Are Concussions Really The Problem in the NFL?

When talking about NFL player safety the biggest issue is always concussions, but quarterbacks are the most frequently concussed players and they always end up doing well after retirement. Retired quarterbacks who have had countless concussions throughout their careers are all over television, from Terry Bradshaw and Dan Marino to Steve Young and Boomer Esiason. All the retired quarterbacks are pretty much healthy. Brett Favre started sending people dick pics, but aside from that quarterbacks are never subject to the lasting damage of a concussion.

The retired players who have their lives ruined by football injuries tend to be linebackers and safeties which leads me to believe the problem isn't as clear cut as concussions, but might be due to consistent brain trauma coming from the frequent hits and tackles that are seen as routine in a football game. Quarterbacks rarely get hit aside from the occasional sack and concussion, but a player that's getting hit all the time to a lesser extent probably has their brain damaged more severely by the end of their career. Everyone's focusing so much on limiting the big hits that cause concussions, but maybe people's lives are being ruined because of the general nature of the game and that's something that can't and shouldn't be changed so people need to deal with that.

Why Are There So Many Concussions in the NFL?

With quarterbacks like Jay Cutler, Alex Smith, and Michael Vick currently out with concussions, a lot of focus is being put on the NFL and what they're doing about player safety. Concussions are nothing new in football and you can argue about how the players need better helmets, but the real blame falls on the offensive linemen. The simple fact is that the majority of players who suffer from concussions are offensive players, more specifically, quarterbacks. In the case of a quarterback, this is usually one of the skinniest fucks on the field being chased to death by some of the biggest fucks in the world. That's a pretty simple recipe for a concussion. Though this has been the formula for football since its inception, something has changed. Concussions seem to be more common these days and I think it's because the defensive lineman and linebackers are becoming too fast and strong for the offensive lineman and fullbacks.

In the past decade we've seen defensive ends, linebackers, and safeties evolve tremendously, but have offensive linemen evolved? Not well enough apparently! If you take a look at the offensive lines guarding Jay Cutler, Alex Smith, and Michael Vick there's one thing in common, they're not the strong point of their respective teams. In fact, they are pretty much the main weakness. If you can't protect the quarterback he's going to have his bell rung and he's going to suffer a concussion. There's nothing the NFL can do about that without compromising the rules and thereby ruining the excitement of an NFL game. The one thing you CAN do is get better offensive linemen and work on better blocking schemes with fullbacks and tight ends. When you look at Peyton and Eli Manning you'll notice that that they're rarely out with concussions. It seems like Peyton Manning hasn't been hit at all this season. Why? Because his offensive line is OFF DA HOOK. It's pretty simple. So before you start changing the rule book or making players wear ridiculously large helmets, why not focus on the most obvious problem first?