I would love to go against the grain like last week’s successful AGT bet, but, this is THE CHIEFS. They might run the ball 40 times against that anemic Bengals defensive front. Pacheco might Pachinko all over the field. Plus, it’s a 4:30 start time. I feel like The Men hardly ever win any of those and I won’t check that stat so as not to ruin my newly found mobster mojo. So, it’s the ol’ double against the grain this weekend which means my money doesn’t care who wins. I’m taking the under or, as Christmas Story fans know, The Triple Dog Dare Bet. The safe bet for that home team offense and run defense we all saw last week. The number is 48.
Doc you can’t prevent concussions. I was auto racing in 1998. I hit the wall hard. My harness worked. My helmet worked. But my brain hit the inside of the skull and part of my brain died. It took me three years to learn how to walk. NFL helmets are not going to reduce concussions
The problem today is that most of the best quarterbacks only know how to go all out to gain an extra yard or stand in the pocket an extra second, making them more vulnerable to injuries. If they start to play scared, they are even more likely to get hurt. This is why it is very risky to put so much money in contracts for quarterbacks and wide receivers. The Dolphins and Bengals could end up having their highest paid players not being able to play, similar to the Reds with Junior. I assume that all guaranteed money gets counted for salary caps, but I'm not sure that is the case.
The Eagles had so many great songs and I'm not sure which ones were 'hits' since I only bought albums. Was 'Desparado' a hit? It is my favorite. I also really liked 'Last Resort' and 'Dueling Daltons'.
I have been a fan of the Men since they were just Boys. Sitting on the family room sofa next to my dad watching games every Sunday. I have marveled at the brilliance of well thought out plays and beautiful execution. That was until the game became a display of brute force instead of brilliant execution. I can't say for sure, as I am not in locker rooms during team gatherings, but it is as if the plan is "kill the man" on every play. "Put him on the injury list", "take him out". A few years ago, I was watching a college game and concluded they did not have these mantras in their playbooks, and really enjoyed watching. I have not seen a college game in a few years, so I hope that has not changed. But I find it challenging to watch any NFL game any more because they are so violent. And the offenders are so often proud of what they have wrought. Just wrong.
The violence is part of the appeal. The pain is written in the contracts. Free will and all that. But you're right, it can be tough to watch. The Hamlin Moment at PBS will stick with me forever.
I agree that football = violence. I remember cheering and celebrating when Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Mel Blount, and Donnie Shell would just blast the living hell out of somebody. Nobody ever gave a thought to the guy on the ground. We’d say, “Come on, drag him off, let’s go!” The violence did not seem real, it was just another TV show. Nowadays, we are much more aware that there are real consequences when players get blasted. If a guy goes down, I think, “Gee, I hope he’s okay. I hope he gets up.” You know, I think it was the great Bill Russell who said, “Basketball is a contact sport, football is a collision sport.” To enjoy football is to enjoy watching large, strong, fast men collide violently. We each decide for ourselves how much violence we can stand to see.
The mental accounting that people do over these kinds of issues is comical to me. We are horrified over a few very highly compensated athletes getting injured, who know exactly what they are signing up for, while ignoring much greater threats to our society. Our society inflicts trillions of dollars of expenses, and millions of lost lives each year, due to our inability to take basic care of ourselves through healthy diet and exercise. Why are we not outraged at the devastation done to our society by alcohol? 10s of thousands of people are killed each year on our roads and hundreds of thousands are maimed, yet people go for Sunday drives just for fun. Hundreds of people are killed in ATV accidents each year in the U.S., why aren’t we sickened and outraged when someone risks their life on an ATV just for fun? I could go on all day. At some point we all make a decision that certain risks are worth it to us.
Judging by the billions of dollars put into car safety R & D over the years, likewise with alcohol, durgs, and diet research and education, I'd say we have done a lot as a culture to address and improve the dangers inherent in these topics. But as a free society, you are right, we allow people to choose to do certain dangerous things that may result in injury or death. It's paradoxical, but life in general is. We haven't found a way to make war safe, right? yet it goes on and on, always present somewhere on this planet. You can't outlaw all risk; many people love to take risks, espcially young people. Football players do make a choice and are handsomely rewarded for the dangers present, so I agree somewhat with you. But unlike most car accidents, millions witness the stomach-turning, ugly Nfl and college football injuries on TV and in person, so probably that's why there's a much louder outcry. While others feel like you do, that the NFL players accept the risks as do NASCAR and other racers, and what's the big deal, you have to admit it's pretty hard to actually watch a brutal injury happen. Normally compassion kicks in and overrules any logical thoughts that it's what they accepted when they signed the contract..
You know, if you think about it, there's a reasonable solution out there.
QBs are the center of attention, right? The highest paid guys. The brains of the offense. The glamour boys. They tend to wear special colored shirts in practice to keep them safe and unharmed. They are being protected,. So they won't get hurt, right? So why not in the game?
Let's put flags or some device on the QBs, each side of their hips. The defense can grab the QB, wrap him up, do lots of things trying to get the device, they just can't slam him to the turf in doing so. Same if the QB runs past the line. Defense can grab him, push him back, etc, whatever they need to do to grab the device.....except slam him to the ground. I think it'd be great. Concussions would almost disappear, play wouldn't suffer much, and QBs would last much longer. The NFL already has rules heavily protecting the QB, such as The Baseball Slide and InTheGrasp, and they work great. Football is better off, and we can all admit those rules are important. This just takes it a badly needed step further.
It may seem weird at first, but if it keeps your favorite QB on the field all year, I think it'd be wildly popular pretty quickly. Nobody wants to watch Tua keep playing and end up with brain damage. Frankly the NFL would stilll need to work on better ways to protect the other guys, but it's a start.
I must be in the minority too. I have never been able to watch MMA and I haven't watched boxing since I was in high school and it was more of an "event". MMA turns my stomach. I firmly believe that at some point in the future (50 years maybe) people will look back on this period of time and they will not believe that boxing and MMA existed, and that people actually paid money and watched grown men beat the crap out of each other.
I also totally agree with both of you regarding MMA. The first time I saw a guy elbow his opponent in the nose repeatedly while he was on the ground, I couldn't watch it. It is only a step above the gladiator fights. I also recall when street fights involved 1 on 1 punching or wrestling and when one went down or submitted, the fight was over. Now there are youtube videos of multiple people kicking, beating, and slamming a person's head into concrete.
I saw him walking off the field, but didn’t know why. Sound was off and I wasn’t paying much attention. Seeing Tua dressed and playing makes me sad. Seeing him down on the field again concussed would likely have intruded on my sleep. Not a football fan. Because of the damage it accepts as part of the “sport.”
Doc, when an NFL player has part of his contract “guaranteed,” I assume that means he gets that money even if he is injured and can’t play. If that is true and Tua has a significant amount of guaranteed money, I predict he retires. If that’s not the. case my prediction is he regretfully comes back again.
Strange and telling that Tua’s tackler was Damar Hamlin, who basically died on the playing field to fortunately be revived by the EMTs. Perhaps those 2 could join together and address the inherit violence and danger in the sport. When Andrew Luck had the courage to leave the game, he endured some really ugly criticism, as if the fans need for winning overrides a player’s safety. These are not the Roman Empire times when gladiators fought to the death for entertainment.
I can’t watch the MMA either, especially the women’s matches. Who gets their kicks watching women beat the life out of each other? John McCain spoke out against it, calling it “Human Cock Fighting.” I agree with him because he should know if anyone ever has, being a tortured POW.
I missed the game last night because I read that it would be on Prime....and my Prime didn't find it. I pay for it every month, so don't know what's up. However, my daughter and her husband will be here from Buffalo for the weekend and I will hear all about it for sure. Sorry to hear there was yet another concussion, and a serious one at that. Posturing is not good for sure. I don't understand why these guys keep leading with their heads. I'm hoping for good weather Sunday as I am playing with Kerri and Scott at Pebble Creek and really looking forward to it. Hoping we do get rain tonight as predicted as my lawn now looks like the backdrop desert in a Rudolph Valentino movie.
I am with you on the MMA stuff. Too much like wrestling to me. Seems fake and stupid. Just waiting to land one hit, and once that happens, a barrage to a defenseless opponent. Not my cup of tea.
My reasons for watching and enjoying less of the NFL, are more the result of the posing and celebrating after every single play. Sack the QB, jump up and run around, even if your team is behind by 20 points. I really just don't care too much about the NFL anymore.
I do feel bad about the injuries and concussions, though. Wish there was a surefire way to avoid them, but, alas, tisn't.
I am not sure there is a more prominent poster child than Tua showing why you should not let your sons play football.
I would love to go against the grain like last week’s successful AGT bet, but, this is THE CHIEFS. They might run the ball 40 times against that anemic Bengals defensive front. Pacheco might Pachinko all over the field. Plus, it’s a 4:30 start time. I feel like The Men hardly ever win any of those and I won’t check that stat so as not to ruin my newly found mobster mojo. So, it’s the ol’ double against the grain this weekend which means my money doesn’t care who wins. I’m taking the under or, as Christmas Story fans know, The Triple Dog Dare Bet. The safe bet for that home team offense and run defense we all saw last week. The number is 48.
Doc you can’t prevent concussions. I was auto racing in 1998. I hit the wall hard. My harness worked. My helmet worked. But my brain hit the inside of the skull and part of my brain died. It took me three years to learn how to walk. NFL helmets are not going to reduce concussions
You are right on, Doc. Tua should retire NOW. I bet concussions are the reason Luke Kuechly retired.
The problem today is that most of the best quarterbacks only know how to go all out to gain an extra yard or stand in the pocket an extra second, making them more vulnerable to injuries. If they start to play scared, they are even more likely to get hurt. This is why it is very risky to put so much money in contracts for quarterbacks and wide receivers. The Dolphins and Bengals could end up having their highest paid players not being able to play, similar to the Reds with Junior. I assume that all guaranteed money gets counted for salary caps, but I'm not sure that is the case.
The Eagles had so many great songs and I'm not sure which ones were 'hits' since I only bought albums. Was 'Desparado' a hit? It is my favorite. I also really liked 'Last Resort' and 'Dueling Daltons'.
I have been a fan of the Men since they were just Boys. Sitting on the family room sofa next to my dad watching games every Sunday. I have marveled at the brilliance of well thought out plays and beautiful execution. That was until the game became a display of brute force instead of brilliant execution. I can't say for sure, as I am not in locker rooms during team gatherings, but it is as if the plan is "kill the man" on every play. "Put him on the injury list", "take him out". A few years ago, I was watching a college game and concluded they did not have these mantras in their playbooks, and really enjoyed watching. I have not seen a college game in a few years, so I hope that has not changed. But I find it challenging to watch any NFL game any more because they are so violent. And the offenders are so often proud of what they have wrought. Just wrong.
The violence is part of the appeal. The pain is written in the contracts. Free will and all that. But you're right, it can be tough to watch. The Hamlin Moment at PBS will stick with me forever.
I agree that football = violence. I remember cheering and celebrating when Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Mel Blount, and Donnie Shell would just blast the living hell out of somebody. Nobody ever gave a thought to the guy on the ground. We’d say, “Come on, drag him off, let’s go!” The violence did not seem real, it was just another TV show. Nowadays, we are much more aware that there are real consequences when players get blasted. If a guy goes down, I think, “Gee, I hope he’s okay. I hope he gets up.” You know, I think it was the great Bill Russell who said, “Basketball is a contact sport, football is a collision sport.” To enjoy football is to enjoy watching large, strong, fast men collide violently. We each decide for ourselves how much violence we can stand to see.
The mental accounting that people do over these kinds of issues is comical to me. We are horrified over a few very highly compensated athletes getting injured, who know exactly what they are signing up for, while ignoring much greater threats to our society. Our society inflicts trillions of dollars of expenses, and millions of lost lives each year, due to our inability to take basic care of ourselves through healthy diet and exercise. Why are we not outraged at the devastation done to our society by alcohol? 10s of thousands of people are killed each year on our roads and hundreds of thousands are maimed, yet people go for Sunday drives just for fun. Hundreds of people are killed in ATV accidents each year in the U.S., why aren’t we sickened and outraged when someone risks their life on an ATV just for fun? I could go on all day. At some point we all make a decision that certain risks are worth it to us.
Judging by the billions of dollars put into car safety R & D over the years, likewise with alcohol, durgs, and diet research and education, I'd say we have done a lot as a culture to address and improve the dangers inherent in these topics. But as a free society, you are right, we allow people to choose to do certain dangerous things that may result in injury or death. It's paradoxical, but life in general is. We haven't found a way to make war safe, right? yet it goes on and on, always present somewhere on this planet. You can't outlaw all risk; many people love to take risks, espcially young people. Football players do make a choice and are handsomely rewarded for the dangers present, so I agree somewhat with you. But unlike most car accidents, millions witness the stomach-turning, ugly Nfl and college football injuries on TV and in person, so probably that's why there's a much louder outcry. While others feel like you do, that the NFL players accept the risks as do NASCAR and other racers, and what's the big deal, you have to admit it's pretty hard to actually watch a brutal injury happen. Normally compassion kicks in and overrules any logical thoughts that it's what they accepted when they signed the contract..
Doesn't eliminate the questions. Least not for me.
You know, if you think about it, there's a reasonable solution out there.
QBs are the center of attention, right? The highest paid guys. The brains of the offense. The glamour boys. They tend to wear special colored shirts in practice to keep them safe and unharmed. They are being protected,. So they won't get hurt, right? So why not in the game?
Let's put flags or some device on the QBs, each side of their hips. The defense can grab the QB, wrap him up, do lots of things trying to get the device, they just can't slam him to the turf in doing so. Same if the QB runs past the line. Defense can grab him, push him back, etc, whatever they need to do to grab the device.....except slam him to the ground. I think it'd be great. Concussions would almost disappear, play wouldn't suffer much, and QBs would last much longer. The NFL already has rules heavily protecting the QB, such as The Baseball Slide and InTheGrasp, and they work great. Football is better off, and we can all admit those rules are important. This just takes it a badly needed step further.
It may seem weird at first, but if it keeps your favorite QB on the field all year, I think it'd be wildly popular pretty quickly. Nobody wants to watch Tua keep playing and end up with brain damage. Frankly the NFL would stilll need to work on better ways to protect the other guys, but it's a start.
I must be in the minority too. I have never been able to watch MMA and I haven't watched boxing since I was in high school and it was more of an "event". MMA turns my stomach. I firmly believe that at some point in the future (50 years maybe) people will look back on this period of time and they will not believe that boxing and MMA existed, and that people actually paid money and watched grown men beat the crap out of each other.
Whoa. Is it possible that Doc and Mark actually agree on something? LOL Mark it down, Mobsters. There is hope for the world yet!
I've said it before, we usually agree on the important things: sports, music, beer......You will eventually come around on the other stuff.
I also totally agree with both of you regarding MMA. The first time I saw a guy elbow his opponent in the nose repeatedly while he was on the ground, I couldn't watch it. It is only a step above the gladiator fights. I also recall when street fights involved 1 on 1 punching or wrestling and when one went down or submitted, the fight was over. Now there are youtube videos of multiple people kicking, beating, and slamming a person's head into concrete.
I saw him walking off the field, but didn’t know why. Sound was off and I wasn’t paying much attention. Seeing Tua dressed and playing makes me sad. Seeing him down on the field again concussed would likely have intruded on my sleep. Not a football fan. Because of the damage it accepts as part of the “sport.”
American football feeds blood lust.
I'll still watch. But I don't think it's possible to change a sport that's so wildly popular partly for its violence.
At least it hasn’t spread like basketball.
Doc, when an NFL player has part of his contract “guaranteed,” I assume that means he gets that money even if he is injured and can’t play. If that is true and Tua has a significant amount of guaranteed money, I predict he retires. If that’s not the. case my prediction is he regretfully comes back again.
Well we will just politely have to disagree…
Strange and telling that Tua’s tackler was Damar Hamlin, who basically died on the playing field to fortunately be revived by the EMTs. Perhaps those 2 could join together and address the inherit violence and danger in the sport. When Andrew Luck had the courage to leave the game, he endured some really ugly criticism, as if the fans need for winning overrides a player’s safety. These are not the Roman Empire times when gladiators fought to the death for entertainment.
I can’t watch the MMA either, especially the women’s matches. Who gets their kicks watching women beat the life out of each other? John McCain spoke out against it, calling it “Human Cock Fighting.” I agree with him because he should know if anyone ever has, being a tortured POW.
I missed the game last night because I read that it would be on Prime....and my Prime didn't find it. I pay for it every month, so don't know what's up. However, my daughter and her husband will be here from Buffalo for the weekend and I will hear all about it for sure. Sorry to hear there was yet another concussion, and a serious one at that. Posturing is not good for sure. I don't understand why these guys keep leading with their heads. I'm hoping for good weather Sunday as I am playing with Kerri and Scott at Pebble Creek and really looking forward to it. Hoping we do get rain tonight as predicted as my lawn now looks like the backdrop desert in a Rudolph Valentino movie.
I am with you on the MMA stuff. Too much like wrestling to me. Seems fake and stupid. Just waiting to land one hit, and once that happens, a barrage to a defenseless opponent. Not my cup of tea.
My reasons for watching and enjoying less of the NFL, are more the result of the posing and celebrating after every single play. Sack the QB, jump up and run around, even if your team is behind by 20 points. I really just don't care too much about the NFL anymore.
I do feel bad about the injuries and concussions, though. Wish there was a surefire way to avoid them, but, alas, tisn't.