I noticed that a lot more fines have been issued lately with illegal hits. A lot of the calls have been so-so in my mind and I think the NFL was a bit harsh. However, today Darren Woodson, safety for the Cowboys, got fined $75,000 for a hit on Darrell Jackson on Sunday. Here's the ESPN report if you want to read it: IMO, this hit was nothing but a really hard tackle. Darren Woodson is known for hitting people VERY hard, but has never been a dirty player. On ESPN News, a ESPN guy said Darren doesn't know how to play football anymore, after playing 10-11 years in the league. Roy Williams looks up to him and learns from him, but how can he now? The ESPN guy thought the NFL fine was ridiculous and that the players should put on some flags and play some flag football. I agree with him that this is a physical game and that this fine was not right. What are your opinions on the NFL and their punishment for "unneccessary hits?"
He hit him really hard, and the reciever didn't look too good afterwards . . . but it was a legal hit. The NFL is getting a little too protective, in my mind.
Exactly what I though. I don't see how that was "uneccessary roughness," which as the article said, I think, was the call on the field. Plus, the NFL thought otherwise as well. edit: btw, DW has 82k is fines this year. Remember, he isn't a dirty player, imo. edit2: QUARTERBACK Rodney Peete even thinks it is getting out of hand. (the fines.)
Yes. I'm all for fines for late or dirty hits (did you see the close line on Carr?) but fines for HARD hits... those are just part of the game. What happens next? Is a RB like Bettis going to be fined for running over a cornerback? It's football, hard hits and violence are part of the game. Take those out and we might as well play soccer. (no offense soccer fan(s)).
On the replay I saw it looked like he hit a defenseless receiver with his helmet. That is almost a guaranteed fine. John Lynch hits people hard too, but he hits with his shoulder pad like you are supposed to. He doesn't get fined. As long as guys follow the rules, they can hit as hard as they want.
1. He never hit him with his helmet, he hit him with his shoulder pad. That's legal. 2. The receiver was REAL close to having control of the ball, in which case, he can be hit hard, in an attempt to dislodge the ball. I think this was a dumb fine.
I've seen the play several times, and all I can say is it didn't look like to ME that Woodson hit him with his helmet. As far as I can see there's nothing to warrant any fine, much less a $75k one. Plus, what is this going to start doing to linebackers and def. backs? Eventually they're going to start saying to themselves, "Forget this getting money taken out of my wallet for going up high!" and start going low. That's going to lead to recievers and running backs getting forcibly retired with knee injuries and a lifelong limp. To me, rules to protect players in exposed position's (i.e. Stroud's clothsline on Carr) are fine but to enforce them to the point of paranoia hamstrings the defenses and runs the risks of more serious injuries.
The NFL is really victimizing Safeties with these penalties. The FS and SS's main job is to come from the Receivers Blind side in order to make the hit. They are telling these guys to do their jobs.
It may have been a legal hit, but to make the play, is there ANY reason why the hit must be so vicious? Mike Holmgren said Darrell Jackson almost died after that hit - and not figuratively, either. What do you think the punishment would've been if that had happened? Whether or not it was a legal hit, the NFL is sending a message to its players, and I applaud them for that effort. There's no need for people to be out there having seizures, repeated concussions, and coming near death just for playing the game.
The paramedics said that he did NOT almost die. This is a ridiculous fine. The is an assumption of risk involved in the game. It was a good, hard, clean hit. Why didn't anyone get fined when Troy Aikman got his concussions? BECAUSE FOOTBALL IS A CONTACT SPORT!!! Woodson pointed out that the same thing he is being fined for will be on the "Hardest Hits" videos that the NFL so loves to sell...The NFL is sending out mixed messages...and double dipping. I asked before, why wasn't the 3rd play from the end of the game flagged. The Cowboy receiver was in the process of catching the ball, he was hit while he was in the air, and laid out flat on his back. Same thing...No foul. Next in line, boxers can not hit each other too hard nor knock each other out. If they do, they will get fined.
a couple of points: 1) I would so love it if the NFL would make a video demonstrating for fans and players alike EXACTLY what they would like to see a player like Woodson do in that exact same situation. that video could then be played on Fox, ESPN, and CBS, and we could all understand what the F they are wanting. I can't for the life of me figure out what Woodson could have done differently, other than just lay up and let the receiver catch the ball. 2) on ESPN the other night, chris mortensen pretty much suggested that all these fines and suspensions are just preventative measures taken by the NFL to protect themselves from an unfortunate future scenario in which a player dies or is paralyzed for life [a la daryl stingley] and that player or his family sues the NFL. mortensen was saying they want to be able to say, "go back and look at all we did to protect players via fines and suspensions". 3) with regards to point 2, if what Woodson has asserted is true [that the NFL will earn a single cent off his hit on a video], and you couple it with their tail-covering against litigation, that's revolting. 4) in the NFL's defense, they are in a tough position. the game is an incredibly violent game, and it's probably a bit of a miracle that more people haven't died playing it. life really is pretty fragile, and people die in freak accidents every day. the possibility of a hit killing someone may transcend possibility and go on into the land probability. now, you take that, and couple it with this litigious age, and I'm not sure what the NFL should differently, either. all in all, it's tough. 5) lastly, whether or not Jackson almost died is really quite irrelevant. the only relavant thing is whether the hit was dirty or not. I haven't heard a single person, not even Holmgren or the Seahawks, allege that the hit was anything other than a clean, hard hit. if it looks like his helmet was near the impact, that's because his head is attached to his shoulder. the whole situation is kind of absurd. thank you, lawsuits.
It was a hard hit, but was it clean? Did it need to be so hard? There's a point when you are tackling for show, such as that, and tackling to get the play done. It's not his job to go out there and kill people by tackling them; it's his job to go out there and play his position effectively. The NFL is trying to prove that point with these fines and suspensions. After all, no one complains when the NBA comes down with fines and suspensions after a hard foul, or when the NHL suspends players for hard checks and the like - why should the NFL be any different? They realize that the fines were not sufficient in the past and while they cannot rectify them, they can make a difference now. Those unwilling to change, such as the player on the Chargers, are stuck in the past and I have no respect for them. I'd much rather see a hard (but safe) tackle made that gets the job done instead of star players getting injured on needlessly hard hits, such as the one on Jackson. Whether or not he almost died - right now, since I heard Holmgren say it himself on national TV, I'll take his word over the paramedics' - there's a big difference between making a play to make a play and making a play to show off your strength like that. Any comparisons to a running back giving the stiffarm to a cornerback and the like are wildly off base, as I've seen in this thread. That's akin to saying that putting a hand in a player's back on the basketball court is just as bad as bringing your arm down from in the air and clotheslining someone.
It was a hard hit, but was it clean? Did it need to be so hard? There's a point when you are tackling for show, such as that, and tackling to get the play done. It's not his job to go out there and kill people by tackling them; it's his job to go out there and play his position effectively. Oh yeah, Darren Woodson just goes out every game to tackle for show. Cmon mf. It was a clean hit. He isn't supposed to think "how hard am I supposed to hit him?" he's supposed to think "I need to hit him as hard as possible to break up the play(w/o leading with the helmet)." He wasn't trying to kill him, he was trying to do what he's supposed to do. The NFL is trying to prove that point with these fines and suspensions. After all, no one complains when the NBA comes down with fines and suspensions after a hard foul, or when the NHL suspends players for hard checks and the like - why should the NFL be any different? They realize that the fines were not sufficient in the past and while they cannot rectify them, they can make a difference now. I'm all for fines, but only when they are the correct ones. A db should be able to break up a play w/o worrying about a stupid fine. I think a lot of those guys should be fined big time who try to unnescessarily rough up qbs. Those unwilling to change, such as the player on the Chargers, are stuck in the past and I have no respect for them. I'd much rather see a hard (but safe) tackle made that gets the job done instead of star players getting injured on needlessly hard hits, such as the one on Jackson. Whether or not he almost died - right now, since I heard Holmgren say it himself on national TV, I'll take his word over the paramedics' - there's a big difference between making a play to make a play and making a play to show off your strength like that. Again, this wasn't just a tackle, this was a db breaking up a pass play. If it were just a tackle then it wouldn't have been an incomplete pass, but a fumble. It's unfortunate that DJax got injured, but he knows its a rough sport. He gets paid good money to put his health on the line when he goes down the middle. Any comparisons to a running back giving the stiffarm to a cornerback and the like are wildly off base, as I've seen in this thread. That's akin to saying that putting a hand in a player's back on the basketball court is just as bad as bringing your arm down from in the air and clotheslining someone. If a db can't be allowed to break up a play, why should a rb be allowed to grab, hold onto and shove someone's facemask to keep them at bay? I guess the NFL needs an "excessive tackling" penalty on really good pops to complete their pussness. Or how about they just switch to flag?
The NFL was built on hard hitting plays/players. Jim Brown Ronnie Lott Mike Singletary Dick Butkis LT Walter Payton Earl Campbell Just to name a few. This is why I and a lot of the current fans of the NFL watch. Sure a touchdown pass is nice, but I like to see a quarterback get his sturnum bruised or a running back smash a cornerback in the face. I hope they have not forgotten this... Some of the tape that I have seen of football in the 50's/60's made today's game look childish. Those guys back then were tough, they didn't even wear real helmets in the beginning. Hell if you take away the ability of the safetys to make the big hits (cleanly) you should also remove the stiff arms. This is getting stupid. Players know what they are risking, that is why they are making millions...
I wonder what the life expectancy is for football players? Someone told me that the life expectancy for a linebacker is something like 51 years. Not sure if I believe it, but still... It was a clean hit. The fine was inappropriate. I might question whether it really needed to be that hard... but there was nothing in the rules against it.
