The Importance Of Concussions In The NFL

In 2010, NFL was reported 270 concussions and that number dropped to 83 in 2015.
Concussions have been an issue in the NFL for over 5 decades. Over the course of time, they had been increasing. One of the major factors for the increase was the changing of the game itself. Teams no longer heavily relied on running the ball but became quick offenses. They relied on quick curls, drags, hitches and slants, leaving the receivers defenseless after catching the ball. In a conventional west coast offense, the ball was thrown at least 15 yards down the field but now many teams are only throwing it 5 yards down the field. The players that are catching these short throws are expected to have a great YAC (yards after the catch). These players
The NFL has banned head to head hits for almost 4 years now, and hits to the head are also illegal. NFL has instituted penalties as well as fines for players that don’t cooperate with such rules. This year players that commit unnecessary roughness penalties will also be ejected from the game with a second penalty. The League realized most of the concussions were coming from kickoffs. They pushed the kickoff line from the 25-yard line to the 35-yard line last year. In doing so, more kickoffs went past the end zone and resulted in touchbacks. This year the league went even further, teams that take a knee in the end zone can start on the 25-yard line. So why would a team run the ball out of the end zone if they can just start at the 25? Well kickoffs have decreased substantially since this rule. When a concussion did occur, each team had a team doctor that would determine if the player was fit to play. This year the league has doctors in every game that are independent of any team to identify if any player has a concussion and go through proper concussion protocol. These players also must sit out for 7 days following a concussion per NFL safety rules. The NFL is still hoping to improve even further as injuries play a toll on people’s