Rule changes?

[anon_i8nzeu2gbf0ba]

In the wake of Amani Jones "targeting" and two Minny players who really did target but got away with it, perhaps the time has finally come for another rule change. Yes, as others have suggested in recent years, it's time to bring out the velcro flags. Football as we've known it for well over a century is over. We knew it, but we didn't want to admit it. But now we have no choice. When a standard tackle is deemed illegal and punished by throwing the player out of the game, well....

And while we're at, might as well stop the pretense of the kickoff. Just flip the coin and give one team the ball at the 25. Why bother to practice a play--and risk injury--when it almost never happens anyway. Sure, Iowa had a couple of nice KO returns vs. Minnesota, but those are the rare exceptions.

BTW: I recently had a friend who stepped off the curb crossing the street and broke an ankle, and another friend got a foot caught under a gate and tore some ligaments. Time to ban curbs and gates, obviously. Why such dangerous things have been allowed to exist this long is beyond me....

 

[NorthDSMHawk]

 

[anon_i8nzeu2gbf0ba]

Thanks for the advice. Tell it to Amani Jones. I'm sure he'd appreciate it just as much as I do.

 

[HawkIDrummer]

https://tacklebar.com/

 

[JEDN]

So the OP has a problem with changes geared toward player safety. Much different game now with the increased size, strength, and speed of players.

 

[Herkmeister]

In the wake of Amani Jones "targeting" and two Minny players who really did target but got away with it, perhaps the time has finally come for another rule change. Yes, as others have suggested in recent years, it's time to bring out the velcro flags. Football as we've known it for well over a century is over. We knew it, but we didn't want to admit it. But now we have no choice. When a standard tackle is deemed illegal and punished by throwing the player out of the game, well....

And while we're at, might as well stop the pretense of the kickoff. Just flip the coin and give one team the ball at the 25. Why bother to practice a play--and risk injury--when it almost never happens anyway. Sure, Iowa had a couple of nice KO returns vs. Minnesota, but those are the rare exceptions.

BTW: I recently had a friend who stepped off the curb crossing the street and broke an ankle, and another friend got a foot caught under a gate and tore some ligaments. Time to ban curbs and gates, obviously. Why such dangerous things have been allowed to exist this long is beyond me....

 

[hawkfeever]

Sometimes calls get screwed up. I think the penalty should have stuck but he shouldn't have been tossed. He didn't launch and he didn't lead with the head. he hit with the shoulder and it was bang bang as the receiver could have caught that ball and he was just trying to break it up.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

To me, it's pretty simple. Change the rules to make the game safer or say bye-bye to football. Easy call for me.

In Roman times, they had Gladiators and Christians vs. Lions. Somewhere in time all that stopped. Violence is super fun to watch , but not so much for the participants.

Kudo's to football for trying to make the game safer.

 

[H4wkfan4life]

In Roman times, they had Gladiators and Christians vs. Lions. Somewhere in time all that stopped. Violence is super fun to watch , but not so much for the participants.

I'm pretty sure the players had more fun than the fans, even before targeting

 

[Hawk_4shur]

I'm pretty sure the players had more fun than the fans, even before targeting

I'm sure they had lots of fun, right up until they could no longer speak clearly or committed suicide from CTE, or could no longer walk at age 50.

 

[H4wkfan4life]

I'm sure they had lots of fun, right up until they could no longer speak clearly or committed suicide from CTE, or could no longer walk at age 50.

Because that is the majority?
I'm sure the same could be said for people in major car crashes and many other things.....

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Because that is the majority?
I'm sure the same could be said for people in major car crashes and many other things.....

Do you know anyone that supports car crashes? Or, anyone that opposes the safety measures that have been put in place in the last decade? Do the majority of people have to be involved in a major auto accident for people to try to do something to make is safer?

Make football safer - extend the life of being able to watch or play football.

 

[H4wkfan4life]

Do you know anyone that supports car crashes? Or, anyone that opposes the safety measures that have been put in place in the last decade? Do the majority of people have to be involved in a major auto accident for people to try to do something to make is safer?

Make football safer - extend the life of being able to watch or play football.

Sure we make cars "safer" we also make them faster and faster and plenty deadly. Hell even the slow can be deadly....look at those tiny little cars whatever they are called! You think those tiny little POS are really safer than a big boat from 40 years ago?? I doubt that.....

We don't punish drivers and take their license away when they make an honest mistake and cause a wreck. Do we?

 

[HaydenHawk8]

The game of football is violent and if you play it, you are taking your life in your hands.

If you don’t want to get hurt, don’t play football.

 

[Cowboy4262]

In the wake of Amani Jones "targeting" and two Minny players who really did target but got away with it, perhaps the time has finally come for another rule change. Yes, as others have suggested in recent years, it's time to bring out the velcro flags. Football as we've known it for well over a century is over. We knew it, but we didn't want to admit it. But now we have no choice. When a standard tackle is deemed illegal and punished by throwing the player out of the game, well....

And while we're at, might as well stop the pretense of the kickoff. Just flip the coin and give one team the ball at the 25. Why bother to practice a play--and risk injury--when it almost never happens anyway. Sure, Iowa had a couple of nice KO returns vs. Minnesota, but those are the rare exceptions.

BTW: I recently had a friend who stepped off the curb crossing the street and broke an ankle, and another friend got a foot caught under a gate and tore some ligaments. Time to ban curbs and gates, obviously. Why such dangerous things have been allowed to exist this long is beyond me....

I don't understand the fair catch rule on Kickoffs, at all! Sorry the ball is around the 10 yardline and he fair catches it? Only for the ball to move to the 25...that doesn't make sense!

 

[Hawk_82]

One thing that makes sports fun is understanding the rules and what is a penalty and what is not.

What we are seeing now is a roll of the dice. For the NFL we have players avoiding hitting the qb and he is getting away from the defense. The d is getting penalized for what appear to be legal hits. if the game doesn't make sense then it's not much fun.

This year has made it clear to me that football is a dying game. They are changing rules that are changing the game itself. I want to watch football, not some weird Patty cake version of football.

If the players want to play then let them. If they get hurt then that is their choice. Try to make it safer, but don't change the game itself. There are thousands of dangerous jobs out there that people willingly do for way less money.

If you ask people, would you be willing to have a 10% chance of dying at 50 if that meant you made 50 million dollars? It would not be hard to find people to say yes to this question.

I don't understand why we are acting like these guys are being held hostage. If you don't accept the risk then quit the game.

 

[papabeef]

One thing that makes sports fun is understanding the rules and what is a penalty and what is not.

What we are seeing now is a roll of the dice. For the NFL we have players avoiding hitting the qb and he is getting away from the defense. The d is getting penalized for what appear to be legal hits. if the game doesn't make sense then it's not much fun.

This year has made it clear to me that football is a dying game. They are changing rules that are changing the game itself. I want to watch football, not some weird Patty cake version of football.

If the players want to play then let them. If they get hurt then that is their choice. Try to make it safer, but don't change the game itself. There are thousands of dangerous jobs out there that people willingly do for way less money.

If you ask people, would you be willing to have a 10% chance of dying at 50 if that meant you made 50 million dollars? It would not be hard to find people to say yes to this question.

I don't understand why we are acting like these guys are being held hostage. If you don't accept the risk then quit the game.

even if they accept the risk they will sue if they get hurt and that is part of the problem .

 

[Hawk and Awe]

To me this is not a rules issues. The version of football we all loved 10 years ago could not survive as anything more than a fringe sport after what we’ve learned about head trauma. And even with the changes I think there are real questions about its future with youth football declining and a growing conversation about why high school educational systems should support it.

And the rules have had a positive impact on the way defensive players approach the game. You can clearly see guys are getting better at avoiding danger.

The issue I have is enforcement and a lack of consistency.... but that has ALWAYS been a problem. The quality of officiating in college sports has always been a joke (especially when judgement is involved) and replay has only made it worse. That is where I wish they would invest some resources (which may also include cleaning up some of these rules to make them easier to enforce).

 

[Hawk and Awe]

If you ask people, would you be willing to have a 10% chance of dying at 50 if that meant you made 50 million dollars? It would not be hard to find people to say yes to this question.

What if it was a 15% chance of memory loss, depression, anxiety and other mental health problems we don’t understand yet and a .0001% chance of making $1 million?

 

[HawkGem11]

It was a understandable call on the field, but for it to be upheld was utterly stupid as can be, might as well give them flag because if you hit somebody hard legally you are going to get tossed out of the game for ZERO reason!

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Sure we make cars "safer" we also make them faster and faster and plenty deadly. Hell even the slow can be deadly....look at those tiny little cars whatever they are called! You think those tiny little POS are really safer than a big boat from 40 years ago?? I doubt that.....

We don't punish drivers and take their license away when they make an honest mistake and cause a wreck. Do we?

There are still many, many injuries in football that occur with no penalty - just look at the Iowa game v Minny - lots of guys injured without any penalties being called. They are trying to reduce head & neck trauma in a certain type of hit. It seems like there are one or two plays in a game when targeting is discussed. Yes, the penalty is pretty severe.

If you drive recklessly or impaired in someway, they will take your license away for some period, along with financial penalties.

I am not saying that I think the hit in question was targeting, or am I saying that I LIKE targeting penalties. But, I do like the fact that they are trying to make the game a little safer.

 

[93hawkeye]

Video game football....will it be realistic enough in the future to scratch the itch? Will it be televised (we televise poker for cryin out loud) as a substitute for the real thing.

 

[Hawk_82]

What if it was a 15% chance of memory loss, depression, anxiety and other mental health problems we don’t understand yet and a .0001% chance of making $1 million?

There are millions of people who put themselves at risk everyday and they only make a fraction of what these NFL players make. The average NFL salary is 2.1 million, with the top 30+ players making 15+ million per year. Money is a crazy thing, it will drive a person to continue to do things they know will hurt them.

The NFL is not the only job that breaks a person down physically and mentally. Construction workers, concrete workers, roofers, loggers, commercial fisherman, steel workers, factory workers, farmers, police, firemen, military, and electrical power-line workers all put their lives at risk every day they go to work. Their bodies take a beating over the course of their careers.

There are also jobs that put you at risk for the mental problems such as corporate executives, sales, police, pilot, firefighter, military, celebrities and any job that causes excessive stress.

As you can see, police, firefighter, and military take their toll mentally and physically. Where is the outrage for these jobs. Not many people care because they are not high profile people and I think that is wrong.

It is impossible to eliminate all risk from every job. Those who put themselves at greater risk should be rewarded with greater monetary compensation. Seems like the NFL is doing alright here.

I agree on continuing cutting down on the dirty plays and unnecessary hits, but lets not turn the game into something else otherwise just cut the cord and get rid of it.

It is time to suspend players without pay for dirty play, but let the clean hits go. The rules for tackling a QB is ridiculous and any true fan should be pissed that it is a rule.
Increase monitoring of player's health to make sure they are not playing with a head injury. Place a monitor in the helmet to give info to the doctors on how much trauma any given player went through in a game.

 

[Daggerfoot]

I'd like the fair catch KO rule if it were something like + 10 yards from where you catch the ball, no spot past the 25.

 

[Hawk_82]

I'd like the fair catch KO rule if it were something like + 10 yards from where you catch the ball, no spot past the 25.

I like this change. Could even go 15 yards from the fair catch.

 

[Hawk and Awe]

There are millions of people who put themselves at risk everyday and they only make a fraction of what these NFL players make. The average NFL salary is 2.1 million, with the top 30+ players making 15+ million per year. Money is a crazy thing, it will drive a person to continue to do things they know will hurt them.

The NFL is not the only job that breaks a person down physically and mentally. Construction workers, concrete workers, roofers, loggers, commercial fisherman, steel workers, factory workers, farmers, police, firemen, military, and electrical power-line workers all put their lives at risk every day they go to work. Their bodies take a beating over the course of their careers.

There are also jobs that put you at risk for the mental problems such as corporate executives, sales, police, pilot, firefighter, military, celebrities and any job that causes excessive stress.

As you can see, police, firefighter, and military take their toll mentally and physically. Where is the outrage for these jobs. Not many people care because they are not high profile people and I think that is wrong.

It is impossible to eliminate all risk from every job. Those who put themselves at greater risk should be rewarded with greater monetary compensation. Seems like the NFL is doing alright here.

I agree on continuing cutting down on the dirty plays and unnecessary hits, but lets not turn the game into something else otherwise just cut the cord and get rid of it.

It is time to suspend players without pay for dirty play, but let the clean hits go. The rules for tackling a QB is ridiculous and any true fan should be pissed that it is a rule.
Increase monitoring of player's health to make sure they are not playing with a head injury. Place a monitor in the helmet to give info to the doctors on how much trauma any given player went through in a game.

You’re talking about NFL salaries and this discussion was for college football. We can argue about whether or not NFL rules should be the same, but you can’t use those “millions of dollars” to support rules for college or any other level of football without acknowledging most people don’t make it all the way.

 

[DutchyFunStar]

I get making kickoffs safer but I would like to see the rule tweaked to getting the ball 15 yards from where you fair caught it but capped at the 25.

 

[Hawk_82]

You’re talking about NFL salaries and this discussion was for college football. We can argue about whether or not NFL rules should be the same, but you can’t use those “millions of dollars” to support rules for college or any other level of football without acknowledging most people don’t make it all the way.

I hear what your saying, but the NFL salaries do play into it. By the time you make it to college you are playing football for 3 reasons; the love of the game, opportunity to go to college for free and reaping the benefits of playing college football, or because you think you have a chance to make the big bucks in the NFL. Sure there are other reasons, as well but these are the main ones.

It was wrong for the NFL to cover up the head injuries in the past, and they are going to pay for it. As you said, youth leagues are declining in participation due to the head injuries. However, even knowing that players are at risk for injuries, people are still playing football because they love the game and make really good money at the highest level, and even in college when you consider tuition. If you change the rules then it might make it safer but it will turn into a game that no one wants to play or watch.

I don't think the way to save the game is to change the rules so much that the game is unrecognizable. If the game is too dangerous then they need to shut it down, not start playing flag football.

 

[H4wkfan4life]

There are still many, many injuries in football that occur with no penalty - just look at the Iowa game v Minny - lots of guys injured without any penalties being called. They are trying to reduce head & neck trauma in a certain type of hit. It seems like there are one or two plays in a game when targeting is discussed. Yes, the penalty is pretty severe.

If you drive recklessly or impaired in someway, they will take your license away for some period, along with financial penalties.

I am not saying that I think the hit in question was targeting, or am I saying that I LIKE targeting penalties. But, I do like the fact that they are trying to make the game a little safer.

I have no problem with trying to make it safer, I do have a problem with punishing the players if there is no clear wrong doing.

He was obviously not impaired, and wasn't reckless either. He just hit the dude hard. If they blatantly break the rule, then go ahead and kick them out....otherwise let them play.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

I have no problem with trying to make it safer, I do have a problem with punishing the players if there is no clear wrong doing.

He was obviously not impaired, and wasn't reckless either. He just hit the dude hard. If they blatantly break the rule, then go ahead and kick them out....otherwise let them play.

I agree with everything you said, except the word "blatantly".

 

[theIowaHawk]

One thing that makes sports fun is understanding the rules and what is a penalty and what is not.

What we are seeing now is a roll of the dice. For the NFL we have players avoiding hitting the qb and he is getting away from the defense. The d is getting penalized for what appear to be legal hits. if the game doesn't make sense then it's not much fun.

This year has made it clear to me that football is a dying game. They are changing rules that are changing the game itself. I want to watch football, not some weird Patty cake version of football.

If the players want to play then let them. If they get hurt then that is their choice. Try to make it safer, but don't change the game itself. There are thousands of dangerous jobs out there that people willingly do for way less money.

If you ask people, would you be willing to have a 10% chance of dying at 50 if that meant you made 50 million dollars? It would not be hard to find people to say yes to this question.

I don't understand why we are acting like these guys are being held hostage. If you don't accept the risk then quit the game.

Or, you know, change rules. You aren’t a hostage either.

All or nothing comments have become far too prevalent in our society.