NFL enforcement of 'illegal hits' is a blow to the game

NFL enforcement of 'illegal hits' is a blow to the game
Commissioner has made tremendous strides in cleaning up the game since his appointment in 2006. He developed and enforced the NFL Personal Conduct Policy in response to several notable off-the-field incidents involving NFL players and the negative attention that was derived from said incidents. And in light of rampant steriod use in Major League Baseball, put an increased focus into a league-wide performance-enhancing drug program, of which several players have been disciplined for their failed tests.
Now comes his latest attempt of cleaning up the game: cutting down on illegal hits to the head or neck area.
Which, pardon the pun, is a real head-scratcher.
For someone who has spent the better part of his entire tenure as Commissioner at working to restore integrity to the game, this single edict threatens to undermine everything he has been able to accomplish up to this point. According to the memorandum that was sent out to all 32 clubs, Goodell states,Stanford Routt Jersey, "In recent years, we have emphasized minimizing contact to the head and neck, especially where a defenseless player is involved. It is clear to me that further action is required to emphasize the importance of teaching safe and controlled techniques, and of playing within the rules. It is incumbent on all of us to support the rules we have in place to protect players.”
Yet it wasn't long ago that well-known. Which begs the question: what exactly is Roger Goodell trying to accomplish?
On one hand, he expresses a desire from the business-aspect of the league to give the customers (a.k.a., the fans) more bang for their buck. After all, preseason games aren't any less expensive than regular season games. The difference is preseason games are played primarily by scrubs and guys who'll be delivering furniture a month later. On the other hand, he's promoting a safer, cleaner game. Devoid of the huge, crowd-oohing hits that the game has come to be known by. So a quick recap: Goodell wants to remove two meaningless preseason games in favor of an extended regular season, but at the same time wants to cut down on the risk involved with playing said 18-game schedule by fining and/or suspending players who commit illegal hits to the head or neck area.
Call me cynical, but don't the two sound contradictory? He can't ask for more games, while at the same time expecting fewer injuries by penalizing only some hits. The two don't add up.
Now from a player perspective, I'm saying to myself, 'Ok, so how exactly are we supposed to tackle? We can't grab facemasks. We can't 'horse-collar.' If you're the quarterback, I can't touch your feet, knees or head. If you're a receiver, I had better hope you're not in the air (a.k.a. 'defenseless').'
Perhaps Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher summed it up best when he said, "Let's make it the NFFL--the National Flag Football League."
Isn't hard to imagine an NFL without the likes of Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, who made a living out of enducing fear into receivers and running backs due to his bone-rattling hits? For some reason, I have a hard time picturing him pulling up at the last second in fear of being subject to a fine or suspension. The same goes for someone like former Bucs safety John Lynch, who was renowned for his ability to punish offensive players.
What I'm trying to say is hits--both big and small--are a part of the game, Roger. Yes, there are some hits that deserve harsh repurcussions, but the key word there was some. Not all. As soon as you begin to remove the element of fear from the game, as this would surely do to some extent, you're giving the offense yet another weapon in their already overloaded arsenal of advantageous rules. If Goodell is as serious as he claims to be about 'protecting the shield', then I don't understand how instituting severe punishment for something as essential as a high-impact collision will improve the game.
Maybe that's because it won't improve the game,Steve Breaston Jersey. There will still be concussions. There will still be moments when players lose temporary feeling in their extremities. It is a part of the game. With or without the enforcement of rules, including this one. After all, football is in fact a contact sport. Players understand that. More importantly, they accept it everytime they deposit their checks.
So save the talk of 'protecting the shield' for another day and another topic,Andy Studebaker Jerseys, because by imposing fines and suspensions on players who are simply playing the way they've played for years, you diminish the value of the product on the field. Again, the end result won't be fewer injuries--notably concussions--this season or any season from this point forward. No, the end result would be getting short-changed on seeing what the NFL was built upon: grown men trying to hit other grown men a little bit harder, without fear of repercussions.
Ya know, the good ol' days.
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