Four years later, I think targeting rule is working. Thoughts?

[Rick Cleveland]

https://mississippitoday.org/2017/09/22/dont-look-now-footballs-much-discussed-targeting-rule-working/

[maroonmania]

I feel like it almost HAS to work, like it or not, to save the future of football. With all of the CTE information coming out, there is one message that has to be enforced in the game. That being do NOT hit people in the head. Pretty much that simple. Yes, torn up knees and ankles are bad but they don't affect people's quality of life down the line like head trauma. Did I like the call against Dantzler last week and the fact he had to sit out the first half against LSU? No. But defensive players have to learn to do everything possible to avoid head contact so I will live with it. If tackling had not been systematically changed to avoid the head and neck area I could actually see football, in the form we know it today, dying out at some point because parents would be so reluctant to let their sons play.

[Rick Cleveland]

Agree completely.

[Liverpooldawg]

You really want to end head to head hits? Take the helmet away.

[WesternSkyDawg]

https://mississippitoday.org/2017/09/22/dont-look-now-footballs-much-discussed-targeting-rule-working/

Thoughts are that quality sports journalism, like yours, is increasingly a lost art. Thank you for what you do.

And yes, the targeting rule is an important step forward.

[Political Hack]

Nobody talks about the Wisconsin study that looked at high school football players and actually had a control group. The other study, which everyone talked about, didn't have a control group and they were looking at players that played at the highest levels.

Here's a tip: if you play in the NFL, you will suffer life long impacts from collisions with gladiator-esq men that are trained to destroy you. If you play pee wee through high school, theres a ~99% chance you're going to come out ok and the life lessons you learned will far outweigh any medical effects you may have.

[Jack Lambert]

You really want to end head to head hits? Take the helmet away.

Or just the face mask.

[Rick Cleveland]

That was the legendary Bull SUllivan's theory... that facemasks made the game more dangerous... His Scooba Tech teams wore leather helmets that they could fold into their pants....

[Bully13]

I would like to see an intentionality clause added. The one against us shoulda been a no call. The 2 on LSU were intentional. Clearly done out of frustration of fitz kicking their ass.

[IMissJack]

It's a fine line. If they keep taking defense out of the game, it is going to lose some of its appeal to me. IMO NCAA basketball has become almost unwatchable due to the inability of teams to play hard defense anymore. Essentially now, a handful of 8 teams can win because it is all offense and free throw shooting (those are the teams with all the top recruits). The teams Richard Williams had, would not be able to win now, because defense was the equalizer. I don't want to see the same thing in football. I would like to see some changes, in the intent of the defender. Just touching someone's facemask or head, should not equal ejection. There would probably be some missed calls when judging intent, but for many years there were 2 types of facemask penalties, a 5 yarder and a 15 yarder, depending on severity (flagrant). I think most of the times refs were able to get that right. All targeting is not equal.