FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Nice job so far.

"We went to the Super Bowl in '02, following these rules. They are supported by the most important element in the NFL: Wins."

I'm guessing they had the same rules in '03, '04, '05, '06, '07. Those rules didn't exactly translate into wins in those seasons.

Nice arguments but seems a little co incidental that both accounts are NY and were made on the same day HMMMMMMM!!!!

Editor's Note: This throwdown was conducted over the past few days over email then entered into the system this morning, thus the quick response times.

Seems like these guys are arguing two completely different points but saying the same thing. Lomabardi is saying starting a fight is counterproductive. Tucker saying that IF someone starts a fight (even though no illegal action has taken place on the play) THEN he has a right to defend himself, therefore making it a productive event (in both the eyes of his teammates and the eyes of the coaches).

It would be nice if we could say ask the two following questions (and I bet each has the same response).

1. Is there any merit in STARTING a fight against your team mate, if no illegal action has taken place by the "opponent"?

2. Is there any merit in DEFENDING yourself in a fight should you be attacked by a teammate?

My guess is that they will agree on both points making this argument above an exercise in futility.

Now there maybe disagreement if we ask a third question:

3. Is there any merit in STARTING a fight against your team mate, if consistent ILLEGAL actions have taken place on the play by the "opponent"?

Honestly, Who cares what these players do in camp? i cant stand all the sports news nowadays. If i wanted to hear about the cat fights in training camp id pick up a copy of US weekly or Flip To E! network.

Sportscenter needs to apeal to its most loyal of fan bases not to the 21 year old gossip queen.

As for you T&R. I dont care if Andy Reids son is a dope dealer in prison and plainly i dont feel that its any of our buisness to know, What he goes through what i do care about is plain and simple. i want to know depth charts, injury reports, player strategies, new plays, rookie standings, what base defense such and such team is playing.

not this garbage..its not fair to the players to have coverage of their personal lives,

There not celebrities rather players in a game for our entertainment, what i care about is things like T-Jack Is making great progress this offseason or The Texans have implemented a new zone blocking system wich should greatly help there running game

i dont care about this nonsense about that washed up favre or his less than average succesor, i care about how they affect the game not when they get the key to the city.

so please for all us die-hard sports fan..CAN WE PLEASE BRING BACK THE SPORTSNEWS PLEASE!!

I have to agree with Tucker on this as I have seen first hand how Tucker specifically has benefited from fights in practice. It is not good if a guy fights all the time but a well timed fist-a-cuff can puts you on the map. The reputation of an ivy league player is that he is smart but his skills and toughness will always be questioned. A scuffle with a star or a starter will show that you are not intimidated and will not back down in the heat of battle.

Lombardi's non-sequitor of no fighting in practice translating into wins has too many holes too count.

Bill Romanowski forgot to read those ruless. Just ask Roland Williams

Suprise, suprise: a Sports Illustrated writer talking about something that he obviously doesn't know anything about. Shades of Pierre McGuire? Listen to the guys who actually played the game, not arm-chair wanna-be's who have never been in that situation.

Ross Tucker has it all wrong.

First of all, this isn't combat...its a fantastic, and thrilling game. But let's not confuse it with Battle, or the two people in helmets throwing punches...as combatants simply because they play professional football.

I am proud to have served in the Marines from 92 to 96 and thankful that I never had to be deployed in a combat scenario. But I feel for my fellow Devil Dogs serving now...and I am quite sure they don't consider football at any level...combat.

And even in the military, we know that fighting isn't good for team unity...and our strength lies in our team dynamic...not in our admiration for any individual who likes to fight and can't keep their composure. That type of behavior will get you killed.

And in football..someone who can't keep their composure...is the type of person that gets those yellow flags thrown their way when a team least needs it.

I would take a well composed, aggressive ,professional football player over a fist swinging animal in pads...any day of the week.

I feel this country is becoming more and more a female society. Masculinity is a punch line and feminine behavior is becoming more excepted. I realize how big a shift after watching a dvd of the HBO show Deadwood. A real shame.

Fighting hurts the team....period. What you do in practice, you'll do in a game. The smart player walks away from a fight because he realizes the team is more important than his ego/pride. When I played we had scouting reports on which players were easily gauded into a fight and we used that knowledge to gain penalites against the other team. These guys are professionals, they are paid millions of dollars. If they can't keep their cool and turn the other cheek (while on the field), get rid of em.

I gotta side with Ross on this one too. Lombardi's point that no fighting creates wins just wasn't a very strong argument. And Ross wasn't saying so much that fighting was good, but it seems to me that these fights on the preseason bring attention to players who consistently play hard, and players who can't keep their tempers. So good things come out of these fights on the field. Coaches see what players are playing to the whistle, and finishing plays, and they can also weed out the guys who can't keep their heads when they get frustrated. Because the guys starting fights could cause you to get personal fouls in a real game. So.. it's bad to start the fights, but good to be the guy that frustrates his opponent enough to start fighting.. and these preseason fights let you know what kind of player you have.

Both guys are right. I don't see that they are arguing the same point, either. I agree with BOTH - I'd rather my guys play until the whistle blows, but I don't like the pushing and shoving. The extracurriculars are just stupid fisticuffs that could result in a very costly injury. My vote goes to Lombardi. He makes the most sense.

rayala - I loved your comment. Romo did NOT read those rules, and you can ALSO ask Kerry Collins!