Droolers are awesome. No one wants to be on the wrong end, but everyone, especially most traditional NFL fans, enjoys witnessing them as a part of the game.
We all agree on that, right?
Tom Brady agrees, as he made it clear on his Sirius XM podcast this week that he loves the physicality of football and actually complained that the sport is losing some of its violent nature.
“Football is a sport; there’s a physical element to all of it,” Brady said. “You’re throwing a 15-yard flag when, you know, there probably wouldn’t have been a flag 20 years ago. It affects the game in a big way.”
Tom Brady wants to play in NFL physical game
Brady, who often complains about referees not penalizing defenders who hit him in some way, went on to denounce the direction the NFL is going when it comes to violence.
“There’s a lot of people who want it to be less physical and more like flag football, and flag football is going to be in the Olympics in 2028,” Brady added. “Maybe football will be flag football for a while. football.”
Donovan McNabb agrees. McNabb said on the 5 Spot podcast on the OutKick channel, which has 1.5 million subscribers, that he doesn’t want to sound like an old retired player telling young people to get off his turf.
but…
“Brady made some comments and a lot of our students feel the same way because there have been some changes in the way we play,” McNabb said on the latest episode of 5 Spot. “I agree with Tom.
“But then they’ll also step back and say, ‘Tom, they made a rule with your name on it. But I didn’t get that call. The Brady rule is if you hit the quarterback below the knee, obviously that’s A penalty… right now, if you push, sneeze, fall on the quarterback, that’s a penalty.
“I’m a former quarterback, and listen, I get it. You’re trying to protect players. But from a defensive standpoint, some of these calls become outrageous and out of control…”
NFL wants to limit head use
And, look, I’m with those people. I love my droolers, remember?
I hope the NFL puts the brakes on designing the future of the sport as it relates to collisions, tackles and of course the violence of the game.
Unless some sensible restraint is exercised, we may indeed be reaching a point where fans start to look away, as the sport no longer resembles football in its heyday from 1980-2010. We don’t want defenders to be limited to aggressively yelling “You’re tackled!” and using that as a tackle.
But I also understand what the NFL is trying to accomplish.
I know why.
First, let’s look at the NFL, which once considered concussions and head injuries to be semi-fabricated and now wants to do whatever it takes to eliminate these injuries from the game.
“We continue to make reducing all head impacts one of our top priorities,” said Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer. “While our sport is a contact and collision sport, contact and collisions do not necessarily involve the head. That is what we are actively working to do.”
NFL will continue to limit certain tackles
It doesn’t stop there. The NFL is currently looking into so-called “hip drop tackles,” in which a defender chases the ball carrier, grabs him by the shoulders or waist, then drops his hips and uses his body weight to knock the ball carrier down.
Sometimes the tackler will turn sideways and land directly on the turf. Sometimes they spin and land on the ball carrier’s ankle or knee, which is a problem. Some say the hip drop is a cousin of the horse collar tackle.
Like its cousin, the hip drop will eventually be phased out.
“Based on our analysis, this technique results in about 25 more injuries compared to a typical tackle,” NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller said. “This is a ruthless act and we Need to try to define and get out of the game.”
So, yes, the NFL is looking at ways to reduce violence and pay more attention to collisions between men. This begs the question: “Why?”
Well, this is the NFL, it’s all about money in the end.
You may recall that the NFL was sued and settled with 20,573 claimants who claimed they suffered life-changing injuries from concussions while in the NFL. The settlement has cost the league $1.2 billion so far.
So, yes, the NFL wants to avoid any litigation replays as it applies to head, knee or any other injuries that a court may feel it is not responsible for addressing.
Second, the NFL likes big crowds in stadiums. and enjoys the large audiences for its broadcasts. What are they doing to fill the league’s coffers?
money.
The way the league captures attention and gets people to watch its games is by offering a lineup of star players: the best players. The brightest of lights.
That’s where I tell you about the Chicago Bears vs. Las Vegas Raiders game this week. This is a gathering of two traditional NFL teams.
NFL wants stars on roster
This originally most important matchup will be started by Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent. Aidan O’Connell or Brian Hoyer will either be the Raiders’ starting quarterback.
The reason was injuries to starting quarterbacks Justin Fields (thumb) and Jimmy Garoppolo (back). That’s not all. Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is out for the year with a shoulder injury. Gaints quarterback Daniel Jones missed several games. Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has rotator cuff issues and his status is officially in doubt.
Kyler Murray has yet to play for Arizona this season due to a knee injury. Bryce Young also missed the game with an ankle injury. It’s not just the quarterback, folks.
Players missing games is a nightmare for the NFL. A league that lives by the “next man up” mantra hates being the last man down. Why?
Fewer stars and frontline players will diminish the effectiveness of the game. What impact might this ultimately have? Bottom line.
Therefore, the NFL will continue to limit harm to its players as much as possible. Because it wants to protect players. And, it’s money.