Must NFL www.officialnikesaintsjerseyshop.com do more to protect players from concussions
Saints suffered a debilitating blow literally and figuratively as it turns out when RB Pierre Thomas was knocked out of Saturday's divisional playoff game at San Francisco by a helmettohelmet, concussioninducing hit from 49ers S Donte Whitner.
Thomas fumbled on the play, and the ball was recovered by 49ers ILB Patrick Willis. Whitner was not flagged because the hit on Thomas, not considered a defenseless player during the sequence, is considered legal. Niners gain possession, Saints lose one of their key offensive players.
So given the league's escalating emphasis on player safety and the documented troubles many NFL retirees Womens Jimmy Graham Jersey have had with head injuries, should more be done to protect backs like Thomas?
"I always anticipate that we will do whatever it takes to make the game safer, to change the rules, improve the equipment and make sure we reduce the use of the head in the game," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodellsaid today in Baltimore.
"It has been successful. We're seeing a reduction in injuries.''
But the policies didn't help Thomas. Can anything be done to curb risk on such plays, especially while staying within the framework of a game that many fans and NFL analysts have already criticized for becoming too soft.
"When you try to protect a runner, the winner is the guy who gets the lowest," former NFL director of officiating Mike Pereira said via the Associated Press. "With both players going down at each other, the notion to make the runner defenseless essentially can make it impossible to officiate. Who made the contact first?
"In this day and age, I would not be surprised if they look at it, but it's hard to prove the runner is defenseless or the tackler is defenseless if the runner has lowered his helmet.
"I understand why people say this: 'If you say you are concerned about concussions, why not make all helmet hits illegal? But realistically, there is no way to legislate it out of the game."USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To www.officialnikesaintsjerseyshop.com/WOMENS-JIMMY-GRAHAM-JERSEY.html report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines.