As much as it pains me I’m ok with the CFL eventually changing their kickoff procedure to match the XFL landing zone format if that format greatly diminishes brain injuries/concussions together with guardian caps
To me, … guardian caps + landing zone procedure = is worth saving players from brain injuries and the PTSD-like behaviors that plague retired players as they enter middle-age and beyond.
I’m for both
Change your NCAA football kickoff first then and put your money where your mouth is.
I completely agree that injuries are way out of control this year. and that is my biggest gripe with the league. And I hate the way that the style of tackling seems to so often end up with contact to the head. The league protects the QB from this but mostly lets it go for all other positions. I saw a sports profile about NFL head injuries and the league poobahs claimed that they were educating everyone that high hits will be punished and obliging teams to teach a different style of tackling. I don’t watch NFL so don’t know if that is making any difference. I haven’t heard about a similar programme in the CFL.
But the question is what can the CFL do about all this. The data that seems to say that guardian caps reduce concussions, at least in practices, is very circumspect. One of the reasons for that is that it is self-reported, and the mere fact of wearing one results in less reporting.
Also even the players don’t distinguish between head injuries and brain injuries. I saw an interview with M-A Dequoy discussing his concussion. They asked if he would wear the gcap when he returns and he said no. He argued that the helmet companies spend millions on research to create a safe helmet and he trusts them and it. It does protect him from injury to his head, but does little to stop his brain bouncing off his cranium. Even when a player is hit hard in the chest you can see his head snap when that happens. Brain injury, not head injury.
Back to football. The Canadian game is a finely calibrated mechanism that provides incredibly entertaining viewing. I really take exception when commenters choose one part of the game that needs changing, like the rouge or the 3 downs or whatever. We have one one yard off the ball, one foot in bounds, 5 yard halo, 40 yard line after a fg, rouges, long field etc etc. when you put all this together, it all makes sense and you have such a beautiful result. I strongly urge the league not to tinker with any of the variables that make the league so great, because then the other variables are out of whack. Special teams is much more important under CFL rules than NFL rules, so that would be one of the last things I would tinker with.
There are so many areas where the game could be made safer. I don’t know the best answer but one to consider is not flattening a receiver after he has missed a pass and is vulnerable - they have that in US college. Same for QB after the ball is out of his hands (look at Fajardo’s injury this year - completely unnecessary).
I think we should have really good data before changing the kick off rules. And if it exists, well OK, then. But injuries are happening all the time and way too often and I personally don’t see where it is skewed to kick-offs. (Though I may be wrong, because TSN often goes to commercial and viewers might not see an injury.) But don’t just make a change because the NFL did. Teams is the least interesting part of the NFL because of the fair catch on punts and most kickoffs sailing through the end zone anyway.
@EZ_Football owns the NCAA … wow
Yes a disproportionate number of fans of the University of Alabama and certain other schools do believe so. Some of their hacks at ESPN like that Paul Finebaum believe so as well, but hey that’s another thread.
They can enjoy their chicken-fried traditions just fine and leave the rest of us alone, including much of the rest of the south as is just fine as well, including Auburn University.
If you don’t like the idea criticize the idea … no need to attack the poster
Normally I agree, but he’s been up to these antics for some time, and there is a hidden motivation that was not disclosed until recently too.
I’ll continue otherwise to attack the idea with proper reference to that underlying motivation for such posts.
There’s also no sense in going out of your way to defend the antics of the University of Alabama if you know that history better, which I suggest to you to do a bit of research starting with the time of Governor George Wallace.
None of this underlying agenda belongs in the CFL much less in my own country, but it’s still at hand in places like Alabama, which I will condemn rightfully just fine at its historic roots that are anything but history in the US.
A simple search will tell you, kick returners are not the players who receive the most head / brain injuries. Further CFL’s 5 yard buffer zone is far and away better protection than allowing a kick return defender reaching mach 1 speed plowing into a upward looking kick returner.
Which football position gets the most head injuries?
Among the positions, cornerbacks, wide receivers, and linebackers stand out as the top three with the highest concussion rates. These concussions often stem from impactful plays, helmet-to-body collisions, and helmet-to-helmet hits.Aug 11, 2023
And with that said muting in 3, 2, 1
Sorry but I will have to call you on this one. Study after study and analysis after analysis shows that the frequency of injuries on special teams far exceeds the frequency of injuries on other plays. Generally it is considered to be 3 to 1. It’s not even close or controversial. The only question is what, if anything, to do about it.
Here is one short link. Google the topic and you will find many more.
As far as I am aware the CFL has not made the effort to mine their own data, but there is no reason to believe that kickoffs will be significantly different. Punts in the CFL with the halo will result in less injuries but will still exceed non special teams plays.
In general, fans of other leagues can and should assess how changes work out for THEIR leagues first instead of wagging their fingers at the CFL as in the opening post.
The jury is still out with the current NFL kickoff, and the NCAA Football kickoff is merely with automatic touchbacks, ball out to the 25, if the kickoff is fair caught or the ball crosses the goal line.
The CFL will do just fine to learn anything from any of their failure or success without having to experiment on their own first.
Kick returns as a percentage of plays in a football game are very small, so it is less the most in absolute terms but in relative to the number of plays terms,
Nobody arguing the 5-yard halo on punt returns isn’t effective, the initial suggestions related to means to eliminate the “Mach 1 speed” of coverage teams on kickoff returns.
https://www.npr.org/2024/09/23/nx-s1-5121019/nfl-players-cte-survey
Also, if I recall correctly, there’s more head-to-head contact in an arena league game as well. I wish I could remember the details when I first heard it, but the helmets need to be replaced more often in the various indoor/arena football leagues
Here’s the NFL’s current update on the latest improvements to helmets, as shared over the weekend during the games, with now five of the safest tested models being used by players:
https://www.nfl.com/playerhealthandsafety/equipment-and-innovation/engineering-technology/nfl-drives-innovation-in-helmet-safety-leading-to-better-safer-helmets-for-players
The 2024 season’s lineup of helmets includes the five safest helmets ever tested, a record 12 new models, and eight new position-specific helmets designed to provide players with the best protection for their position – evidence of the rapid rate of helmet innovation made possible by the league’s investments and collaboration with manufacturers, medical and engineering experts and club staff.
Ahead of the season, players work closely with their club equipment managers to determine the helmet that offers the best fit, protection and comfort. Players are choosing the top-performing models that can help keep them in the game: this year, nearly 98% of players are wearing top-performing helmets.
I don’t see many arguing against that both the helmet technology, as well as certain modifications to play, should be examined and improved.
It’s what is to be changed that is the heart of the argument, and most especially when fans of primarily another league than the CFL wag their finger for the CFL to change something first. Fix your preferred league first with all that energy.
Of course the CFL can and will continue to learn from such findings in any collaborative efforts with the NFL and via any of the underlying science that is of public record.
I think that is your bugaboo … I am open to suggestions for anything that can improve the CFL game and/or player safety … regardless of where it comes from.
I’m open to them from genuine fans of the game who don’t put their other leagues above the CFL, which he does and has consistently in every single new thread he has started but for the strange oil derrick one for Calgary.
That’s not my thing, but you are free to overlook that too for context of course and pretend these mostly hare-brained ideas are generated out of some vacuum for years by such parties now.
Context does matter not just in this example.
If it does not to you and ESPECIALLY knowing plenty of dudes from Alabama over the years with such a mentality as well, hey that’s on you, but that’s YOUR deal or ordeal all the same.
I don’t even know why they bother with kickoffs anymore, other than to get another TV ad timeout in between the kickoff and the next play.
just start from line of scrimmage at the 30 or 35.
or just make every kickoff an onside kick or pooch kick where you get penalized for anything further than 20 yards. lol but you kick off from the 50 haha
As we discuss at length in the NFL rules thread, it does look like at the very least that the NFL may make such a decision, since the new kickoff is only a one-year trial anyway.
I’m thinking they will keep it though on the basis that “well it’s something, a sliver of dynamic is better than nothing, but tell our media people to call it ‘dynamic’ again of course” or similar reasoning.
Dr. Goalposts is probably working on the stats again, but I do feel like I saw more kickoffs returned in Week 3 in the NFL.
Agree to disagree … I do not see the “landing zone” rule or “Guardian caps” as hare-brained ideas … the former was adopted by the NFL … the latter are allowed in-game and are mandatory in CFL practices for certain positions … I don’t care about the source, I care about the concept.
guardian caps are sweet. they should all wear them. i like how they make their heads look big like aliens.
