Niner Retirement Village

[Uppercut]

Looks like another headed for the retirement home.

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/6/5/8738079/anthony-davis-49ers-retires-san-francisco-patrick-willis

[HumanCockroach]

Only 25, joining the train of "youngin's" that are retiring.( though he did say this is temporary)

[RiverDog]

Interesting development. There's not much doubt that the Niners are in a major rebuild mode now.

[savvyman]

All of these players - Who Can Still Play - choosing instead to retire tells you just how much effort and sacrifice it takes to be a NFL football player.

[RiverDog]

All of these players - Who Can Still Play - choosing instead to retire tells you just how much effort and sacrifice it takes to be a NFL football player.

It kinda makes you wonder why so many of them are choosing now to pull the plug. Is there something else at work besides their individual concerns? Does the departure of Jim Harbaugh have anything to do with all these departures/retirements or is it just a coincidence?

[NorthHawk]

From what I've read about it, like HC said, it is temporary.
I inferred from his reported comments that he needed time to heal and for some reason the concern about head injuries is a big reason.

[RiverDog]

From what I've read about it, like HC said, it is temporary.
I inferred from his reported comments that he needed time to heal and for some reason the concern about head injuries is a big reason.

What I took from his comments, ie "a year or so", is that it may or may not be temporary.

There is a dark cloud on the horizon with regards to the safety issue. If more discoveries or disclosures are made of the long term health impacts the sport inflicts on the human body and more players like Davis opt out due to health concerns, I could see parents and other concerned individuals putting pressure on schools and legislatures to eliminate the sport.

[NorthHawk]

I'm not so sure that elimination of Football is in the future, but different techniques might change the game significantly.
Carroll and his staff have started those changes with their safer tackling methods. They work well, and keep players healthier and it doesn't detract from the essence of the game.
Maybe there will be some technique changes for blocking that could work as well where the linemen can avoid a hat on a hat every play.

No sport - even soccer is completely safe, and it's not even a collision sport. There have been studies about players heading the ball and the results over time being long term head injuries or degradation of mental acuity.

[Uppercut]

I have a feeling that after a look at the new coach and his style they decided to opt out until there is a change. It will be interesting to see how it goes especially with a string of losses.

[Hawktawk]

As long as there is boxing and MMA etc. no way football is getting banned. As for all these 9ers retiring I dont know. It does look like a trip to the basement and some guys dont want to do that, And some are truly beat up. But a big part is the stupid money contracts. Some of those guys can play 5 years, retire, and never work a day again if they are smart. 9ers definitely seem to be in a perfect storm though. Love it.

[RiverDog]

As long as there is boxing and MMA etc. no way football is getting banned. As for all these 9ers retiring I dont know. It does look like a trip to the basement and some guys dont want to do that, And some are truly beat up. But a big part is the stupid money contracts. Some of those guys can play 5 years, retire, and never work a day again if they are smart. 9ers definitely seem to be in a perfect storm though. Love it.

Boxing and MMA are not high school sports. Football is.

I don't see the elimination of football in my lifetime, but they're going to have to address the safety issue if they want to be relevant 30-50 years from now.

[jshawaii22]

I saw a group of talking heads and a 'former doctor' for the NFL was asked: what is out there to protect the players, if the sport is to survive. His comment: 'players in the future will not be able to leave their feet to tackle or hit" and he said that seriously. He had no other option. He said there is no sport that has no injuries, but this would cut them back enough in football to allow it to continue.

js

[c_hawkbob]

I saw a group of talking heads and a 'former doctor' for the NFL was asked: what is out there to protect the players, if the sport is to survive. His comment: 'players in the future will not be able to leave their feet to tackle or hit" and he said that seriously. He had no other option. He said there is no sport that has no injuries, but this would cut them back enough in football to allow it to continue.

js

That's not a major change, and I don't see it as having a huge impact other than in short yardage situations with the ball carrier trying to jump over the pile and defenders jumping to meet him. Almost all of Cam's big hits come from him blowing through receivers/ball carriers in stride, not jumping.

[RiverDog]

I saw a group of talking heads and a 'former doctor' for the NFL was asked: what is out there to protect the players, if the sport is to survive. His comment: 'players in the future will not be able to leave their feet to tackle or hit" and he said that seriously. He had no other option. He said there is no sport that has no injuries, but this would cut them back enough in football to allow it to continue.

js

I disagree. Most situations where a defender leaves his feet are when they are out of position, such as lateral tackles or when a player is going away from him, and those just don't contain the same amount of energy potential and generally aren't targeted to the head and neck area. The really dangerous tackles are the head-to-head hits with both feet planted in terra firma, like those of Kam's that Cbob described, as they are combining their energy with their opponent's forward momentum.

I don't see any rule changes that can be made that will significantly reduce the risk of injury, especially those injuries to the head and neck area that have a higher risk to the player's long term health. IMO the biggest hope for making the game safer without altering it to where it no longer resembles football would be in improvements to equipment.

[Hawktown]

I agree RD, only improvements to the equipment would work, or it's just not football.

Injuries happen and ALL the players know that they could get injured on the field in a game, this is not new info to them. They can choose to play the game or not. Someone somewhere will play the game, even if the original rules of football were still in place.