You know how politicians keep proposing bail-outs and budget cuts to essentially slap a Band-Aid over the United States’ increasingly terrifying debt crisis? The NFL’s competition committee is pulling a Pelosi by trying to apply a Band-Aid over footballs ongoing “concussion crisis”.
On Monday, during the NFL’s annual meeting the competition committee proposed a drastic change to the rules that govern kickoffs. They proposed touchbacks being worth 25 yards rather than the customary 20, moving the kickoff from the 30 to the 35, prohibiting any cover man from lining up more than five yards behind the kickoff line, and disallowing the two-man wedge block. Drastic may be an understatement—let’s call it the complete elimination of the return game.
The proposed changes WILL eliminate one of the most exciting aspects of football. Kicking from the 35 instead of the 30 means more kicks than ever will sail into the end zone—drastically decreasing the chance for a return. To top it all off, touchbacks would take the ball to the 25 yard line. So really, why would anyone even attempt to take the ball out when they get a free 25? Why risk being tackled at the 15? Football is a game of risk aversion, and in a game of risk eversion you try to minimize the negative plays and maximize the positive ones. You’d have to be an idiot, or very, very desperate to try a kickoff return if this new set of rules is ever passed. What about kickers such as Billy Cundiff of the Baltimore Ravens who are able to boot the ball through the end zone even from the 30? It’s an elite skill few possess that will be made far less significant under the blanket of these new rules.
Don’t misunderstand—like revenue sharing in the NBA or over expansion in the NHL, player safety is the largest issue the NFL faces today. If it’s not fixed soon the repercussions will be devastating. Christopher Nowinski of the Sports Legacy Institute, one of the foremost experts on the NFL concussion crisis recently said that players suffer later in life not because of a few massive hits but because of sustained brain trauma suffered from repeated contact…like the constant collisions that take place along the offensive and defensive lines. How exactly do the proposed rule changes fix that?
It’s nice to see the NFL actually trying to do something about concussions, but Band-Aids won’t solve anything. Hey NFL, want to really fix this crisis that is slowly killing the sport of football? Let’s force every player to wear concussion preventative mouthpieces. Let’s make sure helmets aren’t popping off player’s heads ever other play. Let’s mandate every player wear a helmet similar to Aaron Rodger’s new redesigned piece of headwear that he swore by in the postseason. Mouthpieces in particular, often forgone by NFL players, need to be required for ALL NFL athletes.
It’s a sticky situation as no one fully understands the brain and how concussions destroy it (although scientists are getting closer every day), but safer equipment can only improve athlete’s livelihood. New helmets are expensive and a new rule requiring mouthpieces won’t go over well with players, but something needs to be done—and that doesn’t mean watering down the game so it looks like the suits at the top of the league are at least trying. Spend some freakin’ money, grow a pair of balls, and begin the long road to recovery. And you know what pisses me off the most about this recent proposed rules change? It’s so easy. Buying new helmets for every player in the league and outfitting everyone with the latest in concussion preventative mouthpieces is NOT.
The NFL can’t figure out what to do with $9 billion. I’ve got a few ideas.
This was a great piece, really well written, until the mindless rant about ball growth. If you think your readers require potty talk to stick with you, then stick it up front, let it be your hook. But better to drop it all together, write like you work for SI or the new sports pages in the WSJ, and someday you will.
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