NFL Might Suspend Players for Violent Hits

[#56fanatic]

This is such a fine line of Great hits and potentially life altering hits. From pee-wee through college you are tought to tackle a certain way. When you have these guys coming full speed to hit someone and the person they are hitting lowers their head or squats down a little, it is an accidental helmet to helmet hit. The one with Harrison and Masaqua (SP) didn't look intentional, nor did the DeShean Jacksons hit look intentional. They were both going full speed, Jackson was coming down after catching the ball and it looked like the DB was aming for his chest. I just feel this rule is going to do more harm to the game, than it is helping guys on the field.

[mlmdub130]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Who's "Soup"?

And, in my opinion, we got lucky on that Jarmon hit. It looked clearly like hlelmet to helmet to me. I think so long as you don't lead with your helmet you should be ok. Wrapping up is the more fundamental way to do it, but really it's the knock out shots that cause the turnovers. I think more is being made of this right now than will actually come out of it.

1, 2, and 3 right there.

1. if players actually tackle and wrap up this becomes way less of an issue

2. they have to reinforce when to go for the hit and when to wrap up

3. i'll take you back to post 18 http://www.thewarpath.net/redskins-l...tml#post749798 where i think you nailed it, i could see what happened in mlb with congress stepping in having an effect of the nfl's quick reaction to implement a rule

[jdlea]

Originally Posted by aceinthehouse

BTW...
Merriweather who had the head-to-head hit on heap where he actually was trying to hurt him and was flagged for it and knocked heap out of the game was fined $50,000.

That's not even correct.

Meriweather hit on Heap

If you watch that, Meriweather commits to that hit before Mayo hits Heap. Heap moves to Meriweather's left and his head comes down. That's the only reason that ends up being helmet to helmet. I think the intent on Meriweather's part was to put his shoulder/helmet somewhere around Heap's chest/ribs, but the hit from Mayo altered Heap and it ends up being helmet to helmet.

I, personally, don't like the rule because of hits like this. I think Meriweather was going to try to land a kill shot, but it ended up being infinitely worse than he intended because another player hit him a split-second earlier. That's not enough to adjust. Having the advantage of seeing things in super slow mo isn't anything these players can do. The game moves too fast for the NFL to suspend guys for hits like this.

I've honestly watched most of the big hits from this weekend (the 2 by Harrison, the Meriweather one, and the Robinson one) and I can make a case that they all could have been legal hits if not for split second events that made them look bad. Personally, I don't even believe the Robinson hit was at all dirty. His head ricochets into the helmet area of Jackson, but he initially buries it in his shoulder.

[Monkeydad]

The Robinson hit on DeSean Jackson was clean...just a solid, hard hit that hurt an undersized guy.

I was watching the Pats/Ravens game when it happened on Heap...that was clearly an intentional headshot in my opinion.

Harrison gets no benefit of the doubt because of his history of dirty, cheap shots AND his statements this week. I didn't see his hits this week so I won't make a judgement on these particular hits, but he strikes me as a modern-day Jack Tatum...he'll try to hurt anyone in any way possible and not care.

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by Buster

The Robinson hit on DeSean Jackson was clean...just a solid, hard hit that hurt an undersized guy.

I was watching the Pats/Ravens game when it happened on Heap...that was clearly an intentional headshot in my opinion.

Harrison gets no benefit of the doubt because of his history of dirty, cheap shots AND his statements this week. I didn't see his hits this week so I won't make a judgement on these particular hits, but he strikes me as a modern-day Jack Tatum...he'll try to hurt anyone in any way possible and not care.

Agreed. Meriweather deserves a fine but Dunta Robinson got a raw deal.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by jdlea

That's not even correct.

Meriweather hit on Heap

If you watch that, Meriweather commits to that hit before Mayo hits Heap. Heap moves to Meriweather's left and his head comes down. That's the only reason that ends up being helmet to helmet. I think the intent on Meriweather's part was to put his shoulder/helmet somewhere around Heap's chest/ribs, but the hit from Mayo altered Heap and it ends up being helmet to helmet.

I, personally, don't like the rule because of hits like this. I think Meriweather was going to try to land a kill shot, but it ended up being infinitely worse than he intended because another player hit him a split-second earlier. That's not enough to adjust. Having the advantage of seeing things in super slow mo isn't anything these players can do. The game moves too fast for the NFL to suspend guys for hits like this.

I've honestly watched most of the big hits from this weekend (the 2 by Harrison, the Meriweather one, and the Robinson one) and I can make a case that they all could have been legal hits if not for split second events that made them look bad. Personally, I don't even believe the Robinson hit was at all dirty. His head ricochets into the helmet area of Jackson, but he initially buries it in his shoulder.

Meriweather's hit is what they should flag because how he launched himself up towards Heaps head and lowered his head.

[jdlea]

Originally Posted by Buster

The Robinson hit on DeSean Jackson was clean...just a solid, hard hit that hurt an undersized guy.

I was watching the Pats/Ravens game when it happened on Heap...that was clearly an intentional headshot in my opinion.

Harrison gets no benefit of the doubt because of his history of dirty, cheap shots AND his statements this week. I didn't see his hits this week so I won't make a judgement on these particular hits, but he strikes me as a modern-day Jack Tatum...he'll try to hurt anyone in any way possible and not care.

I personally think the Cribbs hit was dirty, but the on Massaquoi ended up worse because he braced for the hit. On the Cribbs hit, he was going down and Harrison didn't need to do it, so I'd say that him going to helmet to helmet on that one was a dirty hit.

[jdlea]

Originally Posted by firstdown

Meriweather's hit is what they should flag because how he launched himself up towards Heaps head and lowered his head.

I'm aware of that, but I don't think they would have flagged it had he not made contact with Heap's head

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by aceinthehouse

BTW...
Merriweather who had the head-to-head hit on heap where he actually was trying to hurt him and was flagged for it and knocked heap out of the game was fined $50,000.

Harrison who knocked out Cribbs in a legal and non-flagged devastating hit was fined $75,000
Nobody has been suspended at the moment.

You guys still love their interpretation now?
Told ya..

I agree and not sure how they can call the Harrison hit illegal as the players had become a runner and you can tackle them with your head.

[skinsfaninok]

NFL.com news: Steelers LB Harrison mulling retirement after $75K fine for hit

[SBXVII]

Ok so I was wondering....

Since we keep hearing what defenders are not allowed to do, it might be easier if the NFL simply tells the defenders what they "are" allowed to do.

Also, I can see and agree with defenders being punished/suspended a game if they lead with their helmet on a helmet to helmet hit. Thats intentional, but what if the defender leads with his helmet to knock the ball out of the opponants hands and the opponant is falling to the ground and helmet to helmet is accidental?

Will offensive players get fined also for leading with their helmets? RB's especially do that when they know their about to hit by the defender.

What happens when the RB lowers his helmet to hit the defender and the defender in order to protect himself lowers his helmet and they hit helmet to helmet? who gets fined? only the defender? both? or just the player who ends up with out a concussion?

[SBXVII]

Originally Posted by jdlea

That's not even correct.

Meriweather hit on Heap

If you watch that, Meriweather commits to that hit before Mayo hits Heap. Heap moves to Meriweather's left and his head comes down. That's the only reason that ends up being helmet to helmet. I think the intent on Meriweather's part was to put his shoulder/helmet somewhere around Heap's chest/ribs, but the hit from Mayo altered Heap and it ends up being helmet to helmet.

I, personally, don't like the rule because of hits like this. I think Meriweather was going to try to land a kill shot, but it ended up being infinitely worse than he intended because another player hit him a split-second earlier. That's not enough to adjust. Having the advantage of seeing things in super slow mo isn't anything these players can do. The game moves too fast for the NFL to suspend guys for hits like this.

I've honestly watched most of the big hits from this weekend (the 2 by Harrison, the Meriweather one, and the Robinson one) and I can make a case that they all could have been legal hits if not for split second events that made them look bad. Personally, I don't even believe the Robinson hit was at all dirty. His head ricochets into the helmet area of Jackson, but he initially buries it in his shoulder.

Honestly I watched the video and thought it was not as bad as it ended up. Yeah it's helmet to helmet but I'm confused as to how the WR ended up with a concussion because it really didn't look like the hit was that hard. Helmets tap and WR goes to the ground.

Now look at the Desean Jackson hit. That to me was vicious but it looked like the shoulder hit not the helmet.

I think it goes back to this... if the players don't want to subject themselves to these type of hits they would get out of football and use their college degree. I find it funny that it's the NFL and who knows congress? that are trying to change the rules but the players themselves and owners are not. I have yet to hear a player get on tv and say we need to change the rules, or something needs to be done. All I keep hearing is "hey it's football, thats what we signed up for it could happen to any one of us."

[saden1]

Rules are simple....don't hit another player on the head with your helmet and don't hit a defenseless receiver. These guys want to get on the highlight real instead of making solid tackles. Fck'em, suspend and fine them. And for all those whining about not being able to play football the way it is meant to be or thinking about quiting the game...the door is right there, the arena league would love to have you.

Heap hit is clearly obvious and so is the Harrison hit. Not sure about the Jackson hit but he was defenseless.

p.s. The NFL put a stop to the horse collar tackle a few years ago by suspending Roy Williams one game and I don't see anyone complaining about it anymore. This is no different and if you don't like it go f'ing watch UFC fights.

[12thMan]

The way I understand it it's all about "intent" to hit with the helmet. I think there's a fine line between two large athletes running at full throttle, leading with the helmet and a violent collision that makes helmet contact first.

I hope the refs won't go to the extreme with this new ruling and penalize a player simply because he laid somone's ass out. It is still football.

[skinsfaninok]

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