What about Bob?

Ron Aprea sends us this moving e-mail about all the bumps and bruises - and worse - from Week 1:

"Football has always been a rough sport and injuries would always go with the terrain. This week there were a record amount of serious injuries on opening day around the league, with one player fighting for his life and both New York quarterbacks sidelined with injuries.

"Putting aside the violence issues for a moment, do not the folks who run the NFL realize that when their star athletes are sidelined, it hurts their game? Imagine an opposing baseball player grabbing A-Rod and slamming him head-first into the ground. Aside from the bizarreness of that behavior, how deprived would baseball fans be?

"Rule changes and equipment modifications are constantly being adapted to cut down chances of serious injuries, but somehow, to me, football seems more violent than ever. In fact, football often looks like a gang fight which includes a hideous celebration by the Gladiator who pulverizes his opponent. Rolling blocks are no longer legal since ball carriers and their blockers, they thought, were sustaining too many knee injuries.

"The rolling block was replaced with grabbing the ball carrier by his head or shoulder pads and slamming him head first into the ground. (i.e. Eli Manning) Well, less knee injuries, but what about head, neck, and shoulder damage? Ask Wayne Chrebet, (and many others) whose career was cut short because of a series of concussions.

"Considering the fact that most football is played on artificial turf, and not grass, is it any wonder why players were being carted off the field in droves this past Sunday? The game of blocking and tackling has become the game of body slamming and blows to the head...and celebrations. Football to me is starting to look strangely like the World Wrestling Federation. Bring back the block and tackle. It took a lot more skill and seemed to be a bit more civilized. And please, if a player must celebrate, perhaps he should wait 'til his team wins the Super Bowl. It's beginning to look like a very expensive three-ring circus."