Modern NFL Deathwatch thread

[Ackmed]

If he was good, and had the opportunity to make himself, and his family set for life, yes.

How is it any different than the military, except that you make exponentially more?

While others have corrected you, you are pretty short sighted.

There is a huge difference. Both are voluntary in today's world. A few NFL players committed suicide (way down the road), and all the sudden people are up in arms over concussions. While war vets are committing suicide of about one per day. Which has sky rocketed the past several years. NFL players are suing the NFL for more money over what they think they have, and the chance that they may commit suicide down the road.

While some war veterans get concussions, and don't sue. I got three concussions in my last tour to Afghanistan as a Marine, and both ear drums blown out. I am a combat engineer, and work with explosives on a daily basis when deployed, and a lot when in the rear training. Not only that, but we are the ones looking for the very things intended to kill us, IED's. Which is how I got my concussions.

I find it selfish, and idiotic that players are suing the NFL over this. They wanted to play for tons of money, they could have quit if it wasn't "safe" enough for them. The helmets they wore were top of the line at the time. They were not in a contract like the military over seas, where they couldn't just wake up one day and decide to "retire" like NFL players could.

But whatever, America is a sue happy country anymore. So much of it pisses me off anymore. Spineless people, concerned with me, me, me. I, and several of my friends have several problems. Mainly with sleeping, I can't fucking sleep anymore. And I am tired all day long. I take pills to sleep, usually with a drink or two, then drink monsters or something daily to stay awake. It's a roller coaster for my body that I am sure is terrible for me. I have a shorter temper too, I find myself wanting to smash people over silly stuff. I just can't fucking stand most people anymore. Act like life is so terrible for them, fucking selfish pricks. There is no chance I would ever sue to get any money or anything else. I joined by my own free will. So did all the NFL players. Suck it up, and stop trying to get something for free.

edit, that just got me fucking all worked up. Dammit, now I am all pissed off. I gotta take a break from msg boards, I get too pissed all the time. Fuck!

 

[Homerboy]

What will kill the NFL is if parents start prohibiting their kids from playing in large numbers.

This is very much true.
My son started football this last fall. He sustained a concussion. (his 3rd in his life). Two other kids got their bells rung as well.

Some of the parents of the most gifted/natural players on the team (my son included :biggrin: ) have talked about not letting their kids play due to concussions.

Is it REALLY worth it?

 

[Blackjack200]

I disagree with both points above. I'm not sure even having the best players in the world would increase soccer's popularity. IMO, the sport is mindnumblingly dull.

I wouldn't call the NHL popular either. It is popular in places like Detroit, New York, Chicago, and the Canadian cities but has more mixed results outside of those areas. Yeah, it is considered a 4th major league but I believe it is a distant, distant fourth to the other three leagues and always seems to be in financial trouble. It is frankly a miracle that they haven't contracted many of the teams in the south and central US.

You might think soccer is mindnumbingly dull, but that view is clearly not shared by everyone else. Soccer, as a youth sport, and as a participation sport, is hugely popular here.

The NHL is certainly less popular than the other three, but I still think it counts as a major sport. Look at the payrolls across the league, they're probably 80% of what NBA payrolls are. There are fewer hockey fans for sure, but they tend to be a little bit more wealthy and a little bit more loyal than NBA fans. (This is not a knock on NBA fans, they just have more sports competing for their attention while most hockey fans in the Northeast and Canada are only interested in hockey).

And that's why I don't think having top tier soccer talent here would matter. Fans can easily follow those teams now and have been able to for years and I don't think it really matters. Once kids hit a certain age, they move on to other sports.

Fans can't easily follow those teams now. They get minimal coverage on major sports networks, they rarely play in the US, and they almost never play meaningful games here. Of course anyone can log on to the internet and look at highlights, check scores etc. but there isn't the social aspect to it that following a local major sports team involves. Sports radio isn't talking about it, no one is talking about it at the water cooler. Frankly, I'm shocked that you're making the argument that rooting for an elite soccer team is in any way similar to rooting for your local NBA/MLB/NHL/NFL team.

I'll just finish with this... If we are not soccer fans as a nation, why did we sell out every seat for the 1994 World Cup? Why do televised World Cup matches (even women's World Cup) get such high TV ratings here? Why do major European clubs fill up football stadiums for friendly matches when they play here? Just because people aren't flocking to watch 3rd tier professional soccer doesn't mean there isn't appetite for the top level.

 

[momeNt]

This is very much true.
My son started football this last fall. He sustained a concussion. (his 3rd in his life). Two other kids got their bells rung as well.

Some of the parents of the most gifted/natural players on the team (my son included :biggrin: ) have talked about not letting their kids play due to concussions.

Is it REALLY worth it?

How the heck did he get the other 2?

FWIW when I have kids I won't be allowing them to play football, I want to limit my exposure to bad parenting lawsuits, which are becoming increasingly popular.

 

[Homerboy]

How the heck did he get the other 2?

FWIW when I have kids I won't be allowing them to play football, I want to limit my exposure to bad parenting lawsuits, which are becoming increasingly popular.

One was diving in recess soccer (his head hit the goal post...) the other was just rough housing around the yard.

The soccer one was first and the worst. The other two were "mild concussions".

The amount of forms and releases (including a specific concussion release form) in any type of organized youth sports nowadays is crazy. You have to sign concussion release forms for everything from football, to baseball, to basketball to soccer.

Edit:" FYI, he's in 5th grade.

 

[Red Storm]

One was diving in recess soccer (his head hit the goal post...) the other was just rough housing around the yard.

The soccer one was first and the worst. The other two were "mild concussions".

The amount of forms and releases (including a specific concussion release form) in any type of organized youth sports nowadays is crazy. You have to sign concussion release forms for everything from football, to baseball, to basketball to soccer.

Edit:" FYI, he's in 5th grade.

Yeah... I wouldn't let my kids play football. On the weekends with friends or in the yard sure that's fine, completely different. But full on helmet and gear in a an official setting? Not likely.

 

[Homerboy]

Yeah... I wouldn't let my kids play football. On the weekends with friends or in the yard sure that's fine, completely different. But full on helmet and gear in a an official setting? Not likely.

Sign up (and payment) for fall 2013 is on February 4th!
I'm very reluctant.

 

[momeNt]

Sign up (and payment) for fall 2013 is on February 4th!
I'm very reluctant.

WHen you are old and decrepit and your CTE afflicted son tries wiping your ass with steel wool, you'll regret getting him into football. He may also be brushing your teeth with superglue and peeing in your oven. It will be a mess.

 

[rasczak]

I disagree with both points above. I'm not sure even having the best players in the world would increase soccer's popularity. IMO, the sport is mindnumblingly dull.

I wouldn't call the NHL popular either. It is popular in places like Detroit, New York, Chicago, and the Canadian cities but has more mixed results outside of those areas. Yeah, it is considered a 4th major league but I believe it is a distant, distant fourth to the other three leagues and always seems to be in financial trouble. It is frankly a miracle that they haven't contracted many of the teams in the south and central US.



And that's why I don't think having top tier soccer talent here would matter. Fans can easily follow those teams now and have been able to for years and I don't think it really matters. Once kids hit a certain age, they move on to other sports.

Many people can say the same for our brand of football. I like both sports, but also find that both if not all sports have their mind-numbingly dull moments.

 

[preslove]

Many people can say the same for our brand of football. I like both sports, but also find that both if not all sports have their mind-numbingly dull moments.

NFL: 3 1/2 filled with a lot of standing around and hideous fast-food & beer commercials
Football (for the rest of the world): 2 hours of constant action, with a 15 minute break.

Yeah, American football is pretty fucking dull.

 

[Red Storm]

"Constant" action is a bit of a stretch. There's too much back and forth in soccer with no tangible results, and that is a major turn off for a lot of people. For me it's the possibility of 0-0 games. Sure it can happen in the NFL, but it's rare. Not so with soccer.

That being said, I like basketball the best. I definitely think the fact that the best teams and players are overseas plays a huge part in soccer's niche popularity here.

 

[purbeast0]

NFL: 3 1/2 filled with a lot of standing around and hideous fast-food & beer commercials
Football (for the rest of the world): 2 hours of constant action, with a 15 minute break.

Yeah, American football is pretty fucking dull.

people in america who call soccer "football" grind my gears.

and soccer is far from "constant action" the entire 90 minutes.

 

[purbeast0]

"Constant" action is a bit of a stretch. There's too much back and forth in soccer with no tangible results, and that is a major turn off for a lot of people. For me it's the possibility of 0-0 games. Sure it can happen in the NFL, but it's rare. Not so with soccer.

That being said, I like basketball the best. I definitely think the fact that the best teams and players are overseas plays a huge part in soccer's niche popularity here.

nba used to be better to me back when there was parity. now a days you can pretty much pick the final 4 of the playoffs before the season even starts. it's all about getting a powerhouse team full of superstars and riding it out. that said, i do love me some late round nba playoff action.

the playoff series also are a huge turnoff and take way too long. that goes with any playoff systems that have 7 game series. i remember when the nba first round used to be 5 games. it was so much better. having the 8 seed face the 1 seed for a best of 7 games is retarded. i'd like to see the stat of how many 8 seeds have even gotten out of the first round since the 7 game series has come into play.

 

[Red Storm]

nba used to be better to me back when there was parity. now a days you can pretty much pick the final 4 of the playoffs before the season even starts. it's all about getting a powerhouse team full of superstars and riding it out. that said, i do love me some late round nba playoff action.

the playoff series also are a huge turnoff and take way too long. that goes with any playoff systems that have 7 game series. i remember when the nba first round used to be 5 games. it was so much better. having the 8 seed face the 1 seed for a best of 7 games is retarded. i'd like to see the stat of how many 8 seeds have even gotten out of the first round since the 7 game series has come into play.

Err, not to go off topic but that's just nostalgia, back then things were even worse. Championship teams have always had lots of really good players on them, that's why they win championships. Name one bad championship team. The 7 game playoff series are there so that the best team wins, not who gets the most luck on one night. It rewards teams that are smarter and make the proper adjustments from game to game. That stuff is way more interesting to me than seeing a one and done series that's half decided by streaky play and (mis)fortune. The Grizzlies beat the Spurs as the 8 seed in a 7 game series, and they did in 5 games I think?

 

[KeithTalent]

Err, not to go off topic but that's just nostalgia, back then things were even worse. Championship teams have always had lots of really good players on them, that's why they win championships. Name one bad championship team. The 7 game playoff series are there so that the best team wins, not who gets the most luck on one night.

Detroit Pistons. Rip Hamilton was their highest scorer and averaged under 18 ppg IIRC. D: I guess Ben Wallace was their best player, but that team was, ugh, just painful to watch.

I love the NBA though and will love it even more once the Sonics are back. A real shame they did not get to keep Durant.

KT

 

[Atomic Playboy]

NFL: 3 1/2 filled with a lot of standing around and hideous fast-food & beer commercials
Football (for the rest of the world): 2 hours of constant action, with a 15 minute break.

Yeah, American football is pretty fucking dull.

While this is vaguely accurate, it's also misrepresenting both sports. Graph the action of both sports on a graph: football would be a flatline of zero activity with a quick spike every minute or so (with each snap), but they would be large spikes because every play is a fairly intense experience. Soccer would have a low plateau of extended action where people were running around, but nothing is really happening, followed by intense spikes when teams finally advanced the ball or got shots on goal. The median activity in soccer is certainly higher, but the highs are far less frequent, and that makes the viewing experience less exciting for casual observers. Watching people run around doing nothing is only marginally more exciting than watching people standing around doing nothing, and the fact that football runs more plays where things actually happen makes it more fun to watch.

My two cents. And that's coming from someone who actually enjoys watching soccer from time to time.

 

[Red Storm]

Detroit Pistons. Rip Hamilton was their highest scorer and averaged under 18 ppg IIRC. D:

I love the NBA though and will love it even more once the Sonics are back. A real shame they did not get to keep Durant.

Come now, that was not a bad team at all. They had an amazing starting five with very evenly spread talent.

I really am glad for the people of Seattle. I still can't believe they got robbed of not only the Sonics, but an extremely gifted and rare player in Durant. At least they're getting their Sonics back though.

 

[zinfamous]

people in america who call soccer "football" grind my gears.

and soccer is far from "constant action" the entire 90 minutes.

soccer action:

I actually like soccer, more or less. I don't follow it, at all--but I know games can be damn exciting, even low scoring--ties. Still, I think ties are garbage and as others have said, that is what keeps most of this country away from soccer.

and please, the majority of action in a soccer game occurs in about 6-15 second spurts every 10 or so minutes.

 

[KeithTalent]

Come now, that was not a bad team at all. They had an amazing starting five with very evenly spread talent.

I really am glad for the people of Seattle. I still can't believe they got robbed of not only the Sonics, but an extremely gifted and rare player in Durant. At least they're getting their Sonics back though.

I guess they were not bad, but I found them extremely boring to watch, even though I liked Rip from watching him at Uconn. However I don't think they would compare well to many of the better championship teams over the past long while.

KT

 

[preslove]

people in america who call soccer "football" grind my gears.

and soccer is far from "constant action" the entire 90 minutes.

Constant action = ball is almost always moving. A scoring play can develop 10 seconds, so you have to always be on guard. A corner kick in a tied game is pretty damn exciting.

The majority of the time spent watching a football game on tv is taken up by players standing around, or goddamned commercials.

I want to watch sports, not bud lite commercials.

 

[SP33Demon]

Obama would think long and hard before allowing his son to play football.

 

[SP33Demon]

Edit3: Bernard Pollard confirms the NFL Deathwatch

"Thirty years from now, I don't think it will be in existence," Pollard told CBS Sports. "I could be wrong. It's just my opinion, but I think with the direction things are going -- where they [NFL rules makers] want to lighten up, and they're throwing flags and everything else -- there's going to come a point where fans are going to get fed up with it."

 

[Train]

The league will be fine as soon as they remove those weapons from their head.

I always thought it was odd the exterior of the helmets were hard plastic. Why not some sort of padding on the outside as well?

 

[IAteYourMother]

Edit3: Bernard Pollard confirms the NFL Deathwatch

Yeah... the extra flags have really put a damper on the public's appetite for the NFL. Not.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I always thought it was odd the exterior of the helmets were hard plastic. Why not some sort of padding on the outside as well?

Apparently, the only things really standing in the way are the appearance and the word "soft": http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page...1026_tuesday_morning_quarterback&sportCat=nfl

They DO make padded covers for helmets, and they could easily make them look like regular helmets. For example:

With the technological advances in just the past couple of decades, they could likely reduce the amount of paint flaking that you see in that image. And having a cushion to absorb some of the shock from the outside before the impact is even felt would certainly help.