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The Concussion Thread


GP1

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  • 1 month later...

You don't say?

You mean James Harrison's repeated concussions from using his head as a battering ram is going to come back and haunt him ??

Quote.. Unquote... "knocking people out of games" has been a long standing practice in the NFL.. The cat's out of the bag, and the style of play at all levels will have to be altered. I wonder though, how our version compares to Aussie Rules. Their style of play is more fluid, where a player can suddenly decide to kick a field goal or punt if he runs out of options, and there isn't a formal stoppage of action between plays where everything is reset. In that sense it's like Rugby, but I can't imagine Rugby players experience fewer concussions. Hell, soccer players get concussions from heading the ball.

Football will remain, but liability issues will change how it is played and governed. The broader issue is whether or not the fans will come to appreciate the nuances of a gentler game, or continue to watch football like their waiting for a crash at the Indy500.

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puskas.jpg

I believe this woman could design a much safer helmet if she were so inclined (anyone here know the relevant product she works on? ;) ). The hard shell of current helmets don't absorb any impact...it's all about the lining. We should go back to old-school soft helmets with a gel/polymer filling to reduce the head trauma/concussions.

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  • 3 weeks later...
puskas.jpg

I believe this woman could design a much safer helmet if she were so inclined (anyone here know the relevant product she works on? ;) ). The hard shell of current helmets don't absorb any impact...it's all about the lining. We should go back to old-school soft helmets with a gel/polymer filling to reduce the head trauma/concussions.

There have been studies. While the plastic may keep players from getting skull fractures,they appear to exacerbate concussive and neck and spinal injuries. The so called 'whiplash' injuries because the plastics do not absorb they transmit. And,players have more of a tendency to use their helmets as a battering ram. AND,some coaches apparently encourage it.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...
Junior Seau's brain had tested positive for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a neurodegenerative disease that can lead to dementia, memory loss and depression, per ESPN.

Which means he was likely on anti-psychotics that tend to have the side effect of suicide. I point this out because the depression likely made him a candidate for mental health help as opposed to neurological medicine.

I wish that science had been more advanced in the leather helmet error so we could find out if concussion numbers were lower with less pads.

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  • 1 month later...
You don't say?

You mean James Harrison's repeated concussions from using his head as a battering ram is going to come back and haunt him ??

Quote.. Unquote... "knocking people out of games" has been a long standing practice in the NFL.. The cat's out of the bag, and the style of play at all levels will have to be altered. I wonder though, how our version compares to Aussie Rules. Their style of play is more fluid, where a player can suddenly decide to kick a field goal or punt if he runs out of options, and there isn't a formal stoppage of action between plays where everything is reset. In that sense it's like Rugby, but I can't imagine Rugby players experience fewer concussions. Hell, soccer players get concussions from heading the ball.

Football will remain, but liability issues will change how it is played and governed. The broader issue is whether or not the fans will come to appreciate the nuances of a gentler game, or continue to watch football like their waiting for a crash at the Indy500.

Probably part of the reason he was released by the Stillers and he wasn't signed early as a free agent.

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Probably part of the reason he was released by the Stillers and he wasn't signed early as a free agent.
You realize he is 35 in May. His cap number (6.57 mill), combined with his lack of production and age got him cut.

I give JH credit for being the first to use military grade kevlar in his helmet last season.

Plus, he is a life changer (make sure you watch all the way through.) I didn't know this story until today.

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Again,part of the reason he was released and has not been signed may be due to the possible concussion issues. Didn't say anything more than it could be a part of the reason. Doubt that Harrison specifically was destined to change this guys life by stuffing him. Could have been any player who reflexively decided to jam the guy into the turf. Doubt that Harrison was motivated altruistcally. Fortunately,the idiot's neck wasn't broken when Harrison slammed him. Probably would have been looking at a little different scenario for Harrison and the idiot.

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  • 1 month later...

As for safer helmets, I'm not sure there's much more you can do. You have a large mass, moving quickly, then suddenly jarring to a halt. If you keep the helmet its current size, you've reached a practical limit on what you can do.

In the 90's there was some crackdown on the large facemasks, but they seem to be back. What Ray Lewis was wearing last season was absurd.

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  • 5 months later...
Anybody watch Frontline "League of Denial" last night?

Yes. It was almost as bad as the episode that was on at 8:00 talking about high school football: a player that dies of heat stroke, brain damage starting as early as high school for football players, high school coaches that will win at all costs and a mega church preacher in Arkansas who started his own football factory school and says they win because God wants them to win.

I'm not sure that if I had a child old enough to play football...8th grade is old enough, no need for pee wee...I would allow him to play the game. The evidence is becoming pretty clear that football is a game that is going to cause permanent brain damage, on some level, to an unacceptable number of participants starting as early as they years their brains are developing.

Want to solve the football problem in the US? Outlaw football for two years. People will be surprised at how free their weekends become and realize there are thousands of other things people can do other than watch football.

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[-quote name=GP1' date='Oct 9 2013, 07:00 AM' post='210698]

Want to solve the football problem in the US? Outlaw football for two years. People will be surprised at how free their weekends become and realize there are thousands of other things people can do other than watch football.

I did that from 1996-98...I prefer football as I have 35+ or so free weekends to do what I want....and on those wknds with football, I do what I want...and that's enjoy the greatest game on the planet

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A couple of days ago I heard part of a TV interview where it was stated that over the past few decades, scientists have calculated that due to football players becoming so much bigger, stronger and faster that the energy in player collisions has roughly doubled. Even with better physical conditioning, that's led to more frequent serious injuries, including cumulative brain damage.

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A couple of days ago I heard part of a TV interview where it was stated that over the past few decades, scientists have calculated that due to football players becoming so much bigger, stronger and faster that the energy in player collisions has roughly doubled. Even with better physical conditioning, that's led to more frequent serious injuries, including cumulative brain damage.

I agree with this Dave. Force = Mass x Acceleration. If the people are getting bigger and faster, the force must be greater. It's physics.

I would be a proponent of weight limits per position starting as early as high school. There is no need for someone to weigh 360 pounds.

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