Is Roger Goodell Good For the NFL?

[MTK]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

So from a saftey prespective yes
Fan's no
Player's no
Coach's no

If the play is deemed so dangerous they need to effectively render it useless why not just remove it and get rid of kickoffs? Why risk a players safety some of the time?

I guess i dont understand the purpose of changing the rules before making safety strides in other areas. I mean for God’s sake mouth guards are not mandatory. If you wear the wrong socks you get fined, if you don’t wear a mouth guard its okay???? Im sure some mouth guards are much better than others. A lot of concussions come from knees hitting the helmet, force players to wear knee pads and elbow pads, hip and thigh pads. Force players to wear certain helmets that are proven less risky. Force players to wear neck braces like Chris Samuels. Have a R&D department study safety gear. But making significant changes to the sport before doing any of these things seems completely backwards and ridiculous to me.

League tables plan for mandatory knee, thigh pads | ProFootballTalk

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by skinsfan69

Of course I don't have data. It's common sense. All I'm saying is putting the kick offs back to the 35 was just awful, and like I said I haven't heard one former player or coach that likes the rul.e.

Well then, might as well just end the thread there

[mlmpetert]

Originally Posted by Paintrain

Overall I think he's good for the league but he's a bit heavy handed and not a great communicator. He can do a better job at explaining his reasoning behind rule changes and desiring changes to the game (18 games, plans for LA market, etc) but he's a little stiff. Some of his decisions on fines and discipline seem to be excessive also and he alienates players by those decisions.

Thats one of the main issue i have with him. If he wants to come down hard on players for hard hitting or getting in trouble off the field thats fine, but he doesnt seem to ahve any real consistency. Why not spell out what the fine/suspension is going to be beforehand. Theres no clarity or consistency in his discipline process.

[MTK]

He evaluates each fine on an individual basis, that's why there doesn't appear to be consistency, but I think to be fair you can't just hand out mandatory infractions.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Well then, might as well just end the thread there

lol brilliant stuff eh?

[mlmpetert]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

League tables plan for mandatory knee, thigh pads | ProFootballTalk

Exactly. Why table this and make the wedge illegal 2 years ago, dramatically change the enforcement of hard hits last year, and then render the kickoff useless this year? He’s got things completely backwards

[MTK]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

Exactly. Why table this and make the wedge illegal 2 years ago, dramatically change the enforcement of hard hits last year, and then render the kickoff useless this year? He’s got things completely backwards

So I guess you think more padding = more safety?

Not sure there's any real basis for that, but ok.

[mlmpetert]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

So I guess you think more padding = more safety?

Not sure there's any real basis for that, but ok.

Would you advocate differently?

[sportscurmudgeon]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

Exactly. Why table this and make the wedge illegal 2 years ago, dramatically change the enforcement of hard hits last year, and then render the kickoff useless this year? He’s got things completely backwards

Yet - - he manages to keep his job...


How can he possibly do that? Does he have some mass hypnotic powers over all of the owners and the players union and only you are immune to them?

[MTK]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

Would you advocate differently?

Personally I think more padding is just window dressing and doesn't do much to prevent head injuries. You could wrap guys in bubble wrap, but if they crash into each other with enough force the brain is going to get jarred no matter what you do. So the most logical thing to do is reduce (or eventually eliminate) some of the plays where the highest speed collisions take place.

I am surprised they don't make mouth guards mandatory though. I know in high school we had to wear them. I'm not sure what research says about them reducing head injuries though. I think I remember reading the conclusions are mixed.

[sportscurmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Personally I think more padding is just window dressing and doesn't do much to prevent head injuries. You could wrap guys in bubble wrap, but if they crash into each other with enough force the brain is going to get jarred no matter what you do. So the most logical thing to do is reduce (or eventually eliminate) some of the plays where the highest speed collisions take place.

I am surprised they don't make mouth guards mandatory though. I know in high school we had to wear them. I'm not sure what research says about them reducing head injuries though. I think I remember reading the conclusions are mixed.

Studies I read regarding mouthguards about ten years ago were inconclusive with regard to their ability to mitigate concussions. However, there were no data to suggest that using a mouthguard increased the likelihood of a concussion. So, high schools in most places mandated their use.

[Chico23231]

Originally Posted by NC_Skins

From safety perspective: Yes

From fan perspective: No


We as fans don't care about the players safety. We just want to be entertained.

Eh, I care about players safety and agree with say the horsecollar rule. But the kickoff rule is flat out horrible because your messing with the strategy of the game way too much. Kickoffs help a team get back in the game and give advantages to the dynamic of how certain teams are built. U have essentially killed a dynamic of the game you cant make up for. Guys are going to get hurt period in this game.

Something else i care about when in regards to fan safety is:

a) Im not trying to get shot in a parking lot of a stadium

b) Im not trying to test the law of Darwin survival of the fittest while attending a game in reference to the fights

Where the f*ck is the Commish on this?

[mlmpetert]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

Yet - - he manages to keep his job...


How can he possibly do that? Does he have some mass hypnotic powers over all of the owners and the players union and only you are immune to them?

Again I believe the question posed by the op and what I am answering to (and what most besides you are answering to) is “is roger goodell for the nfl…. the sport” not is he good for the business. Roger was elected by the owners, his interests are intrinsically in line with the owners. Theres very little players or the players union, or as smootsmack pointed out the fans can do, to remove him from power.

So again sure he may be fabulous for the business side of the NFL but in my opinion, humble and somehow immune and irrelevant to his power, think hes bad for the nfl…. the sport. I would also go as far to say that most players, formers players, coaches and fans also think his modifying of the game is also bad for the sport.

[sportscurmudgeon]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

Again I believe the question posed by the op and what I am answering to (and what most besides you are answering to) is “is roger goodell for the nfl…. the sport” not is he good for the business. Roger was elected by the owners, his interests are intrinsically in line with the owners. Theres very little players or the players union, or as smootsmack pointed out the fans can do, to remove him from power.

So again sure he may be fabulous for the business side of the NFL but in my opinion, humble and somehow immune and irrelevant to his power, think hes bad for the nfl…. the sport. I would also go as far to say that most players, formers players, coaches and fans also think his modifying of the game is also bad for the sport.

You do understand that Roger Goodell does not - - and cannot - - change any NFL game rules by himself. Not a single one...

Any and all chages to the rules come from a process that includes the Rules Committee (made up of owners, coaches and - - at least in the past - - former players too), followed by approvals of 3/4 of the owners and a concurrence by the NFLPA. There is probably some input here from game officials too regarding the ability to enforce any proposed rule change but I honestly do not know if that is a formal part of the process or just some kind of advisory note from the officials.

So, with regard to his "modifying the game" (your words) by changing the rules of the game to the detriment of the game - - - he didn't do it because he couldn't do it even if he wanted to.

As to how badly most of the players and former players hate him, the current players had their chance to show that about a month ago. They had to vote on the new CBA and in that CBA they would have to live with Roger Goodell as the arbiter of their behavior for the next ten years. Yet the current players voted OVERWHELMINGLY in favor of the CBA - - keeping this guy you assert they hate in charge of them. Or maybe you think that the players were too focused on the "business matters" to worry about how much they dislike the Commish in that vote... If that is the case, then maybe the emphasis that the owners and players have put on "business matters" might convince you as a fan that the "business matters" are pretty damned important...

As to how much the coaches hate him for meddling with the game, it is a highly prized and prestigious assignment for a coach to named to the Rules Committee - - where that coach gets to work with folks in the NFL Front Office including the Commish. I do not know of a single coach in the history of the Rules Committee who has begged off because the Commish was a hateful figure.

Roger Goodell is NOT the person to blame for changing any rule in the NFL just as he is NOT the person to blame for the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. If you want to blame him for taking a hard line on enforcing rules that have been on the books for a long time and exacting more stern punishments for such violations, you can do that if you want. But that is a far more narrow set of indictments than you have been handing out here.

[rbanerjee23]

I think sportscurmudgeon is Roger Goodell. Haha, just kidding -- I don't think I've seen such a dogged defense of any player, coach, owner etc. on this board.