Ed Reed Suspended

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by Rey

It's football. Guys will get injured. Players are going to get concussions.

We need to start a petition & tell all those ex-players to stop suing. If not for them suing, the NFL wouldn't be going the way they are.

[gtexan02]

Originally Posted by Rey

I've lost a little interest in the NFL as a whole. Still love football, but I just disagree with some of the calls and penalties they dole out. I don't think Dobbins should have been flagged nor fined and I don't believe Reed should have been either.

Take out the egregious stupid head hunting stuff. That's fine, but this borderline stuff should be left a lone.

It's football. Guys will get injured. Players are going to get concussions. Even with the amped up rules it's still happening. The only thing is that now you have a bunch of berderline BS stuff being called making the game less enjoyable IMO. Guys should be thinking about making good, clean hard hits...Not about how they might need to ease up or aim super low or not even hit hard because they don't want to get fined....

The game moves too fast for that. Saw a lot of talk about how Dobbins should have pulled up or some junk...Cutler is running towards him, Dobbins towards him...Two big fast guys running towards each other in open space is going to lead to a hard impact...Dobbins eases up there and it's possible Cutler pump fakes him and runs right past him.

Taking the aggression out of football is taking out a big element of the game.

Again, take the dirty purposeful head hunting out. That's fine. But penalizing guys who are making incidental contact because they didn't go way out of their way to avoid contact is bad for the game IMO.

Dobbins specifically said he was trying to hit him high to mess up the throw. Bang - bang play? Sure, but when someone comes out and says "I was trying to him him high" he's going to get fined. At the end of the day, it's a game. There are risks involved, but its not worth my entertainment to see people severely, permanently injured. Dobbins could have wrapped him up or hit him hip high. Instead, he chose to hit him high and was fined as a result of it.

[Dutchrudder]

Video of the Ed Reed hit: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-networ...f-safety-rules

I thought this was a clear head-hunting type of hit. Reed propels himself at the WR with his arms at his side, like a missile hitting a target. He doesn't make any attempt to tackle or even go low to the midsection. No question in my mind that this was an illegal hit.

Glad to see him get suspended, but I'd like them to do more. This sort of "technique" is hurting the game, and just makes teams look stupid when they can't tackle. I'm sure Ed Reed knows how to tackle, but he just chooses not to in this case. Hit 'em in the pocketbook, then we'll start seeing some changes and going back to the basics of fundamental tackling.

[Rey]

Originally Posted by gtexan02

There are risks involved, but its not worth my entertainment to see people severely, permanently injured. Dobbins could have wrapped him up or hit him hip high. Instead, he chose to hit him high and was fined as a result of it.

That's not a call for you to make.

Guys make a choice to play football. It's their choice. They know the risk involved.

You can put all the rules in the game that you want, but as long as it's still football guys are going to get hit in the head and get concussions.

You have the luxury of sitting and watching the play multiple times...Rewinding...Thinking about it...

When you are on the field you don't have time to think about stuff like that. That's why rookies who think to much play slower and take time to get acclimated to the speed of the game.

He's thinking about making a play. And wanting to hit a guy up high is not the same as wanting to go head hunting.

The way they are going it's going to negatively affect the game. I can understand taking out the intentional blows to the head, but the plays where a D-lineman may brush a QB's helmet when he's flying past him or when a guy may make incidental contact with a players helmet is ridiculous.

It's like almost every time there is a hard hit I'm wondering if a flag is going to be thrown...Football is about hard hits, and if you don't want to be hit hard then don't play.

[HOU-TEX]

Now it's been reduced to a $50k fine. What does this say about Goodell?

Andrew Brandt‏@adbrandt

NFL announces Ed Reed discipline of one game suspension and loss of $424,000 now reduced, after appeal, to only a $50,000 fine.

[gtexan02]

Originally Posted by Rey

That's not a call for you to make.

Guys make a choice to play football. It's their choice. They know the risk involved.

You can put all the rules in the game that you want, but as long as it's still football guys are going to get hit in the head and get concussions.

You have the luxury of sitting and watching the play multiple times...Rewinding...Thinking about it...

When you are on the field you don't have time to think about stuff like that. That's why rookies who think to much play slower and take time to get acclimated to the speed of the game.

He's thinking about making a play. And wanting to hit a guy up high is not the same as wanting to go head hunting.

The way they are going it's going to negatively affect the game. I can understand taking out the intentional blows to the head, but the plays where a D-lineman may brush a QB's helmet when he's flying past him or when a guy may make incidental contact with a players helmet is ridiculous.

It's like almost every time there is a hard hit I'm wondering if a flag is going to be thrown...Football is about hard hits, and if you don't want to be hit hard then don't play.

Rules have changed as we've learned more about how injuries affect the players. You say **** happens, its the risk they take and I disagree. There are rules in place to minimize those risks, and in the NFL does this both for the players and the sustainability of the product.

Most rules changes affect the game. Whether it makes it better or worse is subjective. Some people may enjoy slog fests where the final score is 6-3 but others may enjoy high scoring affairs where the offense gets the advantage. "Better" is not a factual or logical statement.

Games change with time. The game we play today is different in many, many ways than the game that was invented. This rule is not the biggest change we've seen, but I guess people just enjoy thinking short term

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by Rey

That's not a call for you to make.

Guys make a choice to play football. It's their choice. They know the risk involved.

Then they come back years later & sue the NFL.

[Rey]

Originally Posted by Fiddler

Then they come back years later & sue the NFL.

Out of all the guys that have played NFL football how many have sued?

It's overblown IMO and i think it has more to do with appearances and public appeal. No one likes seeing guys carted off with serious injuries.

The NFL is trying to avoid that image IMO because it's bad for business. The thing is, they have to find a happy medium. Enough violence but not to much to where the sport becomes grotesque and hard to watch.

They are softening the game up which I don't have an issue with. Do what you can to eliminate blatant head hunting and protect defenseless players.

But some of this stuff is going too far and it takes away from the sport IMO.

[Rey]

Originally Posted by HOU-TEX

Now it's been reduced to a $50k fine. What does this say about Goodell?

It says that he knows that was a bit too much and didn't deserve the original implications of the suspension.

[ChampionTexan]

Originally Posted by Rey

Out of all the guys that have played NFL football how many have sued?

SN concussion report: NFL could lose billions in player lawsuits

How many cases—and what kind—have been filed against the NFL, and how many players are we talking about?

As of mid-August, there were 135 cases with 3,402 former players, according to The Washington Times.

LINK

This was as of a few months ago - I don't think the number's gotten smaller.

[Rey]

Originally Posted by ChampionTexan

LINK

This was as of a few months ago - I don't think the number's gotten smaller.

That's not a lot of players relatively speaking. And some of those players are bankrupt so that might have something to do with their motives...

[Rey]

Originally Posted by HOU-TEX

Now it's been reduced to a $50k fine. What does this say about Goodell?

It says that he's fine with admitting that he may have reacted too harshly and made a mistake which I have 0 problem with.

Thread title should be changed to...Oh wait, nevermind.....

[HOU-TEX]

Originally Posted by Rey

It says that he's fine with admitting that he may have reacted too harshly and made a mistake which I have 0 problem with.

Thread title should be changed to...Oh wait, nevermind.....

You do know that it was Cottrel that heard the appeal, right. Goodell didn't have jack to do with lowering the punishment.

[2012Champs]

Originally Posted by HOU-TEX

You do know that it was Cottrel that heard the appeal, right. Goodell didn't have jack to do with lowering the punishment.

I dont think Goodell decides the punishment in the first place or at least that wasnt how the process was explained yesterday

[Wolf6151]

Originally Posted by Fiddler

I agree that they are being inconsistent & that's really the only thing I would ask them to change about how they do this.

I was listening to Mike & Mike in the morning on the way to work & they were astounded & totally against the fines, suspensions, and everything but the flag & cost of the penalty.

They didn't blame the refs, they said the refs are simply doing what the NFL has mandated they do. My point, is what else can the NFL do? If they've mandated that these hits will draw the flag, how can they not fine the players & how can they not increase the punishment for repeat offenders?

They are doing this, because they are being sued by former players. In the future, what would be their defense?

Prosecutor:So you knew these hits cause head injuries
NFL: Well, we didn't "know" but evidence strongly suggested
Prosecutor: But you mandated the officials throw the flag
NFL: Well, player safety is very important to us, so if there is a possibility...
Prosecutor: & we know these fines don't deter players... look what Chad Johnson said on such & such a day

If we don't think these hits lead to the kind of damage the NFL is being sued for, then "we" need to get on the former players for suing the NFL.

I don't necessarily believe that is the right course of action. I'm just saying the NFL is in between a rock & a hard place. They're not doing this because they can't find anything better to do. They're doing it to cover their butts.

In a sport as violent as the NFL is, they have to draw the line somewhere & above the shoulders on a defenseless player makes sense. Maybe they need to refine how they enforce it, but that's what we are seeing, in real time.

Hopefully sooner than later, they'll get it figured out. But right now, I can't see what else they can do.

I agree completely. I don't like the fines and suspensions but this is all about the NFL mitigating future liability payments in court.