Might be some helmet-on-helmet action as this play unfolds??
Happy Tuesday Cougs, as we hope you all survived Monday and are now fully settled in to the week ahead. I'm tired this morning, as I don't know, sometimes aren't Tuesdays even tougher than Mondays when it comes to jumping out of bed and getting after it?? But here we are, and now it's time for another morning drip.
First off, Larry Scott made a few waves yesterday when the Pac-12 commish announced the conference's new approach to contact during the football season. And while there are a few elements that they will introduce across the initiative, including more overall work towards student athlete health and well being, it appears that the conference has decided to be more proactive in regards to safety in football and working to reduce the nasty, ugly part of the game we all love so much – head trauma.
Of course, it's an incredibly violent collision sport and head injuries are simply part of the game. When you have big, strong, elite athletes running as fast as they can and then they collide, it's tough on the body and especially the brain. But while many old-school types will simply scoff and dismiss the measures as just another step to say "THIS AIN'T FOOTBALL!", well, guess what? If they don't take steps now to decrease the head injury situation and at least try to lessen the possibilities of such trauma, THERE WON'T BE ANY FOOTBALL!
And that's not just me popping off about it either, it's been written about many times over the last few years when it comes to head injuries and the price that people pay playing this game. Barry Bolton of Cougfan had an excellent story late last year about the whole thing, and you can check it out here. And the whole head injury thing, it's an issue that has taken center stage in the NFL, what with the big class action lawsuit of former players against the league and how much of a landmark change that could be if it goes the way of the players. But the bottom line is that if we want football to keep rolling along in some way/shape/form, they have to take steps to be as safe as they can be while allowing the sport to continue in it's appeal to the masses. I am glad to see the Pac-12 taking some steps to at least help the situation, and if it means more preaching of the fundamentals of tackling to also limiting the contact during the weekly practice sessions, then so be it. For like you, I love this game and want to see it keep moving forward in a way we all can love and recognize for what it is!
Moving on…
Teddy Miller's Pac-12 blog has a look at the top pass rushers returning in 2013, and highlights where the Cougs stack up. Losing Travis Long is going to sting, but, Miller singles out Logan Mayes as a possible breakthrough guy at the BUCK linebacker spot. I like some of the flashes that we have seen from Mayes, but he still needs to build some consistency going forward. And replacing Long is not going to be easy!
Mayes made some news a few weeks ago when it appeared he was involved with a hit and run, but after some digging by Christian Caple it appeared to be a pretty minor incident (he backed into a car, breaking a tail light, and then drove away). Mayes is actually scheduled for court today, June 4th, but it shouldn't be a huge deal.
CBS Sports weighed in on the Pac-12's announcement yesterday, and included a couple of quotes from Mike Leach. It's a good overview of the situation and gives you a feel for how important the issue is becoming in today's college football.
Finally, Lebron sure got up last night, WOW:
That's it for now. Enjoy your Tuesday, and of course, GO COUGS!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
