[Misleading Title] Facemask penalties

[Billl]

Everyone knows that the NFL has a rule against grabbing the opposing team's facemasks.  It results in a 15 yard penalty.  Supposedly the thought process behind the rule is player safety.  According to the league, players are at risk of sustaining serious neck injuries if they are jerked by the facemask.  That sounds reasonable enough until you dig a little deeper into the facts of the situation.

 

I did some research and found that nearly 400 such penalties are called on average each season.  But did you know that only about one player per season suffers a broken neck?  You read that right.  Out of 400 "dangerous" plays, there's only one broken neck per season.  The odds of having your mask grabbed without breaking your neck is about 99.75%. What's more, is players can break their necks in other ways unrelated to facemask grabbing.  So why then do we have the facemask rule if it's not really about safety you may ask...  CONTROL 

 

The league implemented this bogus rule under the pretense of player safety in order to get players to comply.  Since then, they've added additional rules about not hitting with the crown of the helmet, not hitting the QB low, etc.  But if pads work, why do we need all these rules?  It makes it much harder to tackle when you can't grab a facemask or launch yourself at a WR coming across the middle, but you nearly never see players die as a result of these "dirty" plays.

 

I'm not saying that players should have to start spearing QBs or swinging opponents around by their facemasks.  I'm saying that each player should do their own research as to how dangerous it really is and decide for themselves.  If they decide that the risks are overblown, then I support their right to do their jobs they way they see fit.  Whether you agree with them or not, you should support players who don't just blindly follow these tyrannical mask rules like sheep.

 

 

 

 

 

[4merper4mer]

You’re right.  They should probably reduce the penalty to 5 yards until there are at least 10 broken necks per season.  At that point it might be revisited.

[Patrick Duffy]

400 you say?!?!

[LabattBlue]

Misleading title.  If you want to talk about face masks, then don’t say “masks”...when you know what that implies in the world we live in today.  

Edited August 26, 2021 by BTB

[Billl]

1 minute ago, BTB said:

Misleading title.  If you want to talk about face masks, then don’t say “masks”...when you know what that implies in the world we live in today.  

Given that this is a football board and political discussions are banned, I thought it was pretty obviously about facemasks.

[Freddie's Dead]

Damn, another Covid thread 

 

There are other injuries besides broken necks that occur from grabbing the facemask.  The NFL also outlawed the horse-collar tackle to save on ACL tears and other injuries.  It's about safety, not control.

Edited August 26, 2021 by Freddie's Dead

[NewEra]

9 minutes ago, Billl said:

Everyone knows that the NFL has a rule against grabbing the opposing team's facemasks.  It results in a 15 yard penalty.  Supposedly the thought process behind the rule is player safety.  According to the league, players are at risk of sustaining serious neck injuries if they are jerked by the facemask.  That sounds reasonable enough until you dig a little deeper into the facts of the situation.

 

I did some research and found that nearly 400 such penalties are called on average each season.  But did you know that only about one player per season suffers a broken neck?  You read that right.  Out of 400 "dangerous" plays, there's only one broken neck per season.  The odds of having your mask grabbed without breaking your neck is about 99.75%. What's more, is players can break their necks in other ways unrelated to facemask grabbing.  So why then do we have the facemask rule if it's not really about safety you may ask...  CONTROL 

 

The league implemented this bogus rule under the pretense of player safety in order to get players to comply.  Since then, they've added additional rules about not hitting with the crown of the helmet, not hitting the QB low, etc.  But if pads work, why do we need all these rules?  It makes it much harder to tackle when you can't grab a facemask or launch yourself at a WR coming across the middle, but you nearly never see players die as a result of these "dirty" plays.

 

I'm not saying that players should have to start spearing QBs or swinging opponents around by their facemasks.  I'm saying that each player should do their own research as to how dangerous it really is and decide for themselves.  If they decide that the risks are overblown, then I support their right to do their jobs they way they see fit.  Whether you agree with them or not, you should support players who don't just blindly follow these tyrannical mask rules like sheep.

 

 

 

 

 

But you’re saying that it should be legal…..

 

1 out of 400 ends with a broken neck.  1 in 400 while players are trying their best NOT to grab the face mask.  Imagine if guys were allowed to grab face masks?  They wouldn’t be trying to hide the action.  They would be diving at ball carriers targeting the face mask because once they grab the face mask, the ball carriers is sure to stop in his tracks.  
 

Making face masking legal is possibly one of the stupidest ideas I’ve ever heard of.  Rousseau would just reach across the LOS, grab Mahomes face mask and throw his face into the dirt.  How would you like that?  

[RiotAct]

oh dear God…

 

You’re so clever, OP!  🙄

[Mango]

The amount of responses missing the point here is astonishing…

[Billl]

4 minutes ago, NewEra said:

But you’re saying that it should be legal…..

 

1 out of 400 ends with a broken neck.  1 in 400 while players are trying their best NOT to grab the face mask.  Imagine if guys were allowed to grab face masks?  They wouldn’t be trying to hide the action.  They would be diving at ball carriers targeting the face mask because once they grab the face mask, the ball carriers is sure to stop in his tracks.  
 

Making face masking legal is possibly one of the stupidest ideas I’ve ever heard of.  Rousseau would just reach across the LOS, grab Mahomes face mask and throw his face into the dirt.  How would you like that?  

Mahomes wears pads and has an offensive line to keep him healthy.  What's the point of having pads and blockers if you're still going to ban something that has a 99.75% chance of not breaking your neck?  Have you even done your own research, or do you just trust what ever GODell tells you?

[NewEra]

Just now, Billl said:

Mahomes wears pads and has an offensive line to keep him healthy.  What's the point of having pads and blockers if you're still going to ban something that has a 99.75% chance of not breaking your neck?  Have you even done your own research, or do you just trust what ever GODell tells you?

I didn’t know you could research how many injuries WOULD HAPPEN if there wasn’t a face mask rule.  I’ll leave that to you.  
 

In order to get a change like this, one would have to bring a proposal to the table that would explain what good would come from not having a face mask penalty?  Please, based on your extensive research, present your proposal.  

[Billl]

Look at Peyton Manning.  The guy broke his neck then came back and won a Superbowl and an MVP.  If broken necks are so dangerous then why was he even better after his injury?  On the other hand, you've got people like Nicole Simpson who never even wore a facemask yet that didn't save her neck.  

 

Look, I'm not saying you should be forced to play dirty.  I just think players should be able to decide for themselves whether they choose to follow the mask rules.

[RiotAct]

1 minute ago, NewEra said:

I didn’t know you could research how many injuries WOULD HAPPEN if there wasn’t a face mask rule.  I’ll leave that to you.  
 

In order to get a change like this, one would have to bring a proposal to the table that would explain what good would come from not having a face mask penalty?  Please, based on your extensive research, present your proposal.  

OP is on some kind of weird crusade…

[Chandler#81]

[This is an automated response]

 

The topic title is potentially misleading. Accurate titles help the community find topics relevant to their interests and avoids reader frustration. Please change the topic title to more accurately reflect content of the original post.The topic starter can edit the topic title line to make it more appropriate.

 

Thank you.

[Chandler#81]

4 minutes ago, Billl said:

Look at Peyton Manning.  The guy broke his neck then came back and won a Superbowl and an MVP.  If broken necks are so dangerous then why was he even better after his injury?  On the other hand, you've got people like Nicole Simpson who never even wore a facemask yet that didn't save her neck.  

 

Look, I'm not saying you should be forced to play dirty.  I just think players should be able to decide for themselves whether they choose to follow the mask rules.

Ok. That’s enough.