Concussions

An interesting article from the New York Times here. The debate is how to make football safer, the ensuing discussion is worth reading as well. The interesting point about the discussion is two fold. First that mostly the comments all say the same thing: blah blah softer pads, blah blah, more like rugby, blah blah lots more penalties. Two that some people obviously aren't watching the same football. A concussion can happen in a myriad of ways but one of the big ways is the unexpected hit. Of course leading with the helmet is more dangerous than the shoulder but many many concussions happen when a player (ball carrier, tackler, blocker, etc) doesn't see the hit coming. The best idea by far is the wrapping idea. This ties back into rugby, in rugby the tackler must wrap up the ball carrier and bring them to ground, no shoulder charges, no shoves, no tripping. Its not a safe game though folks, its a dangerous fast paced hard hitting contact sport.

Last thought. A "hit-count" for young players up through high school is a great idea.