NFLPA Finds Increase in Injuries in 2010

The study claims that players incurred 3.7 injuries per team per week, and that 63 percent of the players in the league suffered at least one injury.

Of those injuries, 37.7 percent of the injuries required a player to miss a game, with 12.6 percent of the injuries causing them to be placed on injured reserve.

The study finds that the number of players landing on injured reserve — more than 350 — greatly outpaced 2009, when 250 players finished the year on IR.

Read more at  http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/01/28/union-cites-increase-in-injuries-in-2010/ 

There are several things the NFL could do to cut down on injuries:

1) Use the best-possible helmets. New, better helmets are being researched and developed - the NFL needs to pour resources into helmet design and then mandate the usage of said design's product. 

2) Consistent penalties - AND ejections. Despite the NFL saying repeatedly that ejections would be forthcoming for repeat offenders on helmet-to-helmet hits, very few ejections actually occurred. Make it an egregious offense to spear or helmet-to-helmet hit someone, and let's see what happens. 

3) Strongly consider a second bye-week even if the regular season stays at 16 games. It may even work to give an extra week off in between pre-season and regular season. 

Comment with your own suggestions of how injuries could be reduced. Obviously injuries will not be removed from the game, but it's utterly ridiculous that 2/3 of the league's players should suffer some form of injury. Does any other professional sport have that type of number?