Curtis Martin took and dished out plenty of helmet hits as he rushed for more than 14 Good Sellers For Fake NFL Jerseys ,000 yards in his Hall of Fame career.

He just wishes he didn't have to endure that.

The retired running back sees the NFL's enhanced rule penalizing players for leading with their helmets as a positive step for the sport. As a member of the player safety advisory panel, he's part of a leaguewide effort to educate the current generation on how to stay on the right side of the rule and reduce injuries.

"Hopefully we can extend careers and just have less contact to the head, which I just think is beneficial over a long period of time," Martin said by phone this week. "We're really focusing on getting the head (contact) out of the game. I wish it was like that when I was playing. I think it's something that's very positive, and I think it's important as we go forward and the future of the game."

Martin and former linebackers Willie Lanier , also a Hall of Famer, and Willie McGinest taped minute-long "NFL Way to Play" instructional videos for players stressing stance, posture and technique. For specific examples of head-contact hits that are now 15-yard penalties or possibly ejections, there are situation-specific videos narrated by coaches Anthony Lynn of the Chargers (ball carriers ), Doug Marrone of the Jaguars (offensive linemen ), Dan Quinn of the Falcons (defensive linemen ) Tell Authentic And Replica NFL Jerseys , Mike Vrabel of the Titans (linebackers ), and Todd Bowles of the Jets (defensive backs ).

"I just had some things I wanted to try to share being a former player and having played that technique and coached that technique," Vrabel said. "It's what's best for the game, the fundamentals. We always try to teach the fundamentals that are good: playing with your knees bent, leading with your hands and playing with your face up."

After watching those videos, Redskins coach Jay Gruden said making sure players don't use their helmets as weapons is "a big thing we're trying to get over." That's the NFL's emphasis: a helmet is for protection and not to be used as a projectile.

"You don't necessarily want to hurt anyone," Martin said. "As an offensive player, a lot of times, especially when you see those times when a player or whoever's carrying the ball they're very close to the sidelines, but before they go out, they decide they just want to punish that (defensive back). That's where you see the helmet used as a weapon 5 Ways To Tell Authentic And Replica NFL Jerseys (Real VS Fake) , and you want to cut things like that out of the game because it's unnecessary, No. 1, and it just protects the players better."

Bowles, who played defensive back for eight NFL seasons, illustrated in his video many of the shoulder-to-shoulder hits that are legal and expected. He contrasted them with some players who made helmet-to-helmet contact. Because the enhanced rule now makes helmet-to-anywhere contact a penalty, he knows it's on coaches to give players a refresher on the proper way to tackle.

"It's really teaching football to be played the right way," Bowles said. "There are going to be hard collisions, but if the helmet's up, and you have to keep the helmet out of the way and hit with the shoulder, which most of the teams do all the time. There's an occasional head-to-head when someone's putting their head down, but we don't teach it any differently."

Martin fully understands the football mentality of pushing for the extra yard and going for the big hit NFL Blog , so he figures it'll take time for players to adjust. It's his hope the culture change toward understanding head injuries helps players accept the updated rule for their own good.

"As former players, we can sit back and see how this rule would've been very effective for us when we were playing," Martin said. "But when you're in the midst of something, it's like anything 鈥?when you're in the midst of a problem, it's hard to see the benefits of (fixing) that problem or the outcome or the potential positive things that can come out of that problem. Now that we're on the other side, we can see that maybe a little clearer than current players can and as we're able to inform them and teach, I think that they'll come around."
AP Pro Football Writers Teresa M. Walker and Dennis Waszak Jr. contributed.
Jon Gruden hopes he’ll finally get the chance to meet Marshawn Lynch now that he’s coach of the Oakland Raiders.

After having numerous requests turned down by the media-adverse Beast Mode during his tenure as an ESPN announcer, Gruden now is officially Lynch’s coach after being introduced Tuesday for his second stint with the Raiders.

”You know, I’ve never met Marshawn Lynch. Even as a broadcaster, I asked for Marshawn Lynch in production meetings and I never got to meet him,” Gruden said.

”So I’m anxious to sit down with Marshawn and meet him. We’ll talk about his future and the Raiders. I can’t wait. He came back to the Raiders for similar 2018 Good Sellers For Fake NFL Jerseys , I think, reasons that I did. I think he loves Oakland. I think he loves the Raiders and guys like him interest me, so I’m looking forward to talking to him.”

Lynch came out of retirement this past season to join the Raiders. He said he made the move to give something back to his hometown of Oakland before the team moves to Las Vegas in 2020.

Lynch’s status is one of the questions facing the Raiders this offseason. He got off to a slow start in his return, rushing for just 266 yards in the first half of the season and getting suspended one game for shoving an official after coming off the bench during a scuffle against Kansas City.

He was a completely different player after that, rushing for 524 yards and five TDs in his final eight games. His average of 78.1 yards rushing per game in that span was tied for third best in the league.

”I thought he finished great,” general manager Reggie McKenzie said. ”Everybody was saying that he was going to tail off at the end. He did just the opposite. He ran harder at the end just like he did at the beginning. There was no drop-off there.”

Lynch has a contract for next season worth about $6 million, including a $1 million roster bonus due in March after the start of the new league year. McKenzie said any decision on Lynch’s status would come after a meeting with the new coaching staff.

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