Pollard Speaks...

[NitroGSXR]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d...headline_stack

"If somebody is going to get a knockout shot, OK, at some point somebody is going to get hit anyway," Pollard said. "If you end up getting knocked out because you're trying to get a knockout shot, it's either kill or be killed. Which one are you going to do? This is football. It's not powder puff. When Nike unveiled their new uniforms, I'm surprised they didn't have flags on the side. ... You're taking away the game of football. If a quarterback throws an interception, get his butt down or run to the sidelines. If you're going to try to make a tackle, I'm going to look for you. I promise you, I'm going to look for you."

I love it! See... I am not buying into this safety crap that's going on in the other thread. I love football because it is a violent sport. I am the guy who goes.... ooooooooo.... when somebody gets nailed sleeping. Benard Pollard, Bubba McDowell, Steve Atwater, RONNIE LOTT... are the guys that I cheered the hardest for. What happened to the game?

[TexanSam]

If football is a completely different sport 20-30 years from now, I don't think it's going to be due to rule changes. I think it's going to be for the other reason that Pollard mentioned at the end of the article.

Strong words, as always, from Pollard, who admitted he doesn't want his son to play the game he plays, only to endure the fierce trail of physical ailments that come with it: "I don't want him to have go through it. I don't want to see my son with a concussion."

I think you're going to see fewer kids play football with all the new information about concussions and brain injuries. Fewer adults are going to allow their children to play football due to the long term effects it could have. That's why football will have long term problems.

[NitroGSXR]

Originally Posted by TexanSam

If football is a completely different sport 20-30 years from now, I don't think it's going to be due to rule changes. I think it's going to be for the other reason that Pollard mentioned at the end of the article.



I think you're going to see fewer kids play football with all the new information about concussions and brain injuries. Fewer adults are going to allow their children to play football due to the long term effects it could have. That's why football will have long term problems.

NO FEAR... The NFL has Rex Ryan's endorsement.

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan “absolutely” would like his son to continue playing football despite him suffering a concussion last season in high school.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports...93T_story.html

[Rey]

Is there a list out there of some of the players that have had health problems directly related to contact from football?

I ask because it seems like LB's and Safeties seem to have the most problems...

[NitroGSXR]

Originally Posted by Rey

Is there a list out there of some of the players that have had health problems directly related to contact from football?

I ask because it seems like LB's and Safeties seem to have the most problems...

I think QBs have more concussions than anybody else but it doesn't matter. Boxing's dangerous. Road racing is dangerous. Hockey's dangerous. So's football. It's like this... I and most racers I know don't race for money. We do it because it's what we love. Football's no different. I know the potential consequences but I am not about to take away from enjoying sports itself. I want my children playing or doing exactly what they want to be doing. We can try but you ultimately can't take the danger out of dangerous.

[TexanSam]

Originally Posted by Rey

Is there a list out there of some of the players that have had health problems directly related to contact from football?

I ask because it seems like LB's and Safeties seem to have the most problems...

That would be interesting. The big hits always make it seem like the offensive player is hurt the most, but there's never much discussion about the impact it has on the defensive player.

[Wolf]

Originally Posted by NitroGSXR

I think QBs have more concussions than anybody else but it doesn't matter. Boxing's dangerous. Road racing is dangerous. Hockey's dangerous. So's football. It's like this... I and most racers I know don't race for money. We do it because it's what we love. Football's no different. I know the potential consequences but I am not about to take away from enjoying sports itself. I want my children playing or doing exactly what they want to be doing. We can try but you ultimately can't take the danger out of dangerous.

big hits in hockey (along the center ice) seem to be when a player gets his head down.

[gary]

That is why I enjoy football right now because twenty or thirty years from now the NFL just might not be any more and I am only half kidding.

[Rey]

I heard an interesting tid bit on the radio today. Supposedly soccer players suffer more concussions than American footballers. Doesn't really mean much, but just thought it wZ interesting if true.

[edo783]

Originally Posted by Rey

I heard an interesting tid bit on the radio today. Supposedly soccer players suffer more concussions than American footballers. Doesn't really mean much, but just thought it wZ interesting if true.

What, they got them on those silly fake flops they do?

[Rey]

Originally Posted by edo783

What, they got them on those silly fake flops they do?

From the headers.

I heard in some youth leagues they're banning them.

[majestrate]

I bet he changes his tune when he's 35 and walks by shuffling his feet because of all the injuries he's suffered

You can best remove risk by removing rights and free will. Do we really want this? Politicians and Lawyers will be in total control, as if they aren't already. People rebel when they loose too much of free will. They know it. That's why they won't outlaw professional fighting and football.

Does that mean players and coaches who do things that cross the line into criminality can have a case made against them, convicted and put in prison? It should. Long overdue for the animals that cross the line and make it blood sport instead of honorable competition. Like the EPA guy said, crucify a few of those guys and make an example of them. Guys who paid a bounty should be facing charges outside football.

Albert Haynesworth should be asked to answer questions in a court setting for his comments after he decided to target Schaub's foot on a dead whistle. Take these thugs to court. Clean it up from the inside out.

ntnt

[Thorn]

The NFL is a business, and if QBs are standing up and making plays it sells tickets. I agree the NFL is starting to become a tad wussyfied, but in all reality, the players of today (on average) are bigger, stronger, faster and the hits are harder than they used to be. I don't like all the new rules myself, but I can understand them.


30 years ago, a man like Cushing would have been a wreaking ball in a glass house.

[infantrycak]

Originally Posted by Thorn

30 years ago, a man like Cushing would have been a wreaking ball in a glass house.

30 years ago he would have been playing DL akin to very similarly sized Randy White.

[NastyNate]

Originally Posted by infantrycak

30 years ago he would have been playing DL akin to very similarly sized Randy White.

30 years ago he wouldn't have been suspended the first 4 games on the season

I kid, he wouldn't exist actually. Cush=25. God you guys are dense!

[TdotTexas2Step]

I think some people are also forgetting the one point (may not be the main, but still significant) that revolves around money.

There's this trend/fad occurring with retired NFL players successfully suing the NFL for negligence regarding player safety.

Whether you agree with this or not, players and their lawyers have their case, and a byproduct of the NFL's new stance on safety not only protects the players today, but the NFL executives as well.

[TimeKiller]

The "safety" argument is getting tired. It is a double standard, front offices want bigger, stronger, faster players but want them to hit softer?

Look at the risk you take on every single day. Did you get in a car/rolling casket? Do you smoke? What do you eat? I bet it's not nuts and berries with only water to drink. How long did you spend in the sun today? Did you excersize?

[HoustonFrog]

My 3 week old son is already working on his golf swing and his forehand, top spin winner . Interesting to see where the game is in over a decade.