JoePa didn't wear a facemask. He doesn't think today's players should, either.

By Matt Hinton

The NFL is upping the ante yet again on helmet-to-helmet hits and other vicious collisions, promising even more aggressive fines and suspensions in the wake of a particularly violent weekend. The NCAA has been concerned with the same problem lately, led by the Big Ten.

And if it's really serious about it, Joe Paterno has an idea from his own playing days at Brown, right after the war (Second World, that is, not Civil). If you want players to stop leading with their heads, Paterno told reporters during Tuesday's Big Ten conference call, lose the facemasks already:

"I've been saying for years, we should get rid of the facemask. ... It's a weapon, guys are fearless."

[Photos: See what football legend Joe Paterno looks like today]

Predictably, the whippersnappers in the ranks – namely 35-year-old Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald, who opted for maximum coverage as an All-American linebacker in the mid-'90s – aren't so enthusiastic about the idea. But more than a few people who actually study head injuries aren't so dismissive: As the Wall Street Journal reported last year, the growing research on the long-term effects of repeated head shots, even when helmets are involved, have led some experts to conclude that the protection does more harm than good by making head-cracking too routine. Troy Aikman is down with that, and he knows from head injuries.

Of course, helmets were introduced largely to combat the "boy-killing, man-mutilating" violence that nearly got the game banned outright at the turn of the 20th Century. The facemask wasn't standard until the mid-'50s, well after the end of JoePa's career at Brown and into his tenure as a young assistant at Penn State. You can play football without a facemask.

While we're at it, Paterno would also like to know whatever happened to those canary dishes, the Andrews Sisters? Used to be a Joe could always get togged to the bricks for a jolly up in this town, even if he was a cement mixer. But these days, every night's in the cave with a platter and a glass of dog soup, patting his alderman like some wheat lunger.

NEW YORK (AP)—The NFL fined 12 more players Friday, mostly for unnecessary roughness in games last weekend, sending another strong message that violent conduct wouldn’t be tolerated.

Minnesota defensive end Ray Edwards(notes) was fined the most, $20,000, for spearing Dallas running back Marion Barber(notes) on Sunday. Edwards was cited as a repeat offender; he was previously fined Aug. 28 for roughing the passer and Sept. 26 for unnecessary roughness.

“I just got fined $20,000 for a spear that really wasn’t a spear,” Edwards said. “If you look at the last play, (Dallas tackle Marc) Colombo speared Jared (Allen) and I don’t believe he got fined. If you’re going to fine people, fine everybody. Don’t just fine defensive guys.”

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The league did not fine Colombo.

Earlier this week, huge fines were given for flagrant fouls by Pittsburgh’s James Harrison(notes) ($75,000), Atlanta’s Dunta Robinson(notes) and New England’s Brandon Meriweather(notes) (both $50,000). The league also promised suspensions for players who make illegal hits on defenseless opponents. A video was sent to the 32 teams explaining what hits are considered legal and illegal.

The 15 fines were unusually high for one week, a signal of the NFL’s resolve to police violent play. Generally, either a $5,000 or $10,000 fine is handed out for roughness. In this week’s total all but two were for roughness. On Oct. 1 the league also issued 15 fines, 10 for roughness.

Included in the latest penalties:

— New Orleans cornerback Malcolm Jenkins(notes) was fined $10,000 for two hits, one to the head area of Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman(notes) and one out of bounds.

— Tennessee defensive end William Hayes(notes) was fined $10,000 for a late hit, while teammate Dave Ball(notes) was given a $5,000 fine for roughing the passer with a hit to the head or neck area against Jacksonville.

— Three Houston players were fined $5,000: guard Wade Smith(notes) for a leg whip, defensive end Adewale Ogunleye(notes) for a late hit on Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel(notes), and safety Bernard Pollard(notes) for hitting a Chiefs player out of bounds.

— Philadelphia quarterback Kevin Kolb(notes) was fined $5,000 for a horse-collar tackle on Atlanta’s William Moore(notes) while Moore was returning an interception.

— San Francisco safety Dashon Goldson(notes) was fined $5,000 for striking Raiders receiver Louis Murphy(notes) late.

— Minnesota receiver Bernard Berrian(notes) was fined $5,000 for a late hit on Dallas DE Jason Hatcher(notes).

— Detroit guard Stephen Peterman(notes) was fined $7,500 for a late hit on Giants safety Antrel Rolle(notes).

— San Diego linebacker Antwan Barnes(notes) was fined $5,000 for unnecessarily striking St. Louis quarterback Sam Bradford(notes) in the chest and neck.

Harrison, who threatened to retire after the NFL’s crackdown, was fined for his tackle of Browns receiver Mohamed Massaquoi(notes), who suffered a concussion. He also had a hard hit on former college teammate Joshua Cribbs(notes).

On Friday, Cribbs told his friend not to change the way he plays, and that Harrison’s job is to simply “knock people out.”

Cribbs, who played at Kent State with Harrison, believes he helped persuade Pittsburgh’s big hitter not to retire.

AP Sports Writers Tom Withers in Cleveland and Jon Krawczynski in Minneapolis contributed to this story.