The NFL thinks they can just keep tweaking the rules to fix the fundamental problem that football is a violent sport, prone to both acute and chronic injuries. They can't. Players can't make tackles at full speed but roll off in between contact and hitting the ground. They can't stop a juking running back in the open field and guarantee that two helmets never collide. It's just not reasonable. There's a decision to be made: either football can be transformed into a reasonably safe sport, which will require a massive overhaul of not only the rules but how the sport is played, or it has to be treated as an unsafe sport like MMA or boxing. Of course, I just read a lot of "Cousins couldn't hit the broad side of a barn" comments after the game and I didn't think that was very fair.
It'd be interesting to see what would happen if they got rid of the pads. It has, for the most part, worked for rugby. Sure, it's violent, but you don't have anywhere near the same harsh impacts that you do with football... technique trumps force because you're just as likely to get hurt as the other guy. And there will be a different playing dynamic that won't map exactly. It was always funny watching football players come and try out for rugby, because they'd tackle completely differently and get hurt as a result. (Head buried because of helmets/padding protecting it, instead of head up and being on top). It probably wouldn't work, but I think it would be a pretty interesting experiment.
Every home team player has RFID sensors in their shoulder pads, helmets and other strategic locations (shoes of kickers, and the footballs, for instance). Every home game, including preseason, they are collecting data on speed, force, etc. and have been for several years. I am sure in a couple more years they'll have quite a mountain of data they can use. The idea of getting rid of helmets has been brought up several times.
Get rid of face masks. You will get a bunch of broken noses and lost teeth for a bit, but they will adjust their tackling. Then they can get rid of all these QB protection rules that do not work.
There's no scenario where removing protective gear is going to be an reasonable fix for football. There isn't just going to be a broad acceptance that, sure, everyone will just go ahead and get hurt a lot more while they adjust. Football and rugby and fundamentally different sports. I agree that football drifting more towards rugby style play would result in fewer injuries, but it can't and won't happen organically. Football is predicated on high-speed play at every moment, and every single contested yard is important thanks to down-and-distance rules. Adjusting protective gear or tackling rules isn't going to fix that fundamental problem: there is significant monetary incentive for a defensive back to obliterate a ball carrier to prevent even an inch of forward movement. Or, similarly, for the speed and viciousness of the lines, because a running back gaining a 18 inches can be significant. The only thing that fixes the safety problem of football, IMO, is a meaningful change to the way the sport is played. Which is a shame, because I fucking love football. We're watching the golden years of it now: players have gotten stronger, faster, training systems are so specific and advanced, offenses and defenses are so sophisticated... It's amazing to watch, but I think in 15 years either the NFL isn't going to resemble itself, or it's going to have significantly reduced popularity. I just don't know how the sport will remain at the same level if parents aren't letting their kids play, or schools can't take the liability, and you end up with a bunch of people who don't step onto a football field until they're legal adults.
THAT was a good game. It's rare (due, for the most part to flag over kill) to watch a good one that lasts the duration of the game rather than just sparks here and there.
That kicking game was foreshadowing for what was one of the worst (and one outstanding. Holy fuck was that a kick to win that game.) days for kickers I've seen. Just terrible. My entire team looked like shit. They all seemed off. Maybe it's because my Game Day t-shirt, that was literally threads, died. Whatever the hell is wrong they better figure out quick.
Aww, come on... even the most jaded of hearts had to warm at least a little bit watching Crosby redeem himself after his last outing...
I know I'm a homer but that really was a good game. Seeing Crosby score instead of shank was a welcome sight.
Awful shitshow as far as I'm concerned. The 49ers absolutely gave that game away; Rodgers' hero-ball at the end of the game only goes to show how much the 49ers choked on their last series.
This story sums up why I care so much less about the NFL than I used to. They canceled the game location with a week left to prep it because it wasn't in good enough condition and they were worried players were going to get hurt. It used to be that you played through any conditions. Now, anything short of pristine, or even might be short of pristine isn't good enough. The over/under for the game is set at 64 fucking points because it's practically illegal to play defense now. Little by little so much of what I loved about the sport has been sucked out of it. The mystique is gone. It's just another sport now. I guess I'm in favor of most of the changes. It's not like I think these players owe it to me to get brain injuries for my entertainment, but it sure as hell isn't as fun to watch. Maybe the field change example isn't the best to describe what the problem for me is, but in any case more and more often I find myself doing other things on Sunday instead of watching football. I think the league is still convinced the ratings decline is about politics or just receding after the peak and maybe it is to a point, but I think it has a lot to do with the fact that it's just not as exciting as it used to be.
And the thing is the only rules that have been changed explicitly to reduce concussions have been the new kickoff rules and the "defenseless receiver" rule. All of the other ones have been made just to make it easier for offenses to score. The NFL could institute rule changes to bring back defense without further endangering players but they don't want to.