Painful Lessons

I was hoping to have this posted about a week ago but life caught up with me and it's a little later than I had hoped.

Early last week the National Football League decided to fine and suspend players for what accounts to too hard of a hit. There were already rules in place for hits to the head and hitting defenseless players, but they were only penalties on the field. Now the team will be penalized and the player will be penalized as well. I was anxious to see how the games would turn out this past weekend and no problems with the new rules have been publicized. Maybe this got it through the players' head that safety is key to their well-being.

At first it may sound like the NFL is trying to keep the offensive players safe and penalizing the defensive players who are paid to make the huge hit. In reality it's not protecting just the offensive player but also the defensive player. Using incorrect tackling form could hurt the defender more than the ball carrier. You are taught at a young age to see what you are tackling, this is done by keeping your head up. I also remember being told to put your head between the body and the arm so that your head doesn't make contact with anything.

I realize that players are ultimately responsible for their play on the field. However, coaches should share in some of the blame for the unnecessary hard hits that have been instilled in the game over the last few years. I realize that these guys are professionals and they shouldn't need to be taught the basics but when they think their body is a missile maybe some revisiting of fundamentals is in order. Maybe the coaches should also be penalized, outside of a game, if their team has repeat offenses of hard tackling. If they can't get their players to understand the safety they should be punished too. In the end the coaches are responsible for the players and what the team does. It's a team game and that should not be forgotten.

Another aspect to the issue with big hits are the highlight films. You will never, ever see the replay of a text-book tackle more than once (and that's only because it's rare enough that the announcers break it down). However you will see a big hit over and over, not just during the game but on the highlight shows later in the day and it will pop-up all over the place in the weeks and months down the road. Can the media be punished? In reality they can't, but it would help if they stopped showing the replays over and over.

There will still be big hits in the NFL for as long as they allow tackling. The players need to realize there is a safe way to deliver the big hits, and they will be just as effective as before. The only difference is they won't be risking their health and the health of their opponent. It may be nice to be able to walk to your car in 2010 but in 2030 you may not be able to.