PFT: NFL considers more ejections for illegal hits

[Actual Pats Fan]

NFL considers more ejections for illegal hits

Outside of economics, does the stupidity of the NFL have a limit?

 

[JarOfMayo51]

If they do this, they're going to have the exact same problem college had when they first implemented the policy: people will be outraged when a player gets ejected for something which replay shows was a bad call (like the contact was really to the shoulder or something like that).

College's solution was to implement automatic replays for such ejections to confirm or override the call on the field. But if the NFL did that too, it would slow down games even further.

How many times a game do you think there would be an illegal hit that warranted a review to determine ejection? I don't think it would really add any time to the game, but you would need to have a review if the penalty was as stiff as an ejection

Guys like TJ Ward would be totally ****ed.. granted, he's more of a knee hunter than a head hunter.. they should make a rule about going for the knees

 

[luuked]

Suspended players are not paid for the missed game. I don't agree with the idea that stupid suspensions, with accompanying salary losses, are better than stupid fines, especially when they're being applied because of enforcement of a stupid rule.

And I don't agree that serious illegal hits go essentially unpunished. Talib's eye poking should have been more than a fine.

 

[Deus Irae]

And I don't agree that serious illegal hits go essentially unpunished. Talib's eye poking should have been more than a fine.

The penalty itself is a joke. Calling for fines and suspensions as a result of it just makes you complicit in the folly.

Don't be that guy.

 

[Koma]

By the way, I still can't believe that Chancellor's wicked hit to Edelman in SB 49 - the one where Edelman went to one knee and got up and ran some more, but was clearly dazed (i.e., probably concussed) - wasn't flagged. It was a total shot to the head, but nobody even argued it at all. The announcers didn't even comment on it, but it was completely vicious and a clear head shot.

Just to go a little further on that tangent, it really was unbelievable that there was no penalty on that play. While it's not hard to believe, it's still ridiculous that most non-Patriots commentary about that play was how Edelman should have been removed from the game, not the missed personal foul. To make it worse, I don't think I saw anyone in the media suggest that Chancellor also be removed to be checked for a concussion.

Back to the subject at hand, I don't have any issue with the league trying to reduce helmet to helmet hits. If it takes being removed from a game for players to get the message, I'm okay with trying that. What I am skeptical about it the league's ability to effectively and objectively enforce this. Someone brought up the example of a defensive player lining up to make a legal tackle only to have the offensive player duck his head, resulting in a helmet to helmet hit, will there be an ejection? If there is, how can defenders avoid situations like that?

 

[luuked]

The penalty itself is a joke. Calling for fines and suspensions as a result of it just makes you complicit in the folly.

Don't be that guy.

So you think Talib shouldn't even have been fined for sticking his fingers in the eyes of another player ? Not trying to built some kind of analogy hear genuinely curious how you would deal with acts like that.

 

[ForThoseAboutToRock]

Let the ejections commence. No way this gets implemented smoothly, right?

Post your favorites!

 

[Deus Irae]

This league seems absolutely determined to go full ******.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

This league seems absolutely determined to go full ******.

Roger Goodell has long since set a course to mold the NFL in his image.

 

[XLIX]

As I mentioned earlier, this will follow a similar path we saw college tread about 5 years ago:

1) Rule implemented where players get ejected for illegal hits to the head

2) Lot of players get ejected unfairly, so they decide to allow replay to review the ejection. However, the penalty itself was still not subject to review. So even though the refs can watch replay and reverse the ejection, the 15-yard penalty would still stand no matter what.

3) They realized how stupid that was so now replay can reverse the ejection and the penalty

4) With replay in place, the ruling on the field tends to lean towards ejection, which triggers the automatic review. Err on the side of caution, let replay sort it out.

5) Of course, each replay can take up to 10 minutes or so. Doesn't sound like a terribly long time, but that's a pretty long break in the middle of the game. Referees are terrified of being 2nd guessed forever and ever.

 

[AtomicDawg]

 

[Stumpy]

Just one more step for the NFL to control the outcome of games, or at least influence the outcome.
So what's the timeline for hitting to disappear altogether? 15-20 years?

 

[Stumpy]

That's how I feel too. In fact, it sickens me how every time the NFL makes a good faith effort to make the game safer, a certain segment of fandom always complain about "putting dresses on the players" and "the wussification of the NFL".

Meanwhile, Dwight Clark announces he has ALS and Gale Sayers has dementia. But how dare the NFL try to legislate illegal hits to the head!!!

No one's forcing them to play Football. What, did they think that repeated blows to the head was a healthy career move?
And ALS is most likely not caused by football. Something like 95% of cases are of unknown origin and may be genetic. And Clark suspects Football caused it. And he's no Dr.

 

[XLIX]

No one's forcing them to play Football. What, did they think that repeated blows to the head was a healthy career move?

Back then, nobody knew that such things were so degenerative and cumulative.

And ALS is most likely not caused by football. Something like 95% of cases are of unknown origin and may be genetic. And Clark suspects Football caused it. And he's no Dr.

Where did you get your M.D., doctor?

 

[XLIX]

Just one more step for the NFL to control the outcome of games, or at least influence the outcome.

I am not a big proponent of this new rule but it's absurd to think that on-field refs are going to use it to "control the outcome."

If on-field refs wanted to control the outcome of a game, all they need is a conveniently timed PI call or something like that. They don't need to eject anyone; just throw the flag on that 48 yard post pattern with incidental contact.

 

[unoriginal]

No one's forcing them to play Football. What, did they think that repeated blows to the head was a healthy career move?

Precisely why many of us who played football did not take up boxing or baseball.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Roger Goodell has long since set a course to mold the NFL in his image.

 

[SlowGettingUp]

And ALS is most likely not caused by football. Something like 95% of cases are of unknown origin and may be genetic.

You are quite confused here. Genetic (familial) ALS is about 10% of cases. The other 90% is termed "sporadic" and has an unknown cause, but there is absolutely a much higher incidence in people that have been exposed to repeated head trauma than there is in the general population.

The rate for retired football players is about four times what you would expect.


Neurodegenerative causes of death among retired National Football League players