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Commissioner Goodell (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter hutchins929
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hutchins929
Footballguy
2:40 - 2:45 Is where he made that statement
Stinkin Ref
IBL Representative
assuming he is talking about helmet to helmet without clicking on the link.....there is probably some sports science thing about how fast these guys are traveling when they go to make a play and the reaction time, etc....asking these guys to make adjustments in less than split seconds and adjust their angle of attack based on what the ball carrier does at those speeds as well is crazy....
riddle me this....what is the first thing that most ball carriers do when they are getting ready to be tackled....
answer: they lower/lead with their head....they initiate much of the head to head contact......yet we put the blame on the defenders and expect them to make the adjustment....
if the NFL is REALLY worried about helmet to helmet/head contact.....make it illegal for an offensive player to lead with his helmet just like it is illegal for a defensive player to do it....
riddle me this....what is the first thing that most ball carriers do when they are getting ready to be tackled....
answer: they lower/lead with their head....they initiate much of the head to head contact......yet we put the blame on the defenders and expect them to make the adjustment....
if the NFL is REALLY worried about helmet to helmet/head contact.....make it illegal for an offensive player to lead with his helmet just like it is illegal for a defensive player to do it....
Last edited by a moderator:
GregR
Footballguy
You're right that he was talking about helmet to helmet contact. I'm surprised anyone would listen to that piece and not understand that from hearing it.I think the rest of the post is way off though. NFL rules don't make special concessions based on offense or defense. They are written so a penalty should be called on any play where the factors most likely to lead to serious head injuries take place, including if it is an offensive player at fault. The factors that are most common are not just "helmet to helmet contact", nor "helmet to helmet contact where a player led with his helmet".
The most common factors are usually some combination of:
a) The hitter having a chance to be at full speed, and/or particularly hitting a player who is standing still or coming at him.
b) The player being hit not able to see it coming and/or not able to protect himself.
c) The hitter launching himself and/or leading with his helmet.
d) The contact being made to the player's head, especially with the crown of the helmet, but not always.
So what rules can you enact to limit those factors? For one you can make it a penalty to launch/aim for the head/lead with the helmet to the head of any defenseless player. Which is exactly what the NFL did, there is no language that says offensive players can do it but defensive can't. The difference is that defensive players are seldom defenseless.
You can further help limit it by making it clear the type of situations where the hitter is at full speed and the target is defenseless. A QB in the act of throwing hit by a pass rusher. A receiver in the act of making a catch hit by a defender (who is probably at a full sprint and likely in a direction opposite to the receiver's motion). A ball carrier who is already in the grasp and so not able to move to defend himself. Which is exactly what the NFL did. They didn't limit it to only those types of defenseless players. Any defenseless player is protected whether on offense or defense, but they made extra clear the situations most at risk and so the type they are working to avoid.
Do offensive ball carriers frequently end up in situations where lowering their head causes contact on a defenseless player's head? No, it's very rare. The defensive player is almost always able to move freely and is almost always focused on the offensive player coming, so able to defend himself. Seldom will an offensive player be in a position where he's delivering such a hit running at full speed, or on a clueless defender who is moving at full speed. And if an offensive player does blind side a defender by leading with his helmet, yes it should be a penalty under existing NFL rules.
So not, the bolded wouldn't accomplish anything. The NFL rules are as specifically targeted at the injury causing factors as you can get. The worst parts of the NFL rule (any blow to a QB's head) the NFL cleaned up this offseason so if it's called properly, incidental, non-dangerous contact shouldn't be a penalty. If defensive players get the vast majority of the calls against them, it has nothing to do with the NFL rules being biased against them. It's just because the way the game is, their positions are the most likely to be the only person who can cause such injuries to be avoided by using good techniques and good judgment.
The only place I can see some complaints that the rules target defensive players only is the hitting the knees of a QB. There are legal blocking techniques that are not much better. The only difference is again the defenseless aspect, where the blocker's head has to be in front which would allow the defender to see it coming. I don't think that's enough of a difference, personally.
Stinkin Ref
IBL Representative
my post was more tongue in cheek in an attempt to just communicate how bad I think it has gotten for the defenders....ball carriers putting their down and leading with the helmet will always be part of the game.....I remember playing pop warner and we had a coach that told us when we know we are going to get taclked put your helmet right in their gut so they don't want to tackle you again....i just think the NFL has gone too far asking these guys to basically just use their arms and no part of their head shoulder are at all....we see hits all the time where it seems like it is shoulder first but they get called for the helmet stuff....and to make those adjustments at full speed is difficult....much of the helmet to helmet stuff comes from the ball carriers dropping their heads at the last second as they prepare to absorb the blow....
i commented in some other threads about the whole "defenseless" thing....really don't think there is such a thing....the offense puts themselves in those positions....don't put yourself in a defenseless position if you don't want to get hit....run the ball, run a different pattern, throw a better pass.....if the offense wants to protect itself from taking a hit where they can't really absorb the blow the way they want to, they can....they have control over that.....the ol "dont go across the middle thing"....you know what could happen when you do.....you have control over whether you chose to do it or not....your not defenseless....if you leap in the air for a pass...thats your choice...I know it's an extreme example, etc and the game of football would be pretty boring without some of this stuff, but defenseless is caused by act of the offense and it shouldn't be the defenses resonsibility to determine it and adjust accordingly...
i commented in some other threads about the whole "defenseless" thing....really don't think there is such a thing....the offense puts themselves in those positions....don't put yourself in a defenseless position if you don't want to get hit....run the ball, run a different pattern, throw a better pass.....if the offense wants to protect itself from taking a hit where they can't really absorb the blow the way they want to, they can....they have control over that.....the ol "dont go across the middle thing"....you know what could happen when you do.....you have control over whether you chose to do it or not....your not defenseless....if you leap in the air for a pass...thats your choice...I know it's an extreme example, etc and the game of football would be pretty boring without some of this stuff, but defenseless is caused by act of the offense and it shouldn't be the defenses resonsibility to determine it and adjust accordingly...
