Jeff Jacobs: Bryant Shirreffs Latest Example Why Football Needs A Complete Makeover

[Husky25]

@Exit 4 If you have access to NetFlix, check out Undefeated. Not only is it excellent, but it describes exactly what @WingU-Conn and @uconnphil2016 are talking about.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Helmets and headgear do not prevent concussions. They barely lessen the likelihood. They prevent scratches, cuts, scraps, bruising, and broken skull bones. A concussion is a brain injury typically caused by the sudden deceleration of the brain's inertia. You can get a concussion by a hard hit taken head on to the abdomen just as well.

But the limit instant death. I agree will not stop concussions.

 

[hardcorehusky]

Being around youth and high school football- the equipment help- up to a point.

They are tackling skills that eliminate the helmet to helmut hits. Heads Up football for youth leagues is a good program. If proper techniques is used, you shouldn't be hitting helmet to helmet. Additionally, there are much less tackling drills than even 3 years ago to prevent the repeated hits.

A few weeks ago, a player on our high school left his bag of equipment behind a bus and it got run over by the bus. The helmet was bent into a pancake but did not break. Great for protection, scary as a weapon.

 

[Exit 4]

Specious. There are plenty of obstacles preventing them. Crime, drugs, poverty, lack of family/parental support, bias in the criminal justice system, a lack of direction, poor/inappropriate role models, poor influence from cultural values.

12 year-olds who are thrown on the corner to make more cash selling drugs in a day than their mom makes in a week often don't know better, or more importantly, don't believe they have any other options. because they don't see many around them doing the right things and succeeding at it. Instead they're heavily influenced by cash thrown to them by adults who know those kids will be in and out of processing because they are juveniles.

Through sports (which is just one way, mind you) these kids can be made to believe they have other options.

This topic is far more complex than "they should just go to school and study". We know they have options, and obviously a harder road than most, but if they don't believe it, because they don't see it, none of that matters.

And we're talking about kids. They need to be raised, educated, guided, shown the right way. It's unrealistic to expect the majority of them to figure out the right way on their own, when they've grown up around so much negativity.

So why is football the only choice in this environment? Answer, its not. For starters they could play other sports and after that there are infinite other choices - but only if one makes the effort - the same effort that went into football. I don't think we disagree about much here, except that I view football as a choice, not as a gun barrel situation. Its a path, but there are many other paths.

Most of society that makes its way to college on another path. If an inter city kid can qualify academically for football, then chances are very high they would also qualify for college and aid to attend many many many colleges in America w/o having the obligation to play. Playing football perhaps is a gun barrel choice between Central Connecticut on financial aid/academic scholarship and playing for BC, but its not really a difference maker between a lesser college and no college. The US college system is eager to bring these kids onto campus with this disadvantage backgrounds even w/o sports. In fact, they would probably prefer the kids w/o sports.

 

[Exit 4]

@Exit 4 If you have access to NetFlix, check out Undefeated. Not only is it excellent, but it describes exactly what @WingU-Conn and @uconnphil2016 are talking about.

thanks - but i don't have it though.

 

[Husky25]

thanks - but i don't have it though.

NetFlix is not the only way to view the doc. It is available elsewhere, "but only if one makes the effort."

 

[BlueMAB]

So why is football the only choice in this environment?

Most of society that makes its way to college on another path. If an inter city kid can qualify academically for football, then chances are very high they would also qualify for college and aid to attend many many many colleges in America w/o having the obligation to play.

I didn't say it was the only choice. I specifically said "sports" and even said sports were one way, not the only way.

You're missing the most important thing that we've been talking about. Motivation and values. Many of these kids we're talking about don't have the motivation without sports; because they don't share the same values you and I have. Because, through no fault of their own, they have been raised differently. You can't remove/ignore that fact and have a serious discussion about the choices they make based on their opportunities in life.

That all said, none of what we've been discussing should decide whether or not there are things we can do to make the game safer so that kids don't have to decide whether or not they want to put their brain at risk, because it only impacts a portion of the people playing the game.

 

[Husky25]

Being around youth and high school football- the equipment help- up to a point.

They are tackling skills that eliminate the helmet to helmut hits. Heads Up football for youth leagues is a good program. If proper techniques is used, you shouldn't be hitting helmet to helmet. Additionally, there are much less tackling drills than even 3 years ago to prevent the repeated hits.

A few weeks ago, a player on our high school left his bag of equipment behind a bus and it got run over by the bus. The helmet was bent into a pancake but did not break. Great for protection, scary as a weapon.

Size and skill of players at lower levels helps too. 135 lbs at 40yds./6+sec. does not generate nearly the same impact. Even in high school, the number of players who are remotely "college ready" are few and far between.

 

[Exit 4]

You're missing the most important thing that we've been talking about. Motivation and values. Many of these kids we're talking about don't have the motivation without sports; because they don't share the same values you and I have. Because, through no fault of their own, they have been raised differently. You can't remove/ignore that fact and have a serious discussion about the choices they make based on their opportunities in life.

I'm not missing that point at all. I just don't see what it has to do with the central point of disagreement.

What I am not doing however is connecting football as the only choice to exit a tough situation which is where we started this entire disagreement. No one HAS to play this sport. Period. Everything else about this conversation is infinitely tangential (and I suspect we probably agree on near 100% ). I just won't accept the argument that either football or nothing for these kids. They actually could attend college w/o football if they are managing to qualify academically for a D1 scholarship. Its just going to be a lesser school. Colleges are hungry for these types of kids as they are woefully under represented on campus as non athletes.

 

[BlueMAB]

I'm not missing that point at all. I just don't see what it has to do with the central point of disagreement.

What I am not doing however is connecting football as the only choice to exit a tough situation which is where we started this entire disagreement. No one HAS to play this sport. Period. Everything else about this conversation is infinitely tangential (and I suspect we probably agree on near 100% ). I just won't accept the argument that either football or nothing for these kids. They actually could attend college w/o football if they are managing to qualify academically for a D1 scholarship. Its just going to be a lesser school. Colleges are hungry for these types of kids as they are woefully under represented on campus as non athletes.

I've never said it's football or nothing, but based on the sheer numbers of scholarships awarded, football provides the best opportunity. By far.

But it's not just about scholarships. Most kids won't get scholarships, but there are plenty of kids who would either drop out, or generally not GAF about their grades were it not for sports. Take sports away, and you take away their motivation to study because they don't view their opportunities in this life the way you do (again, for some, not all).

 

[whaler11]

If the solution to 'save' football is to make it look like rugby the game is already DOA.

 

[huskyinfl]

Has any school decimated as many QBs as UConn has in the past 10 years. PP and Diaco we're literally criminally negligent at times. Being a fan of this team has required some tough games of qb brutality.

I have never seen anyone take as much damage as whitmer for so little - hence the RIP for his future cte brain and bones of dust.

 

[Redding Husky]

Some questions - are flag football leagues prevelent in most towns for the same age groups as tackle football? Or do towns have youth leagues up until say 7 or 8 and then only tackle is available?

If parents are given equal access to flag and football, I'd have to imagine that if there isn't an increase already, there will be a HUGE increase over the next 5 years as more and more studies come out about football and the brain, particularly for young kids (such as the recent one about youth football and depression). I wonder if the folks who run tackle leagues have tried to suppress flag football after a certain age for fear of low turnout in the tackle leagues. But maybe that's just a crazy conspiracy theory, who knows.

We have flag football here for all ages. People who play it, love it. But no one will ever pay to watch a flag football game. Ever.

 

[whaler11]

We have flag football here for all ages. People who play it, love it. But no one will ever pay to watch a flag football game. Ever.

It has a better chance than something played in slow motion that looks like rugby.

 

[Nostical]

Football isn't going anywhere. There will be technological improvements in helmets, changes in contact rules and more severe penalties/punishments for violations. This isn't Bullfighting. There are too many life lessons in football for the many who point to participation as the reason they avoided a more pernicious path.

 

[BlueDogs]

The sport has given way more than it has ever taken in terms of shaping kids with real discipline, mental and physical resilience to adversity, and complex interdependent team building skills. It is singularly American. CTE is an issue that can be solved with better assessment, prompt treatment and better equipment. There was a time when players were dying on the field from broken necks, and other serious injuries such as compound fractures, eye sockets were shattered, etc..were common. So, we must always strive to do better. But, this soft, everyone is a victim societal crap is too much. Yes, the sport is dangerous and we all knew it when we signed up. I was noticed as a member of a CTE class action for college football players. I opted out because I refuse to be an accomplice to destroying a sport I love and gave so much to me. With countless concussions I know there is some cognitive impact at 50 plus and it may get worse with age. Would I change it if I could go back? No way.

CTE applied to young players is pseudo science masquerading as fact. Physics dictates youth players are slower and lighter, and it is very doubtful there are many massive force collisions. The risks increase as players move up past high school and become most risky at a professional level. A collision between a 250 pound LB and 230 LB running back, each having elite speed is entirely different than a bunch of 200 pound high school kids clobbering each other, and 250 pound lineman shuffling around.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

My son plays college football as a punter. I don't know how I'd feel about him playing a more dangerous position where concussions are an issue.

One thing I'd like to see is a player kicked out for a full season for obvious targeting to the head. I'm not talking about situations where the ball carrier moves at the last second and there's unintentional helmet-to-helmet contact. I'm talking about cases where the defender gets the ball carrier in his sights and intentionally rams his head into the head of an opponent. Gone. For 12 months.

I’d say 2/10 times that it’s called targeting is actually malicious. Doesn’t mean that 8/10 times it isn’t dangerous. The rule encourages a change in technique which coaches and players who have been doing it one way their whole lives are working to adjust to. Hopefully we see the call less and less as years go by and new waves of players taught to tackle lower come in. I’m pretty sure there’s been a targeting call in all our games this year or close to it.

 

[traitor71]

Football isn't going anywhere. There will be technological improvements in helmets, changes in contact rules and more severe penalties/punishments for violations. This isn't Bullfighting. There are too many life lessons in football for the many who point to participation as the reason they avoided a more pernicious path.

It's already happening, but for some reason people seem to think there will be some instant data available to prove it. As time passes and more data is accumulated, we will be able to see the results of improving technology, rule changes, etc. At that time we can consider pushing the panic button when it comes to football, if it is needed at all.

 

[Uconnalliance]

Jacobs back to being an idiot?

 

[auggie22]

Football isn't going anywhere. There will be technological improvements in helmets, changes in contact rules and more severe penalties/punishments for violations. This isn't Bullfighting. There are too many life lessons in football for the many who point to participation as the reason they avoided a more pernicious path.

They use to say that about boxing, too.