Concussions in American Football

[Tarlam!]

Seems impossible to me.

Today, my son turned 16 and his dearest wish, bless his cheesehead heart, was a Packer helmet. Now, I only bought him the replica (I also bought him an original #28 with his name on it that set me back a few bob, so don't go calling me a cheap whatever!).

So, I have this helmet in my hand for the first time and I am, well, SPEECHLESS! I played rugby for 16 seasons!! We weren't even allowed by rule to wear shoulder pads unless a doctor's signiature said we must.

And I have this REPLICA helmet in my hand and I have a real dispute going on with the Lord Almighty, the Rugby people and myself.

HOW ON EARTH CAN ANYBODY SERIOUSLY GET CONCUSSED WEARING A REAL HELMET??????

[TennesseePackerBacker]

I'm sure some one can answer this in better depth than I can, but from my own limited experience I'll try to answer. I honestly wish I had a better grasp of rugby as well. While the helmet offers a lot of protection to the head and face, it doesn't really protect the brain from impacting the skull during a collision. Helmet to helmet collisions are a nature occurance. And sure, while all that padding seems nice, the brain is still traveling at a high velocity when it inevitably crashes in to the skull during such an occurance.

That's how it can happen, and how it does happen. Tackling technique teaches you to drive through your opponent while being lower than him at the same time. Generally trying to put your hat on the ball when doing this. If both players get to the same level a violent helmet to helmet collision often occurs. Not to mention the fact that fundamentlas break down a lot at the lower levels of competition and players put their heads down.

Helmets are (at least were for the longest time) considered weapons in football. Like any weapon, it has to be used responsibly or it can have serious reprecussions.

[sharpe1027]

Following on TPBs nice description, the helmet is great for preventing cuts, bruises and direct damage to the head. It spreads out the force of the impact across a large area of the entire head. It is like the difference between driving a nail into a board point first (small area of impact) and trying to drive the same nail into the board head first (large area of impact). The concussion issue, however, is mostly about the rate the entire head decelerates. Unless the helmet is a foot thick, there is just only so much that can be done to lessen this deceleration.

Another way to view it is that, for a given amount of impact time and speed, the distance the head travels before it stops determines the deceleration. If your going a certain speed, your head will stop quickly even with the helmet.

[Little Whiskey]

think of it this way. you can have the highest safety rated car but if you don't put your seat belt on and hit a telephone pole you are going to have a ruff day. you brains only "seatbelt" is the fluid surrounding it. the helmet is the car and the other person is the telephone pole.

[Tarlam!]

I watch football passionately. But I played rugby, and Australian Rules football. I captained both, so, obviously I had a big mouth, but the skipper is the target in any game. I never got a concussion. I just don't get how we Neandthals can crack heads and live to drink a few afterwards and you guys get concussions!

[sharpe1027]

I watch football passionately. But I played rugby, and Australian Rules football. I captained both, so, obviously I had a big mouth, but the skipper is the target in any game. I never got a concussion. I just don't get how we Neandthals can crack heads and live to drink a few afterwards and you guys get concussions!

Well, the lack of a helmet changes how you play. You're not as likely to strike someone else's head if they don't have a helmet and you also usually won't be stupid enough to try to spear someone with your head.

Still, I can pretty much guarantee that you got several concussions, they come in all different severities. People get them all the time from much less activity than rugby. I think I even read somewhere that soccer players get them just about every time they head a well struck ball.

It used to be that you would hardly ever heard about concussions in football unless someone was knocked out cold or couldn't remember where they were. Now you are being made aware of the slightest concussion, they aren't suddenly starting to happen in the past two years.

[Patler]

I watch football passionately. But I played rugby, and Australian Rules football. I captained both, so, obviously I had a big mouth, but the skipper is the target in any game. I never got a concussion. I just don't get how we Neandthals can crack heads and live to drink a few afterwards and you guys get concussions!

I would make some wisecrack about there having to be something inside of your head for you to actually get a concussion, but I wouldn't want you to take it wrong following our dust-up a few weeks ago!

[Pugger]

Didn't Rodgers get his second concussion by having his head hit the turf in Detroit?

[Deputy Nutz]

Rugby and American Football is not the same sport. It is not played the same way, sure you tackle in both sports, and rugby is a brutal sport don't get me wrong, but football is played at a ridiculous speed with armor that gives a sense of false protection. I played both Rugby and football and the first time I played rugby I hit a guy like I was on the football field and knocked myself out, with a concussion, and broke several ribs of my opponent, he had to be carted off the field. I stumbled around for a a while and finished the match. My coach came up to me and told me that he had never seen a hit like that in a rugby game, I thought it was a compliment but he said I wouldn't be playing much longer if I didn't know the difference between a rugby tackle and a football tackle.

In rugby I believe you rely more on arm tackling, dragging the ball carrier to the ground which is a big no no in football. In both sports a clean wrap up tackle is probably best with no contact with the head. Hard to do in both sports so in football a helmet is put on top of one's head and it becomes a weapon to both you and foe. Rugby technique breaks down and arm tackling occurs.

One reason I see for the increase of concussions is first, better reporting and medical given to head injuries. But the game of football has also changed dramatically in the last 20 years. More teams are going to offenses that spread receivers all over the field creating space. This space is allowing players more momentium coming in at the point of contact. Compare it back in the day where teams in high school and college were running offenses with 3 running back and two tight ends. More contact was occuring in a much smaller space cutting down on the space needed to buld up the momentium that would cause collisions that could cause serious head injuries. More running of the football meant less full impact hits to the QB that is now dropping back to pass 50 times a game. Wide receivers were not putting themselves in positions 50 times a game to get slammed by a free safety.

This is just one reason I see for more concussions in the game of football, a schemed based reason if you will.

[Guiness]

Didn't Rodgers get his second concussion by having his head hit the turf in Detroit?

Yes, and your head hitting the turf is one of the leading causes of concussions, made worse by hard floors in domes or frozen ground. I had a room mate in uni that played rugby, and he got a couple of concussions from having his head slammed to the ground after it was frozen.

While rugby and american football appear to be similar sports on the surface, there are a lot of differences that make rugby less prone to (severe) concussions. One has to do with substitutions, and the resulting size of the players. I saw somewhere that the Pack had the largest starting DL in the league after adding Greene. Do you think Greene, Pickett or Raji could play a full game of semi-competitive rugby? Wells is often called undersized...at over 300lbs.

Concussions and whiplash are caused by acceleration. Those linemen represent something pretty close to an immovable force.

Sharpe is right as well, that you have likely gotten some mild concussions that didn't affect you too much. We're aware of it in football because they get monster ones there, ones that put them out cold, and it has been showing up in their long term health for a while, and became too difficult to ignore.

[swede]

I can think of one head injury that Rugby players are proud to sport.

[VermontPackFan]

I watch football passionately. But I played rugby, and Australian Rules football. I captained both, so, obviously I had a big mouth, but the skipper is the target in any game. I never got a concussion. I just don't get how we Neandthals can crack heads and live to drink a few afterwards and you guys get concussions!

Have you actually been to an NFL or high level Division I college game in the past 5-7 years? There are violent collisions you just do not see in a rugby match. Sorry but its pretty clear to me why there are more concussions in football then there are in rugby regardless of the padding/helmets.

[VermontPackFan]

In rugby I believe you rely more on arm tackling, dragging the ball carrier to the ground which is a big no no in football. In both sports a clean wrap up tackle is probably best with no contact with the head. Hard to do in both sports so in football a helmet is put on top of one's head and it becomes a weapon to both you and foe. Rugby technique breaks down and arm tackling occurs.

Great points Nutz. Not only is the helmet a weapon but also an asset to assist in the tackle...

[MadtownPacker]

I was watching some rugby a few weeks ago and while it is rougher than Nutz and skin on Meth and vodka binge it does seem like a slower game. Didn't seem like the players launch themselves either.

[MadtownPacker]

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