safety

(I actually thought a recent topic had something worth discussing, however, the OP included something banned on these boards... Let's try this again).

A certain prominent public figure recent spoke about the future of football.

The Raven's Bernard Pollard said recently that he does not believe the NFL will exist in 30 years.

I have a few questions for discussion:

1. Would you feel OK about your son (real or theoretical) playing football? To what degree?

2. To what extent do you believe football can survive, as is?

3. What would you do to try to save the sport?

My responses:

1. I would discourage my theoretical son from playing football. While at the end of the day, it would be his choice, I'd encourage soccer or fall-ball baseball for an autumn sport. If he chose to play football, I would be a pretty worried person everyday.

2. Every year something changes and I don't think that will stop any time soon. So, no I think 10-15 years from now the game will be different.

3. I'd make hitting illegal.  If you do not attempt to wrap up with your arms and instead launch your body (whether you make contact with your shoulder or helmet), it would be a personal foul. 2 of them and you're ejected. 

Yeah, big hits are exciting. But how often do we lament the player going for the big hit and failing to bring down the ball carrier? I think we can eliminate hitting without taking too much away from the game.

Chris Brown has a column on Grantland today about how dynamic safeties like Reed and Polamalu have changed the way NFL defenses match-up to the latest offensive schemes.  He also outlines some of the evolution of defensive schemes from the 4-3, to the 46, to the Tampa 2, and now the Cover 4.  There's also an interesting footnote about the Desert Swarm defense implemented in the 1990's by Arizona. 

Michigan's defense still has a long way to go, but we finally have a coordinator on the front lines of this evolution.  We also probably have our best pair of safeties since......since....hmm......Welbourne-Murray?  I don't think Kovacs-Gordon are THAT good and still make their share of mistakes, but the bar isn't set very high for a pair of Michgian safeties. 

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7124536/how-troy-polamalu-ed-reed-changed-nfl-defenses

I hope everyone takes some extra saftey around town.  Females please don't travel alone, gentelmen please offer to walk with female friends.  Let's hope this person is found and put to justice quickly. 

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

So today after we got the safety today to make it 30-14, bowling green proceeded to kickoff from their own 20 I think. however, I thought (or should I say ncaa football 05 taught me) that after a safety the kicking team had to punt it away. i looked on wikipedia and got this

Resuming play after a safety The various rules books prescribe different methods for resuming play after a safety. In the NFL, the team that gave up the points kicks to the other team from its own 20-yard line. This is termed a free kick: the kicking team has the option of employing a punt or a drop kick. Unlike the kickoff, a kicking tee may not be used (NFL only, college kickers have the option of using a tee on the safety kick). A punt is the most commonly chosen option, whereas a drop kick is virtually unheard-of in modern football.

The Michigan Safety-Hating-God strikes again.  It has stricken Marlin Jackson, newly signed to play safety for the Philadelphia Eagles, with a serious leg injury for which he had to be carted off the field during practice.

This was reported on ESPN recently.  Seems he is cursed as he has ended his last 2 seasons with leg/knee injuries.

http://www.annarbor.com/sports/um-football/michigan-safety-recruit-ray-v...

Short excerpt:

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound safety plans to sign with Michigan on Wednesday, the first day recruits can ink binding letters of intent, regardless of what late prospects the Wolverines add.

Michigan has three safeties already committed for its 2010 class in Vinopal, Marvin Robinson and Carvin Johnson, and the Wolverines are still recruiting three others - Sean Parker, Rashad Knight and Demar Dorsey.

Vinopal is the biggest sleeper of that group and the lowest-ranked member of Michigan’s 26-person class according to Rivals.com.

He committed to the Wolverines in early December after leading Cardinal Mooney to a state championship. At the time, Vinopal’s only other scholarship offers were from Air Force, Bowling Green and Kent State, though Wisconsin and Vanderbilt pursued him more recently.

Cardinal Mooney coach P.J. Fecko cautioned not to read too much into Vinopal’s mediocre recruiting ranking.

“He’s somebody that will earn everybody’s respect up in Ann Arbor on the football field and off the football field,” Fecko said. “If they aren’t believers right now, I guarantee you they will be very, very shortly.”