Replacing the KO

I understand Goodell may have thrown that out there just to gauge public reaction, but he doesn't throw that out there without some tendency of wanting to seriously move in that direction. Otherwise, he would never have mentioned it. If you want to make the game of football safer, put your investments toward the technology that's going to make the safety equipment protect the players better. Football is a dangerous, vicious, contact sport. That's just the way it is. Don't like it? Don't play it. Don't watch it.

Back in the 90s Tagliabue used to float out talk of NFL teams in Europe in interviews. Maybe it happens one day but it's so many years away. Same with this

Exactly. Improve the equipment...don't change the game. Right now the NFL has the most popular sport in America. Why change the game? Did Goodell work for Coca Cola long time ago?

They can't improve the helmet much more in a practical sense. Apparently to improve helmets to the point of drastically reducing concussions they'd have to make the helmet so much larger that it would cause more neck injuries. There's always the notion too that the helmets only serve to promote more head injuries since they provide a sense of invulnerability that is dangerous.

I'm pretty sure it's been mentioned but now the competition committee (headed by John Mara) is giving serious thought to making cut blocks illegal. Nothing like 400+ rushing yards in two games to speed the process up eh John? Luckily only a fraction of our plays use the cut blocks so it's not like we're doomed without them but as always interesting timing.

As for kickoffs. I guess you could do it so long as you were allowed unlimited onside kicks within the last 6 minutes. In high school I had the worse job on Kickoff team...wedge buster. That basically meant line up next to the kicker and run full speed down the field into a group of 3 or 4 guys who half the time were holding hands.

Back in the 90s Tagliabue used to float out talk of NFL teams in Europe in interviews. Maybe it happens one day but it's so many years away. Same with this

I say not before supersonic commercial flights become the norm. No one can deal with that schedule though. I mean for goodness sakes, prime time Champion League games in Europe are broadcast live in the states at 2:00 PM Eastern Time.

They can't improve the helmet much more in a practical sense. Apparently to improve helmets to the point of drastically reducing concussions they'd have to make the helmet so much larger that it would cause more neck injuries. There's always the notion too that the helmets only serve to promote more head injuries since they provide a sense of invulnerability that is dangerous.

It's hard to believe they used to play in those leather helmets. Seems like there would have been guys laying all over the field after every play.

People don't seem to realize that you don't need to hit your head to get a concussion. A high speed collision that jars your head and body enough to cause your brain to hit inside of your skull is all it takes. People get concussions all the time in car accidents, even when your head doesn't hit against anything.

Taking off the helmets is not going to get rid of concussions.

A collision sport like football is always going to have to live with a concussion problem to a degree.

They can't improve the helmet much more in a practical sense.

They could make the shoulder pads and helmet one piece and create a goldfish bowl type dome that allows clear field of vision. Then the focus would be on leg injuries, then something else. Then they'll be rolling around the field in a hamster ball.

It's a dangerous game, that's why I like *watching* it.

People don't seem to realize that you don't need to hit your head to get a concussion. A high speed collision that jars your head and body enough to cause your brain to hit inside of your skull is all it takes. People get concussions all the time in car accidents, even when your head doesn't hit against anything.

Taking off the helmets is not going to get rid of concussions.

A collision sport like football is always going to have to live with a concussion problem to a degree.

True that! And people break bones and sometimes die from snow skiing. There's a risk involved in alot of sports. If you don't want to take it...don't. It's a violent sport. People know that when they play...and when they take huge sums of money to do it. Nobody wants to see someone get seriously hurt. But the reality of the game is it can happen.

They can also make simple changes to the game like making mouthpieces mandatory (nothing dumber to me than seeing a QB barking out signals with his mouthpiece lodged in his face mask) and while I'm sure it would be hideously ugly, developing a neck roll that restrict the jarring head movements that rattle the brain in the skull.

It's kind of funny that they're talking about wanting to change a huge part of the game of football to make it safer, yet for the past few years, it hasn't been mandatory for the players to wear thigh and knee pads. At least make sure all the equipment must be mandatory for game day, then worry about changing the game itself.

It's kind of funny that they're talking about wanting to change a huge part of the game of football to make it safer, yet for the past few years, it hasn't been mandatory for the players to wear thigh and knee pads. At least make sure all the equipment must be mandatory for game day, then worry about changing the game itself.

That goes into effect next year.

NFL says players must wear thigh, knee pads in 2013 - ESPN (http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7959313/nfl-says-players-wear-thigh-knee-pads-2013)