The Answer To CTE?
 

Re: The Answer To CTE?
 

I totally believe in this. Not sure about for CTE though lol.

If the NFL really wants to prevent CTE, make the players go back to wearing leather helmets. Today's helmets act as more of a weapon than as protective gear.

Re: The Answer To CTE?
 

Good observation 44. I think the more protection the players get the more invisible they think they are and that's what causes more injuries trying to use their bodies as weapons.

Re: The Answer To CTE?
 

Soon at the Greenbrier...

Re: The Answer To CTE?
 

People were dying on the field from skull fractures with leather helmets. CTE is a work hazard, and those who play the game willingly accept it.

Re: The Answer To CTE?
 

there's no cure besides ending the violent collisions during the game, that ain't happening anytime soon

Re: The Answer To CTE?
 

You have this big, sensitive bundle of nerves, the brain, floating in fluid within a thin membrane, with all that surrounded by calcified bone...

Any time you stop that floating mass suddenly, violently -there's going to be problems...

I will say that improper tackling, specifically leading with the helmet, or spearing, is one of the leading causes for these concussions...

Re: The Answer To CTE?
 

We were all taught while playing from the age of 5 yrs old on not to lead with your helmet. Some choose to listen and stay healthy, some choose to become Mohamad Ali. As A LEO I was taught to wear my vest. Some lives are saved because of that. Some choose not to and are killed in the line of duty. You make your choices you have to live by them. An easy way to salve this would be for every player to sign a waiver when signing their contract. If they know it's on them then they may be more carefull.

Re: The Answer To CTE?
 

Rugby players don't seem to have this issue. We play with out helmets and we tackle with our shoulders(using our heads). Get your head behind the ball carrier when you tackle. Proper tackling techniques are essential in such a brutal sport. If you watch a rugby game you will see that unless we are defending at the goal line we typically use the slide tackle. You can't run anywhere if your feet are bound together.:p

It is rare for professional rugby players to miss a tackle. It is also rare for a tackler or tackled player to get hurt because there are restrictions enforced at the point of tackle.

No tackling above the arm pit.
No dump tackles and no tackling a player in the air.
Nor are you allowed to leave your feet to make a tackle.
And absolutely no jumping onto players on the ground.
These laws are all heavily enforced. As a rugby player and referee our first priority is safety. These laws are covered before each match with both teams that are playing to ensure that they understand and will comply with the laws.

Re: The Answer To CTE?
 

I tried to look up some info on this but couldn't find any. I found that there were several deaths due to loose tackling rules (i.e. piling on after the player is down, causing broken neck or punctured lung). My point was that if you take away today's helmet, players will be less apt to lead with their head when making a tackle. Taking away today's helmet protects the tackler as much as it does the one being tackled.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

Re: The Answer To CTE?
 

I think the helmets are needed but the technology has to be revolutionized. There is a new type of helmet on the way that I guess you could compare more to the deformation zones on a car. One that absorbs and diverts the impact. Read the article, I am really intrigued.

And on a personal level, I have played football since 1999 with 2 breaks, this year will be my last having played 15 seasons. I would lie if I said I wasn't a little worried how it will affect me having been in the trenches all this time.


"Dave Marver crouches in his Seattle office, brandishing two black football helmets that look pretty much alike. One is made by Riddell, the nation’s best-selling helmet manufacturer. The other is a prototype made by Vicis, the startup company for which Marver is chief executive.

He slams the crown of the Riddell model onto the concrete floor, producing the familiar violent crack of a strong safety blindsiding a wide receiver. Then Marver bangs his own company’s helmet down. The sound it makes is a flat, squishy thump—not something likely to thrill the average National Football League fan. Marver grins. “It’s up to us,” he says, “to make thump cool.”

This Football Helmet Crumples?and That?s Good

Re: The Answer To CTE?
 

The Rugby argument is a good one but the forward pass would change that sport dramatically.

Leather? No.
Technological advances? Maybe.
More penalties? No. Even with replay these jokers get it wrong.

At the end of the day this is a hazard of the job.

Re: The Answer To CTE?
 

The helmet stops fractures and cuts to the head, no matter what kind of helmet you produce, it will not stop CTE. Until you can put a protection inside the skull and around the actual brain, there will never be a cure, only minimised risk. If the the head is moving at speed and suddenly stopped, the brain will hit the inside of the skull. But now we all know the risks it comes down to choice. And as with smoking, if you know the risks and choose to still do it, don't ***** to the cigarette companies when you become ill.

Re: The Answer To CTE?
 

Watch any college game. The first guy makes the hit, the following guy comes in and "spears" the tackled player. That is taught behavior.

Re: The Answer To CTE?
 

The "big tobacco" of our next generation will be food companies.

Monsanto at the top of that list...