Lack of Consistency with Helmet-to-Helmet Rules?

should be looked at. If the outside was padded, wouldn’t it be a safer alternative? I don’t pretend to know one way or another, but I would hope someone is looking into this. I totally agree that changing the rules again is probably NOT the answer.

…eliminating all rules regarding hits with the helmet, and offering optional, NFL-subsidized supplementary insurance for brain injuries?

Both are just now starting to take them seriously. Both have people in each group who call it wussification but they have to get over it. This rule needs to be amended to fall in line with the others.

The rules are changing and this is a painful growth period but I do think at some point things will even out. The refs make it their life work to improve their penalty calling by constantly watching film. Eventually it will be more fair.

A ball carrier is typically facing the defender and has the opportunity to avoid the head to head contact. That’s the difference. Pierre initiated this as much as Whitner did. If Thomas isn’t crouching, that’s likely a form tackle. If you don’t want to get hit in the head, don’t lead with your head. This isn’t rocket science.

so when they make contact they just slide right off the side…not joking, not messing with anyone…just an idea.

I still like Al Davis’s idea. Eliminate face masks.

I agree that the inconsistency of the rule is enough to drive fans and players batty.

The logic behind it really is that when a player is not actively advancing they have little control over their head position vis-a-vis the defender, but a runner can active choose to drop their head or not to, which makes a hige difference in the likelihood of a helmet—to-helmet collision. If Gore had been running and a Saints defender was bearing down on him, and he suddenly drops his head down to try to drive through, should a Saints defender get flagged for a helmet to helmet hit?

I do believe safety of the players needs to be addressed and improved, but I also wonder to what extent this can be pushed? Some sports really just have inherent risks. Players get paid very well to take those risks and it’s a choice to play in those sports.

Look at boxing, for instance.

Consider the risks miners take doing their jobs and how little they make in comparison.

So, I do like to see improvements in player safety, but I question the extent to which it can be done without fundamentally damaging the integity of the game itself…

They could always replace grass and turf with molasses. Then players wouldn’t have the opportunity to build up enough speed for these collisions to become serious.

Am I the only person who thought Pierre was a defenseless receiver?

I just don’t understand how anyone could sit here and b**** about this type of thing knowing that concussions can kill. We aren’t talking about breaking an arm, we are talking about brain damage and death to real men with lives outside of football and families.

There is no way to heal a concussion. The brain damage is irreversible. This is something to be taken seriously and if you are more worried about not having the chance to see guys hit each other head on then I will pray for you (and I’m not even that religious).

They could also enforce mandatory retirement after so many diagnosed concussions within a designated time frame. Take the decision away from the players. There’s still work to be had in the outside world. It’s not like they absolutely, positively need to continue playing football.

Doesn’t Aaron Rodgers wear some kind of a special helmet, which he states is much safer?
Why not make that the standard helmet? (Though it looks a little weird)

I just don’t want to see where you can’t make a big hit anymore. Even now defenseless receiver rules are a little too much. Not the rule, but how the refs call them. There should be some sort of instant replay refs could use to figure out whether there was an illegal hit or not because I see so many times where there shouldn’t have been a flag.

I do think padding or something type of alteration to the helmet would be the best solution. Not all concussions occur on helmet to helmet hits. Graham could have just as easily gotten one falling backwards, with his head hitting the turf. Turns out it was just a hip pointer, but still. No amount of preaching, lack of face protection, etc., is going to prevent stuff like that. We’ve also had both Porter and Roby strapped to a gurney over the last few seasons. I don’t think either one of those were the result of a helmet to helmet hit. In a game this violent, you can only prevent so much. That’s one of the main reasons I hope they never decide to extend college past 14 games with a playoff tree. Most of those kids will never see dime one for all of their on-field efforts, yet you’re going to subject them to even more risk for the sake of entertainment? Eff that. Pretend the bowl games are playoff games. The match ups are just as intriguing and there’s less chance of some random 20 year old ruining his entire life on one freak play.

Take away their helmets.

I been pissed off since that hit happened. I been tweeting, snorting, cussing, stomping, throwing s#!&, facebooking and just been in a pissed off mood saying the refs did us on that one. My homeboy even tried to tell me the same thing, but he ain’t a Saints fan so what he said fell of deaf ears. Guess i’ll stop constructing this letter to the commissioner now since it WAS a legal hit. I ain’t no whiner. Gear it up, draft some D, grab a free agent stud and pick up a good second string QB and let’s get to the SuperBowl in ‘13! WHO DAT!!!!
oohhh but I’m still pissed right now…….I’ll be ok, I’ll be ok, thanks for asking…..

So, if the runner lowers his head and they clash like in the picture above who gets the penalty?

Do we want refs to make the judgement call on who lowered their head first?

Is the D always at fault so the O is invincible? Just lower your head and run forward, if anybody gets in the way it will be a penalty on them.

I don’t know how you regulate this, I’m not saying you shouldn’t regulate it I am just not sure how it would be done.

is the NFL going to do anything to clean up the mess that has been call “officiating” this entire season?

Really!?!

because we have since this started. These rules weren’t put in for player safety, they were put in to protect star players, hence they only apply to QB and WR. If it was about player safety it would apply to all players seeing that Linemen on both sides of the ball take the majority of the h2h hits and no one cares about them. Mike Webster and Terry Bradshaw were about the same age when they played, Terry Bradshaw is able to do Fox’s pre and post-game shows where Mike Webster is dead from all the brain truama he suffered from playing the game he loved. We have also asked the question what if a offensive player did this sort a thing to a defender and we found out when Duane Brown gave James Harrison a 4 week “vacation” which was immedatly met with calls of karma by fans ignoring the fact that Duane Brown headbutted Harrison and broke his orbital bone. These rules weren’t designed for player safety they were for Roger Goodell’s bottom line safety because we can’t have Tom Brady or Larry Fitzgerald missing a year but a lowly RB or OL can because no one cares about them.

I think the grey area on these calls are getting to large…. after the game I used Google to look up … NFL rule for helmet to helmet contact and got this:

Link: http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/penaltysummaries
A tackler using his helmet to butt, spear, or ram an opponent.
Any player who uses the top of his helmet unnecessarily.

I know it a cliff note version of the rule … so to go further I dug a little deeper and found the rule … It states this:

using any part of a players helmet (including the top/crown and forehead/hairline parts) or facemask to butt, spear, or ram an opponent violently or unnecessarily; although such violent or unnecessary use of the helmet is impermissible against any opponent, game officials will give special attention in administering this rule to protect those players who are in virtually defenseless postures.

so I still do not agree it was a legal hit … Pierre Thomas action of lowering his head is not to ram the tackle as much as it is to protect the ball, to get small and hope the tackle glances off … the tacklers has the option of turning his head to the side and using his shoulder to deliver a remember me hit and has the same big hit without endangering the other player … the still does not do justice to it … the clip shows Donte Whitner is looking at him as he come to make the tackle and lowers his head to spear or ram Pierre Thomas which is impermissible against any opponent as stated above … so we will have to disagree about the legality of the hit …

I feel that the loss of Pierre Thomas made it much easier for the 49ers to read run/pass and adds to the snaps the other RB see … I feel that the 49ers came into the game much like we did in 09 and wanted to get as many remember me hits on the saints as they could … much like people were screaming about the refs non-calls then … many saints are now … such is football … but I do think that any player that is using their helmet to do remember me hit needs to be flag … I had no problem with the Jimmy Graham hit a player head coming into contact with the field or arm of a defender is within the realm of the game … big hits can still be made with the shoulder to the chest or body, the use of one’s head needs to be outlawed … just my 2 cents