Week 7: Bruises and babies

Is the NFL becoming flag football?

As the wife of a huge sports fan, ESPN is on our television a lot.  While my husband is watching, I prefer to sit with him and read or browse the Internet.  We have another TV in our bedroom, but I hate the idea of two people watching two different televisions in the same house.  I like being in the same room because at least we're together.

Colin wants you to
join his herd.

When the TV is tuned to ESPN, I usually pay attention to shows like SportsCenter, SportsNation, and the live footage of radio broadcasts.  It's amazing how the voices do not match the imagined faces in my mind.  For example, Colin Cowherd is not very good looking.  Sorry, Colin, but I pictured you differently.  It doesn't really matter - you have a wife and kids and a very successful career.  And Jim Rome - you are nice looking, but I didn't imagine the dark hair and cowboy goatee.

This week on ESPN, a lot of the talk has been about the new enforcement of rules concerning hits.  The NFL has been into protecting players in the last couple of years.  There are new requirements about coming back after a concussion and now the NFL is going to start suspending players who make dangerous and flagrant hits, like leading with the helmet.  This type of hit can cause a lot of damage and the previous monetary penalties haven't stopped players.

Harrison is known for tough hits.

Of course, this has caused a lot of controversy.  James Harrison of the Steelers received a $75,000 fine from his rough play last Sunday.  He talked about retirement but came back to practice on Friday.  Harrison said, "I will continue to play the game with the same passion, intensity and focus with which I have always played and let the chips fall where they may."

Several contributors to ESPN are former players who have had mixed reactions to the NFL's new penalties.  Some ex-players prefer the high hits to the low ones that will be expected now.  Mark Schlereth (click to watch the video) is one commentator whose knee no longer fully bends from receiving low hits.  He also explained how the NFL profits from the physicality of the game - he showed a DVD that glorifies hard hits and the sound bytes of hits that are played during games.  On the other hand, Tedi Bruschi explained the players decide how hard and where to hit in a matter of seconds.  He believes it's definitely possible for a player to change an illegal hit to an acceptable hit even in the most intense plays.

Honestly, as a casual NFL fan, I don't understand how it could be football without hits.  I used to ask my husband about certain penalties because they didn't make sense to me.  Take pass interference, for example.  If the defender looks the wrong way and hits the receiver, you get a penalty.  Isn't the point to stop him from catching the ball?

Not me, but a girl from my
alma mater. Go Rebels!

The new enforcements of rules don't make sense to me either.  It seems like the rationale is that it's better to hit them in the knee where there aren't any pads than to hit in the head or shoulder where there's a lot of pads.  I'm no stranger to this concept - I played ice hockey in high school.  I wore a helmet, shoulder pads, and leg and knee protection.  I know what it's like to get whacked in the back of the leg where it's just socks.

Of course, hacking was a penalty in high school hockey and some of the intense hits in the NFL should also be a penalty.  But a suspension for an illegal hit on the first occurrence is extreme.  I believe some of the hits are accidental and there should be a way to address the difference between repeated flagrant hits and mistakes - you can see the difference on the field.

After watching the commentators this week and researching NFL websites, I'm not confident the players will respect the new rule enforcements.  The consensus seems to be that it won't be real football without hard hits.  Some even say the new enforcements will cause more injury-causing hits.  This Sunday will be the first week with the new enforcements in play and everyone (including me) will be watching.

No pictures of the baby
yet, so we'll do a
kissing pic.

Brees baby #2

Brittany Brees, the wife of Saints QB Drew Brees, gave birth to their second son on Tuesday afternoon.  Drew tweeted about his son's arrival but said they hadn't decided on a name yet.  Wednesday he announced the name via Twitter: "It's official.  Bowen Christopher Brees.  Healthy, happy baby... I am so proud!"

Drew uses Twitter frequently to connect with his fans.  Earlier this month, he asked his followers to help the family select the baby's name.  The requirements were: for a baby boy, beginning with B, and unique.  The Brees' had over 6,000 suggestions as of last week, according to USA Today.  Click here for a video from nola.com about the name selection and see my previous post for a picture of Brees and his 19 month old, Baylen, after winning the Super Bowl.

Favre update

Professionally, Favre is doing great.  The Vikings beat the Cowboys last week and he will break a record today for the most starts at Lambeau Field by any quarterback (119).

On the personal side, the sexting allegations have not yet come to a conclusion.  A spokesperson for Jenn Sterger says Favre also called her in 2009, according to espn.com.  (The original allegations occurred in 2008.)  The Saint Paul Pioneer Press reported that Sterger would remain quiet if she and Favre came to a financial agreement.  This was later denied by her manager.  Sterger has still not talked to the NFL about the sexting allegations and the review is ongoing.