How would you MNGA (Make the NFL Great Again)??

[Fosco33]

From ratings to youth participation - the NFL does have a problem brewing - mostly due to injuries and stupid rule changes.

By expanding rosters and eliminating pointless games (Thur games are awful to watch) - gives players time to rest/recover.

My point about helmets... go to Lambeau HOF and look at Lacy’s game used helmet. Dents all over that fucker. Taking helmets ‘back’ to me means smaller/higher tech but something to discourage people from feeling invincible.

[mraynrand]

From ratings to youth participation - the NFL does have a problem brewing - mostly due to injuries and stupid rule changes.

By expanding rosters and eliminating pointless games (Thur games are awful to watch) - gives players time to rest/recover.

My point about helmets... go to Lambeau HOF and look at Lacy’s game used helmet. Dents all over that fucker. Taking helmets ‘back’ to me means smaller/higher tech but something to discourage people from feeling invincible.

Coaches taught using the helmet to force fumbles. They're gonna have to teach 'see what you tackle' again. The suggestion for metrics on helmets and collisions is a great idea. The NFL needs to invest heavily in helmet tech/funding, and make sure that it is implemented at the youngest of youth football, so parents aren't afraid of having their kids play football.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

1. Allow players to kneel during the goddamn anthem.

2. Bring back Kap!

3. Deem the stiff arm fend illegal. That shit’s gonna break someone’s neck if the NFL don’t ban it.

4. Annihilate the name “Redskins.”

5. Make the “Redskins” all-white again.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I think the great phantom NFL problem is too many preseason games. They have to have training camp to do some contact work, evaluate, prepare. What possible downside is there to playing four practice games with other teams during this period? It's not like they can just cut training camp and all will be fine.

Anybody who complains about the quality of preseason games is dumber than a box of rocks. This is like the neighbor with binoculars who calls the police to complain about nudity visible through windows in the house down the street.

[Fosco33]

I think the great phantom NFL problem is too many preseason games. They have to have training camp to do some contact work, evaluate, prepare. What possible downside is there to playing four practice games with other teams during this period? It's not like they can just cut training camp and all will be fine.

Anybody who complains about the quality of preseason games is dumber than a box of rocks. This is like the neighbor with binoculars who calls the police to complain about nudity visible through windows in the house down the street.

Consider - the NBA preseason is about 8 games (8% of 82+8) and spring training ranges from 25-30 (about 15%).

IF you have an expanded roster (point #1) and it takes you 20% (4 of 16+4) to get to game mode... then organize a few inter squad scrimmages. Been done many times.

[3irty1]

The suggestion for metrics on helmets and collisions is a great idea. The NFL needs to invest heavily in helmet tech/funding, and make sure that it is implemented at the youngest of youth football, so parents aren't afraid of having their kids play football.

The NFL needs some long term safety theater to win over parents. Acceleration data is both good optics for parents and needed to make models of how the game results in the accumulation of Tau protein. They say now it's high volumes of sub-concussive head trauma that are the real problem. Considering no real symptoms occur until your 30's, something predictive is needed. I can imagine a future where the computer model benches players in real time to disrupt high risk patterns.

The secret benefit of having acceleration data is that it would also revolutionize scouting. From this you could directly measure speed, explosiveness, and change-of-direction skills in game conditions of every man with a helmet. An algorithm alone can make a list of all the great size/speed prospects out there.

If I were an NFL exec though, a football specific line of essential oils is the real no-brainer. Single moms are the gatekeepers of football talent. No need to reinvent the wheel to give them blind faith in a remedy.

[texaspackerbacker]

The NFL needs some long term safety theater to win over parents. Acceleration data is both good optics for parents and needed to make models of how the game results in the accumulation of Tau protein. They say now it's high volumes of sub-concussive head trauma that are the real problem. Considering no real symptoms occur until your 30's, something predictive is needed. I can imagine a future where the computer model benches players in real time to disrupt high risk patterns.

The secret benefit of having acceleration data is that it would also revolutionize scouting. From this you could directly measure speed, explosiveness, and change-of-direction skills in game conditions of every man with a helmet. An algorithm alone can make a list of all the great size/speed prospects out there.

If I were an NFL exec though, a football specific line of essential oils is the real no-brainer. Single moms are the gatekeepers of football talent. No need to reinvent the wheel to give them blind faith in a remedy.

What a crock of shit!

How many players have actually been brain damaged? A few dozen maybe in over a hundred years of high school, college, and pro foootball? And how many of them have drug use records that could just as easily account for messed up brains? Parents are propagandized enough right now to buy into this silly shit, and you want more of it? Sheeeesh!

These guys are paid EXTREMELY WELL for the fairly minimal risk of scrambling their brain. And nobody is forcing them to take that HUGE MONEY. They can always be like Chris Borland and decide to pass it up.

The bullshit whiny attitude about this is far more of a problem than head injuries themselves.

[mraynrand]

What a crock of shit! ...
The bullshit whiny attitude about this is far more of a problem than head injuries themselves.

That's why you have to do some PR theater. You're fighting the perception that football is a brain killer.

[Fosco33]

What a crock of shit!

How many players have actually been brain damaged? A few dozen maybe in over a hundred years of high school, college, and pro foootball? And how many of them have drug use records that could just as easily account for messed up brains? Parents are propagandized enough right now to buy into this silly shit, and you want more of it? Sheeeesh!

These guys are paid EXTREMELY WELL for the fairly minimal risk of scrambling their brain. And nobody is forcing them to take that HUGE MONEY. They can always be like Chris Borland and decide to pass it up.

The bullshit whiny attitude about this is far more of a problem than head injuries themselves.

Our lack of understanding on the most complex organ in our body... and you jump to it’s not an issue?

I totally agree - people are well paid for their injuries. Compare it to farmers or oil rig workers.

But saying it’s related to drugs or something makes the above point sounds less intelligent. It’s like smoking cigarettes doesn’t cause cancer... it’s fricken obvious. If you said - it certainly causes cancer but let your kids smoke cigarettes but the chance of them becoming a famous actor is infinitesimal- then you see it as a parent.

Look at the number of high school kids that have died playing HS football this year from TBI. I’d be interested if that happens at same rate for golf or tennis or swimming or soccer or whatever...

The rate of direct fatalities was 0.095 per 100,000 players, and the rate of indirect fatalities was 0.21 per 100,000 players. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/...cid=mm6552a2_w

[Cleft Crusty]

Good post Fosco, but there are two issues a bit conflated there in your post: traumatic brain injury resulting in death or paralysis and repeated trauma/concussions resulting in long term brain syndromes.

I too would be interested in the number of deaths in the other sports, and assume it's lower. But these events are extremely rare, especially when compared to death from drunk/drugged/distracted driving of high school and college students.

During 2005–2014, a total of 28 deaths (2.8 deaths per year) from traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries occurred among high school (24 deaths) and college football players (four deaths) combined. Most deaths occurred during competitions and resulted from tackling or being tackled. All four of the college deaths and 14 (58%) of the 24 high school deaths occurred during the last 5 years (2010–2014) of the 10-year study period. These findings support the need for continued surveillance and safety efforts (particularly during competition) to ensure proper tackling techniques, emergency planning for severe injuries, availability of medical care onsite during competitions, and assessment that it is safe to return to play following a concussion.

[Fosco33]

Good post Fosco, but there are two issues a bit conflated there in your post: traumatic brain injury resulting in death or paralysis and repeated trauma/concussions resulting in long term brain syndromes.

I too would be interested in the number of deaths in the other sports, and assume it's lower. But these events are extremely rare, especially when compared to death from drunk/drugged/distracted driving of high school and college students.

I was being obtuse on purpose.

If you’re interested - look up risks of concussions by gender. Girls are far more likely to be concussed - in basketball, etc.

My whole

[Anti-Polar Bear]

The NFL needs some long term safety theater to win over parents. Acceleration data is both good optics for parents and needed to make models of how the game results in the accumulation of Tau protein. They say now it's high volumes of sub-concussive head trauma that are the real problem. Considering no real symptoms occur until your 30's, something predictive is needed. I can imagine a future where the computer model benches players in real time to disrupt high risk patterns.

The secret benefit of having acceleration data is that it would also revolutionize scouting. From this you could directly measure speed, explosiveness, and change-of-direction skills in game conditions of every man with a helmet. An algorithm alone can make a list of all the great size/speed prospects out there.

If I were an NFL exec though, a football specific line of essential oils is the real no-brainer. Single moms are the gatekeepers of football talent. No need to reinvent the wheel to give them blind faith in a remedy.

To quote Tex, "What a crock of shit!"

Look, as a Homo Sapiensist, I'm all for making futbol safer through extreme technological advancements. But make no mistake: Futbol, with or without high tech gadgets, is not sinking into the abyss of oblivion anytime soon.

Males, from Boyz II Men, will continue to play futbol for the same reason women continue to sell their bodies, and to a lesser extent, I continue to flip burgers for the minimum-wage:

Capitalism. Abominable capitalism.

[3irty1]

To quote Tex, "What a crock of shit!"

Look, as a Homo Sapiensist, I'm all for making futbol safer through extreme technological advancements. But make no mistake: Futbol, with or without high tech gadgets, is not sinking into the abyss of oblivion anytime soon.

Males, from Boyz II Men, will continue to play futbol for the same reason women continue to sell their bodies, and to a lesser extent, I continue to flip burgers for the minimum-wage:

Capitalism. Abominable capitalism.

He typed in a football fan forum as the cognitive dissonance finally severed his corpus callosum.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Consider - the NBA preseason is about 8 games (8% of 82+8) and spring training ranges from 25-30 (about 15%).

IF you have an expanded roster (point #1) and it takes you 20% (4 of 16+4) to get to game mode... then organize a few inter squad scrimmages. Been done many times.

I don't see how the the number of preseason games as a percentage of regular season games matters.
I also don't see why any fan cares whether they play 4 or 10 preseason games during their training camp period. What exactly is the harm or burden? Games against real opponents give you a bit more information than intersquad scrimmages. If the team wants to have three practice games per week during training camp, I say good. Of course the starters won't play much, but it is excellent development work for about 40 players on the preseason roster.

I think what has happened is the NFL has charged full price for preseason games, the fans feel like they have to watch because they are built up to be sort of a thing. Then they get disappointed when the games suck. But that is a problem with the fan attitude, and says nothing about the value of preseason games to the team.

I say go back to six preseason games. We can learn more about the backup QBs, and get the teams better prepared. It can be done in about the same time period as the current training camp.

If the problem is that training camp is too long (again, why would fans care?) then get rid of the endless spring training camps. Why not let players get away from the grind of football for 5 months? They'll be fresher mentally.

[3irty1]

Parents are propagandized enough right now to buy into this silly shit, and you want more of it? Sheeeesh!

This was your take away from what I wrote huh?