NFL will look at making QBs safer

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EastRam

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http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9977321/nfl-discuss-expanding-rules-protect-quarterbacks
Associated Press

Thanks to a broken collarbone on a run-of-the-mill sack, the Green Bay Packers are without Aaron Rodgers. Their rivals in the NFC North, the Chicago Bears, are without Jay Cutler thanks to a bum leg, which also wasn't the result of some sort of illegal hit.
Game after game, NFL quarterbacks get sacked, get hurt -- and miss starts. Of the 15 games on this week's schedule, nine -- 60 percent -- feature at least one team that has been forced to change its quarterback because of injury this season.
One of the two teams with a bye, St. Louis, lost its No. 1 guy, 2010 top overall draft pick Sam Bradford, for the season. Bradford, who tore a ligament in his left knee last month, is one of nine quarterbacks on injured reserve in 2013, the second most through 10 weeks in any of the past 15 seasons, according to STATS.
Amid those regular reminders of the dangers facing players at the sport's marquee position, the league's competition committee will take a look this offseason at whether to expand rules that protect the QB, NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said Thursday.
Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY SportsThe NFL's competition committee will take a look this offseason at whether to expand rules that protect the quarterback.
"Should he always get protection from low hits or head hits, regardless of the posture he's presenting?" Blandino said in a telephone interview. "Part of the conversation will be: Should that protection be expanded to all times when the quarterback has the ball in the pocket?"
The committee will review position-by-position injury data and go over video from games, a regular process between seasons.
"Currently the quarterback is as protected now as he's ever been," Blandino said, "but I think that's been the case for eight or nine years."
A year ago, only one QB had gone on IR by this point in the season. Indeed, 2012 was about as healthy as it gets for quarterbacks: 20 of 32 NFL teams started the same one in every game, the highest percentage for a full, non-strike season since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. With nearly half of this season still to play, the number of teams able to rely on one starter at that key spot already is down to 20.
"If you don't have someone who can be productive at that position, you're not going to win many games. You need to keep your quarterback healthy, because on most teams, there's a huge drop-off from the starter to the backup. It's a watered-down position, because there's not a lot of great guys after the top 15 or so," Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon said. "When you get a good guy, you want to keep him healthy."
Moon sees quite a difference in the way the position is safeguarded nowadays, compared with when he was in the NFL from 1984-2000.
"No question, I wish we were protected better. ... It's a lot safer, because some of the hits we took back in the day -- they could still drive us into the turf when they hit us. Those really were painful. Didn't always cause an injury, but made you a little more antsy about taking hits. The guys these days don't really have to put up with it," Moon said. "I don't think there's much more you can do. It's as good as it's going to get, unless you put flags on them."
He pointed to today's spread offenses, with empty backfields and fewer players hanging back to help in pass protection, as a major reason games are averaging 2.65 sacks, a half-sack more per game than in 2010, for example. That's on pace for the highest rate since the 2.67 in 1986.
It probably is not a coincidence that the seven teams with sole possession of first place in their division entering Thursday started the same guy behind center every week: New England (Tom Brady), Indianapolis (Andrew Luck), Cincinnati (Andy Dalton), Kansas City (Alex Smith), New Orleans (Drew Brees), Detroit (Matthew Stafford) and Seattle (Russell Wilson). So has Denver (Peyton Manning), which at 8-1 has the league's second-best record but is in second place in the AFC West behind unbeaten Kansas City entering their showdown Sunday night.
Already using three QBs are Buffalo, Cleveland and Green Bay, which put Rodgers' backup, Seneca Wallace, on IR, after he oh-so-briefly took over the job. The Packers now have Scott Tolzien, until recently a practice squad member, calling signals against the Giants on Sunday.
The Broncos got a scare last weekend, when Manning limped around after a low hit late in a victory against San Diego. After he skipped practice Wednesday while getting treatment on his sore right ankle, Manning was asked about the slew of QB health issues around the league.
"I don't like talking about it. I don't know what the trends are at other places, but I never like to see a quarterback get injured, I will say that," said the four-time NFL MVP, who was at practice Thursday. "Quarterbacks are a unique fraternity. We kind of pull for one another. Maybe not when you're playing against them that day. Cutler's been injured. I know Rodgers was out. As a quarterback, you don't like to see those guys get injured. I hope they'll be back out there as soon as they can."
So, of course, do their teams.

Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press
 

rhinobean

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Sam's injury was freakish. Just bad luck for us! Can't see how they can do more to protect the qb! Refs need to pay closer attention to plays in which they're in which they're not running the ball, I guess?
 

Thordaddy

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In 20 years Red Grange wouldn't recognize the game, as Moon conjures, flag football is where it's going and I will say this as it becomes less popular more violent sports like MMA become and will become more popular.
 

EastRam

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Glad to see Moon and I agree. Stop the 5 wides and keep some blockers in and that would help protect the QB.

I just don't see the NFL passing a rule demanding so many blockers per pass play. Sigh. But wouldn't that be a good rule to help the QB
 

EastRam

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NFL isn't into protecting the QB their into more passing, increasing ratings. Wanna protect the QB. Give them some blockers.
 

Thordaddy

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Glad to see Moon and I agree. Stop the 5 wides and keep some blockers in and that would help protect the QB.

I just don't see the NFL passing a rule demanding so many blockers per pass play. Sigh. But wouldn't that be a good rule to help the QB
Yeah it's always ugly when you two have a lovers spat:heh:

As LONG as it's tackle football,somebody is gonna get hurt,that said the alarm over QB's getting hurt pisses me off cuz the tragedy of CTE for Mike Webster is just as important as Aaron Rogers friggin collar bone.
Keepin' 7 blockers in will protect the QB more and there will be more violent collisions for the blockers and the rushers, so like I said if you change the rules to protect the QB's that way, it only transfers the "misery".
In the end the victim less solution is change the NATURE of the game and the NATURE is the draw
 

Elmgrovegnome

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QBs will have to wear flags and any contact with them will be a penalty. They are ruining the game.
 

EastRam

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Yeah it's always ugly when you two have a lovers spat:heh:

As LONG as it's tackle football,somebody is gonna get hurt,that said the alarm over QB's getting hurt pisses me off cuz the tragedy of CTE for Mike Webster is just as important as Aaron Rogers friggin collar bone.
Keepin' 7 blockers in will protect the QB more and there will be more violent collisions for the blockers and the rushers, so like I said if you change the rules to protect the QB's that way, it only transfers the "misery".
In the end the victim less solution is change the NATURE of the game and the NATURE is the draw

See the NFL is choosing to protect QB's. Reason: higher scores = better ratings = more money
 

EastRam

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Yeah and IMO you can kill the goose too.

Their working on it. In a few years the NFL will go from top dog to just a dog, looking for a bone competing with the other sports.
 

BonifayRam

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DO NOT Mess with this game any longer they are screwing it up! Not all adjustments are good adjustments. People will not pay to see a more safe cultured & feminized game. If that's what you want ...go watch soccer or baseball. :cray: There is a tipping point!
 

PowayRamFan

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I know, they should make a rule so that you can't actually touch the QB, but instead you have to have him cornered by at least two players. At this point the QB will be made to flop down on the ground on his own, preferably feet first, in order to keep his pussy from getting bruised.
 

Thordaddy

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DO NOT Mess with this game any longer they are screwing it up! Not all adjustments are good adjustments. People will not pay to see a more safe cultured & feminized game. If that's what you want ...go watch soccer or baseball. :cray: There is a tipping point!

Yeah agree totally and FWIW the breast cancer awareness month is all about the capture of female fandom b and further feminizing the game.

This "bullying" uproar is so bogus , when asking players the stuff is all common, yeah there were some words used in what were supposed to be private conversations that went public so everyone HAS to "prove" they aren't racists by condemning it because of course free speech isn't free any more and true freedom died some time back .
Some days I'm glad to be old because I don't want to live in the age of the human automaton .

ALL that shizzle combined as you say approaches the "tipping point" sad ,take paradise and put up a parking lot.

I wish a few white players would band together and say "OK ,sure you are the only ones who can use that word, but you can't use it in my presence,cuz if I can't say it you shouldn't be able to force me to hear it".
 

max

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Sam's injury was freakish. Just bad luck for us! Can't see how they can do more to protect the qb! Refs need to pay closer attention to plays in which they're in which they're not running the ball, I guess?

It is arguably freakish. It was also awkward because Sam tried to pump the ball before giving himself up going out of bounds. What they could do is make it illegal to hit a QB once he commits to going out of bounds even if he isn't out of bounds yet.

What that will do is make a guy like RG3 even more dangerous, because he can use the sidelines to his advantage in running the ball. I think the league would consider that a win-win. Keeps the QBs healthier and give them a bigger advantage to make exciting plays.
 

fearsomefour

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Glad to see Moon and I agree. Stop the 5 wides and keep some blockers in and that would help protect the QB.

I just don't see the NFL passing a rule demanding so many blockers per pass play. Sigh. But wouldn't that be a good rule to help the QB

This stuff is nonsense. Take the creativity out of the game. The real issue with making teams keep in 7 blockers (or whatever) is it will reduce scoring. The NFL (with its need to appeal to "average" fans….meaning morons who cant appreciate defense or a 13-10 hard fought game) wants scoring….supposedly this means excitement.
Screw it. Lets just go to 7 on 7 passing drills and call them games.
 

blackbart

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The NFL has built the league into a passing league with all the rules they have enacted over the passed 2 decades. There are far more teams running empty backfield or some kind of spread so naturally there are going to be more hits on the QB. Pretty much they got what they wanted. How did all those old QBs make it for so long? Longer training camps better running games better protection from the Oline and fewer big speed guys rushing the passer.

Instead of putting skirts on them make the game what it once was, smash mouth in the trenches running the ball more and throwing it less. Get rid of the BS rules along the line of scrimmage that penalize a running team. Let the Oline use their hands more within the box to open running lanes. Let the Dline use their hands more to shed blockers. Make it a running league (NFL) instead of a passing league (CFL).
 

RamzFanz

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I think we can all agree the muff punching and g-string tackles are getting out of hand.
 

RamFan503

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Just put the QB in a booth. I mean... the Pope has one so.... That way the QB can just fire away at will without any worries. The QB sack shouldn't really be a part of the game anyway. Does anyone really get excited by THAT? Pshhh. There should be absolutely no reason why the defenders need to be in the backfield anyway. And then, for good measure, only the offensive players are allowed to wear pads and helmets. Think of how great QBs like RGIII, Kaperdick and Wilson will be if they don't have to run and could concentrate more on their true strength - passing. Think of the new defensive alignments. You could have 7 DBs and 4 DTs. Tavon Austin could play both sides of the ball because it would be all about speed. Man that would be one fancy and exciting game. Who's with me?:bigup: