Heads up!

          I’m a football fan. Always have been, always will be. I have a lifetime of really great football memories and the next ones are just around the corner.

          So I am concerned about the future of the game. Right now, the future of the game must include a very serious look at head and neck injuries: Both prevention and treatment. After years of avoiding the issue, the National Football League is now dealing with this very serious problem.

          I believe collegiate and high school programs will benefit from what the NFL uncovers and how the league acts in the next few years in this regard and that is exceptionally good news for the vast percentage of players who never make it to the professional level.

          So, a few thoughts here on that topic from a non-medical professional.

          Concussions have always been a part of football. We’re hearing more about it now, but they are nothing new. Ask anyone who played the game. I had one and I never played beyond Pop Warner ball.

          I believe the newer helmets have changed, somewhat, the way some players approach the game. The current generation of the helmet is better and safer that what players have had in the past, but that improvement may be leading to riskier play. I do not blame the helmet manufacturer for many of the injuries we see now. Players and coaches must look at what they are doing as they are injured.

          I think every level of play needs rules about helmet-to-helmet contact. Players need to play with their heads up. This includes offensive players. If a ball carrier lowers his head as a tackler approaches, it isn’t proper to penalize the defensive player if there is helmet-to-helmet contact and the defensive player does not lower his helmet prior to impact.

          Now, a ball carrier can lower his shoulder pads without lowering his head. A tackler can lower his shoulder pads without lowering his head. Blockers can do it, too. But coaches must coach the techniques involved every day at every level. That is especially true for the coaches of younger players. My coaches told me to keep my head up. I didn’t listen and the result was a knockout.

          Years ago, when artificial turf was introduced (I think the Astrodome was the major first field to use it), the invention was hailed as the solution to knee injuries in football. It wasn’t. Football is a game where large bodies fly around at amazing speeds and crash into each other. Knee injuries, unfortunately, still happen.

          But I believe the use of artificial turf contributes to the severity of head, neck and other injuries because players are faster on fraud sod, making the collisions harder to avoid and causing them to have greater impact. So I hope some genius studies the correlation between injuries on the lawn and injuries on the fake stuff. There is something to be learned there.

          The NFL has a role to play in making improvements in this way to game and the league is working on it. The players, coaches, medical professionals and equipment makers have to buy in as well.

None of the needed work will be done until everyone finds a way to work together. Some of the universities that field big-time football teams also have excellent research medical programs. It would be in the best interests of everyone if the league worked with some of those researchers, who also have an interest in making football safer.

          It can be done, but first we need a healthy dose of Want To, the key ingredient to solving any issue. If every stakeholder gets some Want To, progress will be made.

          Wish I knew how to can that stuff. I’d make a fortune.

          Thanks for reading.