Friday, October 23, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Take the Skirts Off
Oh how times have changed in the world of professional football. A sport so violent that some parents wouldn't let their kids watch. The players are gladiators that walk amongst us, playing in coliseums and arenas across the country. Giants with great speed and athletic abilities that entertain the masses. In the old days the players wore very little protection, injuries were most common and more often then not players played through them. The money was not great but the recognition was the same as a movie star. They took hits and they didn't wine about them. As the years have gone by the game of football has evolved into something that is not quite as fitting. Now its all about protecting the players or shall I say the investment (Tom Brady). But the great thing about the NFL is that it is not a player driven league. Sure you have superstars but that's not the real reason fans go to the game. They go to the games to see that team that represents their city. They root for the uniform, not just the player. Even when the NFL lost top players to injuries like Joe Montana, and Dan Marino the NFL did not suffer, sure the teams did as far as winning and losing goes. The bottom line is that the league will make more money then most sports in the united states. Basketball is a player driven league. Baseball seems long to most fans outside of the New York or Boston area, and well hockey that's just a mess of its own.
These are the new rules that are changing the game, I am telling you folks get ready for flag football. 1)No blindside block to an opponents head or neck using your helmet, shoulder, or forearm. 2)Contact to the head of a defenseless receiver will draw a 15 yard penalty. 3)A defensive player on the ground may no longer lunge or dive at a quarterbacks lower legs. My problem is the way the officials are interpreting the new rules. They might have well put some skirts on and play touch football because defenses across the league are paying the price. You cannot hit the quarterback the wrong way, you cannot touch a receiver. What happens if a players ducks is that a penalty because he ducked into your forearm, really.
In the 70s and 80s they played with so much violence and pain. Now the players have so much protection around them, special padding's and equipment that protect them from hard hits. Now every offensive player is being protected by the new rules, and defensive players are getting fined around the league. Hard fought games are turning into shootouts, more offense less defense. Yes as fans we love seeing the amazing catches and the great throws. But we love the NFL for the hard hitting that makes us cringe, because we feel the same pain as that wide
receiver who just went down the middle of the field to make a great catch only to be knock into next week by a waiting defensive back.
I understand the pain that players go through after football, but in life everything has a price. A player joining the league knows what to expect coming in. They know the dangers because they have been playing their whole life. But you know their are other jobs out their that we the fans do that are as dangerous as a 300 pound lineman falling on you. We know the risk and we continue doing it for various reason. The NFL wants excitement, thinking that high scoring games will keep people motivated to show up even in this tough economy. How exciting is it to see defenses kept on a leash and old offensive records being broken every game. How unfair would it be to the players of the modern era that were true gladiators and earned every single record with blood, sweat, and tears.
Former Miami Dolphin great Mark Duper posted a question on his facebook page, how do we the fans feel about protecting the offensive players and seeing the defensive players get fined? Well as a fan it makes me sick, it takes away from what the NFL stands for. Play flag football if you don't want to be hit. In football men are men and children look up to players as heroes. So rules committee let them play the game the way football was intended to be played. Stop trying to protect them, when you didn't care about them ten years ago.
These are the new rules that are changing the game, I am telling you folks get ready for flag football. 1)No blindside block to an opponents head or neck using your helmet, shoulder, or forearm. 2)Contact to the head of a defenseless receiver will draw a 15 yard penalty. 3)A defensive player on the ground may no longer lunge or dive at a quarterbacks lower legs. My problem is the way the officials are interpreting the new rules. They might have well put some skirts on and play touch football because defenses across the league are paying the price. You cannot hit the quarterback the wrong way, you cannot touch a receiver. What happens if a players ducks is that a penalty because he ducked into your forearm, really.
In the 70s and 80s they played with so much violence and pain. Now the players have so much protection around them, special padding's and equipment that protect them from hard hits. Now every offensive player is being protected by the new rules, and defensive players are getting fined around the league. Hard fought games are turning into shootouts, more offense less defense. Yes as fans we love seeing the amazing catches and the great throws. But we love the NFL for the hard hitting that makes us cringe, because we feel the same pain as that wide
receiver who just went down the middle of the field to make a great catch only to be knock into next week by a waiting defensive back.
I understand the pain that players go through after football, but in life everything has a price. A player joining the league knows what to expect coming in. They know the dangers because they have been playing their whole life. But you know their are other jobs out their that we the fans do that are as dangerous as a 300 pound lineman falling on you. We know the risk and we continue doing it for various reason. The NFL wants excitement, thinking that high scoring games will keep people motivated to show up even in this tough economy. How exciting is it to see defenses kept on a leash and old offensive records being broken every game. How unfair would it be to the players of the modern era that were true gladiators and earned every single record with blood, sweat, and tears.
Former Miami Dolphin great Mark Duper posted a question on his facebook page, how do we the fans feel about protecting the offensive players and seeing the defensive players get fined? Well as a fan it makes me sick, it takes away from what the NFL stands for. Play flag football if you don't want to be hit. In football men are men and children look up to players as heroes. So rules committee let them play the game the way football was intended to be played. Stop trying to protect them, when you didn't care about them ten years ago.
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