Blame Goodell. He wants fines for anything that even LOOKS like a helmet hit. Defenders have no choice but to go low of you want to avoid a big fine.
I do blame Goodell.
But defenders DO have a choice.
These seem routes are a staple in the NFL, usually the fast TE run past the ILB if possible.
Whether it's Gronk, Vernon Davis, Jimmy Graham, or Jermichael Finley. And sometimes WR's run them.
When they get past their CB or LB, they know there could be a safety back there coming up to kill them.
Those shots used to be to the upper areas, chest, or head shots.
Lawsuits have prompted the NFL to do ALL and more to stop them.
We all agree they go overboard sometimes with flags.
But now you have a few guys who dive into the knee when they have the free kill shots.
Most do NOT.
But there are a few guys, and they are usually the young safeties, who DO this.
The safeties DO have a choice to go low or go mid.
But yes I do blame Goodell and I really want to see, fast, a class-action lawsuit from current players, like Randall Cobb, and Dustin Keller and now Gronk, who have had safeties TARGET them low there for fear of being fined or flagged.
Look, the game is violent we know that.
But there are many rules put in place to try and make it a little safer.
From facemask penalties to chop blocks, to horse collars, which is new within the past decade. Spearing.
They need to do something, fast, and serious, to force DBs to keep their heads up when they tackle.
I'm waiting for these guys to get paralyzed when they keep ducking their heads so their helmets lead down there.
Why wasn't Matt Elam or DJ Swearinger or TJ Ward injured in their necks, but Nick Collins was?
That is the biggest bull**** I have ever seen.
#1- Yes, the NFL is to blame. Their ridiculous rules against hits up high on defenseless receivers has caused some -SOME- DB's to go low into the knee area, tucking their heads down and launching into the knees.
The only reason the NFL has put these teeth into the rules is because of $$$$ with the concussion lawsuits. They haven't done this out of the -all of a sudden- goodness of their hearts. It's to protect their money. This non-profit corporation.
#2- Most guys still don't take these opportunities to rip ACLs and tibias, but more and more young punks do, like your Matt Elams and DJ Swearingers, among many others.
I saw on Thanksgiving, safety Charles Woodson of the Raiders had an identical free shot on a blind, defenseless Cowboy receiver up the seem, and Woodson kept his head UP, and simple tackled the guy as soon as the ball arrived.
He easily could have dived at the knee and ended that guy's play, game, season, and perhaps career.
I hate the Patriots. But I hate seeing anyone, especially a special star, lose their skills from a cheap shot. Yes I say cheap.
No, not within the rules.
But that hit is cheap because it does cause serious injuries.
Look, it's football, guys are gonna get hurt.
But there are techniques, horse-collars, spearing, these, that DO cause more serious injuries and they need to be legislated out as much as possible.
NOT to avoid lawsuits, but to actually prevent these skilled guys from losing their skills, careers, seasons.
The number one rule for "tacklers" has to be KEEPYOUR****INGHEADUP.
Stop tucking the head and coming in with the helmet.
Stay on your feet, stop launching low.
I grew up watching guys like Ronnie Lott, Dennis Smith, Lawrence Taylor... nobody used to "tackle" by closing their eyes, lowering their head, and launching their helmets/shoulderpads into players knee areas.
All 3 of these examples I just grabbed from this season, the receivers had just caught the ball and were turning around as they were coming down, stepping.
The safeties had FREE shots on them.
They DID have a choice of where to go, and they all went cheap.
They know they won't get flagged or fined for these, and yes that is on the NFL league office.
The receivers and TE's should have some say on which they would prefer to be penalized.
I bet 100% of receivers/TEs would rather the D gets fined for the hit LOW on their defenseless selves as opposed to high.
Still, as you can see in these photos, the safeties all had chances to drill the guys in the mid-section, the chest, waist, back. It was a conscientious effort to target the weaker knee area.
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