Stance on Goodell

[JW7]

Hey, if we can get those videos to our secondary I'm all for it!

Goodell has his and the NFL's best interests in mind. The safety rules are to ensure the star players stay on the field, and that's it.

I disagree. Steve Young is the only player that comes to mind when thinking about hard hits ending a career. I guess Aikman as well. Goodell only cares about what is going to make the NFL the most money. Hard hits are going to happen regardless of what infractions Goodell hands down. It's the nature of the game. Helmet to helmet hits will always happen. The only way to ensure a safer game is to put flags around the players waists and change the game to 7 on 7 drills. Players are too fast and play too hard to avoid vicious hits. His ploy to try and make the game "safer" is only to cover up his real motives of adding two more games thus increasing revenue.

[theMileHighGuy]

Big hits were a big part of what made football great, and think about pump up videos. Soon they are going to have highlights of guys doing form tackles.

Hey, if we can get those videos to our secondary I'm all for it!

Goodell has his and the NFL's best interests in mind. The safety rules are to ensure the star players stay on the field, and that's it.

[uncoalum]

I am not a fan of Goodell. I don't think he is doing what is best for the game. I think he just power hungry and that is all he cares about. But I also do not like David Stern or Bud Selig. I think both of them have also ruined their respective games and are nothing but power-hungry egos.

I think it is time for all major sports to make a change at commissioner.

[LSIGRAD09]

I like Mr. Goodell.

Sure, football isn't necessarily as hard core and brutal as it used to be, but if you look at some of the guys nowadays, they are messed up.

I accept the argument that guys today are bigger, faster, and stronger, that has to be accounted for, otherwise, guys would get killed.

There are still plenty of big hits to be had.
(Some rules are extravagant...such as nearly brushing a top QB's knee...)

Game is not broken right now, Goodell is doing fine, imho.

[BroncoooJohnson]

So easy to fix the issue.

Adopt the Rugby tackling rule.

In rugby it is ILLEGAL to not attempt to wrap an opponent when making a tackle. No shoulder charges (if its bad enough it will get you kicked out of the game) are allowed either is just slamming into a player.

Or take face masks away from the players. You want to make someone tackle the right way....make sure they dont have their face protected. That will eliminate smashing headlong into another human being.

The problem is the "safety" you feel when your head is encased in plastic.

Not a good rule, IMO. If you want to shoulder bump (really damn hard) your opponent, you should be able to if there is no head contact.

Joe Pa suggested the face mask rule, but that does nothing to prevent concussions when somebody DOES get hit in the face, by a shoulder pad, knee, or anything else, it just enforces a rule. But you already stated this, so no argument here.

[RockyMtnConvert]

Many people (fans) believe that Roger Goodell is ruining the game, by fining and suspending players for illegal hits. The cliche statement, as it goes, is "IT'S FOOTBALL!"

I'll be the first to say that I was on this bandwagon a year or two ago, but recently, I started thinking to myself: Is Goodell not doing what's RIGHT for the game? There have been numerous lawsuits against the NFL by former players whom suffered multiple concussions and weren't given proper treatment, leaving them with permanent damage.

How would you feel if your Grandchild's name slipped your mind and you couldn't remember momentarily? How would you feel if you got migranes in the middle of the night because you were okay'ed by the medical staff to go back in the game?

Goodell is taking care of these players, and I think it's time for the fans to appreciate that.

There is now research and scientific evidence to suggest blows to head cause irrepreable harm to the brain... with that evidence in hand, Goodell would be almost negligent to do nothing to try and mitigate the head hits and putting players back in the game before they are medical able to do so.

It is still a brutal sport, a shoulder to the chest, for me, it just as good a viscious hit with the crown of the helmet...

[Oilersfan34]

So easy to fix the issue.

Adopt the Rugby tackling rule.

In rugby it is ILLEGAL to not attempt to wrap an opponent when making a tackle. No shoulder charges (if its bad enough it will get you kicked out of the game) are allowed either is just slamming into a player.

Or take face masks away from the players. You want to make someone tackle the right way....make sure they dont have their face protected. That will eliminate smashing headlong into another human being.

The problem is the "safety" you feel when your head is encased in plastic.

[Bronco_Armada]

Goodell is hurting the nature of the game.

Goodell is doing what he has to do to protect his position, owners, players and the league.

Once upon a time college football was almost banned because it was too dangerous.

If comes the time where you start to see a lot of retired player with brain damage to any degree more than likely you will start to see a government intervention to protect the safety of the players or ban it all together. More or less this whole issue of excessive safety is a preemptive strike.

His decisions are to prevent public backlash, high paid, high profile players who make teams and the league money and lawsuits. It's a catch 22.

http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/kidscorner/football.htm

http://www.leatherhelmetillus.com/forward_pass.html

http://symonsez.wordpress.com/2010/10/10/when-a-president-threatened-to-abolish-football-in-the-united-states/

[broncolee]

he just isnt a very good commissioner. all h cares about is the financial side of the nfl.

The safety of players affects the financial side of the NFL.

He has a responsibility to reduce the liability of the NFL.

He could probably tweak things to address this issue better but he has to reduce the NFL's exposure to lawsuits.

It's bad enough that former players are already suing. He has to prevent future lawsuits from happening.

The NFL is so big that only the NFL can take down the NFL and one way for that to happen is suffer bad PR over a long time regarding the safety of the game.

If they don't improve the safety of the game, mothers will eventually refuse to let their sons play the game.

[Syvari]

he just isnt a very good commissioner. all h cares about is the financial side of the nfl.

[broncolee]

I just find it ridiculous that the man advocating safety first is also pushing for two extra games. Also, I hated the fact that people thought he was heroic during the lockout making his salary $1. He is a multimillionaire who knew he had to make a deal and that it would get done. It was just a publicity stunt to try and make him not look like one of the greedy players. He just seems like a very insincere person to me.

Didn't Demaurice Smith fore go his salary as well? Isn't he just as insincere?

Goodell is just trying to do what he thinks will keep the NFL at the top of the food chain.

An 18 game schedule is only going to happen if the owners want it. It's his job to find out if it's feasible.

The NFL has become more profitable since Goodell took over as commissioner so he must be doing something right.

The safety kick is about reducing liability and that's not a bad thing. That's good business.

[JW7]

What? They are playing the damned games anyway, except that the "starters" are given the game off on the last one and play a quarter of the third pre-season game. These guys are making boatloads of cash, and I agree with the two more games that mean something instead of taking the day off.
Years ago players came into camp unfit and sloppy. They used that time to tighten up and get in shape. These days that mentality is unforgiveable considering the remuneration and the investment that the league and teams are putting into these players. Either you are a professional and behave like one (Tebow) or you are not (Haynesworth among others).
You think Tebow will need a few more games to get in shape?
As long as everybody is playing by the same rules, there is no unfair advantage. If you're installing new systems, then you are at a disadvantage, yes. Oh well. That's life.
Let's be honest here; pre-season games are boring as all get out and there is no benefit for the results. We're talking about adults and professionals, not college kids that are wet behind the ears.

Terrell Davis was on the bubble of getting cut before he made a huge special teams play in a preseason game. Preseason is needed to evaluate players. They may be boring but they serve a purpose.

I just find it ridiculous that the man advocating safety first is also pushing for two extra games. Also, I hated the fact that people thought he was heroic during the lockout making his salary $1. He is a multimillionaire who knew he had to make a deal and that it would get done. It was just a publicity stunt to try and make him not look like one of the greedy players. He just seems like a very insincere person to me.

[Holger_Danske]

Awful commissioner. Mainly because he is dishonest. He claims to "care" about the players safety yet lobbies for two extra regular season games. His motives are clear. He is thinking like a business man not some compassionate person who cares about the health of the players.

He has recently been quoted saying that he hears the fans cries for two extra reg season games. I know a lot of fans who love the way it is set up now. Preseason is needed for young, unproven players. Goodell is a snake who is only looking to expand profits. I don't buy for a minute that he cares about making the game safer.

What? They are playing the damned games anyway, except that the "starters" are given the game off on the last one and play a quarter of the third pre-season game. These guys are making boatloads of cash, and I agree with the two more games that mean something instead of taking the day off.
Years ago players came into camp unfit and sloppy. They used that time to tighten up and get in shape. These days that mentality is unforgiveable considering the remuneration and the investment that the league and teams are putting into these players. Either you are a professional and behave like one (Tebow) or you are not (Haynesworth among others).
You think Tebow will need a few more games to get in shape?
As long as everybody is playing by the same rules, there is no unfair advantage. If you're installing new systems, then you are at a disadvantage, yes. Oh well. That's life.
Let's be honest here; pre-season games are boring as all get out and there is no benefit for the results. We're talking about adults and professionals, not college kids that are wet behind the ears.

[BigDaddyBronco]

For those Grantland readers... This is another good article...you start see the risks that the NFL have been seeing for quite some time and now forced to deal with it...

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7443714/jonah-lehrer-concussions-adolescents-future-football

[BigDaddyBronco]

Nope, it's not about safety

They aren't in business to protect the players... but protecting the players has become good for business.

Not for the reasons you think. It's because of all the lawsuits. We are at over 21 combined cases and including some 125 to 300 players with estimates in the billions... Goodell is doing his job in protecting the business of football.

http://articles.philly.com/2012-02-12/sports/31052356_1_concussions-mike-schad-brain-trauma

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ycn-10344613

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7505620/nfl-questions-validity-concussion-lawsuits

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/14/playerinjury-com-nfl-concussion_n_1276586.html