Report: Junior Seau Dead

[Rojo]

Originally Posted by Redsfaithful

I don't think football is about beauty or grace, it's about violence and power.

Sure it is. So's rugby. But rugby looks like a "purer" sport. Maybe the equipment introduced into American football has spoiled the game.

I think the NFL plays on both sides. They want to prevent injuries while trying preserve some of the spectacular violence. I can't think of anything more violent, outside of NASCAR car wreck, than a quartback sack. The NFL has come up with these parsy rules about it. But if they want truly to prevent them, they could add another player on offense, or something.

[cincrazy]

Originally Posted by Todd Gack

Thanks for your opinion. But I think it's rather embarrassing people are defending suicide.

Who is defending it?

[Rojo]

Originally Posted by cincrazy

Who is defending it?

Nobody. But you see there's this thing call "black" and this thing called "white".

[MWM]

Talk about embarrassing, this thread is an embarrassment to Redszone. These are the times I wish those in charge here were more willing to cull the herd.

[Yachtzee]

Originally Posted by Rojo

Sure it is. So's rugby. But rugby looks like a "purer" sport. Maybe the equipment introduced into American football has spoiled the game.

I think the NFL plays on both sides. They want to prevent injuries while trying preserve some of the spectacular violence. I can't think of anything more violent, outside of NASCAR car wreck, than a quartback sack. The NFL has come up with these parsy rules about it. But if they want truly to prevent them, they could add another player on offense, or something.

I recall reading somewhere a few months ago a column on concussions and head injuries in the NFL which raised the question as to whether the NFL should move to a soft helmet, like those worn by rugby players or Peter Cech, the goalkeeper for Chelsea. I think the reasoning is that the softer material actually works two-fold, 1) by transferring less force from the helmet-to-helmet impact to the skull and brain, and 2) by removing the false sense of security players have with hard helmets. Players with hard helmets often lower their heads when going in for the big hit, thinking they're protected from the impact. The soft helmet would encourage players to keep their heads up when tackling, and wrap the ball carrier up for the tackle as opposed to launching themselves at other players.

[Sea Ray]

Originally Posted by RichRed

Of course, it's naive and simplistic to say Seau was a great guy all the time, but I don't think committing suicide for reasons we don't understand (yet) should automatically cancel out the good he did while living.

I wouldn't word it that way. I'd say suicide should be taken into consideration when evaluating whether someone is a stellar human being. I won't go so far as to say it makes him a creep but it does lessen him as a person in my mind as does the stories of him assaulting women.

The woman had told authorities that Seau assaulted her during an argument.

http://arizonasports.com/75/1536068/...alifornia-home

[Todd Gack]

Originally Posted by cincrazy

Who is defending it?

Well, I certainly have people on my back for saying he's selfish. I would certainly call that defending his actions.

[Todd Gack]

Originally Posted by Rojo

Nobody. But you see there's this thing call "black" and this thing called "white".

You forgot "Red" too.

[VR]

Originally Posted by MWM

Talk about embarrassing, this thread is an embarrassment to Redszone. These are the times I wish those in charge here were more willing to cull the herd.

+1.

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by Yachtzee

I recall reading somewhere a few months ago a column on concussions and head injuries in the NFL which raised the question as to whether the NFL should move to a soft helmet, like those worn by rugby players or Peter Cech, the goalkeeper for Chelsea. I think the reasoning is that the softer material actually works two-fold, 1) by transferring less force from the helmet-to-helmet impact to the skull and brain, and 2) by removing the false sense of security players have with hard helmets. Players with hard helmets often lower their heads when going in for the big hit, thinking they're protected from the impact. The soft helmet would encourage players to keep their heads up when tackling, and wrap the ball carrier up for the tackle as opposed to launching themselves at other players.

I think if they do that, they either have to eliminate shoulder pads or design them somewhat differently so you don't have some 250 lb. linebacker leveling a ballcarrier who has a soft helmet or none at all. You think there are concussions now? If a ballcarrier - usually a QB - hits his head against the ground while being tackled, he's going to get his bell rung if he's wearing a soft helmet or none at all.

The NFL is a quarterback league. They are the big stars. More and more over the past decade the NFL has moved to protect the QB better. There are fans and others who complain about this. However, the NFL knows where their bread is buttered. The fewer star QBs there are, the worse it is for the NFL. Maybe they should go overboard to protect QBs. But let's say you eliminate he;mets or go to the soft ones except for the QBs. Let them wear the current type of helmets with one caveat: The QB cannot run beyond the line of scrimmage. That evens things up somehow for the defense and protects the QB from some of those hits.

[IslandRed]

Originally Posted by Yachtzee

I recall reading somewhere a few months ago a column on concussions and head injuries in the NFL which raised the question as to whether the NFL should move to a soft helmet, like those worn by rugby players or Peter Cech, the goalkeeper for Chelsea. I think the reasoning is that the softer material actually works two-fold, 1) by transferring less force from the helmet-to-helmet impact to the skull and brain, and 2) by removing the false sense of security players have with hard helmets. Players with hard helmets often lower their heads when going in for the big hit, thinking they're protected from the impact. The soft helmet would encourage players to keep their heads up when tackling, and wrap the ball carrier up for the tackle as opposed to launching themselves at other players.

It sounds good if the goal is to reduce concussions. But that might fall into the "those who forget history" bin -- the reason today's helmets exist is because scores of kids were dying every year from skull fractures playing football.

In all honesty, I'm not sure there's a good answer here. Just a question of figuring out which risks are least bad.

[paintmered]

Originally Posted by Yachtzee

I recall reading somewhere a few months ago a column on concussions and head injuries in the NFL which raised the question as to whether the NFL should move to a soft helmet, like those worn by rugby players or Peter Cech, the goalkeeper for Chelsea. I think the reasoning is that the softer material actually works two-fold, 1) by transferring less force from the helmet-to-helmet impact to the skull and brain, and 2) by removing the false sense of security players have with hard helmets. Players with hard helmets often lower their heads when going in for the big hit, thinking they're protected from the impact. The soft helmet would encourage players to keep their heads up when tackling, and wrap the ball carrier up for the tackle as opposed to launching themselves at other players.

In the case of Petr Cech, he suffered a depressed skull fracture. His wiki article makes no mention of if there was an associated concussion (he undoubtedly suffered brain trauma). I also don't know if FIFA allows for any hard objects on players like a hard-shelled helmet.

That said, I think it's hard to ignore the evidence that modern football equipment has allowed players to be more risky and hasn't made the game any safer. I expect the Seau autopsy to show there to be substantial brain damage. He was in the trenches far more than Chris Henry and had a much longer career.

[Revering4Blue]

Originally Posted by Chip R

I think if they do that, they either have to eliminate shoulder pads or design them somewhat differently so you don't have some 250 lb. linebacker leveling a ballcarrier who has a soft helmet or none at all. You think there are concussions now? If a ballcarrier - usually a QB - hits his head against the ground while being tackled, he's going to get his bell rung if he's wearing a soft helmet or none at all.

The NFL is a quarterback league. They are the big stars. More and more over the past decade the NFL has moved to protect the QB better. There are fans and others who complain about this. However, the NFL knows where their bread is buttered. The fewer star QBs there are, the worse it is for the NFL. Maybe they should go overboard to protect QBs. But let's say you eliminate he;mets or go to the soft ones except for the QBs. Let them wear the current type of helmets with one caveat: The QB cannot run beyond the line of scrimmage. That evens things up somehow for the defense and protects the QB from some of those hits.

If that happens, I'm done with the NFL and I'll stick with College Football.

QBs reduced to robotic dropback passers = sheer boredom to me.

[Redsfaithful]

Originally Posted by Revering4Blue

If that happens, I'm done with the NFL and I'll stick with College Football.

QBs reduced to robotic dropback passers = sheer boredom to me.

Any changes the NFL decides to make will trickle down all the way to high school. And eventually there are going to be rule changes. Once they lose a couple of huge lawsuits they're going to have trouble getting insurance, and at that point it's hard to see how they continue with the status quo.

[WMR]

I'm guessing when the study of his brain is completed, it will be revealed that he was living with significant brain damage from possibly hundreds of concussions over several decades of using his body like a missile. If this comes to pass, will those who have condemned him apologize or feel a little bit bad for saying what they said about him?