NFL Chatter

Just in case you have not been overloaded with social media ....

Via Twitters Facebook page...

It’s time for the @NFL playoffs, and they are sure to generate more Twitter conversation than ever before. And, this year, the teams and players, themselves will have lots to say. All 12 playoff teams and a full one-third (200+) of the players in the playoffs have Twitter accounts.

To help you keep up with these teams and players, we created a list of Twitter accounts relevant to the playoffs. You can follow @drewbrees and the @Official_Saints as they try to repeat as World Champions or @MikeVick of the @eagles as he continues his comeback. The list also includes folks like @JimIrsay, owner of the @NFLColts, and @PeteCarroll, coach of the @Seahawks.

You also can receive Tweets via SMS on your phone even if you don’t have a Twitter account or a smartphone. Just text “follow [username]” - for example “follow Packers” - to 40404 in the US.

For a rolled up version of NFL Playoff tweets click here.

But just don't expect to see any activity within 90 minutes of game time. . .

What a stupid rule...

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Things I don't or didn't know

What is and is not a touchdown catch anymore . . .

Or why certain plays are or are not reviewed . . .

Or why you would celebrate before being tackled?

Why Cutler decided to make DeAngelo Hall his #1 receiver

Why McFadden waited until I vowed never to draft him again to prove how good he really is . . .

Oh yeah, he gets injured too much and (it's only one game)...

How old man Collins can be a stud QB

Oh yeah, bar brawler Britt showed why he should never be kept on the bench

Why going down on a knee is a celebration penalty but going down on two is not excessive . . .

















Oh yeah, he's looking up thanking God he managed to run 92 yards !

Why a team averaging 5+ yards a carry would abandon the run or even think that passing it could be better

Why anybody EVER thought that not trading for Cutler was a missed opportunity for the Redskins

That Andy Reid once made the brilliant coaching decision to bench Donovan then brought him back the next week? Yup - he was making bone headed plays

Hmmm Shanny is a pretty smart coach who demands excellence. I wonder if he will do the same?

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Cheap Shots

OK, not exactly what you may have been thinking but hey, at least the colts kicker was an honest drunk.

Cop: "How much have you had to drink?"

McAfee: "A Lot, I'm drunk !"


But now on to the real meat and potatoes of this post.

I originally was going to post something about how the NFL Helmet has evolved from your basic cover to padded protection to a secure battering ram and how the old school style of helmet, similar to hockey may actually deter players from launching into another player.

But that was already covered fairly well here By Ditka and Paterno.

You can see by the picture(s) below how the helmet has evolved over the decades. If one were to decrease the protected area of the face, that probably would discourage players from launching their heads into other players.

I kind of actually like this idea and think it might work.























Then I got into thinking about how all this hype about the new rule changes is really nothing more than a PR smoke screen.

Let me try to explain my point by taking a moment to mention an analogy. A few years ago there were several instances of over the counter medications being tampered with and tainted with dangerous substances. One of the most notable instances was with Tylenol.

The risk was somebody tainting or altering the Tylenol capsules before they were bought by the general public. Of course this was extremely dangerous and a huge risk to the population.

So what was one of the biggest most noticeable and lasting changes to this and other over the counter medications. Tamper seals and warning labels.

Do these warnings stop somebody from endangering the public?
No.

Do the tamper seals ensure the safety of the product?
NO.

But the perception is that they do. And PR wise. Perception is 9 tenths of the law.

And it is a very cost effective strategy because it hardly costs the company anything at all to implement.

Now in regards to the NFL.

Does the 3 strike rule stop players from taking controlled substances?
No.

Do fines stop players from behaving badly or repeating illegal plays?
No.

Are suspensions going to stop helmet to helmet hits?
No.

But this gives the NFL commissioner the smoke screen of caring and doing something to protect the players.

And it does not cost him any money to do this.

I do have an issue with how this was done and the timing and the lack of specifics.

How are you going to determine if the helmet to helmet hit was accidental or not?
Are you going to suspend players the first time and every time and for how long?

A buddy of mine at work had an interesting idea. Perhaps if you suspended a player for as long as the "victim" was kept out? But I can just imagine all the conspiracy theories and warping of the rule by teams, doctors and coaches.

Another one was that we all should have a voting system where the fans get to vote on rulings, plays, and penalties. Again, another bad idea. But this does lead me to my next point.

That the game is changing. It is not the same game it used to be. There is a fear that the game is getting too watered down. That pretty soon we will be watching professional flag football.

Professional football players know the risks involved with their sport. In fact, they prepare themselves for these sort of plays all the time. Lavar talked about this in his article in the Washington Post how he had all the canned answers memorized so he could get back into the game. Answers like "why are you asking me the time? Do I look like I'm wearing a watch?"

My point is that most of the players know how to play the game and know the risks involved. Most fans know how the game should be played and the rules of fair play.

This smoke screen of perception is fine but it does not solve anything. Education will.

Sure injuries will still happen and rules are there to make sure everyone is able to play the game the way it should be played. In Junior football the topic of concussions is just as relevant and in the news as it is everywhere else. We enforce proper tackle techniques every practice and game. To my knowledge, we have not had one instance of concussion suffered by a player in our league.

What we have had is a ton of broken arms and wrists, but not concussions. In fact, we are thinking of putting in a weight regulation into our league because of the increase of broken arms and such. Our county is the only one in our area that does not have this rule and as a result, we have a fair number of players from outside our county playing in our league. But back to my point, no concussions.

I think we should let the players play football the way it should be played. And that we should make sure that fair play rules are taught. Rules like not leading with your head or launching yourself as a missile at another player. And, like the old school coaches said earlier. Reinstate the old style helmets with no face masks.

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Play Ground Rules

The Preschool Play Ground Rules Are:

"No hitting, no piling on, no throwing mulch, no head butting, no shooting others with fingers"

- To this William responded, "how are we going to play good guy bad guy?"


As always,

Be good, Do Well, Have Fun

And play good guy bad guy.

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Field Goals are for Losers

So, in other words, if you are going to be a winner, or a champion, march down the field and score a F'n TOUCHDOWN.

After all, who has ever heard a cheer for Field Goals?

Rah! Rah!
Here we go!
Lets score a Field Goal!!

Or Coin tosses?

Hey Hey!
We don't want a loss!
Lets win that coin toss!!

Yes, the overtime rule(s) needed to be changed. But, I think they only got it half right.

Of course this topic has generated lots of commentary and hair brain ideas.

Here are a couple that I thought worthy of mention...

As a non-football follower at work said...

If TD's are so important, why not just get rid of Field Goals entirely? After all, what other sport has two different goals for scoring two different systems.

No thank you, but it was interesting to hear...

Conversely, if Field Goals are what makes Football so special, why don't we have a shootout like in hockey? Each team just lines up on the 25 or 30 yard line and first team to miss, loses. (Hockey/Soccer fan)

Again, no.

Me, I take a much more simplistic point of view.

Each team gets at least one offensive series. If both score equal points first time, then first team to score after the first series... wins.

OK, so what happens if the receiving team returns the kick off for a TD?
The other team now gets to kick off and give the other team a chance to return the kick. Though, I could be easily convinced that the game is over because one team screwed up on coverage.

Technical note: The receiving team is the offense and the kicking team is the defense. So another kickoff would satisfy the one offensive series rule.

OK, so what happens if the first defensive unit scores a TD on a fumble recovery or interception? I'm still not 100% sure what the new rule says but I think the game should be over because the first offensive unit screwed up and the team that would be now kicking off would give the screw ups a second offensive series to their 0 offensive series.

And, of course, (here is the half right part) if it is good enough for the playoffs and championship, then it is good enough for the regular season.

Technical note #2: What about the risk of injury due to extra football playing time?

(insert crybaby sound here)

If anybody really was concerned about protecting the players from "extra" football playing time, then do away with the preseason. After all, the players get paid millions of dollars to play and win.

But that is not going to happen because the NFL and Owners make so much money off of these worthless games.

Oh well, at least it is a start. But they need to do more.

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All Quiet Please

Apparently when tournament officials raise their hands for silence, they don't mean just the spectators....

Tiger to be fined for criticism of official

CHASKA, Minn. -- Tiger Woods will be fined by the PGA Tour for his public criticism of a rules official after winning the Bridgestone Invitational, a tour official said Monday.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the tour does not publicize fines.

Woods was bothered after his four-shot victory Sunday because he and Padraig Harrington were put on the clock at the par-5 16th. He said that caused Harrington to rush three difficult shots, leading to triple bogey.

European Tour chief referee John Paramor told Woods and Harrington they were being timed.

Woods said he told Harrington after it was over, "I'm sorry that John got in the way of a great battle."

Paramor said the final pairing was well behind most of the back nine, but officials gave them time to catch up. They were still 17 minutes out of position on the 16th tee, when they were put on the clock.

Woods hooked his tee shot, punched out to 178 yards and hit an 8-iron that stopped a foot from the hole for birdie. From the right trees, Harrington hit a 5-iron to the edge of a bunker, went over the green, then hit a flop shot too hard and into the water. The four-shot swing took the drama from one of the most compelling final rounds of the year.

"I don't think that Paddy would have hit the pitch shot that way if he was able to take his time, look at it, analyze it," Woods said. "But he was on the clock, had to get up there quickly and hit it."

Harrington conceded he was rushed, although he said it would be unfair to give the final group preferential treatment.

Section VI-D in the PGA Tour's player handbook says, "It is an obligation of membership to refrain from comments to the news media that unreasonably attack or disparage tournaments, sponsors, fellow members, players or PGA Tour."

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