How Do We Prevent Concussions In Football?

I grew up watching and playing football in the 1970s. Football was a much different game then, so it’s understandable why I have a hard time embracing today’s game. From talking with others in my age group I know I’m not alone in feeling that way.

The biggest topic of conversation in football these days is concussions and CTE. It saddens me to see former players suffering. But, at the same time, it frustrates me to see penalty after penalty being called for what’s nothing more than clean and aggressive defensive play.

I say that because I’ve always been a big fan of defense. When I was growing up my favorite players were on defense and I always wanted to be on the defensive side of the ball.

Back then we didn’t get flagged unless it was a blatant ‘cheap shot.’ I understand that rule changes are needed to protect players, but I don’t think it should be to the point where a defender can no longer play aggressively without having to worry about getting penalized.

Let’s be clear: a defender’s job is to stop the offense from advancing the ball. That means attacking the man with the ball or the man who’s about to catch the ball. A…