Laying the Hat

[antagon]

That's what we'd call it in highschool. The goal would be to paint your helmet with the parts of the other team's kit. It was easy to get some paint off the numbers on the jersey, but the rubbery coating on the facemask or a proper streak of helmet plastic smeared onto your own would get you donuts on a sore Saturday morning films session. Pancakes, sticks, hats, cracks, sacks and pops are part of the game. This is how you get on the starting roster and how you come away with Ws.

NEW YORK -- The NFL imposed huge fines Tuesday on three players for dangerous and flagrant hits last weekend and warned that, starting with this week's games, violent conduct will be cause for suspension.

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison was docked $75,000 on Tuesday, while New England Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather and Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson will lose $50,000 each.

NFL fines for flagrant hits after vow to suspend - ESPN

So they're bigger and faster than highschool kids and the $takes are well higher, but aren't they still playing football? Some of this is all in the game and not in any way malicious. I'm disappointed.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Remember when the NFL didn't repaint the helmets very week? The linemen had helmets that barely had paint on em from a whole season of knockin' heads.

Maybe one of the solutions for hard hits could be to put a position specific weight limit on the players. For instance the Linemen could weigh 280-300 max. Limit all the players like that.

 

[antagon]

i'd dig that. hunker them down with hans devices or something. you've got guys with no thighpads in their pants getting protected by the ref.

 

[Revere]

Any coach who catches a kid doing anything with his helmet besides protecting his head should sit the kid down.

 

[antagon]

ergonomically, tackling without your head is not possible. it is stuck to ya, right at the point of contact of a good, safe tackle. i've been tackling since 1990 in a variety of sports and i think you'd have the whole team on the bench with that one, revere.

you speak like clotheslines and legwhips are safer