Whitlock:Thursday Football bigger threat to player safety than bounties

[Deberg_1990]

Good Read


http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/R...ootball-091312





If and when Jonathan Vilma meets with Roger Goodell, the Saints linebacker should ask the commissioner a simple question:


What is more dangerous — a symbolic, thousand-dollar bounty system or the Baltimore Ravens opening the season playing four NFL games in 17 days?

The elimination of bounties will not stop one NFL defensive player from curb-stomping an opposing player if given the opportunity. Goodell’s New Orleans witch hunt won’t make the game safer. Would the elimination of Thursday night football enhance safety? I suspect one day a smart lawyer will argue that it would.

But that day isn’t here just yet, so Thursday night the Bears and the Packers kicked off the NFL’s season-long money grab. Year 7 of Thursday night football will stretch across the entire NFL season rather than just the second half.

The Ravens opened the 2012 season on “Monday Night Football” and will play their fourth game on Thursday, Sept. 27, completing as grueling a stretch of tackle football as we’ve ever seen.

“The four games in 17 days is strictly for the money,” Baltimore safety Bernard Pollard told me Thursday night. “We as players understand that so we do everything possible to take care of our bodies. It’s on the coaches to understand what we go through and to give us a break, because that’s a lot of pounding in a short amount of time.”

It’s difficult for the uninitiated to understand the physical toll a 60-minute football game takes on the body. I was a mediocre mid-major college football player. The physicality difference between high-school football and mid-major college football is enormous. After a college football game, you spent the next 24 to 36 hours feeling like you’d been in a bad car accident.

Inflammation overwhelms your body. I can only speculate about the gap between college football and the NFL, but I tend to believe the postgame pain and inflammation difference is just as pronounced as the leap from high school to college. I know that college and professional football players rely on anti-inflammatory drugs to get through the week. Four days is not enough recovery time.


“Your body is sleepwalking until the second and maybe the third quarter,” a recently retired NFL player told me Thursday. “Short week after a Monday night on the road is a nightmare. Watch Oakland this week. Travel to Miami after playing on ‘MNF,’ the Raiders gonna get killed.”

Some player is going to get severely hurt on a Thursday night.

Those of us in the media don’t like to talk about the stupidity and the exploitive nature of the NFL. The league butters all of our bread. We’re addicted to its popularity, relevancy and traction. Sports fans don’t care much either. We just want a good game to bet on.

There’s also a segment of the sports-fan population that doesn’t recognize the humanity of the combatants. Or we’re jealous. We think it’s fine for the oversized animals to brutalize each other for our entertainment. We think it’s a fair exchange for the money, fame and the adoration of young women.

And there’s another group of highly cynical fans who blame the players and their union for being dumb and cowardly enough to allow Goodell to pimp them out on Thursday nights. If the NFLPA isn’t wise enough and strong enough to object to Goodell making Ray Lewis and Ed Reed walk the track four nights in 17 days, why should Joe Sports Fan care?

It’s going to take death, a serious injury or a lawsuit to stop the NFL’s desire to televise live games seven days a week, six months a year. If a team can play four games in 17 days, why can’t teams play an 18-game regular season?

But Gregg Williams is evil because he instructed his defensive players to attack the head. Really? What’s more dangerous, deeds or tough talk, a brutal schedule or a bounty system that rewards you for what you were going to do anyway?

The vilification of the Saints and Goodell’s hypocrisy infuriate me. Thursday night football endangers the health of far more NFL players than some flimsy bounty system Vilma participated in.

Goodell earns more money than Vilma. Goodell could serve as commissioner for another 10 to 15 years. Vilma is staring at the end of his career. But Vilma is the guy who is fighting to avoid having a year’s salary stripped from him so Goodell can continue the charade that he cares about the health and safety of NFL players.

I wish Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, etc., had the guts to stand up for Vilma and demand that Goodell end his witch hunt. If the offensive stars supported Vilma, it would do more to create solidarity among all NFL players, end bounties and promote safety than all of Goodell’s helmet-to-helmet flags and whatnot.

The players need to protect themselves. Goodell and the owners aren’t going to do it.

[lcarus]

Originally Posted by Tombstone RJ

yes and no. Really the quality of the game goes way down if one team is worn out due to a crappy schedule. Also, yes, the chance of injury greatly increases. Again, if I was the NFLPA, I'd lobby for one more bi-week per team just to heal up. Really, the owners would have nothing to lose and much more to gain by doing this.

One more bye week, eliminate 2 preseason games, add 2 regular season games.

[lcarus]

Originally Posted by Bugeater

I have no idea how they get by.

I saw Ryan Succop holding a change cup on a street corner at the plaza during a bye week once.

[Shaid]

Originally Posted by Lou_Zare

Sunday noon to sunday noon is 8 days.

Math is difficult for you huh?

[lcarus]

Originally Posted by Shaid

Math is difficult for you huh?

He thought Twosday was actually two days.

[Shaid]

Originally Posted by lcarus

He thought Twosday was actually two days.

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by lcarus

I saw Ryan Succop holding a change cup on a street corner at the plaza during a bye week once.

Luv divorced him and took all his money, eh?

[lcarus]

Originally Posted by SNR

Luv divorced him and took all his money, eh?

Once he missed that kick Sunday, it was over. She's trying to hook up with Justin Medlock now.

[SAUTO]

Lol at all of this.

They agreed to the CBA.

I like the Thursday games
Posted via Mobile Device

[lcarus]

There's so much talk and concern over the players health these days. It's god damn football! You can get broken bones. You can get several concussions from getting your bell rung. You can end up a little slow when you get older and that meatloaf in your skull isn't as sharp as it could have been had you not made the choice to play a game for millions of dollars and fame. You could end up in a wheelchair.

Look at all the people who join the military. They can end up dead, limbless, or get captured and tortured with bamboo and shit for decades while sleeping in a cave full of snakes and a mountain of their own shit piss and tears. They don't get fame or millions of dollars. These players need to shut up and realize how lucky they are, even with the risk of injury.

[Ace Gunner]

Originally Posted by Shaid

Math is difficult for you huh?

So is there two sundays in your week. Mine only has one

[Ace Gunner]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Sunday Noon to Sunday Noon is EXACTLY 168 hours.

So by your estimation, the average day is only 21 hours instead of 24.

And here's another guy with two sundays in his week

[Ace Gunner]

Originally Posted by durtyrute

you guys crack me up.

(when you count days, you don't start on the day you are on)

If I ask you to count how many days are included in sunday & monday, you'd better tell me two

[rad]

Originally Posted by Micjones

How is that 8 days?

This guy serious?

[Ace Gunner]

Originally Posted by rad

This guy serious?

and another idiot with two sundays in his week

[rad]

Originally Posted by Lou_Zare

and another idiot with two sundays in his week

Sunday to Sunday......how many days?