The recent injury stories that came out of the NFL were considered more severe than average. The quarterback and several other players from the Chiefs were injured, and the team’s receiver group was greatly impacted. The Bengals got three starting offensive linemen down, and the 49ers were using their fourth quarterback.
Injury Is Definitely a Factor
The healthiest team is the Eagles, and it has a quarterback with a shoulder issue. While the NFL is known for its high injury rate, the recent string of injuries to key players has raised questions about the way the season was set up and the effect it had on the players’ endurance and teams’ rosters. There is now a desire for medical research to show the impact of reduced contact practices and the toll that playing multiple games in short weeks takes on the players. It is believed it all stems from the NFL’s desire for more prime-time broadcasts. Also, questions were raised about the impact of the 17th game.
It would be good to examine how teams have adjusted to managing their players differently to accommodate the NFL calendar changes. Over the past 15 years, the NFL calendar was changed significantly to allow more football to be televised. This resulted in a five-month window during which fans could enjoy more football. However, it has also raised concerns about if the added Thursday game or an extra week of the regular season is worth having when teams suffer multiple injuries.
Fans Would Appreciate a SkyJudge
As recent championship games have shown players sustaining an injury are unable to perform at their best, it has become important to consider and discuss the current state of the situation. The performance of the NFL’s all-star crews has also been a concern, and it is believed that the league should take action. The issues could be due to the all-star crew not being used to playing together or the game moving too fast for a human to process it. The NFL has access to technology that allows multiple angles of every play to be viewed instantly, but it has not been utilized as fans would like.
In May 2020, when the implementation of a SkyJudge was being discussed, Ravens Coach John Harbaugh stated that everyone recognizes the difficulty of the referee’s job and the importance of making accurate calls. The credibility of the outcome of the game is at stake due to fans being able to view the game in high definition and knowing what truly happened.
The outdated belief that the game must be completely controlled on the field is the reason for not implementing the technology. It seems it is more important to preserve the emotions of the referees instead of making as many accurate calls as possible. Fans surely know that referees are capable of handling the situation if they are overruled, and changes are definitely desired.