Concussions in the NFL

Concussions are an ongoing problem in the NFL. It seems like every game these days someone is leaving with a head injury. The NFL officials have claimed they are making progress with the safety of helmets and hitting but things aren't changing. In 2010, there were 159 concussions in the NFL. In 2011, there were 162 concussions in the NFL. After 10 weeks this year, they are right on pace for around those numbers with already 77 concussions.

We see concussions with every position but the fear is with quarterbacks. They are put in the least safe positions most of the time, and the concern is that they are going to be hit in the head. This year has been a bad year for quarterbacks as many notable names have gone down such as: Alex Smith (SF), Robert Griffin III (WAS), Jay Cutler (CHI), Brady Quinn (KC), and Michael Vick (PHI). A lot of these high profile players are being left out of action which is a burden to themselves, their teams, and the fans that show up and pay to watch their team win games. It is hard to win games with your starting quarterback out and this showed last year as the Bears went from Super Bowl contenders to out of the playoffs after Jay Cutler was knocked out with an injury midway through the season.

Overall, if we want to keep the NFL players safe, rules will be needed to continue to change for the better of the athletes. Keeping the players safe should be the number one priority so that issues that occur in these players careers don't affect them later on in life.