Goodell wants to ruin the NFL...

[packers11]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-superbowl-goodell&prov=ap&type=lgns

Can you take out hitting too? Looks like Kampy's days in the NFL are done

[Lurker64]

If I were the supreme ruler of football, I would probably enact this rule for high school and lower. Don't let the kids take unnecessary hits to the head for no reason, especially when (at those levels) they probably ought to pay more attention to what they're doing and what the other guy is doing than "hitting someone as hard as you can".

But let the college kids hit and let the pro guys hit.

[swede]

How many linemen has GB had out with concussions?

It seems to me that the most vulnerable players are, in descending order, quarterbacks, receivers, and running backs.

My kid, a tailback, had his first football concussion this year as a freshman. He was churning for extra yards dragging a few players with him. While he was being held up two players hit him in the head with their helmets and knocked him silly. No flags. If he happens to get two more concussions during his high school career, school policy is that he will be out of contact sports.

If Goodell wants to limit concussions, indeed if football at any level wants to limit concussions, then deliberate helmet to helmet contact would require a player to be removed from the remainder of the game.

What the heck does three-point stance have to do with concussions?

[Patler]

How many linemen has GB had out with concussions?

Wells, Lang and Barbre all were on the injury reports this season for concussions and missed at least practice time.

[Scott Campbell]

Is there any truth to the concept that some people just have a thick skull? Or does everyone get concussed equally?







And no, the answer to the first one is not "you're living proof that there are".

[pbmax]

Lineman take shots to the head far more frequently than backs and receivers in the regular course of line play. The hits on the QB or at midfield can often be much harder and more dramatic. Most of the players whose brains have been donated and studied for evidence of damage due to concussions have been lineman who had trouble later in life. Its a self-selected group obviously, but most positions seem to carry risk.

There are dozens if not hundreds of other factors that could play a part in determining who will suffer long term damage, but I do not think you could act just for skill positions and claim to have acted in the best interest of all players.

[red]

Is there any truth to the concept that some people just have a thick skull? Or does everyone get concussed equally?







And no, the answer to the first one is not "you're living proof that there are".

i don't know, but i can tell you for a fact that after the first one its much easier to get another one

i never had problems with my head until the first major shot (almost 15 years ago). i have had well over a dozen since then, maybe as many as 2 dozen

they are serious injuries, they aren't just a little head ache like most people think they are. they are very serious injuries that can have a big impact on your life

[Freak Out]

Is there any truth to the concept that some people just have a thick skull? Or does everyone get concussed equally?







And no, the answer to the first one is not "you're living proof that there are".

i don't know, but i can tell you for a fact that after the first one its much easier to get another one

i never had problems with my head until the first major shot (almost 15 years ago). i have had well over a dozen since then, maybe as many as 2 dozen

they are serious injuries, they aren't just a little head ache like most people think they are. they are very serious injuries that can have a big impact on your life

How often do you have to empty the drool bucket? What in the hell are you doing to get so many concussions?

[Smidgeon]

I had a friend in college who (at last count) had nine concussions. Of course, he got his first seven and last one playing rugby without a scrum cap, so he shoulders much of that blame. But his worst concussion, the one that he still couldn't shake 8 months later wasn't from rugby. It was from a freak accident where a friend gave him a playful shove and their feet got tangled. His head hit the ground hard and it took him most of a year to recover. Just like many athletes out there, he went right back to rugby once the effects of the concussion wore off despite our pleading against it. Don't know what the long-term effects will be, but he's definitely someone I get concerned about whenever I hear about concussions.

[Fosco33]

I don't recall any specific hits in my hs football days - but remember many teammates forgetting most of the game while playing.

Myself - I got my 1st when I was 5 falling out of the top bunk while sleeping. I remember not being able to have recess for a few weeks... that sucked

I got my 2nd as a 6th grader playing touch football on the blacktop (ran straight into a telephone pole). Apparently I went back to class and started taking notes - backwards - without realizing it. Teacher was freaked out. I still made it to hunter's safety that night after being checked out in the ER

[swede]

How many linemen has GB had out with concussions?

Wells, Lang and Barbre all were on the injury reports this season for concussions and missed at least practice time.

Thanks Patler.

I'll watch the injury reports more closely. My theory was that quarterback and receivers concussions came from being driven into the ground, while the receivers and running backs were most at risk of being speared with another player's helmet. I didn't think linemen were as vulnerable because the head shots they take happen in more close quarters.

Patlerized, as usual, by the facts.

Lineman take shots to the head far more frequently than backs and receivers in the regular course of line play. The hits on the QB or at midfield can often be much harder and more dramatic. Most of the players whose brains have been donated and studied for evidence of damage due to concussions have been lineman who had trouble later in life. Its a self-selected group obviously, but most positions seem to carry risk.

There are dozens if not hundreds of other factors that could play a part in determining who will suffer long term damage, but I do not think you could act just for skill positions and claim to have acted in the best interest of all players.

Also appreciated, pbmax. Do you think the league will act to require medical clearance for concussed players to return to practice and play?

[Scott Campbell]

Is there any truth to the concept that some people just have a thick skull? Or does everyone get concussed equally?







And no, the answer to the first one is not "you're living proof that there are".

i don't know, but i can tell you for a fact that after the first one its much easier to get another one

i never had problems with my head until the first major shot (almost 15 years ago). i have had well over a dozen since then, maybe as many as 2 dozen

they are serious injuries, they aren't just a little head ache like most people think they are. they are very serious injuries that can have a big impact on your life

Scary. Unlike knees and hips, you can't just get a new head.

[Noodle]

Here's the thing -- linemen concusions are not necessarily caused by helmet-to-helmet contact. Rather, it's the abrupt stopping of the head, while the brain is still moving forward, that causes the concussion. So if guys can't fire off of three-point stances, then their brains won't get smashed when the lineman contacts another lineman.

But helmet-to-helmet or helmet-to-ground is the type of contact that causes RB, QB, DB, WR concussions. Stopping the 3-point stance will have no affect on those concussions. But getting rid of the plastic-shelled helmet/weapon would.

[red]

Is there any truth to the concept that some people just have a thick skull? Or does everyone get concussed equally?







And no, the answer to the first one is not "you're living proof that there are".

i don't know, but i can tell you for a fact that after the first one its much easier to get another one

i never had problems with my head until the first major shot (almost 15 years ago). i have had well over a dozen since then, maybe as many as 2 dozen

they are serious injuries, they aren't just a little head ache like most people think they are. they are very serious injuries that can have a big impact on your life

How often do you have to empty the drool bucket? What in the hell are you doing to get so many concussions?

nah don't need a bucket

lots and lots of sports. and walking into door jams, and crawling under buildings, and falling down and whatnot.

the first and worst came from playing a pickup game of full contact 11 on football without pads with some of the members of my colleges football team

that wasn't one of my smarter ideas

[MadScientist]

Here's the thing -- linemen concusions are not necessarily caused by helmet-to-helmet contact. Rather, it's the abrupt stopping of the head, while the brain is still moving forward, that causes the concussion. So if guys can't fire off of three-point stances, then their brains won't get smashed when the lineman contacts another lineman.

But helmet-to-helmet or helmet-to-ground is the type of contact that causes RB, QB, DB, WR concussions. Stopping the 3-point stance will have no affect on those concussions. But getting rid of the plastic-shelled helmet/weapon would.

Getting rid of the helmet wouldn't reduce the number of concussions, but would change how they happen. What is needed is a different design for a helmet that does not act as one solid piece. What I would try is something like a flexible outer skin (vinyl or some such) covering small, harder pieces that move independently (think scales or poker chips, not overlapping). Underneath that, a layer of softer foam, like memory foam and finally a stiffer foam to make it form fitting. I don't know if it would work, but my hunch is it would work for the impacts they players are really getting.

As you noted above this would be more for the skill players than the linemen.