Washington Post: Former Hoosier Antwaan Randle El regrets ever playing football

[Maroon&GoldLivesMatter]

For the first time you gave a full response. Previously I'd discuss change in all levels and you'd say 'removing big hits alone won't solve the problem' and ignore everything else said. That was the issue. So you actually responding to the overall point actually allows this to be a conversation. But to your point, I don't agree with your point as everything I mentioned is leading towards FEWER violent hits, not more. Sure you could make the argument that having more fast guys leads to more violent hits but that's ignoring the fact that everything we're discussing is removing those types of hits from the game. Most violent hits occur either in the hole or immediately after the catch as its very difficult to lay someone out in the open field anyway and the game is now more about open field tackling than ever before. So now players aren't using their helmets, aren't aiming high, aren't having nearly as many in the box collisions, can't hit guys who are unprotected, and are being forced into more 1 on 1 open field tackles which by nature are usually ankle grab, shoulder to the thigh types of plays. None of that says 'MORE VIOLENT HITS' like you keep saying

Cool. Cuz I didn't sign up after all these years of reading just to argue. I guess I was more looking at the "violent" hits that can't be avoided. For example, a RB gets his ankle grabbed and falls as the LB is coming in and he takes a knee to the helmet. Those kind of hits. No maybe I'm missing something and they are taking place less and less as well. Thoughts?

 

[RodentRampage]

An interesting article about using magnets in helmets to reduce concussions. It would only work for helmet to helmet contact, not for helmet to knee or helmet to ground, because the magnets would have to be in both helmets.

Basically the magnets would repel each other enough to reduce the g force on the head.

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/11/could-magnets-helmets-reduce-football-concussions

Sent from my XT1031 using Tapatalk

 

[oleboy41]

Cool. Cuz I didn't sign up after all these years of reading just to argue. I guess I was more looking at the "violent" hits that can't be avoided. For example, a RB gets his ankle grabbed and falls as the LB is coming in and he takes a knee to the helmet. Those kind of hits. No maybe I'm missing something and they are taking place less and less as well. Thoughts?

I don't think those will ever go away. I also don't think those are the real problems. For instance with any of the guys that have had reported CTE issues, have you seen anyone point to a single hit and say 'this time they got laid out is what caused the problem'? No because as I understand it the issue isn't simply guys getting laid out once, the issue is that in the past they weren't being diagnosed and weren't even considering these things true injuries. If you got knocked out you waited until the cobwebs left or were manageable and then went back in which caused compounding damage. You kept playing in practice where hitting was constant and were rarely if ever actually treated or monitered. It wasn't about singular incidents but compounding damage done from a lack of awareness/treatment for 10-20 years for these guys. Then once they reached the NFL level IMO the hits get more brutal leading to more damage while still not being monitered. Say for instance a guy could get 10 concussions from HS through the NFL and never have them treated in the past. Now days all are treated and guys either aren't allowed allowed to play until they are 'healed' or they're simply held out indefinitely if they don't. The Gophers have had a number of OL essentially retire due to concussions that probably wouldn't have even been diagnosed 10 years ago. So while there will always be some big hits in football, any head damage is now treated appropriately which should minimize the cummulative damage which in turn shrinks if not outright eliminates the number of guys with Randal-El type experiences.

 

[Maroon&GoldLivesMatter]

I don't think those will ever go away. I also don't think those are the real problems. For instance with any of the guys that have had reported CTE issues, have you seen anyone point to a single hit and say 'this time they got laid out is what caused the problem'? No because as I understand it the issue isn't simply guys getting laid out once, the issue is that in the past they weren't being diagnosed and weren't even considering these things true injuries. If you got knocked out you waited until the cobwebs left or were manageable and then went back in which caused compounding damage. You kept playing in practice where hitting was constant and were rarely if ever actually treated or monitered. It wasn't about singular incidents but compounding damage done from a lack of awareness/treatment for 10-20 years for these guys. Then once they reached the NFL level IMO the hits get more brutal leading to more damage while still not being monitered. Say for instance a guy could get 10 concussions from HS through the NFL and never have them treated in the past. Now days all are treated and guys either aren't allowed allowed to play until they are 'healed' or they're simply held out indefinitely if they don't. The Gophers have had a number of OL essentially retire due to concussions that probably wouldn't have even been diagnosed 10 years ago. So while there will always be some big hits in football, any head damage is now treated appropriately which should minimize the cummulative damage which in turn shrinks if not outright eliminates the number of guys with Randal-El type experiences.

Hmmm.... I guess that's a pretty strong point. Maybe I should wait 10 years like Sportsfan24 said and see. It could be possible that just a few random knees to the head isn't enough to cause Seau/Belcher stuff.

I wonder why that magnet stuff didn't get more news. You'd think it would have at least made 60 Minutes.

 

[cncmin]

I think a change in the type of helmet will go a long way. I saw a news story about it just the other day. Helmets for the last how many years have been designed to keep the skull from fracturing but not to protect what's inside the skull. Think of your head like an egg the skull is the shell and the yolk is your brain. Even if you prevent the shell from breaking there can be damage to the yolk. Helmets need to be redesigned to protect both the shell and the yolk.

The helmet isn't really the source of the problem. It's all the pads in other places that allow the players to hit as hard as they want with little consequence, and it's the steroids that make them all bigger, faster, stronger. Both of these lead to excessive momentum of very many hits, and the head injuries we see today. Take away some of that body padding - make it hurt the tackler when they hit someone too hard, take away the steroids, and that will go a long way toward improvement.

Further, the consequences of hitting someone in the head aren't severe enough. Burfict two weeks in a row head hunted a defenseless receiver - our own Maxx Williams, and then perhaps the best receiver in the league, Antonio Brown, who missed the next game and probably cost the Steelers a chance at the AFC Championship. Why is Burfict allowed to remain in the NFL? The Players' Union should be demanding of its players to protect their own. The NFLPA is major part of the problem, and few place any blame there.

Back to the helmet, if you want the helmet to solve the issue, "crumple zones" will probably have to be installed to absorb the hits.

 

[Seany]

I think on one level that is true, on the flip side though the players themselves keep on getting bigger, faster, and stronger so the collisions taking place are that much more forceful. It will be interesting to see how the higher risk sports in terms of brain injury evolve (not just football). It is sad when you hear about some of the things these guys are dealing with in terms of memory loss and what not. Ben Utecht is a prime local example.

I was reading about Utecht the other day, and man, it's just terribly sad. Five known concussions in his career which led to him beginning to experience memory loss starting in 2011 at the ripe old age of 30. And reading about the song he wrote to his wife and daughters because the memory loss has become so severe that he's afraid he won't be able to recognize them or know who they are, good God. It's really heartbreaking.