The game was slightly different- more of a turf war that was fought over inches and field position (which is still true today, but not as evident in the speed and spread)- This video shows goal line/short yardage techniques in a situation scrimmage.
I love the enthusiasm and competition.
Introduction of an area of discussion/inquiry:
Notice the helmets and contact and it makes you wonder about the epidemic of concussions we are dealing with in contemporary football.
Yes there were concussions in those days- and some players have had tragic health issues for repeated concussions- but (in just my observation) nothing like what we are seeing today in football and non-football athletes. Could there be a dietary, developmental, or prescription drug related issues that have made the brains more susceptible to concussions and even resulted in longer recovery times?
I think there needs to be more study- this is more than just a helmet design issue. Yes, athletes are bigger/faster... the speed and force of the hits harder- but we are seeing soccer players going down for weeks after headers and basketball players being out from hard falls to the floor.
Types of things that make you go hmmmmmm.
IMPORTANT KEYS:
Baseline testing similar to IMPACT
We must make sure that we allow time for the brain to recover in the aftermath of a concussion.
And long term health issues demand that we be proactive in this area.
But- there seems to be more going on here than meets the eye.
There are even 'technique' issues that are not cut and dry. Could the emphasis on shoulder contact result in more blows to the temple area and not the forehead?
I just think that we are still in the infancy stages of this issue and more questions need to be investigated.
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