This Helmet to Helmet Rule Stuff is Getting Ridiculous...

BAMAfan777 said:

This helmet to helmet rule stuff is getting ridicules. How many years of football were played before they had this rule? How many times is the play moving so quickly that there is no way for the defender to gauge how high to tackle the offensive player? I'm certainly opposed to players getting hurt, but this is getting ridicules. It seems as if it is called at least once every game in college and the pros (just saw it in the Broncos/Ravens game, and I'm not routing for either team). If anything they should add another two inches of collision absorbing foam to all football helmets....it's time that they find a technical solution, because in my mind it is taking away from the way the game has been played for decades. What do you think?

Roll Tide Roll !!!!!!!

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Completely agree. I don't think anyone should be classified as a "defenseless player" on a football field. I think its just gonna get worse from here on out, but I don't agree with it at all. The NFL is trying (and succeeding) at making the offenses and scoring more potent, to increase ratings.

The average HS offensive lineman experiences about 1500 smacks to the head per season....each one about the impact of a 15 mph car accident. Think about that for a second. 1500...4 years HS....4 years college(with most likely a higher impact). Thats 12000 hits to the head and doesn't include the years prior to HS or the NFL.

I agree something needs to be done....but until a technical solution is found I have no problem with them using what tools they do have to protect players. My son is 5 years old and right now....football is not in his future. It pains me to say that but I can't justify it with all of the information out there about the effects of prolonged and repeated head trauma.

You are 100% correct. The call in the Broncos/Ravens game was absurd. In a fast paced game there is no way a defender can know how high or low an offensive player will be. When a player has the ball and is trying to gain yardage HE is not defenseless. What is the defender supposed to do, say please lie down on the ground? There is a lot of difference between lowering your head and trying to hurt someone and a hard hit where the helmets happen to touch.

AgentAntiOrange said:

The average HS offensive lineman experiences about 1500 smacks to the head per season....each one about the impact of a 15 mph car accident. Think about that for a second. 1500...4 years HS....4 years college(with most likely a higher impact). Thats 12000 hits to the head and doesn't include the years prior to HS or the NFL.

I agree something needs to be done....but until a technical solution is found I have no problem with them using what tools they do have to protect players. My son is 5 years old and right now....football is not in his future. It pains me to say that but I can't justify it with all of the information out there about the effects of prolonged and repeated head trauma.

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The average team will play 11-12 games per season. 1500 divided by 11.5 is 130. The average offense only has around 50-60 snaps per game. 130 divided by 55 is 2.3 There's no possible way that every offensive lineman is getting hit in the head 2.3 times per play. That's not even remotely possible.

RedStar said:

The average team will play 11-12 games per season. 1500 divided by 11.5 is 130. The average offense only has around 50-60 snaps per game. 130 divided by 55 is 2.3 There's no possible way that every offensive lineman is getting hit in the head 2.3 times per play. That's not even remotely possible.

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I won't say the number is correct or not, but you're forgetting practice

RedStar said:

The average team will play 11-12 games per season. 1500 divided by 11.5 is 130. The average offense only has around 50-60 snaps per game. 130 divided by 55 is 2.3 There's no possible way that every offensive lineman is getting hit in the head 2.3 times per play. That's not even remotely possible.

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They practice everyday for weeks/months.

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Take the face mask off and that will stop the helmet to helmet. They used to play without them, why can't they now? Nobody would launch themselves or lead with the head without a helmet on.

There were plays where Ingram, Richardson, and Lacy probably took 11 hits to the head in a single play and still kept going.

There were some plays in high school where I felt like I got hit in the head 2 or 3 times.

It will never happen but the answer is go back to LEATHER HELMETS with no face protection. The more padding and protection players have the more invincible they feel.

crimsonaudio said:

They practice at least 5x as much as they play.

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Correctamundo!

Players don't lead with the top of their head in rugby...

Guys contact is held to a minimum in high school practice. There's a huge difference today than even 10 years ago.

bamaslaw said:

Players don't lead with the top of their head in rugby...

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Exactly...the Broncos player lowered and led with the crown of his helmet, which puts him at just as much risk as the other guy. I agree a good portion of the helmet-to-helmet hits are ridiculous, but in this case it was the correct call.

RedStar said:

The average team will play 11-12 games per season. 1500 divided by 11.5 is 130. The average offense only has around 50-60 snaps per game. 130 divided by 55 is 2.3 There's no possible way that every offensive lineman is getting hit in the head 2.3 times per play. That's not even remotely possible.

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I remembered the story incorrectly. The correct number was "1000-1500" hits to the head per season.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...hool-football-brain-injury-research-institute

i like the fact they are trying to find new ways to help. I'm willing to bet that a lot of football players have some form of brain damage and have no idea. i have a hard time believing more cant be done with the technology we have today

Helmets should never be used as offensive weapons.

all i know this is a collision sport. the game is being ruined with the unfairness of the call in general. how in the world can a official at such a fast pace game, determined the intent of a football player to cause harm in every instance. how many times do we see rbs drop down to a lower level to general power for yardage, and the def player has got to stop the gain for extra yardage. it is a judgement call, and impossible to be correct on each call. i agree, there must some way to improve the results of impacts, but, it is turning into flag football. the defense is now limited to their aggression in a lot of situations. i agree the offense is really reaping the benefits of this rule. look at the scores these days.

bradley30 said:

Take the face mask off and that will stop the helmet to helmet. They used to play without them, why can't they now? Nobody would launch themselves or lead with the head without a helmet on.

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Have you ever been gouged in the face in a pile up? Happens.
Feet also sometimes find their way into a helmet.
(A Hockey player 'SMILE' is not a good thing)

When folks went to the single bar on a helmet, it became a convenient handle for take downs. Even with the cage type mask worn now days it still happens...
The helmet is a safety tool. It has been modified and changed over the years,
always with player safety as the reason.

To me helmet to helmet is not as big a deal as the DL ripping off the Running backs helmet to take them out for a play, and break the flow of the Offense.

How do you think Eddie's helmet came off early in the BCS Championship game?
Refs didn't mandate the one who tore it off be removed from the field...
Eddie came out... Was it because CNS wanted to put TJ on the field, or because of the
Helmet Off rule? You decide.
IMO: If I'm caught ripping off a helmet, I should be ejected from the game, and be suspended for the next game. That might fix the problem.