PFT: Roger Staubach thinks rules changes make NFL "a wussy game" ***MERGE***

[cowboyjoe]

Roger Staubach thinks rules changes make NFL "a wussy game"
Posted by Michael David Smith on September 15, 2010 2:09 PM ET

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Hall of Fame Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach played in a different NFL, a 1970s league where men were men, quarterbacks didn't whine to the refs every time they got knocked down, and wide receivers weren't calling for flags every time they got touched downfield.

At least, that's how Staubach remembers it. And he doesn't think the current NFL has the same standards of toughness.

"I saw Peyton Manning one time and he had a great comeback drive, but he had two 15-yard roughing the passer penalties," Staubach said, per Tom Lorenzo of FanHouse. "I'm thinking, 'I don't ever remember having one of those.' It's kind of a wussy game, really, in a way."

"When we used to run around a little," Staubach said, "the receivers were still getting pounded downfield until the ball was in the air. Today, if you buy a little time, receivers are running free, you just have to find them. So in the passing game [it's] much more [difficult] to separate players, [statistically]."

 

[dirtycallahan]

Evidently PFT does not realize that improved helmets would be a major reason for the decline in concussions rather than rule changes.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Roger.

 

[Tusan_Homichi]

Evidently PFT does not realize that improved helmets would be a major reason for the decline in concussions rather than rule changes.

I'd imagine it's a bit of both. The players are much bigger and faster now, so if the equipment never improved and the rules never changed, there would be an order of magnitude more serious injuries than there were back then.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Evidently PFT does not realize that improved helmets would be a major reason for the decline in concussions rather than rule changes.

What does PFT have to do with it? That was The Dodger saying that.

 

[tomson75]

I agree with him. Unfortunately, it's not going to get any better. Nature of the beast, protect your investment....that sort of thing.

 

[RS12]

Roger is the man, but didnt he have to retire because of concussions?

 

[cowboyjoe]

Roger is the man, but didnt he have to retire because of concussions?

yes, 79

 

[MaverickPS]

yes, 79

79 concussions? wow, they don't make them like they used to...

 

[Jay]

Pretty sure he meant 1979, not 79 concussions.. do you realize what 79 concussions would do to your brain?

 

[Go Big D!]

:laugh2: ahh, I love Roger! And I agree 100%

 

[Jay]

If he had 79 concussions, he wouldn't even be able to form coherent sentences.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Pretty sure he meant 1979, not 79 concussions.. do you realize what 79 concussions would do to your brain?

You sure it wasn't 1,979 concussions? We are talking about Roger, not some weak *** Commanders QB.

 

[dirtycallahan]

NYC
Part of the PFT commentary in the article was, "Staubach is right that the game has changed a great deal since he played. On the other hand, Staubach has said he suffered 20 concussions in the NFL. If turning the NFL into a wussy game means fewer players getting concussed, maybe a wussy game isn't such a bad thing."

My point is that improved helmet design has reduced concussions as much as making it a wussy game.

 

[MaverickPS]

Pretty sure he meant 1979, not 79 concussions.. do you realize what 79 concussions would do to your brain?

:laugh2:

pretty sure I was kidding... just giving him a hard time since "79", the year Roger retired, is completely irrelevant to what he was quoting and I thought it was funny

 

[Dodger]

79 concussions? wow, they don't make them like they used to...

:laugh2:

 

[Doomsday101]

I think the NFL has gone overboard with some of the rules. You have a defender graze the QB helmet and that is 15 yards? I have no issue with flagging a guy and hitting him with a fine on a blatant roughing call but some of these calls are cheesy

 

[YosemiteSam]

I think the NFL has gone overboard with some of the rules. You have a defender graze the QB helmet and that is 15 yards? I have no issue with flagging a guy and hitting him with a fine on a blatant roughing call but some of these calls are cheesy

If you look at a QB after he has thrown the ball it is a 15 yard penalty these days. :laugh2:

 

[Doomsday101]

If you look at a QB after he has thrown the ball it is a 15 yard penalty these days. :laugh2:

It sure seems that way at times. Also the 5 yard bump rule needs to go it is not called in a consistent manner from game to game or even within a game. I like the old rules on passing defense where the defender could bump a guy up until the ball was in the air. College still uses that rule.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

The point he's making about stats is very appropriate.

The rule changes in the passing game the last several years make comparisons between eras almost impossible. The NFL of the 70s and 80s was a totally different game than today's game.