving, players are "allowed" to get bigger, and also have to to compete. It's a snowball effect. The same players wouldn't know how to play without the pads theyre given. But that doesn't mean OP doesn't have a point. With better pads comes stronger/faster/bigger players (which also leads to rougher play, lower heath/life expectancy). We are headed down the wrong path for the right reasons.
>2)
Yes, they're should be rules about how players wear helmets. I feel like we'll see penalties for unbuckled chin straps within the next 5 years
>3)
i bet players have always ducked their heads because it feels safer somehow. You're right, this needs to be a priority for offensive coaches.
>4)
they're in the league longer becuse the negative effects are more long term, while short term wear and tear has decreased. Head trauma eventually drives a person insane.We need concussions to be treated like actual injuries. 5 concussions and you are forced to retire. That would make players play more cautiously more than anything probably. But realistically, we are a long way off from that.
>>63405295
Back then there wasn't as much niggers as today. That's the sole reason it wouldn't work. Nigs gonna nig, it doesn't matter if you wear diamond helmets or nothing at all.
>>63411625
ever hear of whiplash? theres a reason helmets don't let your head move around inside them more than maybe a centimeters. If you knew anything about physics, you'd know that it takes very little movement to lessen the force drastically
Wait is this a serious thread
While are at it, let's take seat belts out of cars because the belts make p
>>63422785
it's not the same idiotfag pls leave
When will people realize that trying to make Football safe is like trying to make Boxing safe. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how much protection you have, if you get hit in the brain for a living every day for 20 years there's a good chance you're gonna fuck it up. I say leave football as it is, any concussion in High School and college puts you out for the season and keep certain rules about targeting and hits of that nature. For the NFL, don't change any rules and make the league pay for all medical care for all retired players.
