http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/news/story?id=6465271 It is imperative that the NFL adequately addresses the concussion issue - both from the NFL itself and from the players. Cracking down on big hits, better head protection, more research, etc. For the long term health of the sport, this may be the single most important issue in my mind. I know some people get angry at the "pussification" of the league, but seriously, we cannot have guys committing suicide. The NFL is the pinnacle of football, and the example they set has a huge impact on College, high school and below, which is the future of the league. If parents keep seeing massive hits in the NFL and we keep seeing players rapidly losing ability as they age, they will simply have their kids play other sports.
There's one easy way to fix this---- Guys who get flagged for unnecessary roughness have to take their helmet off the following play. Problem solved.
There have been some people who say the NFL should go helmet-less. Basically, the current hard shell helmet is to easy and tempting to use as a weapon. If players lose that, they will not go for such hits. For this aspect of the concussion problem, I think a more logical approach would be the addition of a soft shell layer on the outside. Several former players had a lot of success with early designs in limiting concussions. The big "negative" with this is of course image and design. Those old soft shells were butt ugly, and in a style conscious NFL they would find it difficult to gain acceptance. If I was the NFL, I would encourage some of the big helmet makers to design something as stylish and functional as possible, and once a good design or two are achieved, MANDATE them. The NFL needs to mandate the use of advanced anti concussion helmets - the fact it does not already do so is incredible.
