Changes to the Game we all love...

TraskiTideFan · Apr 6, 2013

So with the changes in the latest round of NFL rules and the way these rules tend to trickle down to all levels of the game, the new rule against an offensive ball carrier ducking his head while running with the ball against a defensive player, I am watching the John Riggins bio and watching some of his best runs and thinking there's a 15 yard penalty from the spot of contact in today's game. Good power college running backs are taught to drive towards the goal and the really good backs like Ingram, Richardson, and Lacy lead with their heads if it gets the defender out of the way. How long before they change the game so much that we are watching flag football?

AgentAntiOrange · Apr 6, 2013

Re: CHanges to the Game we all love

For me, the bottom line of this discussion is what matters more to you:

-I want to watch violent football and I don't care if NFL players end up with brain damage and mental health issues.
-I want to keep as much of the physicality in the game as we can but nothing comes above the health & safety of the players.

IMHO, your just on one side or the other of this. The fact is, in its current state, the head trauma from a lifetime of head collisions is causing physical and mental damage to a significant portion of NFL players after retirement. Your either fine with this or you aren't.

Yes, I believe the new NCAA/NFL rules will trickle down to pee-wee football and I think they should.

CrimsonForce · Apr 6, 2013

Re: CHanges to the Game we all love

AgentAntiOrange said:
For me, the bottom line of this discussion is what matters more to you:

-I want to watch violent football and I don't care if NFL players end up with brain damage and mental health issues.
-I want to keep as much of the physicality in the game as we can but nothing comes above the health & safety of the players.

IMHO, your just on one side or the other of this. The fact is, in its current state, the head trauma from a lifetime of head collisions is causing physical and mental damage to a significant portion of NFL players after retirement. Your either fine with this or you aren't.

Yes, I believe the new NCAA/NFL rules will trickle down to pee-wee football and I think they should.

I agree with what your saying, but NFL is high risk high reward. People choose to play in the NFL and get paid millions of dollars a year. No player has to play for 15 years. Manage your money right, play for 3 years and you never have to work another day in your life if you dont want to. Not a bad trade off if you ask me. Bottom line is that its the players choice to play NFL. If someone is worried about health ramifications of a profession, then choose something else to do. JMO

TIDE-HSV · Apr 6, 2013

Re: CHanges to the Game we all love

CrimsonForce said:
I agree with what your saying, but NFL is high risk high reward. People choose to play in the NFL and get paid millions of dollars a year. No player has to play for 15 years. Manage your money right, play for 3 years and you never have to work another day in your life if you dont want to. Not a bad trade off if you ask me. Bottom line is that its the players choice to play NFL. If someone is worried about health ramifications of a profession, then choose something else to do. JMO

I think I read somewhere that the majority of NFL players declare bankruptcy within five years of retirement. That may be one reason that some of them hang on longer than they should - to get vested in the NFL pension program, which can't be attached by creditors...

Al A Bama · Apr 6, 2013

Re: CHanges to the Game we all love

TraskiTideFan said:
So with the changes in the latest round of NFL rules and the way these rules tend to trickle down to all levels of the game, the new rule against an offensive ball carrier ducking his head while running with the ball against a defensive player, I am watching the John Riggins bio and watching some of his best runs and thinking there's a 15 yard penalty from the spot of contact in today's game. Good power college running backs are taught to drive towards the goal and the really good backs like Ingram, Richardson, and Lacy lead with their heads if it gets the defender out of the way. How long before they change the game so much that we are watching flag football?

A running back is almost going to have to be a VERTICAL (standing straight up) runner. That would possibly help our new running back, Mr. Henry. However, this will lead to the Running Backs being hurt more while the defensive players get hurt less often. Our running backs are going to have to perfect the Stiff-Arm. Can they just kick the defender outta their way?

Al A Bama · Apr 6, 2013

Re: CHanges to the Game we all love

BamainBoston said:
I'll take side one, please.

If we go with #2 or lower, then I guess females can start playing Big Time College Football. Are we going to have one hand touch or two hand touch. Will it just be Flag Football on the Third Saturday in October. We will need to melt down the Iron Bowl in B'ham. Instead of Iron Bowl it could become the Pink Cotton Candy Bowl. Females can't play center unless it's the Shot Gun or Pistol Formation, but they can be a QB.

TraskiTideFan · Apr 6, 2013

Re: CHanges to the Game we all love

Today's game is violent. But part of it has to do with the fact that we've outfitted players like tanks. There is a major difference in the teams that played in the 20's,30's, and 40's compared to teams that were being fielded in the 50's going forward. Its the technological advancement of the game and the intense physical training of the players today. The game changes about every 20 to 30 years and you could not put a great team of the 70's against a team of today and expect them to play to a draw. It would be a massacre. But if your concern is injury in the long term, then its time to scale back the game to scullcaps and jerseys and the classic backyard football rules and at least be honest about it. Don't neuter the game one rule at a time.

DiamondDust · Apr 6, 2013

Re: CHanges to the Game we all love

Al A Bama said:
If we go with #2 or lower, then I guess females can start playing Big Time College Football. Are we going to have one hand touch or two hand touch. Will it just be Flag Football on the Third Saturday in October. We will need to melt down the Iron Bowl in B'ham. Instead of Iron Bowl it could become the Pink Cotton Candy Bowl. Females can't play center unless it's the Shot Gun or Pistol Formation, but they can be a QB.

It'll just be like dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!

tru2thaduce · Apr 6, 2013

Re: CHanges to the Game we all love

To be honest with you,mt interest in the NFL has fallen off the last few years and its due to these rule changes.It has become unwatchable from the standpoint that there is a flag seemingly on every other play.Kick returns are almost non existent.Recievers can Assult a defender but the defender can't breathe on the receiver without a flag.Imreally think that over the long term taking the physical nature out of the game will reflect in ratings and attendance.Time will tell but for the first time in a decade,I didn't bother to attend an NFL game and didn't think twice about
it.And this is coming from a guy that cared enough to go to the Super Bowl a few years back.

Bamabuzzard · Apr 6, 2013

Re: CHanges to the Game we all love

I love football, Alabama football specifically. But I can tell you this. If these rule changes ultimately produce an arena league type game of a bunch of arm tackling, limited rushing and 60-55 type scores. I'll quit watching all together.

I firmly believe that part of the reason the "spread"/"hurry up" is as successful as it is, is because the rule changes over the years have been geared to handcuff the defense and produce more scoring. If they keep adding rules in the name of "safety" I can promise you the product on the field is going to be something none of us like. I don't HAVE to watch football. I do because I enjoy the nature of it. The physicality of the game. I'm just as happy over a 9-6 hard hitting defensive game as I am about a 35-31 game. But I will not sit and waste three and half hours watching powder puff football. Even it means giving up watching bama football games. Life is too short.

Ole Man Dan · Apr 6, 2013

Re: CHanges to the Game we all love

TIDE-HSV said:
I think I read somewhere that the majority of NFL players declare bankruptcy within five years of retirement. That may be one reason that some of them hang on longer than they should - to get vested in the NFL pension program, which can't be attached by creditors...

There are merits to being able to stick it out for a pension.
The danger of repetitive collisions keeps some guys from sticking around, Others are cut and not picked up
and don't have the option.
Now days Running Backs don't have a long career
in the NFL.
(Gone are the days when 'Sweetness' was around
seemingly forever.)

I remember talking to Cliff Stoudt when he played for the Bham Stallions,
(Cliff had a long career as a QB, because he rode the bench behind Bradshaw.) Pretty decent QB...
After 16 yrs. Cliff was still in pretty good shape.

I love hard nose football, but some aspects of it have been career ending and crippling for some of our pro players.

Every once in a while a college player receives a crippling blow playing football. Something will eventually have to give.
Players are getting larger, heavier, and faster.

A lot will depend on the Referees,
and how they call the game.

Sabine Free Sta · Apr 7, 2013

Re: CHanges to the Game we all love

I well remember football in the 60s and I enjoyed it just as much then even though the game was different. I can remember when a team broke from the huddle and you couldn't tell the linemen from the backs because they all were the same size (not the case with Notre Dame because the linemen had broad butts and big bellies). The game will probably change again. Perhaps we have been too successful bulking up fast players with muscle and fat. I think there will be a rule by rule evolution rather than changing the game substantially in a short period of time. I expect the future product will be watchable, at least as interesting as the other major sports.

bamanut_aj · Apr 7, 2013

Al A Bama said:
A running back is almost going to have to be a VERTICAL (standing straight up) runner. That would possibly help our new running back, Mr. Henry. However, this will lead to the Running Backs being hurt more while the defensive players get hurt less often. Our running backs are going to have to perfect the Stiff-Arm. Can they just kick the defender outta their way?

This is simply not true, and people should quit over-reacting. A runner can still lower his head and shoulder. Yes, Trent's famous run would be illegal, but in general, the rule does not prohibit a RB from putting his head and shoulder into a defenseman

TIDE-HSV · Apr 7, 2013

bamanut_aj said:
This is simply not true, and people should quit over-reacting. A runner can still lower his head and shoulder. Yes, Trent's famous run would be illegal, but in general, the rule does not prohibit a RB from putting his head and shoulder into a defenseman

As much as anything else, I just hate to see yet another rule left to the discretion of the ref to enforce...

bamanut_aj · Apr 7, 2013

TIDE-HSV said:
As much as anything else, I just hate to see yet another rule left to the discretion of the ref to enforce...

No disagreement on that. I imagine there will be a blown call or two, but I'm willing to bet the rule is correctly enforced 98% of the time

CullmanTide · Apr 7, 2013

bamanut_aj said:
No disagreement on that. I imagine there will be a blown call or two, but I'm willing to bet the rule is correctly enforced 98% of the time

That will be true in the NFL but if the rule comes to college football look out.

RTR91 · Apr 7, 2013

bamanut_aj said:
This is simply not true, and people should quit over-reacting. A runner can still lower his head and shoulder. Yes, Trent's famous run would be illegal, but in general, the rule does not prohibit a RB from putting his head and shoulder into a defenseman

Exactly, AJ. The rule states the runner leads with the crown of the helmet. Too many fans are getting caught up in "the helmet" while ignoring "the crown" part of the rule. Cowherd said 3 weeks ago the rule would have been used 6 times in the 2012 season.

TIDE-HSV said:
As much as anything else, I just hate to see yet another rule left to the discretion of the ref to enforce...

I agree. It'll bring some questions and raise more than a few eyebrows. That comes with the nature of officiating, though. Every rule, no matter how obvious it is, comes down to the official's opinion.

pyro · Apr 7, 2013

I think there is to many rules and penalties in the NFL, NCAA, and High School alike.

257WBY · Apr 8, 2013

If the rule would've only been used six times in a season, is there really any reason for the rule?

Bamabuzzard · Apr 8, 2013

The "crown of the helmet" rule isn't what bothers me. It is the refs properly enforcing the rule. I can't tell you how many "helmet to helmet" penalties I saw called last year where the crown of the helmet wasn't used. The crown of the helmet is the very top of the helmet. The front and sides of the helmet IS NOT the crown of the helmet.

But the overly sensitive referees called penalty after penalty that according to the letter of the law shouldn't have been called. This is exactly what is going to happen with the new rules that are left to the judgement of the refs. They will be overly enforced and improperly called.

Changes to the Game we all love...

1st Team

1st Team

Hall of Fame

Senior Administrator

Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame

1st Team

Hall of Fame

All-SEC

FB Moderator

Hall of Fame

BamaNation Citizen

Hall of Fame

Senior Administrator

Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame

Super Moderator

Suspended

Suspended

FB Moderator

TideFans.shop - NEW Stuff!