Chris Borland 49ers LB retires age 24

[ASHKUM BEAR]

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/124...injury-concerns

 

Tough decision Borland had to make and this will hurt the 49ers even more after Willis and Smith just retired. I respect his decision and hope he has no long term health affects. This will be another red flag on an issue that gets pushed aside in the NFL. I know it is not Bear related, but many of us here talked about this kid before the draft and his success his rookie year.

[AZ54]

Football is not a game you can play if your heart is not 100% into it. He apparently hasn't suffered many concussions but he has a fear of them and perhaps for a good reason. However, after he says all that he now wants to get into sports management. This is a big blow to the 49ers after losing Willis. For them the hits just keep on coming after Harbaugh left.

[Stinger226]

Football is not a game you can play if your heart is not 100% into it. He apparently hasn't suffered many concussions but he has a fear of them and perhaps for a good reason. However, after he says all that he now wants to get into sports management. This is a big blow to the 49ers after losing Willis. For them the hits just keep on coming after Harbaugh left.

I think the more we go forward with the brain trauma thing, the more this is going to happen.

[Chitownhustla]

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/124...injury-concerns

 

Tough decision Borland had to make and this will hurt the 49ers even more after Willis and Smith just retired. I respect his decision and hope he has no long term health affects. This will be another red flag on an issue that gets pushed aside in the NFL. I know it is not Bear related, but many of us here talked about this kid before the draft and his success his rookie year.

 

 

I ran into my high school Football coach the other day. We talked about a lot of things related to high school football. The biggest topic was concussions and how its affected the high school game.

 

Their enrollment for freshman football is down, when I was a freshman we had 125 kids come out. They are now down to 60 to 70. My schools total enrollment is way higher than when I attended.

 

Its only going to get worse. He said the big thing is the mothers are not allowing their kids to play football.

 

 

I had read that 1% of high school football players earn a division scholarship and 1% of them make it to the NFL. Will the NFL ever see a negative affect from less kids playing football?? I don't know.

 

Ill tell you one thing, I have thought about selling my PSL's for the Bears before the its too late.

 

 

 

 

[jason]

I ran into my high school Football coach the other day. We talked about a lot of things related to high school football. The biggest topic was concussions and how its affected the high school game.

 

Their enrollment for freshman football is down, when I was a freshman we had 125 kids come out. They are now down to 60 to 70. My schools total enrollment is way higher than when I attended.

 

Its only going to get worse. He said the big thing is the mothers are not allowing their kids to play football.

 

I had read that 1% of high school football players earn a division scholarship and 1% of them make it to the NFL. Will the NFL ever see a negative affect from less kids playing football?? I don't know.

 

Ill tell you one thing, I have thought about selling my PSL's for the Bears before the its too late.

 

Dead on. As many here know, I officiate football at various levels from pee-wee to college. What I heard from high school leaders was that 2014 was the first year in football's history, with the possible exception of the time it almost got outlawed as a sport, that the enrollment decreased. What I heard from the higher level guys in the NFL is that the head needs to absolutely be taken out of the hitting portion of the game or it may not survive.

[Chitownhustla]

Dead on. As many here know, I officiate football at various levels from pee-wee to college. What I heard from high school leaders was that 2014 was the first year in football's history, with the possible exception of the time it almost got outlawed as a sport, that the enrollment decreased. What I heard from the higher level guys in the NFL is that the head needs to absolutely be taken out of the hitting portion of the game or it may not survive.

 

 

Thanks for the info. I know my former teammate who now coaches varsity football (DC) teaches the Rugby method of tackling. As he describes the hit zone as "nuts and guts" nothing lower and nothing higher. His team is know for being one of the best tackling teams in the Chicago land area.

 

 

 

[CrackerDog]

Dead on. As many here know, I officiate football at various levels from pee-wee to college. What I heard from high school leaders was that 2014 was the first year in football's history, with the possible exception of the time it almost got outlawed as a sport, that the enrollment decreased. What I heard from the higher level guys in the NFL is that the head needs to absolutely be taken out of the hitting portion of the game or it may not survive.

 

My son played 6th, 7th and 8th grade football. When he got to HS I told him it was his choice as to whether he went out for freshman football and told him he'd already earned all of those "dad memories" for me and that it didn't matter. I'm actually glad he chose not to go ahead with football as he'd already experienced a concussion even at those early levels.

 

I'm a huge fan of the game, the old school game. The Doug Plank game. But I totally understand why the changes have been necessary. I don't like the sport as much anymore and do fear it can't survive in it's current form. And it'll only get softer as time goes on. But without a feeder program of young players the professional game is sure to suffer.

[Chitownhustla]

My son played 6th, 7th and 8th grade football. When he got to HS I told him it was his choice as to whether he went out for freshman football and told him he'd already earned all of those "dad memories" for me and that it didn't matter. I'm actually glad he chose not to go ahead with football as he'd already experienced a concussion even at those early levels.

 

I'm a huge fan of the game, the old school game. The Doug Plank game. But I totally understand why the changes have been necessary. I don't like the sport as much anymore and do fear it can't survive in it's current form. And it'll only get softer as time goes on. But without a feeder program of young players the professional game is sure to suffer.

 

 

I totally get the concern of head trauma. I played High school and division 1 football. I personally never had a concussion. I do have one friend that had many concussions. He definitely has seen damage.

 

He had one of the worst concussions I have ever seen and after that he got them more frequently. Through high school and college he had more then 15, probably more than 20 as he started to hide them.

 

Concussions were not a big topic when I played, not that it was that long ago comparatively speaking, I played high school until 96 and college till 2001.

 

Out of all my teammates he is the only one to suffer damage, long term damage is still too early to talk about. I actually said that it may be time to hang up the cleats his sophomore year in college. He chose not to.

 

 

If you look at the total number of football players what is the percentage of players that actually see some type of negative affects? From my personal experience it has not been many, only one(still to early to detect long term).

 

I spoke with my younger brother, he played HS and college as well, he had the same experience only a few guys had repeated concussions.

 

 

Not having done any large amount of research on this topic, I think the biggest thing is when there is a player that gets repeated concussions its time to consider quitting.

 

 

 

I know a lot of the research has been about the affects of concussions, has there been research on repeated blows to the head and its affects. I never had a concussion but defiantly had repeated blows to the head.

 

 

[CrackerDog]

I know a lot of the research has been about the affects of concussions, has there been research on repeated blows to the head and its affects. I never had a concussion but defiantly had repeated blows to the head.

 

I think the NFL has all the info they need on the topic. I actually expected better helmet technology to solve the problem but thus far it hasn't.

 

As to concussions, I had a terrible one in 1979 playing 16 inch softball! I was playing first base and stretched for an errant throw down the line and the runner's knee nailed me in the head as I was going down to get the ball. At 50 I still feel occasional pain or numbness in that spot. Don't know if there'll be further affects as I age. I never had a head injury playing football either.

[Chitownhustla]

I think the NFL has all the info they need on the topic. I actually expected better helmet technology to solve the problem but thus far it hasn't.

 

As to concussions, I had a terrible one in 1979 playing 16 inch softball! I was playing first base and stretched for an errant throw down the line and the runner's knee nailed me in the head as I was going down to get the ball. At 50 I still feel occasional pain or numbness in that spot. Don't know if there'll be further affects as I age. I never had a head injury playing football either.

 

 

To go along with what you are saying about having sustained a terrible one. My friend that had the worst one I have ever seen happened junior year of HS, he was never the same after that one.

 

It happened on Kickoff, he was running full speed as was the blocker, they ran into each other full speed and my friend didn't know what universe he was in.

 

 

After that he got them repeatedly and from lighter hits. Hits that would normally not affect someone would give him a concussion.

 

 

Not sure how better helmet technology can help I think the only way is to eliminate hits to the head as said earlier.

[jason]

Bear with me on this, but do any of you guys think this stuff is linked in any way to softer generations? Some sort of evolution, so to speak?

 

Shake the hand of a 60-70 year old guy nowadays, and most likely he's still got some good strength. Guys back then, and really the previous generation, were stronger it seemed overall. Wiry strong. Sure, players today can bench more, but those guys back then had that "country strength" which turned into "old man strength". How and why all that happened, and why it changed, is anyone's guess, but I happen to think it has to do with three things:

1. Food - The food today just isn't the same. It doesn't nourish us the same.

2. Activity - This is more important. Kids today and within the last generation or so seem to be specialized more. They don't rough-house around because they're not allowed. Games I used to play when younger, when the objective was just to gang-tackle the kid with the ball, aren't played. Kids today don't play tag in school! I remember playing tackle football as a youngster in a field that very clearly had trash on it...I remember because I fell on some glass. Baseball (with a tennis ball) in the middle of the street. Ever hear of a 13-year old getting Tommy John surgery before the 90s? I think there is something I'm going to call "developmental toughness" that kids don't have any more. I know I got blasted more times than I can count, but I don't know if I ever had a concussion. I don't think I did. Blessed with a hard head. This same thought goes towards the tons and tons of knee injuries we see in sports today. Bigger muscles, but not everything else is strong in support.

3. Lifestyle - Obviously more sedentary than before.

 

I'm just wondering if this is a two-sided issue where we obviously know more about the dangers of concussions today, but the players themselves just aren't the same.

[madlithuanian]

I follow your train of thought. And I think it might play some part in it.

 

Borland's particular case may or may not be part of what you're saying, but I think at least as a society...we are getting weaker, more secluded, angrier and more entitled. George Carlin did a funny bit on children worship many years ago, that sadly rings true today and speak to a bit of what you bring to light.

 

Beware, there is some language. It's George Carlin after all!

 

 

Bear with me on this, but do any of you guys think this stuff is linked in any way to softer generations? Some sort of evolution, so to speak?

 

Shake the hand of a 60-70 year old guy nowadays, and most likely he's still got some good strength. Guys back then, and really the previous generation, were stronger it seemed overall. Wiry strong. Sure, players today can bench more, but those guys back then had that "country strength" which turned into "old man strength". How and why all that happened, and why it changed, is anyone's guess, but I happen to think it has to do with three things:

1. Food - The food today just isn't the same. It doesn't nourish us the same.

2. Activity - This is more important. Kids today and within the last generation or so seem to be specialized more. They don't rough-house around because they're not allowed. Games I used to play when younger, when the objective was just to gang-tackle the kid with the ball, aren't played. Kids today don't play tag in school! I remember playing tackle football as a youngster in a field that very clearly had trash on it...I remember because I fell on some glass. Baseball (with a tennis ball) in the middle of the street. Ever hear of a 13-year old getting Tommy John surgery before the 90s? I think there is something I'm going to call "developmental toughness" that kids don't have any more. I know I got blasted more times than I can count, but I don't know if I ever had a concussion. I don't think I did. Blessed with a hard head. This same thought goes towards the tons and tons of knee injuries we see in sports today. Bigger muscles, but not everything else is strong in support.

3. Lifestyle - Obviously more sedentary than before.

 

I'm just wondering if this is a two-sided issue where we obviously know more about the dangers of concussions today, but the players themselves just aren't the same.

 

[CrackerDog]

Some sort of evolution, so to speak?

 

I don't think there's any question we're softer than previous generations in many ways. My grandfather got a fishing lure's treble hook set buried in his hands and just ripped it out. No blood! Big chunks of callouses from years of working on the railroad but no blood. Crazy. Old guys from then were rock hard even in their beer bellies! And I won't even go into their mental toughness...

 

With that said, I don't think that would change the instances of head injuries. In fact, because we're better nutritionally (as to speed for our athletes) and bigger those are the traits that I think lead to more injuries of this nature. Bigger bodies, moving faster and colliding. Not a good combo.

 

That's why this is such a huge problem. The players aren't going to get any slower or smaller so....

[Mongo3451]

Bear with me on this, but do any of you guys think this stuff is linked in any way to softer generations? Some sort of evolution, so to speak?

 

Shake the hand of a 60-70 year old guy nowadays, and most likely he's still got some good strength. Guys back then, and really the previous generation, were stronger it seemed overall. Wiry strong. Sure, players today can bench more, but those guys back then had that "country strength" which turned into "old man strength". How and why all that happened, and why it changed, is anyone's guess, but I happen to think it has to do with three things:

1. Food - The food today just isn't the same. It doesn't nourish us the same.

2. Activity - This is more important. Kids today and within the last generation or so seem to be specialized more. They don't rough-house around because they're not allowed. Games I used to play when younger, when the objective was just to gang-tackle the kid with the ball, aren't played. Kids today don't play tag in school! I remember playing tackle football as a youngster in a field that very clearly had trash on it...I remember because I fell on some glass. Baseball (with a tennis ball) in the middle of the street. Ever hear of a 13-year old getting Tommy John surgery before the 90s? I think there is something I'm going to call "developmental toughness" that kids don't have any more. I know I got blasted more times than I can count, but I don't know if I ever had a concussion. I don't think I did. Blessed with a hard head. This same thought goes towards the tons and tons of knee injuries we see in sports today. Bigger muscles, but not everything else is strong in support.

3. Lifestyle - Obviously more sedentary than before.

 

I'm just wondering if this is a two-sided issue where we obviously know more about the dangers of concussions today, but the players themselves just aren't the same.

That's an intersting take. I know from my own standpoint, we never talked about concussions in sports. We just called it getting your bell rung. I remember the trainer popping amonia packets to revive guys and having a ringing in my ears after a good hit. I'm approaching 50 now and sometimes feel as if I'm a little more foggy than I should be. Other times, sharp as always. The more I read and learn, the less I like.

 

The study that bothered me most was the one published in the last year. They performed baseline studies on HS football players before they started the season and all of the kids brain functions lowered as the season progressed. That being said, the brain recovers and the kids functions returned to baseline shortly after the season ended. Scary stuff though, as I have a nine year old that really loves to play.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

Bear with me on this, but do any of you guys think this stuff is linked in any way to softer generations? Some sort of evolution, so to speak?

 

Shake the hand of a 60-70 year old guy nowadays, and most likely he's still got some good strength. Guys back then, and really the previous generation, were stronger it seemed overall. Wiry strong. Sure, players today can bench more, but those guys back then had that "country strength" which turned into "old man strength". How and why all that happened, and why it changed, is anyone's guess, but I happen to think it has to do with three things:

1. Food - The food today just isn't the same. It doesn't nourish us the same.

2. Activity - This is more important. Kids today and within the last generation or so seem to be specialized more. They don't rough-house around because they're not allowed. Games I used to play when younger, when the objective was just to gang-tackle the kid with the ball, aren't played. Kids today don't play tag in school! I remember playing tackle football as a youngster in a field that very clearly had trash on it...I remember because I fell on some glass. Baseball (with a tennis ball) in the middle of the street. Ever hear of a 13-year old getting Tommy John surgery before the 90s? I think there is something I'm going to call "developmental toughness" that kids don't have any more. I know I got blasted more times than I can count, but I don't know if I ever had a concussion. I don't think I did. Blessed with a hard head. This same thought goes towards the tons and tons of knee injuries we see in sports today. Bigger muscles, but not everything else is strong in support.

3. Lifestyle - Obviously more sedentary than before.

 

I'm just wondering if this is a two-sided issue where we obviously know more about the dangers of concussions today, but the players themselves just aren't the same.

 

Excellent points and exactly something I was thinking. I went one further and considered Borland maybe a trend for players to come? Those that get to the elite level, make their money in one or two years then retire because they were concerned of future health concerns? Can't say as I blame them. Wouldn't you? I know when its all said and done I'll have retired from two careers and won't equal anything some of these guys will make in one or two years.

 

That being said a lot goes into this way of thinking. As a society we are much more informed (not smarter) than we were in the past. Discussions like 'heads up football' and 'concussion protocol' were not brought up in the past because, like some of you mentioned, the science wasn't there. The research hadn't been conducted nor the information shared at lightning speed like it is now with the Internet. I was literally knocked out a few times in life (football and otherwise) and wonder, like Mongo and you, where would I be now if I grew up playing video games and a relatively sheltered life instead of playing sports, throwing sticks and dirt clods and living life as a kid growing up? I remember when I went to boot camp in the late '80's we were treated more like the guys on "Full Metal Jacket" (the first half) than what I hear goes on nowadays. My dad drove a car 20-30 miles to the nearest hospital after breaking his back once when I was a kid, a friend of mine's dad used to get so many hernias (he was a logger/homesteader here in Alaska) that he would literally push it back in and go back to work. The generations are definitely 'softening' over the years. Sadly I'm softer than I was when I was younger but pale in comparison when measured to the generations before me. The other day and in relation to this story, I heard someone ask how this could eventually effect the NFL. Could it eventually put it out of business like we know it today? Had you asked me about 10-20 years ago I'd say absolutely not. Nowadays I'm not as sure.

[jason]

I don't think there's any question we're softer than previous generations in many ways. My grandfather got a fishing lure's treble hook set buried in his hands and just ripped it out. No blood! Big chunks of callouses from years of working on the railroad but no blood. Crazy. Old guys from then were rock hard even in their beer bellies! And I won't even go into their mental toughness...

 

With that said, I don't think that would change the instances of head injuries. In fact, because we're better nutritionally (as to speed for our athletes) and bigger those are the traits that I think lead to more injuries of this nature. Bigger bodies, moving faster and colliding. Not a good combo.

 

That's why this is such a huge problem. The players aren't going to get any slower or smaller so....

 

Yeah, it could be entirely the fact that instead of 220lb DTs there are now 300lb DTs who run like LBs from the 50s. More mass and more speed means nastier collisions. Until someone has been next to one of these behemoths and has seen how quickly a man nearing 300lbs can move, it's hard to comprehend. Being around football on a yearly basis, I get to see some of these ridiculously sized guys who move like 4-5 weight classes lower. Seeing an absolutely chiseled LB blur by like a WR is scary when considering the RBs are also like that. Remember Thomas Jones' arms? Guys today are just packing on more and more muscle but keeping the speed. Maybe in the past those huge dudes had collisions that were slower, and, physics-ly speaking, less impactful?

[jason]

Excellent points and exactly something I was thinking. I went one further and considered Borland maybe a trend for players to come? Those that get to the elite level, make their money in one or two years then retire because they were concerned of future health concerns? Can't say as I blame them. Wouldn't you? I know when its all said and done I'll have retired from two careers and won't equal anything some of these guys will make in one or two years.

 

That being said a lot goes into this way of thinking. As a society we are much more informed (not smarter) than we were in the past. Discussions like 'heads up football' and 'concussion protocol' were not brought up in the past because, like some of you mentioned, the science wasn't there. The research hadn't been conducted nor the information shared at lightning speed like it is now with the Internet. I was literally knocked out a few times in life (football and otherwise) and wonder, like Mongo and you, where would I be now if I grew up playing video games and a relatively sheltered life instead of playing sports, throwing sticks and dirt clods and living life as a kid growing up? I remember when I went to boot camp in the late '80's we were treated more like the guys on "Full Metal Jacket" (the first half) than what I hear goes on nowadays. My dad drove a car 20-30 miles to the nearest hospital after breaking his back once when I was a kid, a friend of mine's dad used to get so many hernias (he was a logger/homesteader here in Alaska) that he would literally push it back in and go back to work. The generations are definitely 'softening' over the years. Sadly I'm softer than I was when I was younger but pale in comparison when measured to the generations before me. The other day and in relation to this story, I heard someone ask how this could eventually effect the NFL. Could it eventually put it out of business like we know it today? Had you asked me about 10-20 years ago I'd say absolutely not. Nowadays I'm not as sure.

 

Given that I hurt/injured/broken myself many many times for free, I'm guessing that if I had made it to the NFL I would have had to be carried off the field. I imagine I would have been like Mark Schlereth with something like 13 knee surgeries.

 

Totally agree about the final paragraph. My dad cut off a finger with a table saw, grabbed it off the floor, covered the stump in a towel, and drove (quickly) to the ER.

[CrackerDog]

Maybe in the past those huge dudes had collisions that were slower, and, physics-ly speaking, less impactful?

 

Yep. Force equals mass times acceleration (Newton's Second Law). The only thing I remember from HS Physics class. So it appears all those hulks moving like they're roadrunners is finally taking it's toll.

[CrackerDog]

Totally agree about the final paragraph. My dad cut off a finger with a table saw, grabbed it off the floor, covered the stump in a towel, and drove (quickly) to the ER.

 

Dude, that's hardcore! My old man slammed an axe into his forearm somehow and gashed it wide open. I remember him walking into the house putting pressure on the wound with his other hand and telling my mom to drive him to the hospital. I generally try to avoid using an axe.