fundamentals

There is much discourse in the media today concerning head injuries and "flagrant" hits in the National Football League. The NFL is starting to take action against such hits, by reviewing hits on "defenseless" players and fining or even suspending players guilty of perpetrating such hits. This point has been approaching for quite some time, but seems to have been finally reached in response to several hits during Sunday's games:

I commend the NFL for being proactive, identifying a problem and seeking a means to solve it. The league is demonstrating flexibility and adaptability, and I find the criticism that the NFL is going soft to be foolish and uninformed. However, I do believe that the NFL is failing to fully grasp the nature of the problem.

Football players are getting bigger, stronger, faster all the time, and the hitting that is a part of the sport is becoming more and more violent as a result. But when did hitting replace tackling and blocking in the rulebook? Enforcing the existing rules and suspending players who break these rules and commit flagrant hits is an important first step, but if the NFL is truly concerned about protecting its players and maintaining the integrity of the game, it needs to adopt new rules that dictate what is and is not appropriate tackling and blocking.

Players leading with their shoulder pads and helmets when attempting a tackle or a block is not only dangerous, it's poor fundamentals. Proper tacking involves wrapping up the ball carrier, and proper blocking involves engaging the would-be tackler and pushing him - or her I suppose - off his mark. Watch a football game carefully and you'll quickly notice that these fundamental functions are rarely performed correctly. It's really impossible to pinpoint where or when players developed such poor habits, but we do know that youth, high school and college athletes emulate what they watch in the professional leagues.

Therefore, the NFL can lead by example if it changes it's rules governing tackling and blocking to deemphasize the concept of hitting and reinforce proper tacking and blocking techniques. The rules outlawing flagrant hits, if they are enforced with elevated fines and suspensions, can be effective - I say that even though I believe there are too many and too complex rules protecting quarterbacks - but I don't see how they can be enough to secure the safety of the players and enact change in lower levels of football. The answer is not telling players that they cannot hit other players, it's telling players specifically how they can hit other players.

Make rules that all tackles must be initiated in an effort to wrap up the ball carrier. Makes rules that all blocks must be initiated with the intent to engage the other player. Flag, fine and even suspend players to enforce these rules. There will still be vicious tackles and devastating blocks, but hopefully they will be safe tackles and blocks that no longer cause potentially permanent damage to the athletes that play the game.