Suspensions going to be handed out for this moronic new NFL rule

[jason]

Isn't that pretty much what happened on the Heap play though? A blatant cheap shot for which the response is going to be a fine and not a suspension?

 

You're getting all circular with this debate and making little sense.

 

Simple:

 

1) Hits like the cheap shot on Heap? Fine + Suspend

 

2) Hits like the explosion on Jackson? Tough shit, it's football.

 

If you happen to knock that player out with a LEGAL hit, and that player is gone for multiple games, so be it. That's the risk of playing football. After all, isn't that essentially what the Saints did against old man Farv last year? You keep hitting a guy until he doesn't get up, until he risks bad play by staying in the game while hurt, or until he gets gunshy enough to affect his play. That attitude has been around since football was created. Intimidation the basis of the sport; cheap shots are not.

 

If a cheap shot takes out an opponent, then it's up to the league to determine the equitable punishment. Is that punishment insufficient enough to deter cheap shots? Perhaps THAT is the real argument here.

[jason]

Yes...that should have been a fine and suspention.... and ejection

 

But it was a little less clear than what Martin did to McMahon. I could see how a ref, during those few seconds, and depending on angle, may not have seen it. I'm not sure how it was seen and actually called, but today, that guy should be suspended.

 

If that play happened today (let's say Clay Matthews slams Farv to the ground in the exact same manner Martin slammed McMahon), the offending player would face the largest suspension ever handed down by the league. I'm willing to bet it would be nearly an entire season.

[madlithuanian]

If it were golden-boy Favre, Matthews would be facing the death penalty!

 

 

If that play happened today (let's say Clay Matthews slams Farv to the ground in the exact same manner Martin slammed McMahon), the offending player would face the largest suspension ever handed down by the league. I'm willing to bet it would be nearly an entire season.

 

[madlithuanian]

Agreed...

 

I honestly think that football is a good ol' boys club. No one has done anything that greivous in a while... There seems to be a self-policing mechanism for the serious cheap shots.

 

It's been touted that all this is just a pre-emtive strike to make sure Congress doesn't get involved. Mully this morning also made mention that the casual fan seems more bothered by this than the die hards. And since the NFL knows the die hards will stick around, they want to appease the casual fan. I think there's something to both those thoughts besides just looking out for health...

 

If a cheap shot takes out an opponent, then it's up to the league to determine the equitable punishment. Is that punishment insufficient enough to deter cheap shots? Perhaps THAT is the real argument here.

 

[balta1701-A]

Easterbrook

Josh Cribbs of the Browns suffered a concussion on a helmet-to-helmet hit by James Harrison of the Steelers on Sunday. No flag was thrown. Later in the same contest, Mohamed Massaquoi of the Browns left the field with a head injury after a helmet-to-helmet hit by Harrison. No flag. DeSean Jackson of the Eagles sustained a "severe" concussion on a flagrant helmet-to-helmet hit by Dunta Robinson of Atlanta. Robinson was flagged but not ejected, as he should have been. (Robinson left the game with his own concussion, but disqualification sends a much stronger message about behavior than just a penalty.) Zack Follett of Detroit lay motionless for several minutes on the field after a helmet-to-helmet hit by Jason Pierre-Paul of the Giants. No flag. Sam Bradford's helmet was knocked off by a helmet-to-helmet hit by Kevin Burnett of San Diego. No flag.

 

Late Monday night, the NFL said it would announce new head-protection rules by Wednesday, and that the new rules will take effect immediately. It's about time.

 

For too long, NFL headquarters and sports commentators both have acted as though there is some gigantic mystery regarding why NFL players make so many dangerous helmet hits. Here's why in three words: because they can. The play is almost never penalized.

 

For too long, NFL headquarters and sports commentators both have acted as though there is some gigantic mystery regarding what to do about dangerous helmet hits. Here's what to do in three words: throw the flag!

 

NFL players and coaches know the penalty for a helmet-as-a-weapon hit is almost never called. Enforce strict penalties and player behavior and coaching will change quickly. Broadcasting the game in which DeSean Jackson collapsed, Daryl Johnston of Fox said, "We need to do something to prevent that kind of hit, but I just don't know how you keep that from happening." There is a way: strict penalties strictly enforced, including with ejections and suspensions.

 

Especially, strictly enforce the "defenseless player" rule, which is supposed to forbid contact after an incompletion goes past a receiver. A high percentage of helmet-as-a-weapon hits occur in this situation -- and defensive backs inflict brutal blows after the ball goes past a receiver because they know the foul is almost never called

 

NFL officials do not invent their own officiating standards. The reason they have not applied "point of emphasis" enforcement to the helmet-as-a-weapon rule is that the league has not instructed them to do so. The league has instructed officials to enforce the celebration penalty strictly, and baby, is that penalty ever enforced. Sunday, we had the ghastly spectacle of an NFL in which it is completely forbidden to jump around happily after a touchdown -- but perfectly fine to make a sadistic helmet-to-helmet hit that can cause lifelong harm.

 

That the NFL has not, till this moment, acted to impose strict enforcement of rules against use of the helmet as a weapon points to the dark side of football marketing. Namely: a perception that the league doesn't really mind a few severe injuries, considering blood and pain are part of the product.

 

Most football fans are horrified when a player falls to the turf motionless. But some aren't -- consciously or subconsciously, they want to see harm. Presenting painful mayhem as "entertainment" goes at least as far back as the Roman Colosseum.

 

Hollywood eagerly markets to the desire to watch violent harm, but movie violence is fake. Has the NFL been slow to enforce head-protection standards because the owners think the occasional player carted off unconscious makes the game edgy and dangerous, appealing to fans who want all-too-real violence? There is real violence in prizefighting, too -- the dark side of boxing's appeal. But only a tiny number of people engage in prizefighting, while each year about 1 million play football, most of them high school boys. The NFL not doing everything possible to prevent head injury sets an awful example for the high school players who model themselves on what they see in the pros.

 

The league doesn't really mind if some players are harmed -- is this just a conspiracy theory, an urban legend? The way for the NFL to prove this wrong is to adopt very strict enforcement of head protection rules, beginning Sunday. Flags must fly; players must be ejected and suspended. Old-schoolers aren't going to like it. But drastic measures are necessary to change a football culture that for too long has assumed it's OK, even manly, to cause another player to be injured. And the NFL must keep very strict enforcement in place permanently, after public attention shifts elsewhere.

 

The sports media need to change, too. Most football announcers either avoid discussion of neurological danger, laugh it off as getting "jacked up," or pretend not to see what's directly in front of their eyes. When Cribbs was hit in the head by Harrison, Kevin Harlan of CBS, calling the game, said, "Wow what a hard-hitting rivalry the Steelers and Browns have," not mentioning head trauma. When Massaquoi was hit in the head later in the same game, Harlan said with enthusiasm, "He was drilled, Harrison was really laying the wood!" To young viewers -- and the 95 percent of football players who are high school boys -- this kind of commentary makes helmet-to-helmet hits sound cool. Making helmet hits sound cool to the young is doubly worrisome because while most orthopedic injuries heal, some neurological injuries cannot be treated.

 

Harlan was merely vocalizing the way in which football culture traditionally avoids dealing with the game's underside. On NBC on Sunday night, Dan Patrick showed the Cribbs injury as a highlight and said lightheartedly, "Cribbs gets a big hit from his former college teammate." It's not a concussion, it's an amusing coincidence about their bygone college days! (Cribbs and Harrison attended Kent State.) After Joseph Addai took two deliberate blows to his helmet -- first a helmet-to-helmet hit from Kedric Golston, then a forearm-to-helmet hit from London Fletcher -- and collapsed in the Indianapolis-at-Washington game, Cris Collinsworth of NBC said, "That is a perfectly clean hit, blows to the head are allowed on running plays."

 

Really -- it's "perfectly clean" to slam your forearm into another player's helmet? Existing rules on head protection are poorly worded, which may be a reason officials have trouble knowing what to enforce. Let's hope the upcoming NFL announcement includes both stricter rules and clearer rules.

 

Existing rule 12, 2, 7g bans "using any part of a player's helmet (including the top/crown and forehead/hairline parts) or facemask to butt, spear, or ram an opponent violently or unnecessarily," and also states, "violent or unnecessary use of the helmet is impermissible against any opponent." Any opponent, including the ballcarrier. So it's not legal to ram your helmet into the ballcarrier's helmet. But many in the football world think it is -- a reason the rules must become clearer. And attitudes must change. If it really were "perfectly clean" to deliver deliberate blows to a ballcarrier's head, then no one should play football.

 

ESPN deserves blame, too, for poor coverage of neurological harm. On Monday, the noon Eastern edition of "SportsCenter" showed both the vicious hits in the Pittsburgh-at-Cleveland game as highlights, without context about helmet-as-a-weapon fouls or concussions. "That James Harrison is a dangerous player, you better account for him," Merril Hoge said, as if young players should emulate dangerous tactics. Then, inexplicably, Hoge added, "I think NFL players are doing a better job of not leading with the helmet." So dear viewer, though you just saw two violent instances of leading with the helmet, don't worry, this is not a problem.

 

A few in the sportscasting world have gotten the message. Don Criqui of CBS, calling the Chargers-Rams game, said the blow to Bradford's head was dangerous and questioned why no penalty was assessed. Most important, Rodney Harrison said on NBC that players guilty of deliberate helmet-as-a-weapon hits should not just be ejected but suspended. Coming from a former NFL star, Harrison's statement got the NFL's attention.

 

To this point, the NFL and its media partners haven't done anywhere near enough to emphasize protecting players from head harm -- or to set a better example for high school players. Will that really now change?

 

This week is a critical moment for football as a sport, and as a business. If the league really does crack down in a meaningful way -- and if sportscasters, including on ESPN, start being honest about the risks and downsides of football -- then the game will become safer, and a good example will be set for high school players. If the league is just blowing smoke, or the sports media return to boosterism, then Congress should step in and regulate the playing standards of professional sports.

 

And please DeSean Jackson, do not play again this season. You're already on your second bad concussion. Having the first, in 2009, increased your odds of the next one, which happened Sunday. That, in turn, increases your odds of another. "Second-impact syndrome" is among the highest risks in neurology, and Jackson is now at risk. I really like watching Jackson play -- but I don't want to watch him fall to the turf with a worse head injury.

 

Eagles owner Jeff Lurie: On Monday, you became the first NFL owner to call for strict enforcement of the helmet-as-a-weapon rules. Take the next step and forbid Jackson from playing again this season. That would be bad for your team but good for Jackson, for the sport, and for huge numbers of high school boys who emulate the NFL.

[balta1701-A]

BTW, here's a good example of why I think calling this "pussification" is ridiculous and frankly offensive.

 

[madlithuanian]

C'mon balta. Give some credit. No one on this board condones death. And I guarantee, not one soul here isn't saddened by the tragic story of this poor young man. And it sounds like some good things are being bantered, like making coaching staffs more expert in determining these injuries.

 

What, would you like to see done? Hits will happen if tackling is involved. Some may be dirty, but most will probably be accidental. I don't believe this young man was cheap shotted...

 

 

BTW, here's a good example of why I think calling this "pussification" is ridiculous and frankly offensive.

 

[balta1701-A]

What, would you like to see done? Hits will happen if tackling is involved. Some may be dirty, but most will probably be accidental. I don't believe this young man was cheap shotted...

No, but he made darn well sure no one called him a pussy.

 

And that's the reason that bugs me. "You can't take that hit? You pussy! You just want the league to bail you out. Get your ass back out there."

 

That attitude is a big part of the problem.

[madlithuanian]

Fair enough. I think you are blending topics into a discussion on bullying. That's another topic for a different board...

 

I am still curious to hear how you propose this problem be dealt with...

 

 

No, but he made darn well sure no one called him a pussy.

 

And that's the reason that bugs me. "You can't take that hit? You pussy! You just want the league to bail you out. Get your ass back out there."

 

That attitude is a big part of the problem.

 

[Bears4Ever_34]

Don't call it football anymore because it's not. Call it whatever you want but this rule totally took the physicality out of the game. It's such a ridiculous rule. I would have no problem with the helmet to helmet stuff when you know it was intentional ala Merriwether. But the hit on Desean Jackson was totally legal. He hit the guy in the chest and in the process his helmet went up and hit Jackson's. The devastating hit rule is just a flat out joke and that's what I'm most upset about. That's what takes the physicality of the game away. Not only is it a joke but they don't even classify what a "Devastating" hit is. Players are well aware of how football is played, if they don't want to suffer possible consequences then they don't have to play; it's as simple as that.

[jason]

No, but he made darn well sure no one called him a pussy.

 

And that's the reason that bugs me. "You can't take that hit? You pussy! You just want the league to bail you out. Get your ass back out there."

 

That attitude is a big part of the problem.

 

You don't even understand the pussification comment. It's not about the player not being able to take the hit, and being a pussy. It's about the powers that be making the game a softer game, less of a hitting and tackling game.

[jason]

For more examples...take the two hits in this video.

 

The first is on Cribbs. Harrison lowers his head to make the hit, and it's at about sternum level when it starts. I'll admit this one is close. But the second one, in which he destroys Massoquai, is something almost completely unavoidable. He was aiming at the WR's chest, maybe lower, and when impact is imminent, the WR ducks his head to protect himself. How is Harrison supposed to avoid this possibility? Other than aiming for the knees, that is.

 

[balta1701-A]

You don't even understand the pussification comment. It's not about the player not being able to take the hit, and being a pussy. It's about the powers that be making the game a softer game, less of a hitting and tackling game.

On almost any other foul I might agree with you. On something like hitting below the belt, or horsecollars, whatever, you'd get more agreement from me. On a lot of the hits to the QB that get penalized, I'll agree with you. On pass interference I'll agree with you, last weekend was a great example of the problems with that rule as well.

 

But this is one issue where I'm going to put my foot down and say no. You can question specific plays, but take a look at the Harrison ones again...what's the one thing in common with both of them? Harrison has his arms to his side on both of them. He's in "human missile" form, leading straight ahead with his helmet. He is not trying to tackle the guy, he's not trying to strip the ball, he's trying to knock the guy out. The one guy that might have a legitimate case is Robinson from the Eagles/Falcons game, because I'm not convinced there that he led with his helmet, and I do want to see how that appeal turns out. The ones you just highlighted though, and the Meriweather hit, those were obvious.

 

If you want to say they're weakening the league by calling too many pass interferences, we can have a good discussion and probably find some common ground. But pass interference doesn't do the long term damage that this type of hit does. You ripped guys like Merrill Hoge yesterday for focusing on this rule, but really, look at what happened to that guy; he didn't get the appropriate treatment for a first concussion, went back out, got a 2nd, and wound up nearly dying. His heart literally stopped in the locker room and he had to be resuscitated. He had to re-learn how to read. He took that much brain damage.

 

This is a unique style of injury. Every time you take one, the damage compounds, and you don't always see it immediately. These guys are leaving the league after a few years of these impacts and finding their brains turned to mush. Yeah, you can only do so much to stop it. Yeah, the linemen take impacts on every play. But none of the other things that happen compare to being hit in the head by a guy in missile form. You're never going to eliminate them totally, but there's a difference between playing the game with some risk and allowing people to go headhunting.

 

It's a real easy thing to avoid for the defender too. All you have to do is try to tackle the guy rather than trying to knock the guy out. Go with your head up and your arms forward, try to wrap the guy up. If you hit a guy hard that way, but you're obviously trying to tackle the guy, there probably shouldn't be a suspension (unless there's something obviously egregious happening there, like an obvious headbutt thrown in). If the league imposes this correctly, then the suspensions should come in lowered head, arms down, nothing but a hit close to the head format. If you're not going to have your arms out, then you ought to hit low, because otherwise it's just a jarring impact.

[Controlled Chaos]

I'm kind of in the middle on this one. I think the majority of football fans can tell when something is outright dirty and didn't have to happen and when something is just unavoidable. I hope the NFL can as well. The way I'm hoping the rule is applied, is basically it isn't. It's there as a deterrent, but also so they have a leg to stand on when someone does something blatant like Meriweather. I don't think the plan is to suspend people left and right. But they have it in their arsenal if they need it.

 

One thing I heard someone talk about on the radio is to expand the field surface. The players are all bigger, faster and more athletic, so if you want to cut back on some of the deadly hits....give them a little more field to cover.

[madlithuanian]

Interesting idea...

 

I thought Jason Whitlock's thoughts on this were also interesting...

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/new-hea...whitlock-102010

 

The problem with taking away head shots

Jason Whitlock

 

The solution to the NFL’s helmet-to-helmet controversy is simple: suspend any player who leaves his feet in an attempt to block or tackle an opposing player head-on beyond the line of scrimmage.

 

A player should be allowed to “launch” himself in just a few scenarios: 1. A ball carrier leaping over the line of scrimmage; 2. A defender leaping over the line of scrimmage in an attempt to make a play in the backfield; 3. A receiver/defender trying to make a play on the ball; 4. A defender attempting to make a tackle from behind.

 

Yep, in my mind, it’s rather easy to cut down on the rash of “devastating” hits that highlighted/marred last weekend’s play. You can eliminate the “defenseless” player interpretation by simply grounding James Harrison, Brandon Meriweather and all the rest. Make the defensive side of the line of scrimmage a no-fly zone.

 

The rule would be enforced from the replay booth and would not result in a yardage penalty. A player would be tossed from the game, the hit would be reviewed by the league on Tuesday and the player would be subject to an automatic one-game suspension for his first offense.

 

This is not that complicated. Most of the hits the league is trying to eliminate are a result of a defensive player turning himself into a human missile in an effort to “blow up” the opposition. Missiles have heads/helmets. Stop the missiles from leaving the ground and you’ll reduce a healthy percentage of nasty helmet-to-helmet contact.

 

Again, the solution is simple. The real problem is the ramifications of the solution.

 

In the modern-era, TV-friendly, tilt-all-rules-in-favor-of-the-quarterback NFL, intimidation is a defense’s last and only weapon.

 

Ray Lewis needs a handwritten, notarized letter from Roger Goodell to touch Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. NFL pass-interference and illegal-contact rules make slowing Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson virtually impossible.

 

The threat of Ed Reed placing the crown of his helmet on Chad Ochocinco’s chinstrap is/was the only thing that separated the league from a Madden video game.

 

The separation is gone. Hell, it’s so safe across the middle now that rumors are floating Randy Moss has agreed to run a crossing route before the end of the season. Seriously, Vikings coaches are expected to spend most of Wednesday’s practice explaining to Moss what the hash marks are running down the middle of the field.

 

The new emphasis on eliminating helmet-to-helmet contact is dramatic, unprecedented midseason change. The game has been significantly altered.

 

It’s like when Wee-Bey went down at the end of Season 1 of "The Wire." If you really understood the game, you knew Avon and Stringer were on borrowed time from the moment McNulty cuffed Wee-Bey for his role in Kima’s shooting. Avon never loses the east side to Marlo if Bey is free to deal with Chris and Snoop.

 

All the rules protecting the quarterback were Mayor Royce bringing down The Towers. The assault on helmet-to-helmet contact is the elimination of Ray Lewis’ muscle.

 

It’s flag football now. Or worse, it’s the Pro Bowl.

 

That’s not tough-guy whining. I’m all for making the game safer. I’m not against this sea change.

 

This whole awakening about the dangers of football must be what it was like when America figured out cigarettes killed. What’s more pervasive in America, the NFL in 2010 or Marlboro in 1950? Maybe NFL helmets will eventually come with a warning label from the surgeon general.

 

Warning: Football kills.

 

It’s true. Will that knowledge harm the popularity of the game?

 

It’s not as thrilling watching grown men blow each other up when we know the consequences. Muhammad Ali’s Parkinson’s Disease damaged boxing more than the obvious corruption.

 

The NFL can’t survive another Darryl Stingley and Jack Tatum. ESPN would replay the hit over and over and broadcast countless shows debating NFL savagery. At some point, a savvy politician would step in and turn it into a political issue.

 

Roger Goodell is being proactive rather than reactive. Good for him and the NFL. Bad for Ray Lewis and defensive players.

 

During the offseason, the competition committee needs to give defensive players an alternative weapon. Believe it or not, there are a few NFL fans who enjoy watching great defense. NFL pass-interference rules should be examined and massaged.

 

Change the contact area to 10 yards. Only flagrant pass interference should be a spot-of-the-foul penalty. Arm bars and a little hand-fighting should be legal. Give the defense a chance to defend the passing game.

 

Football can’t be turned into a total finesse game.

 

 

 

One thing I heard someone talk about on the radio is to expand the field surface. The players are all bigger, faster and more athletic, so if you want to cut back on some of the deadly hits....give them a little more field to cover.