Oblong Spheroid

http://oblongspheroid.blogspot.com/2009/01/respons...

2012-05-10T17:40:47.386-04:00

http://oblongspheroid.blogspot.com/2009/01/response_30.html

I'd say minor changes, stemming up from youth ...

2012-05-07T12:05:44.981-04:00

I'd say minor changes, stemming up from youth leagues, not massive ones over the next 25 years, but its hard to argue with the rest.

I think it is premature at best, totally misguided at worst to link Seau to CTE. People commit suicides for all types of reasons and 95% of the time nobody else knows the 'real' reason, note or not.'

I was really sad about Junior, he was one of my favorite players for a long long time.

Naj

Just wanted to say I liked your article and you ma...

2012-02-07T12:19:24.964-05:00

Just wanted to say I liked your article and you made a lot of great arguments. Keep up the good work.

Also, maybe you should know that I found your site because of the sponsorship you had on Joe Flacco's page on pro-football-reference.

I'm really not sure that children should be pe...

2012-02-05T01:11:45.727-05:00

I'm really not sure that children should be permitted to play contact football. That the sport of "youth contact football" should be allowed to exist.

I mean, we're talking brain damage and death here.

I'm not sure that I agree that a fluke injury ...

2011-12-15T16:57:37.341-05:00

I'm not sure that I agree that a fluke injury to a star player would cause major change or attention for more than a week.

ESPN doesn't have a hockey contract, so they don't cover it much if at all some nights, that's why they talked about their football game they televised instead.

Don Maloney randomly ended HoF, Stanley Cup MVP, and 2-time World Champion [and goalie who beat the CCCP Team at the peak of their power] Bernie Parent's career in the late 1970s. Goalies don't wear goggles today. Do you think they should?

Bad stuff is always going to happen in sports where large men collide with each other at high rates of speed.

Interesting. Although I didn't have all the d...

2011-10-23T13:08:20.788-04:00

Interesting. Although I didn't have all the data, other than what was available on the SI site, I looked at "outliers" in the three data sets based upon standard deviations. When a QB was a standard deviation above the mean on at least one area AND not below in any area, they tended to be successful (in fact none could be described as unsuccessful-- at least those from the SI story). Of the elite, only Brees wasn't a standard deviation above the mean in any one area-- but he also wasn't below in any of the areas When a QB had at least one Standard Deviation below the mean (and none above the mean) they tended to be failures. Leaf, Harrington, Smith, Young, Vick and Flacco all this this profile. It is fair to say that Vick and Flacco are far from busts, but no statistical methodology will account for all the variables (such as perhaps Flacco's size and surrounding teammates and Vick's mobility). Thus, perhaps, if the data is sliced a different way, it may have even more utility.

Applause. Naj

2011-10-17T16:02:19.432-04:00

Applause.

Naj

Until Ron Rivera this year, you'd have been co...

2011-10-12T23:09:48.183-04:00

Until Ron Rivera this year, you'd have been correct.

naj

None?

2011-10-11T21:59:34.717-04:00

None?

Al was definitely worthy of our admiration. People...

2011-10-10T14:33:19.828-04:00

Al was definitely worthy of our admiration. People talk about black coaches not getting a shot, he hired Art Shell in the 1980s, but what about Hispanic coaches? He hired Flores over 30 years ago, how many others have there been?

Naj

Agreed, obvs, about more research. But that doesn&...

2011-10-04T15:26:59.953-04:00

Agreed, obvs, about more research. But that doesn't answer the question about how do you find a 'control' set that's is built like Ray Lewis, fast like Ray Lewis, but doesn't want to play football or boxing -- but ALSO has the same genetic makeup as the real Ray Lewis.

Clearly there's some 'aggression' factor involved in wanting to hit people for a living as well, or a ball with your head. I just mean research $$ or not, it will be hard to structure a control set that is predominantly equivalent to NFLers/boxers. imho.

Do you sample 'aggressive' people from all walks of life? Muggers, boxing, HF traders, military leaders? I don't know.

Naj

>>>How do you sort out those possibilitie...

2011-10-03T21:25:29.093-04:00

>>>How do you sort out those possibilities from the sample set?<<<

It starts with getting grants for more research, which can pretty much only be done as a result of findings like these. Agree that it could be several things, but without findings like these, we don't have a basis to fund additional studying and further looking for links like these.

It's good to discuss these issues. Two quibble...

2011-09-27T15:42:28.549-04:00

It's good to discuss these issues. Two quibbles:

1) Statistical clustering is a guarantee in some sports, by definition, not necessarily a sign of outliers. See 'cancer clusters' for more details.

2) 14 != 8x3. In 10 years more time, no less.

3) As well all know, correlation is not causation. Perhaps the same genetic makeup that allows soccer players and football players to be bigger, faster, etc, also have the same markers as ALS. How do you sort out those possibilities from the sample set? I don't know.

But yes, well ahead of the curve here.

naj

Never stopped me before!

2011-09-14T20:23:11.689-04:00

Never stopped me before!

If only Ray Rhodes had been dynamic. I do think we...

2011-09-12T13:51:44.900-04:00

If only Ray Rhodes had been dynamic. I do think we are well past the days of Richie the K getting multiple HC slots over guys like Frazier and Rivera.

Rivera's odds of succeeding just went from 5 to 15% yesterday, ftr.

naj

Fair enough, but don't get too excited by a wi...

2011-09-12T13:46:07.782-04:00

Fair enough, but don't get too excited by a win over a Jints team missing 6 starters who had to start 'DB' Aaron Ross instead of cutting him.

OTOH, it is National Jump to Conclusions week.

naj

never post when at an emotional extreme

2011-09-12T09:37:04.868-04:00

never post when at an emotional extreme

I've been thinking for a while that the reason...

2011-09-11T12:31:04.790-04:00

I've been thinking for a while that the reason that African American head coaches do so well is because only the elite are hired.

I don't think we are still in the days where the Rich Kotites of the world keep getting recycled *cough* Chan Gailey *cough* but I do think there is still a bias toward top-down hiring practices of 'he is culturally similar to me, I understand him.'

Team owners are all white, they hire white presidents who hire white GMs who hire white coaches who hire white coordinators.

Obviously not universally true, but even if it is a true trend, only the most dynamic African Americans are able to fight their way to positions where they get seriously considered for HC gigs.

not racism so much as familiarity, but the outcome remains pretty similar.

Okay, point taken [but players on KR are not defen...

2011-08-25T17:44:56.179-04:00

Okay, point taken [but players on KR are not defenseless rite?], but the NFL has to decide if it wants to be football or flag football. It can choose either. Have you seen the new video on hits that are now illegal on the QB?

Half+ of them are textbook hits even as recently as JANUARY!

Naj

But Naj -- when you mention hits on WRs -- yes, we...

2011-08-25T09:35:36.404-04:00

But Naj -- when you mention hits on WRs -- yes, we've seen safeties line up killshots. But the NFL has legislated special rules governing "defenseless" players.
On kick returns, it's not just the returner. Everybody on the field has the higher velocity etc. Gunners, wedge guys, everybody.

F = ma. By god I think he's right!

2011-08-25T00:10:15.986-04:00

F = ma. By god I think he's right!

I think the rule change that will have more effect...

2011-08-24T00:23:51.235-04:00

I think the rule change that will have more effect on safety is the one limiting kickoff approaches to 5 yards. Less opportunity to get a full head of steam before first contact means less force from that contact.

If Ron Curry can be a WR2 in the NFL, why can'...

2011-08-23T12:08:46.193-04:00

If Ron Curry can be a WR2 in the NFL, why can't a bigger, more sturdy Prior?

Naj

If they would wear the safest helmets, 90% of the ...

2011-08-23T12:08:00.054-04:00

If they would wear the safest helmets, 90% of the issues would go away. The NFL refuses to mandate it.

Yes, the eliminated 3-4 man wedges. Eliminate all of them. It still makes one sense for one guy to go flying fulltilt to take out 2 on a KR.

I don't believe hits on KR are any different than WRs looking back at the QB arms extended while a S has a full head of steam. Or a S/CB/OLB going after an RB coming around the corner.

Naj

I like the rule and am in favor of keeping it. Fee...

2011-08-23T00:41:12.125-04:00

I like the rule and am in favor of keeping it. Feel like a minority here, but this is part of the forced adaptation of the game, and I have no issue with it. Guys don't go to the Hall of Fame (mostly) because they return kicks really well. Does anyone really think of Devin Hester as a HoF'er?

This feels close to the discussion from the other day. There will have to be changes to the game of football if the sport is to survive. I'm fine giving up stuff like this to protect the players if it means the pipeline at the kids' level doesn't get impacted.