changing the game of football

If you’ve watch ESPN recently, you’ve probably heard about the helmet-to-helmet hits and the consequences. Several players in the NFL were charged with fines up to $75,000 for helmet-to-helmet hits against their opponents. Most of these hits required medical attention and resulted in concussions, causing the NFL to consider some serious consequences to prevent future injuries.
Cleveland’s Josh Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi both suffered concussions from Pittsburgh’s James Harrison. No flags were thrown. Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson suffered a concussion from Atlanta’s Danta Robinson. No flag was thrown. Baltimore’s Todd Heap suffered a concussion from New England’s Brandon Meriweather. No flag was thrown. The NFL has taken the initiative to prevent these helmet-to-helmet hits, by threatening suspensions and fines to players who cause these helmet-to-helmet hits. Ray Anderson, NFL executive VP of football operations, said “We can’t and won’t tolerate what we saw Sunday. We’ve got to get the message to players that these devastating hits and head shots will be met with a very necessary higher standard of accountability.” (ESPN)
Brandon Meriweather, a New England Patriot, said that the helmet-to-helmet hit on Todd Heap was unintentional and told reporters that the punishments won’t influence his playing. He said “I won’t change my game, period. I’m sorry it happened. Heap is actually a real good friend of mine. I talked to him yesterday and let him know it wasn’t intentional and he told me he understood.” (ESPN) Meriweather said he ran that play a thousand times at practice, but wasn’t trying for head-to-head contact. He went on to say that these hits can be avoidable but aren’t preventable. Meriweather wasn’t the only player to disapprove of the punishments for the helmet-to-helmet hits.
Josh Cribbs, a Cleveland Brown, returned to practice on Friday, after suffering a concussion from James Harrison. When he talked to Harrison, he said “Let refs ref. Let the NFL administration, let everyone do their jobs. I you get fined, just try to tailor yourself, but play the game. Don’t try to change who you are.” (ESPN) Cribbs has recovered from the concussion and believes that he’s prepared for the upcoming game against the New Orleans Saints.
These helmet-to-helmet hits have caused devastation throughout the league, but why are these hits become more and more common? A suggestion to this question are the formations that the offense and defense play. There aren’t many experts that aren’t able to distinguish and don’t understand zone or man defense. This causes them to run man routes into a zone defense.
Another reason why these helmet-to-helmet hits have captured the attention of people, is because the ability to watch replays and slow-motion has made these hits more dramatic. When a defensive player is trained to hit, they are taught to drive their helmet into a players chest and drive up towards their helmet. The helmets of the two players are bound to hit, but the league has brought the attention to these his and overreacting to these hits. Jessica Edwards, a Mayo High School student, said that “hitting is a part of the game” and believes players shouldn’t be suspended or fined for these hits. This is a good point and several ESPN analysts and former players view this rule in a similar way.
The league has overreacted to these recent helmet-to-helmet hits. These types of hits aren’t new, they’ve happened since the beginning of football. Though more players have had concussions, hitting is a fundamental of football and most players don’t want the rule in effect. Posted by Jake Babcock at 12:46 PM