Take a look at Packers vs Eagles. There's a play Nick Collins LAYS DOWN THE WOOD on the Eagles' receiver, and the guy drops the ball. But he does so with his forearm.
That is also an illegal hit in
today's NFL. "Striking opponent on head or neck with forearm, elbow, or hands whether or not the initial contact is made below the neck area."
It's about knowing how to tackle. You can't lead with your helmet anymore.
You couldn't for years. The Spearing penalty has been in place for I don't know how long. The difference is, we have sat there and watched Harrison get calls against him literally for taking a step and tackling a QB around the waste, and then falling with him to the ground (NFL apologized the next day). Yet, we have seen, in the same games, Ben get drilled helmet first, with nary a penalty. IMO, the issue isn't an "Anti-Pittsburgh" thing, it was a focus on castrating Harrison's style of play, which, up to this year, was completely legal.
Look, I understand "player safety". But I think it is a ruse. Especially when the very play that Harrison was fined for, was captured in a picture and sold on the NFL website. It isn't about player safety, its about making sure the "Big Play" players stay on the field so the score get ran up since that is "exciting". Its all about the money. If it was TRULY about player safety, one simple rule would fix the entire problem. --You must wrap when you tackle, and attempt to take the player to the ground while wrapped. Its the tackling rule in Rugby, which is much more brutal and just as hard hitting, without pads.
About Packers being accused, we've heard about Chmura a lot, and a lot of Packers fans can't stand the guy. And he even got acquitted. We have Underwood, a married guy with a little child, banging 2 chicks and being accused of ****.
But we have nothing like Ben. It's something that will be there for him for the rest of his life, and the fans will have to deal with it. No use pretending it didn't happen, because it did.
If it was consensual or not, it's another issue, but he should've never been in that position in the first place.
There is no way to argue with that. You are dead on right.
