Polamalu Calls NFL ‘Pansy Game,’ Can Expect Fine From the League Any Minute Now
There’s a lot of testosterone flying around today. First, Tony Romo decides he wants to man-up and play with a busted pinkie, and now we’ve got Troy Polamalu saying stuff like this about all the penalties for hits the NFL has been dishing out:↵↵⇥“It loses so much of its essence, and it really becomes like a pansy game,” the Steelers’ Pro Bowl strong safety said.↵⇥↵⇥“I think regarding the evolution of football, it’s becoming more and more flag football, two-hand touch. We’ve really lost the essence of what real American football is about. I think it’s probably all about money. They’re not really concerned about safety.”↵⇥
↵↵I’m not sure I agree that it’s “all about money,” but I do agree that the fines, and restrictions on hitting, are way overboard. Attempting to protect the players is fine, to an extent, but this is football. There’s a certain level of risk assumed when you play a sport where 250-pound dudes who can run 4.5 40’s are colliding with each other at full speed. The violence is a big part of what makes football so great. ↵
↵The other issue, as Polamalu goes on to point out, is that players must re-learn how to tackle, or block, in order to avoid penalties from the league. I’d assume when you’re attempting to take down an NFL player, the last thought going through your brain before you make the hit is “if I lead with my head, this is gonna cost me 10 g’s tomorrow.” The only thought they’re programmed to have is “KILL,” which is how it should be. ↵
↵↵On the other hand, instead of speaking out about the league’s strict policies, players could just take the Chad Ocho Cinco approach, which would be to deny that unnecessary roughness even exists:↵
↵↵⇥“Unnecessary roughness? That doesn’t make any sense. I am serious; that doesn’t make any sense at all … I don’t understand where you get unnecessary roughness from. That is not even a rule.” ↵↵Actually, it is a rule. Although it is listed right above “unsportsmanlike conduct” so maybe Chad just blocked out that entire area of the NFL rulebook.↵
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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