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NFL Random Thought of the Day

NFL makes initiating contact with the helmet a point of emphasis for officials
Posted by Michael David Smith on August 11, 2021, 5:28 AM EDT


The NFL is once again reminding players, coaches and officials that lowering the helmet to initiate contact is a penalty that referees won’t hesitate to call this season.In a video distributed by the league on Tuesday, lowering the helmet was singled out as one of the penalties that officials will be keeping an eye out for.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...dy-during-peyton-manning-hall-of-fame-speech/
“A continued point of emphasis for the 2021 season is the use of helmet foul,” the video said. “It is a foul if a player lowers his head to initiate and make contact with an opponent. The penalty is 15 yards and the player could be disqualified. Even if not called on the field, such actions could warrant further review and discipline by the league.”

Although the rules on lowering the helmet are unchanged for 2021, when the league makes a foul a point of emphasis, that usually means the league felt that too many players were breaking the rule in 2020. Don’t be surprised if officials throw more flags for lowering the helmet and initiating contact in 2021.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
Duane Brown not practicing, unhappy that Seahawks haven’t extended his contract

Posted by Michael David Smith on August 6, 2021, 6:53 PM EDT
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CloakNNNdagger said:
NFL makes initiating contact with the helmet a point of emphasis for officials
Posted by Michael David Smith on August 11, 2021, 5:28 AM EDT


The NFL is once again reminding players, coaches and officials that lowering the helmet to initiate contact is a penalty that referees won’t hesitate to call this season.In a video distributed by the league on Tuesday, lowering the helmet was singled out as one of the penalties that officials will be keeping an eye out for.
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...dy-during-peyton-manning-hall-of-fame-speech/
“A continued point of emphasis for the 2021 season is the use of helmet foul,” the video said. “It is a foul if a player lowers his head to initiate and make contact with an opponent. The penalty is 15 yards and the player could be disqualified. Even if not called on the field, such actions could warrant further review and discipline by the league.”

Although the rules on lowering the helmet are unchanged for 2021, when the league makes a foul a point of emphasis, that usually means the league felt that too many players were breaking the rule in 2020. Don’t be surprised if officials throw more flags for lowering the helmet and initiating contact in 2021.
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Does this rule count for the offensive player with the ball? That year the Texans CB, Kevin Johnson I think, got knocked the F out in NE, both players went at each other like bucks in rut. Head to head. Who gets the foul then? Tough to call… oh well, same ol nfl.
 
The NFL is inherently a violent game. Trying to tone down the violence is nice, but you're going to need more rule changes before any actual degree of safety is gained. And when you do that you take away from the game. It's a balancing act the NFL is trying to handle commercially and fiscally, not medically, and it will fail in the long run with that approach.
 
Thorn said:
The NFL is inherently a violent game. Trying to tone down the violence is nice, but you're going to need more rule changes before any actual degree of safety is gained. And when you do that you take away from the game. It's a balancing act the NFL is trying to handle commercially and fiscally, not medically, and it will fail in the long run with that approach.
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I'm for taking away the helmets altogether. It works in rugby which can be equally as tough but not as violent because they have no helmets.
 
Texian said:
I'm for taking away the helmets altogether. It works in rugby which can be equally as tough but not as violent because they have no helmets.
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I'm not entirely 'all for it', as it's just a drastic change. But I would be interested in seeing a group of high schools or a lower division college conference somewhere give a try for a 'test season' just to see how the game would shake out both aesthetically and in terms of injuries/safety.

Double Barrel said:
I've always wondered what percentage of today's NFL players could survive a professional rugby match.
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I think a large percentage of LBs, RBs, TEs, and S's would fair just fine. They all go through a pretty grueling amount of snap after snap collision contact. Everyone else would either be too fat or likely wilt at the physicality.
 
Mollywhopper said:
I think a large percentage of LBs, RBs, TEs, and S's would fair just fine. They all go through a pretty grueling amount of snap after snap collision contact. Everyone else would either be too fat or likely wilt at the physicality.
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The conditioning of forwards in rugby, where they are constantly running and tackling for 40 straight minutes, is what makes me think of it.
 
Double Barrel said:
I've always wondered what percentage of today's NFL players could survive a professional rugby match.
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I've never watched Rugby. Do they generate the speed & types of collision of NFL football?

It makes sense that they would play the game differently if they didn't have those helmets. But....
 
Double Barrel said:
The conditioning of forwards in rugby, where they are constantly running and tackling for 40 straight minutes, is what makes me think of it.
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That's a completely legit point. My bad, was just thinking about the contact and whatnot.

You're right, I don't think too many guys could just immediately cross over. Give them a nice long adjustment period to re-condition themselves though and I'll assume there's some who could convert.
 
thunderkyss said:
I've never watched Rugby. Do they generate the speed & types of collision of NFL football?

It makes sense that they would play the game differently if they didn't have those helmets. But....
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There is no blocking in rugby, so in many ways it's not as violent as football. Tackling is the same (or close enough). It *could* be more violent, I think, if they wore more protection, especially during scrums. But overall, IMO it's less violent than football.
 
thunderkyss said:
I've never watched Rugby. Do they generate the speed & types of collision of NFL football?

It makes sense that they would play the game differently if they didn't have those helmets. But....
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Many rugby players are 6'5" can run a 4.6 and are as equally as strong as the NFL counter parts. You don't see the 300 lbers but then again again you don't see 300 lbers running continuously for 40 minutes in the NFL either.
 
Mollywhopper said:
I'm not entirely 'all for it', as it's just a drastic change. But I would be interested in seeing a group of high schools or a lower division college conference somewhere give a try for a 'test season' just to see how the game would shake out both aesthetically and in terms of injuries/safety.



I think a large percentage of LBs, RBs, TEs, and S's would fair just fine. They all go through a pretty grueling amount of snap after snap collision contact. Everyone else would either be too fat or likely wilt at the physicality.
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Played a lot of sandlot tackle football all thru my youth and as a young adult and never with a helmet. I don't recall ever having to stop play because of a a head injury. There was the occasional body contusion but never a head injury.
 
Texian said:
Many rugby players are 6'5" can run a 4.6 and are as equally as strong as the NFL counter parts. You don't see the 300 lbers but then again again you don't see 300 lbers running continuously for 40 minutes in the NFL either.
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I'm asking are there any occasions in Rugby where two men running at full speed, one for 70-80 yards, the other for 20-30 yards & collide
 
Texian said:
Played a lot of sandlot tackle football all thru my youth and as a young adult and never with a helmet. I don't recall ever having to stop play because of a a head injury. There was the occasional body contusion but never a head injury.
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Well that's a very rudimentary hypothesis, but yes.
 
thunderkyss said:
I've never watched Rugby. Do they generate the speed & types of collision of NFL football?

It makes sense that they would play the game differently if they didn't have those helmets. But....
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It gets pretty brutal, especially considering the lack of protective equipment:


And I believe that Australian rules football is even crazier.


Mollywhopper said:
That's a completely legit point. My bad, was just thinking about the contact and whatnot.

You're right, I don't think too many guys could just immediately cross over. Give them a nice long adjustment period to re-condition themselves though and I'll assume there's some who could convert.
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I agree. I'm not disparaging the toughness or conditioning of NFL players. They are elite athletes and some would certainly excel in rugby or AFL.

I've always been curious about what the NFL would like like, though, if helmets were not part of the game. I like their aesthetics, as the players certainly look cool when all padded up with helmets on. But, a lot of the inherent injuries that result from wearing helmets might no occur if they didn't wear them. That said, I'd have to wonder if they'd just be replaced by other injuries.

It's just a fun and pointless comparison, but food for thought.
 
I think the equipment NFL players wear has become more like body armor. You feel invincible in it, and before all the new rules, it seemed some used it as a weapon. I believe the uber-protection causes more harm than it doesn’t. Like I said, you feel extra protected so you’re more willing to throw your body around.

I do watch a little bit of rugby, especially since Houston actually has a pro team. They do have certain rules about tackling, but I see very few injuries in their game. Certainly less than I see in a typical NFL game.

Now, they don’t have blocking, whether that be the big nasties up front colliding at the snap, or downfield blocking protecting the man with the ball, so there’s that.

And I have no idea about concussions or anything like that.

I don’t know the history of why football went from leather head gear to helmets, but I do believe the NFL would be better off dialing back on the body armor they wear, to a point of maybe getting rid of the hard as diamond helmets and going with some kind of padded leathery type of head gear. I think that would certainly eliminate the going in head first stuff.
 
Double Barrel said:
It gets pretty brutal, especially considering the lack of protective equipment:


And I believe that Australian rules football is even crazier.




I agree. I'm not disparaging the toughness or conditioning of NFL players. They are elite athletes and some would certainly excel in rugby or AFL.

I've always been curious about what the NFL would like like, though, if helmets were not part of the game. I like their aesthetics, as the players certainly look cool when all padded up with helmets on. But, a lot of the inherent injuries that result from wearing helmets might no occur if they didn't wear them. That said, I'd have to wonder if they'd just be replaced by other injuries.

It's just a fun and pointless comparison, but food for thought.
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Love Aussie rules football. Didn't know that sport existed until the mid/late 90s
 
I think a large percentage of LBs, RBs, TEs, and S's would fair just fine. They all go through a pretty grueling amount of snap after snap collision contact. Everyone else would either be too fat or likely wilt at the physicality.
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Tbh I don’t think it be a large percentage and they wouldnt fare too well either, and it’s no knock on them cause i think they are amazing athletes. It’s just in two 40min halves (non stop), constantly running directly into 2-4 man gang tackles with no blockers in front of you and making 20 - 40 tackles is tough esp if you haven’t done it from a young age.

And I don’t think rugby players will fare too well in the NFL too, it’s just two different sports requiring different types of athletes.
 
https://twitter.com/x/status/1425931084223627269
Another NFL COVID-19 Policy that makes no sense.

The Delta COVID variant is now the dominant strain. It is much more contagious (spreads much more easily than the original virus). Even if you believe the vaccines may decrease the risk of hospitalization and death, it has definitely been shown to not curtail the contagion/spread to others.
 
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Browns TE Stephen Carlson has suffered what the Browns have reported as generically a "season ending knee injury." I suspect the most likely injury is actually an ACL rupture. Digging deep, in 2015 while still in HS, he sustained an ACL/MCL rupture.
 
TE Tebow looked clueless out there in the 1st preseason game...........as a blocker, upon contact he was bouncing back off of his man like a pinball.............sadly for a player of his size. He has now been cut.
 
Raiders to require proof of vaccination to attend home games for regular season

*****************
And they will not require masks, which takes us back to.....................

CloakNNNdagger said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1425931084223627269
Another NFL COVID-19 Policy that makes no sense.

The Delta COVID variant is now the dominant strain. It is much more contagious (spreads much more easily than the original virus). Even if you believe the vaccines may decrease the risk of hospitalization and death, it has definitely been shown to not curtail the contagion/spread to others.
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"Others" include vaccinated fans.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1425%5BMEDIA%3Dtwitter%5D1428437645508575238
931084223627269[/MEDIA]
Another NFL COVID-19 Policy that makes no sense.

The Delta COVID variant is now the dominant strain. It is much more contagious (spreads much more easily than the original virus). Even if you believe the vaccines may decrease the risk of hospitalization and death, it has definitely been shown to not curtail the contagion/spread to others.
Click to expand...
https://twitter.com/x/status/1428427695797334019
https://twitter.com/x/status/1428437645508575238
 
Just curious…..is there an up to date tally as to how many active NFL players have died due to C-19 complications? Same question for any active NFL players direct family members?
 
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