Flag Football

When did football become a "touch sport". There has been a lot of publicity, seemingly more so this year, involving contact in football. Some of it has been related to egregiously violent hits but some of it has been ticky-tacky stuff that makes me embarrassed as a former football player to explain the NFL's policies.


Football is a "contact sport". It has lived through a history of some tragedies, as a result of its violence. We all know the story of Nick Buoniconti's son or Darryl Stingley and countless others who have been paralyzed in violently, if not dirty hits. That said, these tragedies are a small minority in a game which involves violent collisions and impacts as part of the fun and skill of playing.



Hitting is something young boys learn. We play "kill the carrier" on school; fields. Tackle football games often start in backyards with no pads and many cuts and bruises explained to mothers when answering the dinner bell. What boy has not taken some delight in making that tackle or delivering that blow, in organized sport or pick up games, which saved a game or jarred a ball loose. It is a right of passage, not for all young boys, but for many. Defensive layers are tough and gritty. They have that viciousness that they are not allowed to show in any other aspect of their lives. It is viciousness, but measured aggression. There are limits.



In the NFL Quarterbacks, as an example, now seemingly have a bubble around them, not unlike that around (the head's of girls) in high school lacrosse (and interesting comparison for argument and debate). While QB's are the marquee for the sport (just ask Ben, I've been a naughty boy, Roethlisberger or his friend Michael "I've never met a dog I did not like" Vick), their seeming "untouchability" is a farce. Sliding, now a mainstay in the sport for protecting scrambling quarterbacks does not do justice to the great Scramblers from the past like Fran Tarkenton or Kenny Stabler. Ironmen quarterbacks like Joe Namath and Joe Montana must wince at what pampered prima donnas who prance around behind their behemoth lineman. Even wide receivers and running backs now opt to dance out of bounds rather than turning up the field, taking the hit to gain the extra yard or two.



Last night I watched the Steelers/Jets game and the referees helped to turn the tide of the game with one such pampered. "protective" call. Maybe "turned the tide is an exaggeration, but there was certainly impact in the call [Note: I am an equal opportunity disliker of both the Jets and Steelers, so no bias exists here]. The Steelers defensive back put a lick on the Jets wide receiver that brought me to my feet. It was an all-world shellacking. Unfortunately for him, he was called for leading with his head and was flagged for a personal foul and a 15 yard penalty. He actually made contact, as was very apparent in the replay with his hand and forearms. Maybe he was flagged because he is one of the more vocal opponents of the "wussification" of football. Maybe he was flagged because the speed and impact of the hit was such that the referee, with no access to a replay, felt the contact was helmet-led.



Whatever the case, football needs to reexamine its priorities in the context of its legacy. If it continues on its current course, it will not be long before the NFL will be calling Vince McMahon and the WWE for help in scripting its games.