Schlereth Shreds the NFL for Fining Hard Hits

I find it sort of strange that so many people outside the game are the ones who want to make decisions on behalf of those in the game.

I know this is going to come across as blaming the victim, but there is a reason Joshua Cribbs got knocked out, and it wasn't 100 percent on James Harrison. Let me preface it by saying intentional spearing is bullshit and cannot be tolerated. However...

What happened to Cribbs was partially the fault of Joshua Cribbs. YOU DO NOT CUT BACK INTO THE FLOW OF PURSUIT. Or, if you do so, you do it at your own peril. It's a bit like chasing the puck into the corner in hockey.

You know who is mostly responsible for Desean Jackson getting killed? Kevin Fucking Kolb. You cannot throw that ball and let your receiver run a route against zone coverage like that, or he's almost always going to get killed. Seems to me that offensive coordinators didn't used to send skinny fast guys like Jackson over the middle 20 years ago anyway, in part because they knew it might get them decapitated. Jerry Rice used to do it, but he was smart enough that he could find the hole in defenses, catch the ball and fall down. It took a special breed of receiver to run those crossing routes. Now offensive coordinators don't give a crap. Everyone is looking for an edge, and when offensive players are put in peril, it's always the fault of the defender. Really? How about all the awful quarterbacks leading guys into trouble?

There is a little blame to go around. Schlereth is right about the Meriweather hit. That was the worst of the bunch, because it was clearly an intended head shot. The others were just violent collisions that make you cringe, but they're always going to be part of the game unless you want to just make it entirely about offense and say a linebacker can't hit a guy too hard if a wide receiver carrying the ball like a loaf of bread decided he should be able to cut back into the flow of traffic and expect to get tackled nicely.

 

Exactly. But the problem isn't just the equipment. In fact, better equipment is likely only going to reinforce this type of play. If Riddell comes out with a concussion-preventing helmet tomorrow, that's going to reinforce the belief that leading with the head isn't all that dangerous.

Players from the bottom levels to the top need re-education in how to tackle, how to initiate contact, etc. without leading with the head. Like I said, it seems simple that putting your head right in the middle of a 500-pound collision isn't a good idea. Yet that's exactly what these guys are doing. It's dangerous, it's getting increasingly dangerous, and while Goodell is extremely hypocritical in addressing it in this manner, at least it's a step in the right direction. At some point, they've got to do something. "Football is a dangerous game" isn't a valid excuse anymore, and I don't think we need it to reach somebody getting permanently paralyzed or worse to realize that.

 

I said this about Jackson and his skinny receiving ilk on the week 6 thread, but Kevin Kolb isn't calling the plays. The responsibility for protecting the smaller players falls on the head coaches and OCs.

 

Absolutely. But they are most worried about their own jobs.

 

Don't see where Robinson's hit on Jackson merited a fine (or next week a suspension).

An overreaction on the part of the NFL.

Keep this up fellas, and we'll be watching flag football or two hand touch (but not to the head of course).

 

Schlereth nailed it. Too bad the poster child is Harrison, a thug who found the exact wrong thing to say about his hits.

 

I'm not even sure it warranted a flag, to be honest with you. Robinson hit him in the shoulder. The impact of the collision was what caused the helmet to helmet part.

 

That was the cleanest hit of the bunch, which says something, that the cleanest hit was the most devestating. Neither of the Harrison hits were even penalized, and the Merriweather hit, for all of the huffing and puffing on Monday, easily deserved a suspension, but only got a fine. The only problem here is the inconsistency and the subjectivity of the rulings.

 

He kind of wants it both ways, then.
He doesn't care that players are getting maimed, but he's complaining about his medical coverage? Hypocrisy.
(Also ridiculous that someone who raised a kid playing a non-contact game like MLB could ridicule a more physically demanding game like soccer.).

 

Your point remains solid, but it should be noted that Harrison is about 240-250, not 300.

 

Steve Young made a great point about that on Monday night. He basically called most of today's players incompetent, saying they didn't know how to run a route against zone coverage. They run a man-to-man route against a zone defense, get lit up and then wonder how it happened. He also called out the QBs for not being able to throw passes well enough to protect the receivers.

 

No, he is saying that the NFL is being hypocritical in saying that it is trying to protect the players, then not giving a shit once they are done playing.