How to stop concussions and brain damage?

1hawkeye1

1hawkeye1

Well-Known Member
After having watched the League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis | FRONTLINE | PBS I have been thinking a lot about head injuries in football.

What are some ways to lessen the amount of sub-consussive hits taken by players? Especially the constant every play collisions suffered by linemen?

One idea I had was to remove helmets completely. Perhaps that would cause players to stop leading with their heads or being human missiles. Maybe not.

Another idea I had was to eliminate the 3 pt stance. Linemen must start from a standing position. That would be weird, huh?

I also remember a letter I once read in Sports Illustrated from a doctor who said concussions could be eliminated by putting helmet padding on the outside. Seems like this would cause increase in neck injuries to me, but it's a thought.

So what ideas can you come up with? Something has to be done. And soon.
 


1hawkeye1 said:
After having watched the League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis | FRONTLINE | PBS I have been thinking a lot about head injuries in football.

So what ideas can you come up with? Something has to be done. And soon.
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I think Iowa's head coach would scoff at this notion of something has to be done the way he did after reporters questioned his use of Adam Robinson late in the MSU game when he suffered a significant concussion. He had multiple concussions that year and KF refused to acknowledge the potential damage to this young man. I found it interesting that Adam suddenly had "behaviors" after these concussions. Were these covered up to let him play or did the brain damage lead to behavior changes? I think KF/Iowa could be sued by this player, based on the judgement against the NFL. The suit against the NCAA and colleges will dwarf that settlement.
 


I think a big part of limiting concussions in football starts with teaching the game the right way. I coach youth football, and we have to go to a football clinic where they teach proper tackling techniques in order to even stand on the field. This is a good first step, and a lot different than when I played football.
With that said, it's still football, and as long as the game exist, there will always be concussions. When you have world class athletes running full speed at each other and colliding, injuries are going to happen.
 


I'm of the opinion that the only way to eliminate concussions is to stop playing. No helmet can protect against concussions. Helmets protect against skull fractures.

Concussions will happen no matter what rules or equipment are introduced. There is nothing that can stop your brain from rattling around and banging against the inside of your skull. Leading with your head also has little to do with concussions. Improper tackling leaves you more susceptible to neck and spinal injuries, not concussions.
 


DJL said:
I think a big part of limiting concussions in football starts with teaching the game the right way. I coach youth football, and we have to go to a football clinic where they teach proper tackling techniques in order to even stand on the field. This is a good first step, and a lot different than when I played football.
With that said, it's still football, and as long as the game exist, there will always be concussions. When you have world class athletes running full speed at each other and colliding, injuries are going to happen.
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I agree with you. But if we don't do something the game itself will die out. Parents are questioning whether to even allow their children to play the game. A poll of NFL players asked if they would allow their kids to play football, turned up some surprising results. In this one,Players' views on head injuries, kids in football cover full spectrum - NFL - CBSSports.com News, Rumors, Scores, Stats, Fantasy Dallas Clark said, no, he doesn't want his kids playing football.

I've got a 7 year old son who can play tackle football next year. He is already giddy over the idea and I'm scared to allow it.

If you want this game we all love to continue, then something has to change. Teaching youngins proper tackling is good. But it's the constant sub-concussive hits that linemen take on every play, that really exacts a toll.
 


tm3308 said:
I'm of the opinion that the only way to eliminate concussions is to stop playing. No helmet can protect against concussions. Helmets protect against skull fractures.

Concussions will happen no matter what rules or equipment are introduced. There is nothing that can stop your brain from rattling around and banging against the inside of your skull. Leading with your head also has little to do with concussions. Improper tackling leaves you more susceptible to neck and spinal injuries, not concussions.
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I agree. It is the sudden change in direction that causes the brain to bang against the inside of the skull. I think the NCAA could take out insurance policies against season/career ending knee injuries, to compensate for playing the game with contact below the shoulders. Remember, back in the 80's-ish, it seemed like everyone was suffering careerending knee injuries and the tackles started going to the shoulder level.
 


Football is a very tough sport. That is what you sign up for. Injuries are a part of the game.....sometimes terrible like the concussions going on. But, that is the choice you make for playing this sport. No matter what type of padding you are putting on, this is a contact sport. With contact comes the risk of injury. Very sad to see what happens to some players with tramatic brain injuries (like featured on Real Sports). But, that is what can happen if you play this game. It is all about choices. You can sign up for the military, but there is a chance you can die serving your country and you might not live to see your 20 year career play out. And, if you water this sport down to much, people may lose more interest in it anyway. At least that is my opinion, I may be wrong. Now, I do like that they are trying to limit the helmet to helmet contact. However, you will probably see an increase in lower extremity injuries. I guess that is better than destroying the brain.
 


HaydenHawk56 said:
Football is a very tough sport. That is what you sign up for. Injuries are a part of the game.....sometimes terrible like the concussions going on. But, that is the choice you make for playing this sport. No matter what type of padding you are putting on, this is a contact sport. With contact comes the risk of injury. Very sad to see what happens to some players with tramatic brain injuries (like featured on Real Sports). But, that is what can happen if you play this game. It is all about choices. You can sign up for the military, but there is a chance you can die serving your country and you might not live to see your 20 year career play out. And, if you water this sport down to much, people may lose more interest in it anyway. At least that is my opinion, I may be wrong. Now, I do like that they are trying to limit the helmet to helmet contact. However, you will probably see an increase in lower extremity injuries. I guess that is better than destroying the brain.
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Agreed to a point, however not so sure about the comparison to the military. The military is constantly coming up with ways to continue to win the battles but at the same time limit the loss of lives (ie. advanced weaponry, air strikes, etc...to limit the use of ground troops lost). The way wars have been fought by this country has changed dramatically over the past few decades. I simply don't see that kind of menatlity when it comes to football, as I don't think football has made the wide spread effort to put players safety out in front as the lead factor to revolutionize the game.

I agree with you that injuries will happen and concussions will continue to be an issue as long as the game is played. That said, I think the end results that we are seeing now are too great a concern to the participants to turn our heads on the darker side of the sport. I definitely think changes need to be made for the safety of the participants, however I have no idea what needs to be implemented or how to make players safer.
 


Don't play football. It's just like boxing or UFC. You know going in that it's hazardous to your health. Even with all the money these NFL guys are making, I personally don't think it's worth it. Would you rather be able to walk after turning 50 (or be able to count to 3), or make a couple million? Most long term NFL guys can't even function without copious amounts of pain meds. The NFL's cover-up of what happens to ex-players bodies is unbelievable.
 




I wish the media would do some more hand-wringing about all the people who have their life destroyed by the military. A few football players with brain damage is NOTHING compared to the guys and gals getting chewed up by the elective wars we are fighting.
 


ICHawk24 said:
I wish the media would do some more hand-wringing about all the people who have their life destroyed by the military. A few football players with brain damage is NOTHING compared to the guys and gals getting chewed up by the elective wars we are fighting.
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Nice job on getting this thread locked because it will happen if the discussion goes in this direction.

Is it that hard to stay on point when there is a chance to have a good discussion?
 




there is precident for playing without a helmet. You'll find those games played every saturday, sunday and many weeknights in backyards, front yards and sandlots across america. I got my bell rung manytimes playing with my buddies. We took those games pretty seriously, we got "up" for those games..as much as you can for a neighborhood game.
 


ICHawk24 said:
Whatever. Every thread turns into a bunch of bullsh1t.
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Thats my point. This is a real topic that we could discuss that doesnt involve how much KF makes or how bad the Hawks suck or how Iowa should re-open the QB battle.

But you had to go and promote your opinion on a completely unrelated subject and completely derail the thread when it was barely 10 posts old.
 


Section136 said:
But you had to go and promote your opinion on a completely unrelated subject and completely derail the thread when it was barely 10 posts old.
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I made one post about it, and you've turned it into a 5 post argument about the completely unrelated subject. Nice work. The best thing to do is ignore trolls.
 


Before this becomes a ******* match. Does anyone else have any ideas on ways to avoid brain damage in football? No matter how "out there" it may seem. You never know, your crazy idea might inspire someone else to come up with something brilliant.
 


Instead of completely removing helmets, going back to leather helmets.
How about removing helmets for the o-line and d-line?

Occasional concussions are bad, for sure. But what really concerns me are linemen banging heads on every single play.

How about increasing the number of roster positions, then limiting the amount of plays a lineman can be on the field for? I don't know, just brainstorming here.

Help me out people.
 


1hawkeye1 said:
Instead of completely removing helmets, going back to leather helmets.
How about removing helmets for the o-line and d-line?
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So then on a run play or a WR screen when d linemen have the chance to make the tackle they are just expected to take on a ball carrier that is wearing a helmet?

Also what happens on an interception? Play is dead wherever the defender catches it? Othersise you would have linemen running all over the field trying to block or make a tackle without helmets on.
 


Section136 said:
So then on a run play or a WR screen when d linemen have the chance to make the tackle they are just expected to take on a ball carrier that is wearing a helmet?

Also what happens on an interception? Play is dead wherever the defender catches it? Othersise you would have linemen running all over the field trying to block or make a tackle without helmets on.
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May need slight refinement on my idea.:rolleyes:
 


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