As you well know, my spine is an example of what playing football can eventually do to you. As much as I love football, I perpetually cringe at the sight of helmet-to-helmet collisions and the growing list of players injured by such hits. This past weekend provides us yet a few more examples of the unpleasant and frightening consequences of using one’s helmet as the contact point when you attempt to tackle an opposing player.
Let’s begin in my own neighborhood of East Rutherford, New Jersey, and the new Meadowlands Stadium. On Saturday, Rutgers University played Army. During the fourth quarter, Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand, a 275-pound junior, attempted tackling the Army kick returner, 180-pound sophomore Malcolm Brown. LeGrand’s tackling technique? It started by lowering his helmet into Brown’s torso. The result? LeGrand injured his cervical spine and he’s currently paralyzed from the neck down after vertebral stabilizing surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC). It remains to be seen how long it will be before LeGrand recovers and regains use of his arms and legs since his spinal cord apparently wasn’t severed.
What makes LeGrand’s injury ironic is that it occurred mere minutes after Rutgers tied the game at 17-all on a touchdown drive sustained when Army linebacker Steve Erzinger inflicted a helmet-to-helmet hit on Rutgers quarterback Chas Dodd. Erzinger’s personal foul negated a potential game clinching interception by Army defensive back Donovan Travis. As violent collisions obey the laws of motion as randomly as quantum mechanics, neither Erzinger nor Dodd suffered injury; LeGrand lays in a hospital bed wondering about his life.
As if those collisions weren’t enough for the Meadowlands, Detroit Lions special teamer Zack Follett collided head-on with New York Giants rookie defensive lineman Jason Paul-Pierre during a fourth quarter kickoff on Sunday. Lying on the stadium turf, Follett fortunately had feeling in his extremities, even though he required immobilization onto a backboard and being taken to HUMC, where tests determined no vertebral damage. After overnight observation, Follett was discharged today from HUMC. Paul-Pierre apparently suffered no injury from the collision.
Let’s travel a little south down I-95 to Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. During the second quarter of Sunday’s game between the Eagles and Atlanta Falcons, Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson collided helmet-to-helmet with Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson. Although both players lay on the turf for several minutes afterwards, both had to be helped off the field. Neither returned to the game afterwards, each suffering a head injury.
A question arose after the game about Robinson being guilty of headhunting in light of Jackson scoring two touchdowns during the first quarter of a 31-17 Eagles win (the Eagles at one time led 21-0). Robinson was penalized for hitting a defenseless receiver.
Let’s travel north to Foxborough, Massachusetts and Gillette Stadium. During the second quarter of their 23-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, New England Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather unloaded on Ravens tight end Todd Heap in yet another helmet-to-helmet collision. Although both Heap and Meriweather were okay afterwards, Meriweather was flagged for his helmet-first launch. Although Meriweather apologized for his illegal hit, he made clear that his aggressive style of play would not be altered.
The second quarter was also dangerous at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field, as Steelers linebacker James Harrison leveled Cleveland Browns all-purpose man Josh Cribbs with a similar and equally illegal blow to the head. Cribbs was lost for the rest of Sunday’s 28-10 Steelers win.
Lastly, let’s travel out west to Denver’s Invesco Field. On multiple occasions, New York Jets mighty mite safety Jim Leonard launched himself helmet-first at Broncos receivers during Sunday’s 24-20 win. On one occasion Leonard was flagged for an idiotic fourth-quarter hit. Although no one left the game injured, one has to wonder how lucky both the Broncos receiving corps and Leonard were after all the punishment he dished out to them and himself.
Were these the only helmet-to-helmet collisions that took place this weekend? Hardly, but these six collisions should be example enough to indicate college and professional football is in crisis. If only by shear luck are we only talking about one paralyzed player from this weekend’s action. The NFL is now considering fining or suspending players who initiate helmet-to-helmet collisions, but will that ultimately eliminate them from games? Probably not. This morning I listened to Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic of ESPN Radio discuss this issue with commentators Cris Carter and Mike Ditka. Golic, Carter and Ditka all played in the NFL; all had their own ideas on how to eliminate helmet-to-helmet collisions: changing the helmet and face mask to be less protective, mandating ejections for such collisions, even mandating the wearing of upper and lower mouth guards. All three, as well as ESPN’s NFL Live commentator and ex-player Merrill Hodge, discussed the eroding of tackling fundamentals.
And this is where we all need to focus. The bottom line is that today’s players lack the fundamental skills for tackling, and this erosion of skills has been going on for quite some time.
Players ARE using their heads as weapons, but not for the reasons many might think. Besides lacking fundamental tackling skills, today’s players are products of the SportsCenter generation, where loyal viewers watch highlight shows that glorify hard hits and collisions that make Isaac Newton spin in his grave. Today’s players watch enough cable sports shows to know what drives the ratings and how they can get noticed. For the sake of “look at ME” individualism in team sports, they’re using their heads to produce the best “WOW effect” for the fans and the cameras. They know enough about football to know that helmet hits will stun an opposing player into falling down fast and hard, not only ending a play but potentially producing a turnover, thus changing the momentum of a game and arousing a stadium full of fans.
Do you notice how players go to strip the ball before they actually try to tackle the ball carrier? Fumbles excite fans and catches the attention of sports networks needing to put together highlight shows for 6pm and 11pm viewers, hence big ratings. Think about that the next time you watch ESPN’s Chris Berman on his NFL Primetime show. Berman gets as animated over fumbles as Andres Cantor yells "Goooaaaalll!"
Fumbles are big-time game changers, part of the “WOW effect” for fans, just like the big-time hits that cause many of these fumbles. But big-time hits can maim or kill a player. Most helmet-to-helmet hits are deliberate, because players are ignorant of tackling skills, because they simply don’t know any better.
In a way, we as fans and consumers of sports television helped create this mess, as well as deadly epidemic. There are more than enough players eager to oblige us, oblivious to or betting against their risk for permanent physical injury. In a sports culture where every player views himself as a brand and permanent notoriety is the ultimate desire, the risk is worth taking just for the memory of that one big WOW. Until we stop saying WOW from the stands, broadcast booths and television studios, we’re guilty accomplices. The NCAA and NFL can do as they deem prudent, but such legislation will be toothless as long as we keep glorifying violence that crosses the line.
No comments:
Post a Comment