Just Wrap Up: Why The New Hit Policy Is the Right Move for the NFL

You could be thinking a column related to the NFL's new helmet-to-helmet hit policy is a few days late, but after the barrage of coverage it has received from just about every sports media outlet, from every analyst, player and coach, I've finally been able to digest it all and form an educated opinion on this hot topic.

Big hits are a part of the the game of football. They're what sets the NFL apart from the rest. I love them, you love them, we all love them. But no matter how passionate Mark Schlereth wants to be, or how many creative "National Flag Football League" jokes you hear, there's no room for all the injuries, especially those to the head.

Some would say that injuries are another facet of professional football, something you've got to deal with, and they'd be right. However, the amount of injuries and the long-lasting affects research has shown they have on players must be avoided.

The average shelf life of a running back these days is somewhere around six years, but remember, they do live on past their glory days in professional football.

This legislation must be handed down right now and here's the bottom line.

Players are bigger, faster, stronger than ever—there's no "offseason" anymore with the way many of these guys workout today.

The workout regimens are sculpting players that can hit harder than human body can endure. 6'3'', 260 pound defensive ends are a dime a dozen, and on the slow end, run 4.7's. This wasn't the case "back then".

Sure, a few freakish athletes like Lawrence Taylor and Deion Sanders roamed the field in the 80's and 90's, but it's a totally different game in 2010.

I'm sorry old timers, but any "average" NFL player would be a stud if he was sent 15-25 years back. I'm obviously not focused on performance here, it's the hits being delivered.

Forty-yard dash times drop every year at the combine. Bench press reps go up. It's the evolution of the athlete.

While the muscles get bigger and the feet move faster, has the human head, skull, or brain received a boost? No.

Nothing against guys like Schlereth, but setting the precedent that over-ferocious hits, especially to the head, won't be tolerated is a move by the league that should be applauded. That is not to say that Adrian Peterson can't run through the next free safety that tries to size him up, or Clay Matthews can't blast a helpless quarterback from the blindside. I'm all for that. Ray Lewis' hit on Dustin Keller in Week One is a prime example of a totally legal hit.

I think a lot of people are misunderstanding the rule the NFL is laying down. From what I've gathered, the big, truck-stick hits will still be allowed. When the helmet is used as a weapon or a referee deems that a player went out of his way to injure a defenseless player, severe fines or even suspensions may be received.

What's wrong with that?

I will say that the NFL, from a PR standpoint, looks pretty bad here. They have over-glamorized the big hit to a point where every player, from star to practice-squad call up is licking his chops for that big moment, not necessarily to score a touchdown or intercept a pass, but to completely lay out an opposing player.

They've also made millions of dollars off the big hit, too.

I see it in my own neck of the woods every week. Buffalo Bills safety Donte Whitner hardly makes a tackle close to the line of scrimmage. But when he punishes a running back 20-yards down field, he's all fired up, as are his teammates.

Why?

It's become the slam-dunk of the NFL. The league itself has pumped it up so much that the majority of the players are looking to do it; to be that next SportsCenter highlight.

A lot of players state that this is the macho, manly part of the game that is in fact the essence of the NFL. Since when is pulverizing another man who can't defend himself considered macho?

Was Hines Ward's jaw-breaking block on Keith Rivers two seasons ago that cool? How about Brandon Meriweather's on Todd Heap last weekend?

I will agree that the suspensions handed down in Week Six were excessive, especially the Dunta Robinson/DeSean Jackson collision, because that's what it was, a collision, and Robinson didn't really lead with his head.

But think about how many "harmless" helmet-to-helmet hits you've seen that have ended in concussions or neck injuries. Eventually some 6'1'' 220 pound safety running a 4.4 at a tailback and trying to take his head off is going to end very badly.

Listen, these hits are going to happen and there's going to be controversy. Quarterbacks are still going to throw the slant across the middle to the smaller, more vulnerable slot guys.

Tight ends are still going to take that risk of running down the seam, the part of the field safeties target for those monster hits. But most of the time, we'll be able to the tell the player's intent.

I don't want the NFL to lose his aggressiveness, not at all, but what ever happened to wrapping up?