Bears week 6 vs Jags in London, Sunday at 8:30am

[raw]

1 minute ago, BigbadB said:

Aren't the partially lowering their head close to impact more of a fumble preventative measure, since lowering your head lowers the rest of your body some and reduces the chances of impact on the football.

Partially yeah, but that's not actually the best or correct way to lower your target area. Best way is to run low with your head up and just drop your hips/bend your knees. If you need to lower a shoulder, you can, but there's ways to do that with your head facing forward as well.

[Wilson A2000]

3 hours ago, Brian707 said:

3rd season in a row Brisker has been in concussion protocol. With the bye next week just let him rest up and come back on the 27th

Has to be close to getting the Tua treatment where he’s out for a while. Or think about your future real long and hard.

Don’t know how he passed the concussion test in the game.

[David]

4 hours ago, Derwood said:

At some point they will, but it's only voluntary now. If/when they mandate them, they will grandfather in older players (like they did with helmets, and then visors, in the NHL)

According to the league, there are new helmet models that are just as "safe" as wearing a guardian cap.  Take that FWIW.

 

 

Edited October 8, 2024 by David

[raw]

4 hours ago, Wilson A2000 said:

Has to be close to getting the Tua treatment where he’s out for a while. Or think about your future real long and hard.

Don’t know how he passed the concussion test in the game.

My theory is every concussion is not created equal. And everyone has different effects. Like Tua literally looks dead every time. Brisker doesn't. IIRC, all Brisker's we have heard about after he's completed games, so he's getting delayed symptoms which can happen. Can also have a really bad headache caused with no concussion symptoms. 

My son's team had 4 kids have concussion symptoms in Saturday's game. 2 of them are playing this week, cleared today. 1 is out this week, at least. The other was life-flighted from the field is out for the season, but he was able to go to the homecoming dance the same night after being released from the hospital.

[Wilson A2000]

2 hours ago, raw said:

My theory is every concussion is not created equal. And everyone has different effects. Like Tua literally looks dead every time. Brisker doesn't. IIRC, all Brisker's we have heard about after he's completed games, so he's getting delayed symptoms which can happen. Can also have a really bad headache caused with no concussion symptoms. 

My son's team had 4 kids have concussion symptoms in Saturday's game. 2 of them are playing this week, cleared today. 1 is out this week, at least. The other was life-flighted from the field is out for the season, but he was able to go to the homecoming dance the same night after being released from the hospital.

Potentially ruining kids’ brains at a time when they are developing. Sad. 

[Irrelevant Dude]

3 hours ago, Wilson A2000 said:

Potentially ruining kids’ brains at a time when they are developing. Sad. 

I'm honestly surprised that high school football has been able to continue largely unscathed.  There was a time where there was a ton of mainstream attention on head injuries and it looked like schools might struggle to maintain their numbers, but it seems like the interest now is largely the same as it has always been.  I guess football is just too ingrained in our culture and even the threat of brain injury isn't enough to change that. 

As a parent of young children, my approach has been to put more focus on the other sports, encouraging my kids to play baseball, soccer, basketball etc, but never seeking out anything football related.  Even when my son's best friends are signing up for flag football, I just try to keep him focused on the alternatives. If one of my kids ever decided that he REALLY wanted to play football in high school, I would try to discuss the risks with him as best as possible, but I wouldn't stop him from playing if he insisted on doing so.  As they haven't shown much interest though, I don't anticipate that being a conversation I will need to have.

[NotKyle]

Bears defense is 1st in epa/dropbacks allowed on pass plays .

Jaguars are 32nd

[raw]

7 hours ago, Irrelevant Dude said:

I'm honestly surprised that high school football has been able to continue largely unscathed.  There was a time where there was a ton of mainstream attention on head injuries and it looked like schools might struggle to maintain their numbers, but it seems like the interest now is largely the same as it has always been.  I guess football is just too ingrained in our culture and even the threat of brain injury isn't enough to change that. 

As a parent of young children, my approach has been to put more focus on the other sports, encouraging my kids to play baseball, soccer, basketball etc, but never seeking out anything football related.  Even when my son's best friends are signing up for flag football, I just try to keep him focused on the alternatives. If one of my kids ever decided that he REALLY wanted to play football in high school, I would try to discuss the risks with him as best as possible, but I wouldn't stop him from playing if he insisted on doing so.  As they haven't shown much interest though, I don't anticipate that being a conversation I will need to have.

The thing is.....if you play the game the right way, concussions should mostly be avoided. It's kinda like driving. If you drive within the law, your risk of an accident is much lower. Actually, a football collision and a car wreck are very similar in terms of effect. And the only worry is other people playing the game/driving in a way that is not within the rules.

My son has played since he was 6. I made sure I coached when he was younger so I could make sure he's playing the right way. USA Football has required coaches (at all levels) to be certified for at least the last 5-6 years, which also teaches completely different tackling techniques that I was taught. I think that will help in the long-run when the USA Football taught kids are up at the higher level of football. The targeting and helmet use rules at the college and NFL level are starting to help as well. You no longer have the Steve Atwaters of the world destroying anyone over the middle of the field. And Atwater paled in comparison to a Jack Tatum.

My son is 14 now and has never had a concussion. He's played LB every year too, so he has proven he can keep his head out of tackles. My nephew is in his 10th NFL season as a TE and never had a concussion, so he has proven he can keep his head up while running to protect himself.

It's really not all that difficult to play the game safely. It's mostly stubborness with guys who can't give up the olden days.....just like it is with people who drive too fast and reckless.

[WrigleyField 22]

8 hours ago, Irrelevant Dude said:

I'm honestly surprised that high school football has been able to continue largely unscathed.  There was a time where there was a ton of mainstream attention on head injuries and it looked like schools might struggle to maintain their numbers, but it seems like the interest now is largely the same as it has always been.  I guess football is just too ingrained in our culture and even the threat of brain injury isn't enough to change that. 

As a parent of young children, my approach has been to put more focus on the other sports, encouraging my kids to play baseball, soccer, basketball etc, but never seeking out anything football related.  Even when my son's best friends are signing up for flag football, I just try to keep him focused on the alternatives. If one of my kids ever decided that he REALLY wanted to play football in high school, I would try to discuss the risks with him as best as possible, but I wouldn't stop him from playing if he insisted on doing so.  As they haven't shown much interest though, I don't anticipate that being a conversation I will need to have.

While it's still going relatively strong and will continue to be around, it certainly has not gone unscathed.  Lots of programs have folded or gone to 8 man.  Lots of freshman or JV programs have been eliminated.  Most varsity programs are running at lower numbers than 20-30 years ago.

[jersey cubs fan]

9 hours ago, Irrelevant Dude said:

I'm honestly surprised that high school football has been able to continue largely unscathed.  There was a time where there was a ton of mainstream attention on head injuries and it looked like schools might struggle to maintain their numbers, but it seems like the interest now is largely the same as it has always been.  I guess football is just too ingrained in our culture and even the threat of brain injury isn't enough to change that. 

As a parent of young children, my approach has been to put more focus on the other sports, encouraging my kids to play baseball, soccer, basketball etc, but never seeking out anything football related.  Even when my son's best friends are signing up for flag football, I just try to keep him focused on the alternatives. If one of my kids ever decided that he REALLY wanted to play football in high school, I would try to discuss the risks with him as best as possible, but I wouldn't stop him from playing if he insisted on doing so.  As they haven't shown much interest though, I don't anticipate that being a conversation I will need to have.

If you are genuinely concerned about head injuries in football for your children you shouldn’t be steering them toward soccer. 

[Wilson A2000]

9 hours ago, Irrelevant Dude said:

I'm honestly surprised that high school football has been able to continue largely unscathed.  There was a time where there was a ton of mainstream attention on head injuries and it looked like schools might struggle to maintain their numbers, but it seems like the interest now is largely the same as it has always been.  I guess football is just too ingrained in our culture and even the threat of brain injury isn't enough to change that. 

As a parent of young children, my approach has been to put more focus on the other sports, encouraging my kids to play baseball, soccer, basketball etc, but never seeking out anything football related.  Even when my son's best friends are signing up for flag football, I just try to keep him focused on the alternatives. If one of my kids ever decided that he REALLY wanted to play football in high school, I would try to discuss the risks with him as best as possible, but I wouldn't stop him from playing if he insisted on doing so.  As they haven't shown much interest though, I don't anticipate that being a conversation I will need to have.

Football is not a safe sport no matter how careful you are

[WrigleyField 22]

I'm not even sure there's scientific consensus from doctors on this, but there's at least some thought that the bigger danger of football is all the small collisions and not the major ones.  So the "soccer/basketball is just as dangerous" thing may not even be accurate, even though those sports will have their large share of collisions and head injuries.

[bukie]

13 minutes ago, jersey cubs fan said:

If you are genuinely concerned about head injuries in football for your children you shouldn’t be steering them toward soccer. 

That's a common misnomer, as concussion rates for soccer are much lower than football, especially for youth (in youth soccer, headers are not allowed to avoid players going head first into anything). Wrestling/MMA is worse than football for concussions (...obviously?), but tackle football on the whole is effectively a broken sport in terms of youth safety, as every play involves at least a small collision for at least half of the players on the field, and the worst thing about a concussion is successive concussions while still playing the game.

Regarding Brisker specifically, he often leads with the head to put hits on players without even using his arms, which will occasionally jar a ball loose but is not a sustainable style of play for a long career or life after career.

EDIT: Charts!

Edited October 9, 2024 by bukie

[Soul]

Cheerleading?

[mul21]

9 hours ago, Irrelevant Dude said:

I'm honestly surprised that high school football has been able to continue largely unscathed.  There was a time where there was a ton of mainstream attention on head injuries and it looked like schools might struggle to maintain their numbers, but it seems like the interest now is largely the same as it has always been.  I guess football is just too ingrained in our culture and even the threat of brain injury isn't enough to change that. 

As a parent of young children, my approach has been to put more focus on the other sports, encouraging my kids to play baseball, soccer, basketball etc, but never seeking out anything football related.  Even when my son's best friends are signing up for flag football, I just try to keep him focused on the alternatives. If one of my kids ever decided that he REALLY wanted to play football in high school, I would try to discuss the risks with him as best as possible, but I wouldn't stop him from playing if he insisted on doing so.  As they haven't shown much interest though, I don't anticipate that being a conversation I will need to have.

I saw a picture of my high school's football team from this year and there were 18 kids total on the varsity squad.  It was easily 25-30 when I was in high school 30 years ago and enrollment was like 370 then and over 500 now.  

[squally1313]

15 minutes ago, Soul said:

Cheerleading?

That one I can at least understand how the head injuries happen. Might need someone to explain track and field to me. Is every single pole vaulter getting concussed?

[Irrelevant Dude]

34 minutes ago, WrigleyField 22 said:

I'm not even sure there's scientific consensus from doctors on this, but there's at least some thought that the bigger danger of football is all the small collisions and not the major ones.  So the "soccer/basketball is just as dangerous" thing may not even be accurate, even though those sports will have their large share of collisions and head injuries.

The thing soccer has that might be comparable to the "small collisions" would be headers, but how many times is the average player actually heading the ball now?  When I was a kid, we practiced them even at a young age, but now they don't do it at all for the younger age groups and even as kids get older I'm pretty sure there are significant limitations placed on the amount of heading that is done.

[Sammy Sofa]

14 minutes ago, squally1313 said:

That one I can at least understand how the head injuries happen. Might need someone to explain track and field to me. Is every single pole vaulter getting concussed?

Falling while running can easily rattle the horsefeathers out of your brain.

[bukie]

3 minutes ago, Sammy Sofa said:

Falling while running can easily rattle the horsefeathers out of your brain.

And that falling is made easier if you, say, trip over a hurdle or land wrong after a high jump or long jump.

[raw]

49 minutes ago, Soul said:

Cheerleading?

There are tons of stunt (lifting, flips) injuries in cheerleading.

[jumbo]

14 minutes ago, raw said:

There are tons of stunt (lifting, flips) injuries in cheerleading.

Wow, yeah my daugher is in cheer. They mostly practice and compete on mats, but she is also in school cheer now and doing things at football games, basketball next. These are hard surfaces, people get dropped from aerial stunts. 

[raw]

2 minutes ago, jumbo said:

Wow, yeah my daugher is in cheer. They mostly practice and compete on mats, but she is also in school cheer now and doing things at football games, basketball next. These are hard surfaces, people get dropped from aerial stunts. 

Being dropped on a stunt on a mat hurts as well. Those mats typically aren't very thick and the padding doesn't quite make the landing pillowy. 

Also seems to be a lot of knee injuries, but that's just going by my eye test.

[Wilson A2000]

Brisker officially out this week

[Brian707]

2 hours ago, mul21 said:

  It was easily 25-30 when I was in high school 30 years ago

[BigSlick]

Sad to not have him but definitely makes sense and gives him 2 weeks to heal up before we play next. Wouldn't want him traveling and playing in a totally different time zone while dealing with a concussion anyway. 

Brisker provides the same kind of dilemma Mike Brown where he's a truly amazing talent but who's style of play lends itself to hurting himself. I hope he's a dude who can stay healthy and play at a high level for a long time, but I don't expect it.