Saving football

Football is one head trauma, suicide or spinal injury away from serious scrutiny that nanny state America will use to ban or change the game into something so sissified it won’t be recognizable. So what to do?

Change the college football season to 10 games with two bye weeks. The season will still last 12 weeks to keep money grubbing colleges and networks happy. This scheme also will allow for extra games for an extended play-off system.

NFL season should be no longer than 12 weeks with two bye weeks.

Playing so many games is crazy. It’s like bending a coat hanger back and forth. The more you fatigue it by bending the weaker it becomes.  The seasons are 12 and 16 games for one reason $.

Next make the game safer by making it more demanding. Odd huh? Only allow 4 substitutions per change of possession. Football is dangerous because it is played by extremely large and fast men. Requiring players to stay on the field longer will change the size of the players. It’s unlikely that there will be many 300+ LBS players if they are required to play both ways. Playing both ways will also slow the game as energy become the premium.  Football is the only one of the major sports that allows whole sale substitutions on nearly ever play. Can you imagine the pace of a baseball game if they brought in a new pitcher for each pitch or even each batter? How about on the fly defensive substitutions after every basket? Hockey does change lines frequently, but players are required to go both ways and their is no guarantees the coach will be able to get players off the ice, so players have to be mindful of the energy they are expending.

In order to prevent defenses from whole sale substitutions on certain downs and distances, teams are now adopting hurry up offenses that do not allow substitutions. That fatigues the defense and causes injury. Limiting substitutions will eliminate the need for the hurry up. Huddling up after every play gives the players a chance to rest, but the play needs to continue a pace so as not to give them full recovery time. 25-30 between plays should be sufficient.

People familiar with rugby and/or Australian Rules football, know that you don’t need to keep adding padding and equipment to protect the players. Both rugby and Australian Rules football are played with a minimum of padding. In fact the less equipment, the more likely a player will be willing to lead with his head. Mike Ditka proposed removing the facemask from the helmet to get players from leading with their head.  Covering the players head to foot gives them a sense of invulnerability.  Making them understand that they are vulnerable would do a lot to end devastating collisions.

Anyway, there you have it a simple way to make the game safer. Take three years to implement it. Gradually increase the number of players who have to go both ways to give the players and coaches time to adjust.

And now that Christmas is all wrapped, the cookies all made, the halls all decked and tree decorated to the nines here’s a reminder.

Merry Christmas!