Whitlock:Thursday Football bigger threat to player safety than bounties

[Deberg_1990]

Good Read


http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Roger-Goodell-risking-players-lives-for-money-with-Thursday-night-football-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.

[Reerun_KC]

Whitlock still writes?

[Ace Gunner]

4 games in 17 days is wreckless nuts.

[Deberg_1990]

4 games in 17 days is wreckless nuts.

He does bring up some good points....stuff nobody likes to talk about.

Americas insatiable appetite for Football is bad for overall player health.

[Micjones]

I bet they don't mind 4 game checks in 17 days though.

[Fritz88]

Hate him or love him, JWhit is an interesting writer.

[Ace Gunner]

Oh, and Whitlock, the players already "stood up against him" during the lock out and they got clobbered. So have the refs. The guy is a ruthless crook with all the power players behind him.

[Micjones]

4 games in 17 days is wreckless nuts.

A normal 4 game stretch takes 21 days, no?

[Dayze]

Whitlock still writes?

I know for a fact, he still eats.

[Ace Gunner]

He does bring up some good points....stuff nobody likes to talk about.

Americas insatiable appetite for Football is bad for overall player health.

I admire him for his effort to bring substance. I don't like what the NFL is doing with scheduling either. I don't like the Japan games, don't want to watch the Chiefs in London either.

Intercontinental football is a fucking horrible idea.

Goodell is a fucking crook that needs to be taken down.

[ThaVirus]

I like the article and actually agree. They should do away with Thursday night football. I don't even have a lick of experience in football beyond high school but it just seems simple. 185-350 lbs guys colliding up to probably 23 MPH or so can't be good for you.

Plus I don't have NFL Network so I don't get to watch Thursday night football. Cease and desist.

[Ace Gunner]

A normal 4 game stretch takes 21 days, no?

22 and those missing days are cricial to health imo. I did not play NFL but I played college and every week was like recovering from a bad accident.

[Deberg_1990]

I bet they don't mind 4 game checks in 17 days though.

I see you fall into this category:


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.

[Brock]

I'd rather they just went to Saturday night after college football ends.

[Micjones]

22 and those missing days are cricial to health imo. I did not play NFL but I played college and every week was like recovering from a bad accident.

11/4-11/25, 4 game stretch for the same Ravens team.
21 days.

[Micjones]

I see you fall into this category:


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.

I certainly care, but I also realize that players have CHOSEN this profession.
They know the risks. They've accepted them.

[durtyrute]

They won't stop until football is on everyday of the week.

[Dayze]

honestly, I feel the NFL is over saturated.

[Deberg_1990]

I certainly care, but I also realize that players have CHOSEN this profession.
They know the risks. They've accepted them.

Agreed...for the record, im more in this category. The players union should have refused to play these games if they feared for safety.



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?

[-King-]

I certainly care, but I also realize that players have CHOSEN this profession.
They know the risks. They've accepted them.

Just because they chose it doesn't mean they have to like everything. If your boss suddenly made you come in on weekends(or on whatever day you're off), I bet you'd be pretty pissed too.

[durtyrute]

It seems like the NFLPA doesn't give a rat's ass about the players. It's just like most unions, you pay your dues and they still fuck you over.

[ChiefsCountry]

I see you fall into this category:


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.

Thats the price for the big money. Everything with a big money price tag has a price on your body or social life.

[Ace Gunner]

11/4-11/25, 4 game stretch for the same Ravens team.
21 days.

Sunday noon to sunday noon is 8 days. Sunday to sunday four weeks later is 21 + 1 days. But hey, let's just go your way, call it 21 days. Imo that 7th day is critical to football players. You can go short week on occasion, but that schedule is four short weeks in a row. That is too too much. I will be surprised if some of these guys don't get hurt after a few weeks of that.

[Dayze]

hell, I'll play 4 games for their paychecks / cp

[Micjones]

Just because they chose it doesn't mean they have to like everything. If your boss suddenly made you come in on weekends(or on whatever day you're off), I bet you'd be pretty pissed too.

No they don't have to like it, but they can always go sell insurance.

[KCUnited]

Just picked up Rice's backup on the waiver wire in case he goes down. Got to adapt to today's NFL.

[GordonGekko]

hell, I'll play 4 games for their paychecks / cp

For Peyton Manning or Drew Brees paychecks, I'd play 4 games back to back to back to back. Fugg it.

[Dayze]

For Peyton Manning or Drew Brees paychecks, I'd play 4 games back to back to back to back. Fugg it.

lol.

[Micjones]

If your boss suddenly made you come in on weekends(or on whatever day you're off), I bet you'd be pretty pissed too.

I'd be pissed, but I'd still have a choice to tell my employer to get bent.

[Dayze]

yeah, but what if your employer made Terry Tate your supervisor?

[Micjones]

Sunday noon to sunday noon is 8 days.

How is that 8 days?

[Ace Gunner]

okay. Let's suppose we start counting sunday. Monday is then day two.

As we work this equation to it's answer, we find saturday is the seventh day. Saturday. The following sunday could actually begin the new seven day equation which coincidentally counts as the first day of this new equation.

So, we now have sunday + 6 days = saturday = 7 fucking days.

[Ace Gunner]

Whoops. Forgot to end with a positive:D

[durtyrute]

okay. Let's suppose we start counting sunday. Monday is then day two.

As we work this equation to it's answer, we find saturday is the seventh day. Saturday. The following sunday could actually begin the new seven day equation which coincidentally counts as the first day of this new equation.

So, we now have sunday + 6 days = saturday = 7 fucking days.

LMAO you guys crack me up.

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

[Dayze]

LMAO you guys crack me up.

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

this.

when my wife measures my weiner, I insist she start at 1" mark and work from there.

[durtyrute]

this.

when my wife measures my weiner, I insist she start at 1" mark and work from there.

LMAO

[htismaqe]

Sunday noon to sunday noon is 8 days..

ROFL

Sunday Noon to Sunday Noon is EXACTLY 168 hours.

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

:LOL:

[qabbaan]

I do think the beating is a fair exchange for the money those players make. They all know the game and the risks.

But that doesn't mean Goodell and others should make the risks recklessly worse than they are by scheduling games so tightly together.

[Dayze]

I don't think I could go through 4 chiefs games in 17 days.

[mikey23545]

Oh, and Whitlock, the players already "stood up against him" during the lock out and they got clobbered. So have the refs. The guy is a ruthless crook with all the power players behind him.

Oh, the downtrodden!

What a fucking tool; you are...LMAO

[Brock]

Sunday noon to sunday noon is 8 days.

LMAO You =>:drool:

[ElGringo]

Not sure what category this falls into but each and every player has the option to walk away from the game. If they feel it is too dangerous for the money they are making, go do something else. I can also promise that if you go find something else to do for a living, there are at least 10 people begging for the chance to play on a short week every week to bring home the money and fame.

[qabbaan]

I don't think I could go through 4 chiefs games in 17 days.

:LOL:

[Psyko Tek]

honestly, I feel the NFL is over saturated.

we were talking at work about the same
NFL is special, short season , should be only once or twice a week
I do not like the thursday game crap


next up
playing a 3 game series in the playoffs

[Tombstone RJ]

A normal 4 game stretch takes 21 days, no?

1 game a week for 4 weeks? 4x7=28 days as opposed to 17.

[Tombstone RJ]

okay. Let's suppose we start counting sunday. Monday is then day two.

As we work this equation to it's answer, we find saturday is the seventh day. Saturday. The following sunday could actually begin the new seven day equation which coincidentally counts as the first day of this new equation.

So, we now have sunday + 6 days = saturday = 7 ****ing days.

dude, you don't count Sunday twice. If you play on Sunday you start the count on Monday. Monday to the next Sunday is 7 days.

[Tombstone RJ]

Really, what the NFLPA should lobby for is another bi-week. Extend the season by one week but don't add another game. Just let each team have two bi-weeks to recover from all the Thursday and Monday Night games that jack with a regular week to recover.

[lcarus]

1 game a week for 4 weeks? 4x7=28 days as opposed to 17.

You play game 1 on the 1st, game 2 on the 8th, game 3 on the 15th, game 4 on the 22nd. How many days between game 1 and 4? Not 28.

[Tombstone RJ]

You play game 1 on the 1st, game 2 on the 8th, game 3 on the 15th, game 4 on the 22nd. How many days between game 1 and 4? Not 28.

Yah, I was talking about the difference between the Ravens brutal schedule and a somewhat regular schedule with a team hypothetically playing every Sunday. Which basically does not happen anymore with the Monday and Thursday games.

edit... I see what you are saying, yes, 21 days.

[lcarus]

Yah, I was talking about the difference between the Ravens brutal schedule and a somewhat regular schedule with a team hypothetically playing every Sunday. Which basically does not happen anymore with the Monday and Thursday games.

edit... I see what you are saying, yes, 21 days.

Yes they're playing 4 games in 17 days as opposed to 4 games in 21 days if they just played on sunday every game. It sucks to have a Sunday game and then a Thursday game, but the upside is, after the Thursday game they get 9 whole days before they play their next game.

[Marcellus]

The NFLPA exists for 1 reason and 1 reason only, to represent the players.

Don't blame the NFL or the owners etc...for this. The union the players pay to represent their $ and safety agreed to it. That is all the union has to look out for, health and $.

Why should Roger Goodell have to answer any questions about it? Demorris (sp?) Smith is much more responsible for this. The NFLPA shouldn't have allowed it.

[Hammock Parties]

Remember when the Chiefs had a short week and went to Miami and kicked ass?

Yeah, whatever.

[Hammock Parties]

The players are more than fairly compensated...get your ass out there, I don't care what day it is.

[Tombstone RJ]

The players are more than fairly compensated...get your ass out there, I don't care what day it is.

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.

[lcarus]

Remember when the Chiefs had a short week and went to Miami and kicked ass?

Yeah, whatever.

Is that when they rescheduled the game on a whim to be played on a Friday because the hurricane was coming? Vermeil was the coach still I think?

[lcarus]

I like Thursday night games as a fan who likes to have a game between Monday and Sunday, but if they had these games on Friday or Saturday night that would be just fine too.

[DaneMcCloud]

I bet they don't mind 4 game checks in 17 days though.

Why?

[Bugeater]

Really, what the NFLPA should lobby for is another bi-week. Extend the season by one week but don't add another game. Just let each team have two bi-weeks to recover from all the Thursday and Monday Night games that jack with a regular week to recover.
I would be alright with this.

But Whitlock is being a drama queen...nobody is going to die from Thursday night football.

[lcarus]

Why?

Because 4 checks in 17 days is so much more awesome than 4 checks in 22 days. Those extra few days are BRUTAL.

[Bugeater]

Because 4 checks in 17 days is so much more awesome than 4 checks in 22 days. Those extra few days are BRUTAL.
I have no idea how they get by.

[lcarus]

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]

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]

Sunday noon to sunday noon is 8 days.

Math is difficult for you huh?

[lcarus]

Math is difficult for you huh?

He thought Twosday was actually two days.

[Shaid]

He thought Twosday was actually two days.

LMAO

[RealSNR]

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]

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]

Math is difficult for you huh?

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

[Ace Gunner]

ROFL

Sunday Noon to Sunday Noon is EXACTLY 168 hours.

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

:LOL:

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

[Ace Gunner]

LMAO 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 twoLMAO

[rad]

How is that 8 days?

ROFL

This guy serious?

[Ace Gunner]

ROFL

This guy serious?

and another idiot with two sundays in his weekLMAO

[rad]

and another idiot with two sundays in his weekLMAO

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

[Backwards Masking]

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

he just took it from his brother to help him with his Gambling Addiciton - like when the cops found a J in Michael Irvin's glovebox and he told them he took it from his brother to help him with his "Devastating Marijuana Addiciton"

[A Salt Weapon]

He thought Twosday was actually two days.
Well played
:-)
Posted via Mobile Device

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Whitlock still writes?


I wish he still wrote about the Chiefs.

[WhiteWhale]

Someone get Jason a violin.

[RealSNR]

Vacation video of Lou on a roadtrip with his smartass husband:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/G8DNGh126oM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Rausch]

Vacation video of Lou on a roadtrip with his smartass husband:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/G8DNGh126oM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

It's all fun and games until you realize she'll get 1/2 your stuff and paycheck in about 4 years...