Do you think more should be done to protect players?

[Snarf]

I know this is a controversial issue, because one side says "this is football. injuries are a part of life. deal with it." That is true, but does it need to be that way?

The other viewpoint is that year after year we watch fantastic players get seriously hurt, which both harms the individual and damages the enjoyment for fans. I suspect I'm not the only one who feels that last season's Patriots weren't anywhere near as exciting and as interesting as if Brady had been there to continue the Brady-Moss show and take on Eli again. Injuries hurt the longevity of players... Ex, Montana was never quite the same after his injuries.

Already this season we won't get to see playmakers like Mayo flying around the field for quite some time... no Urlacher... no McNabb. A whole mass of running backs league wide are already injured. We end up with a bunch of backups and gimpy players not making fantastic plays, but just trying to get through the game. For this coming week over 200 players are injured, and it's only week 2.

The big question I guess is, what COULD be done to help prevent injuries without sissyfying the game? Would more pads (tastefully and sensibly thought out) help? New rules?

Or are you fine with the way things are?

 

[DaBruinz]

I know this is a controversial issue, because one side says "this is football. injuries are a part of life. deal with it." That is true, but does it need to be that way?

The other viewpoint is that year after year we watch fantastic players get seriously hurt, which both harms the individual and damages the enjoyment for fans. I suspect I'm not the only one who feels that last season's Patriots weren't anywhere near as exciting and as interesting as if Brady had been there to continue the Brady-Moss show and take on Eli again. Injuries hurt the longevity of players... Ex, Montana was never quite the same after his injuries.

Already this season we won't get to see playmakers like Mayo flying around the field for quite some time... no Urlacher... no McNabb. A whole mass of running backs league wide are already injured. We end up with a bunch of backups and gimpy players not making fantastic plays, but just trying to get through the game. For this coming week over 200 players are injured, and it's only week 2.

The big question I guess is, what COULD be done to help prevent injuries without sissyfying the game? Would more pads (tastefully and sensibly thought out) help? New rules?

Or are you fine with the way things are?

How can you stop MCL injuries? ACL Injuries? How can you stop the Catastrophic injuries that happen? If you've got an idea, I'd like to hear it.. But, I'll be honest, its next to impossible.

McNabb got hurt on a later hit.. The player should be fined. Heavily.

 

[FredFromDartmouth]

There is one simple way to do it, but owners such as the Krafts will not go for it since it means less revenue; ban turf fields!

Turf causes all sorts of injuries, some reported but most not. Not only does it cause injuries, but it increases the severity of injuries.

The Kraft have pretty much decided that the health of the team is less important than sponsoring multiple events at Gillette (i.e. buckets more money). At this point I am even starting to wonder if they will ever win another championship while Gillette is turf.

I know the players union wanted this, but I think that they have given up at this point.

 

[jmt57]

While I don't disagree with the turf - injury correlation, consider the alternative. Remember how bad the field was in Foxboro before Kraft installed turf? It was almost unplayable. Same still holds true at times in Pittsburgh; remember the mess at Heinz Field when Pittsburgh beat the Dolphins 3-0 on a FG in the last few seconds? There was one play somebody punted, the ball came down, and did not bounce even one time; it just sunk a couple feet in to the mud.


Regarding protection for the players, remember the dentist a couple years back that came up with a mouthguard to protect against concussions? That should be mandatory equipment for all players at all levels. I also think a lot of players use protective equipment - the helmet and shoulder pads - as a weapon to inflict pain on an opponent. Of course the helmet needs to be made very strong in order to protect a player's head, but why not put a softer coating outside of that, so players feel less inclined to lead with their head? It seems as if too many injuries are caused by equipment that is supposed to be protecting players.

There's going to be injuries regardless because of the size of these men, the force involved, and the fact football is a very violent game. I don't know that a whole lot can be done to dramatically reduce knee and ankle injuries, for example. However, I do believe the NFL and equipment manufacturers can come up with better protective gear, especially in regards to the helmet and head injuries.