Thoughts on NFL hit issue

[Tr1gg22]

Pretty soon it will be flag football or better yet 2 hand touch...I am about ready to stop watching football this b/s is getting out of control...

[oakranger]

I never played football.  But seeing how some players lower their head....just waiting for something going wrong.   Personally, i think it is a natural behavior for people to lower their heads then they feel secure with the helmet protecting them.  Think about it, they player football for 10, 20 years and having been doing that.  It just come natural.

[whiteman]

I never played football.  But seeing how some players lower their head....just waiting for something going wrong.   Personally, i think it is a natural behavior for people to lower their heads then they feel secure with the helmet protecting them.  Think about it, they player football for 10, 20 years and having been doing that.  It just come natural.

It is natural to lower your head but the first day you go out to play at any level they tell you to hit what you see, you put your shoulder down and keep your head eyes up. Some people just drop there head anyways as a reaction. Regardless I saw what i hit and got KTFO 3 times and an accidental Helmet to Helmet diving for an on sides kick. When your running full steam ahead and the other moves just enough you go from aiming square in the chest to helmet to face mask or fore head to fore head. They can do what ever they want but it will keep happening.

[SmokinLoon]

When the purpose of the "hit" is to hit the opposing player as hard as possible so that a tough guy/victory dance can be had and bragging rights can be claimed instead of making the tackle, that is wrong in so many ways.  Try for the tackle, not the hit.  Save the dancin' for the club.

The effect on game play will be minimal, if at all.

[Hajo]

Having played DivI NCAA football as a linebacker (during the Nixon Administration, long time ago) we were taught to lower our bodies for leverage and KEEP YOUR HEAD UP!
So you can see WHERE your helmet wil be when you hit the opposing player.  You lower your eyes and helmet to hit the ball, or to make sure you place your head down tackle
to the side of the body, helmet not on the body and driving into the player with your shoulder. Drive your shoulder using your legs through the opponent or the ball.  We
were not taught how to use the Helmet as a weapon, but to dislodge the ball and not SPEAR the player.

I recall a long time ago, one of the dirtiest players in the NFL by the name of Ben Davidson of the Oakland Raiders actually driving his helmet into Len Dawson when Dawson was down and on the ground.
Davidson SPEARED........dove in helmet first head down.  Started a great fight as I recall.

[whiteman]

I played Saftey and Corner, when someone came across the middle or in the flat i'd light them up. Not head hunting but would try to put myself through their chest and out their back. Amazing how they would start to grow alligator arms and watch for a hit rather than the ball. It's part of the game, a lot of them like dance like fools but that hit serves notice. It seems like they hit so they can dance but hell i think they just dancing when they do it after the guy just 15 yds and jumped up like nothing happened.

Look at Chuck Cecil's career, not the fastest guy out there but made a living just taking people out. WR's knew he was there and it made a difference in the middle of the field.

Thinking about it now Smookin i wouldn't mind it if they cut the ridiculous dances after every play.

[FiLtH]

    While we're talking football, I wouldnt mind seeing pass int. go to a 15yd instead of spot of foul. Real cheap way to get yardage.

[whiteman]

    While we're talking football, I wouldnt mind seeing pass int. go to a 15yd instead of spot of foul. Real cheap way to get yardage.

also real cheap way for a DB to say eff it, and pull a jersey 40 yds down field and only get 15 out of it. Had a friend in high school literally dive and take the guys feet out before the ball was half way there, funniest thing i ever saw but was pretty smart. He was burned for a TD had he not hit that guys feet.

[grizz441]

     I can't wait for the first missed tackle because a guy let up that goes for a touch down. They get paid for the risk. Lose the risk, lose the reward I say...and they can make what the rest of us make in our jobs.

They don't get paid for risk.  They get paid for being elite athletes.  Anytime you can make the players considerably safer without compromising the game too much, you should do it.  That's why there is a fair catch, roughing the kicker, and roughing the passer rules.  The object of the game is to tackle the guy with the ball so the play is over, not to injure the other player so he has to come out of the game. 

[whiteman]

The object of the game is to tackle the guy with the ball so the play is over, not to injure the other player so he has to come out of the game. 

that may not be the object but i hate to break it to you but there are such things as bounties out there.

[grizz441]

that may not be the object but i hate to break it to you but there are such things as bounties out there.

Ok?

[FiLtH]

    Im sure the owner want to keep their big money guys safe, but as a fan I want to see the hits. Its part of the game. How else do you keep the guy from catching a 20 yrd pass, other to time the hit?

    When you think of all the other guys who are almost as good as the elite guys, who are waiting for a call, doing some other work, the elites arent worth what they are paid in my book. Like others said, many do much more dangerous work for less.

    Pass me some more grapes Leonitis...I hear the lions will be released soon (roar of crowd)

[columbus]

pretty soon its gonna be illegal to tackle a person in football, you can get a concussion just as easy from a legal tackle then a illegal one. while leading with the helmet aka spearing can get you hurt alot more easily, i saw one hit that didnt seem to be meant but resulted in helmet to helmet hit, the helmets where just in the right position at the point of tackle, just cause they hit and they will doesn't mean it was meant. how do you determine if it was meant or just a accident. what do you do when  someone gets hurt on a accidental helmet to helmet hit. i mean the point of football is to make it to the super bowl, right? so if you have to tone down your defense and afraid to make a play that could help your team get to the super bowl, whats the point?

[grizz441]

pretty soon its gonna be illegal to tackle a person in football

Um... fail.

you can get a concussion just as easy from a legal tackle then a illegal one. while leading with the helmet aka spearing can get you hurt alot more easily, i saw one hit that didnt seem to be meant but resulted in helmet to helmet hit, the helmets where just in the right position at the point of tackle

Epic fail.  That's like saying it's just as easy to break your neck in a 15 mph car collision as it is in a 70mph collision because it has happened before.  There's something called the theory of probability that you might want to look into.

i mean the point of football is to make it to the super bowl, right? so if you have to tone down your defense and afraid to make a play that could help your team get to the super bowl, whats the point?

[sarcasm] Ya I know right and the point of baseball is to get to the world series so why not just throw the pitches at their best player's head? [/sarcasm]

Sorry for picking on you but your post just really irritated me, sentence after sentence.

[columbus]

pick away! i am a big boy i can take it.