2011 NFL season

[Leroy]

The NFL sucks.

[lukethedrifter]

The NFL sucks.

What the heck? Raiders beat the crappy Vikings.

[cardsfansince82]

Oh hey, the Eagles on national TV. That never happens.

[Leroy]

It is just dumb. I'm not sure if was back to back plays but this is what set me off:

1) Ponder drops back to pass, sees a rusher and ducks at the last second. Oakland gets a 15 yard penalty for a blow to the head. So you can't hit the quarterback below the knees or in the head, even though he is the size of a mini Miles.

2) The Vikings threw to a tight end. A Raider tackled him hard and got flagged for some 'indefensible receiver' thing.

3) Heyward-Bay caught a pass over the middle. Some Viking drove his knee into his helmet, knocked it off and he was carted off on a stretcher. No penalty.

Either let them play football, or put flags in their pocket is all I'm saying.

[stlouie_lipp]

Either let them play football, or put flags in their pocket is all I'm saying.

yeah, I get a little tired of this as well. The NFL has decided to legislate defense out of the game. They want real football to resemble video game football for some reason. I guess more scoring gets more viewers. Some of us still like a good defensive battle though.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I think they also want players that live to see 50 years of age.

[Leroy]

Obviously, you don't get the point Tiger.

Let's just call off football.

[Freed Roger]

Obviously, you don't get the point Tiger.

Let's just call off football.

I am feeling the vibe that Leroy has. Could football become like boxing? The current injury rate is reaching epic proportion, and then there is growing legion of crippled ex-players.

The rule changes and attempts to officiate away injuries are ineffectual in stopping injuries, while taking away enjoyment -with the flag football for QB rules, and eliminating kick returns.

It would be interesting if they had a committee that could propose any sort of radical changes to reduce injuries, what sort of ideas they'd come up with. going back to leather helmets? Weight restrictions to take the HGH and roid incentive away. Grass fields? Not sure.

[stlouie_lipp]

Just make sure the players have all the information on the potential for injuries so that they can make an informed decision, then let them play all out. If they want to kill themselves for my entertainment and make lots of money doing it - so be it. I think James Harrison said something like "I don't care what happens to me as long as my family is taken care of". I think a lot of players have that mentality.

[Leroy]

I just don't understand it. Granted, I was a terrible football player, but played for five years.

I don't get the leading with the helmet rule. I mean, unless you are ET, how can you help that? Say you are trying to make a shoulder tackle and the guy makes a move and you hit his gut with your helmet. Not a whole lot you can do about that. The defenseless receiver thing I don't get either. I remember that if a guy didn't catch the ball and you drilled him, you got a penalty. Fine. But now if he catches it, you can hit him, just not too hard. Makes no sense. I get the helmet to helmet. Sometimes it is accidental, but like I said I'm ok with that.

The worst thing is that it isn't consistent. I can't remember the game, but a QB released the ball and some guy stuck his helmet right in his back. No call. I know refs can't be perfect, but if it is a penalty it is a penalty all the time.

I only played small town high school football and the game was too fast for me. Can you imagine how quickly these guys have to make decisions?

It isn't that I want football players to die young, but they know what they are doing. I doubt that you can find five NFL players that would rather have a long career as a bank teller.