I know it's pre-season, but no thread about the Cromartie hit?

[Hugh 0ne]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/dominique-rodgers-cromartie-thinks-dirty-hit-byron-leftwich-001241629--nfl.html

 

At least it happened to a Steeler.

 

Thoughts?

[Square]

Never heard about it. Looks pretty blatant from the video though.

[slambo]

I dunno, he launched his shoulder into the opponents chest, its football. The pussification of the NFL continues.

[NavinRJohnson]

Doesn't appear he got the head. Illegal in NHL (left his skates), legal in NFL (no skates).

[half_hennessy]

Not alot in it in my opinion really a couple of years ago it would have been a nice hit

[stevegrab]

From the article

 

"The hit is a pretty textbook example of what the league is trying to eliminate. There's clearly a launch, there's clearly a blow to the head, and it came against a quarterback while he was in his throwing motion."

 

Pretty much how I saw it, launched himself, went at the head, QB throwing. Seems to fit the rules of the NFL for an illegal hit, hence why the flag was thrown (I presume it was for that). Whether it should be illegal, or NFL is going soft is not the issue.

[flemingd]

You are either blind, a troll, need a new monitor, or a moran if you think that hit was legal.

[rajncajn]

Arms around the QB wrapping him up for a tackle rather than launching his shoulder towards his head & he probably wouldn't have drawn the flag. Yet another example of a defender trying to "blow up" the opponent rather than making a sound tackle.

Edited August 14, 2012 by rajncajn

[MrTed46]

I dont see anything illegal with that hit.

[gilthorp]

Arms around the QB wrapping him up for a tackle rather than launching his shoulder towards his head & he probably wouldn't have drawn the flag. Yet another example of a defender trying to "blow up" the opponent rather than making a sound tackle.

 

 

Pretty much sums it up...as long as guys are going out there being projectiles, the league will continue to take action. He had several options here, and he chose to leave his feet, not to deflect the pass or obstruct, but to try to take a head shot.

[Bronco Billy]

I'm not sure what those are seeing who are calling this clean either yesterday, a year ago, or a decade ago.

 

Look at the picture of the hit at the link before you hit the play button.

 

Leftwich is in the open field and fully upright - not sliding.

DRC is well off the ground - at least a foot by the looks of it. His feet are together, his body is aligned, and his head is tilted downward and making direct contact with Leftwich's head, which is turned to avoid the hit. Now run the video and watch DRC line up Leftwich, launch himself simultaneously with both feet, and attack Leftwich's head with not only his lowered helmet but also his upraised arm.

 

You can only draw one conclusion from that evidence - DMC launced himself and used his helmet as a weapon to attack Leftwich's head. Leftwich did not slide into the hit or attain an attack posture that a runner would upon impending contact.

 

That's a cheap shot, plain & simple. DRC has to be suspended on this one if the league intends to maintain its posture that it intends to protect the players as much as possible without losing perspective of the game itself.

 

[BS Miscreant]

Any of you who believe that is a legal hit need to check the rules. Any of you who believe that calling this hit illegal is soft need to check the statistics on concussions in the NFL. That hit is textbook against the rules and meant to do harm... unnecessarily.

[Papajohn]

I dont see anything illegal with that hit.

 

 

For a moment there I thought I had visited NFL.com and was reading their comment section.

[Ditkaless Wonders]

I like to see Cromartie making friends and gaining respect. I think this will pay dividends this year, particularly if he is caught standing around a pile.

[fitzkek]

Who cares? It's Byron Leftwich!

[Cowboyz1]

Mehh..questionable. Shoulder down, head to the side, right through the chest of the quarterback. Now had he of not left his feet and launched himself it I would have no problem with it at all.

[Square]

Who cares? It's Byron Leftwich!

DMD has to change his avatar. I thought HE said that for a second.

[Square]

Mehh..questionable. Shoulder down, head to the side, right through the chest of the quarterback. Now had he of not left his feet and launched himself it I would have no problem with it at all.

Maybe we disagree with where the chest is located.

 

I've attached a few stills. It was pretty obvious that he was head hunting to me.

 

http://i.imgur.com/c8mLV.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/67jLG.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/dOfF7.png

[NavinRJohnson]

Still not convinced that it was a play that was as blatantly against the Rules as some say in this thread. I am not so sure that the shoulder didn't contact Lettwich first. But, the note contained within the Rule allows the Ref to make the call on anything that looks bad. And, there's no argument that this hit looked bad.

 

(j) if a player illegally launches into a defenseless opponent. It is an illegal launch if a player (1) leaves both feet prior to contact to spring forward and upward into his opponent, and (2) uses any part of his helmet (including the top/crown and forehead/”hairline” parts) to initiate forcible contact against any part of his opponent’s body. Note: This does not apply to contact against a runner, unless the runner is still considered to be a defenseless player, as defined in Rule 12, Section 2, Article 9.

 

Note: If in doubt about a roughness call or potentially dangerous tactics, the covering official(s) should always call unnecessary roughness.

[MrTed46]

Wrapping his arms around may have caused another split second for the qb to complete a pass, I don't think he was head hunting...maybe its me. Why is it ok for the QB to stand there like an ass and take a shot like that? He was out of the pocket and looking downfield knowing a person was flying towards him.

 

The game is getting weak. If that was the superbowl in a tie game would you think differently?

 

concussions work both ways, you can't be an airhead QB standing there.

 

Wrap hands around guy waste takes more time than throwing yourself at the qb.

[flemingd]

Still not convinced that it was a play that was as blatantly against the Rules as some say in this thread. I am not so sure that the shoulder didn't contact Lettwich first. But, the note contained within the Rule allows the Ref to make the call on anything that looks bad. And, there's no argument that this hit looked bad.

 

It goes way beyond a note, it's a word-for-word match of a foul.

 

Article 9

 

It is a foul if a player initiates unnecessary contact against a player who is in a defenseless

posture.

(a) Players in a defenseless posture are:

 

OFFICIAL NFL PLAYING RULES 73

 

(1) A player in the act of or just after throwing a pass;

(2) A receiver attempting to catch a pass; or who has completed a catch and has not had time to

protect himself or has not clearly become a runner. If the receiver/runner is capable of avoiding or

warding off the impending contact of an opponent, he is no longer a defenseless player;

(3) A runner already in the grasp of a tackler and whose forward progress has been stopped;

(4) A kickoff or punt returner attempting to field a kick in the air;

(5) A player on the ground at the end of a play;

(6) A kicker/punter during the kick or during the return;

(7) A quarterback at any time after a change of possession, and

(8) A player who receives a “blindside” block when the blocker is moving toward his own endline and

approaches the opponent from behind or from the side.

( Prohibited contact against a player who is in a defenseless posture is:

(1) Forcibly hitting the defenseless player’s head or neck area with the helmet, facemask, forearm, or

shoulder, regardless of whether the defensive player also uses his arms to tackle the defenseless

player by encircling or grasping him; and

Why is it ok for the QB to stand there like an ass and take a shot like that?

All you have to do is watch the last 24 months of the Colts for this answer. It's because the QB is what drives the ratings. Far fewer people would pay to see a 13-10 slugfest where the QB is ducking head-hunters all day, and even fewer will pay to watch a bunch of stiffs that back him up try to do the same thing. I can't tell you how many times last year I turned the TV off on a Sunday because the teams were boring. I love a defensive battle as much as the next guy, and I'll always watch big games like playoffs or homer games, but if my choices are between watching Jacksonville and Miami play pee-wee style football or go hit a golf ball or go spend a beautiful day at the park, I'm out. It's a far different decision if I'm watching Brees and Rodgers go at it like that 2011 season opener - I watch that game every single time. Protecting the QB makes that more likely to continue.

The game is getting weak.

You're right. We should go back to the days of headslapping, cut blocking, clothsline tackles, and body-slamming QB's after the pass is thrown. While we're at it let's make it legal to kick them in the nuts, use brass knuckles at the bottom of the pile, and DB's can start packing heat in case some punk WR has the audacity to beat them deep. Not nearly enough young men like Junior Seau or Dave Duerson have committed suicide or end up drooling all over themselves prior to age 50. Hell that's only two players, two human beings, two fathers that kids have to grow up without. We shouldn't create rules that protect them from debilitating injury when we now know damn well they are at risk. Pussies.

Edited August 15, 2012 by flemingd

[Papajohn]

Wrapping his arms around may have caused another split second for the qb to complete a pass, I don't think he was head hunting...maybe its me. Why is it ok for the QB to stand there like an ass and take a shot like that? He was out of the pocket and looking downfield knowing a person was flying towards him.

 

The game is getting weak. If that was the superbowl in a tie game would you think differently?

 

concussions work both ways, you can't be an airhead QB standing there.

 

Wrap hands around guy waste takes more time than throwing yourself at the qb.

 

 

All of what you just said might be true, but it is still a penalty according to the rules. The rules might be stupid and the game might be getting soft, but that is not the issue.

Edited August 15, 2012 by Papajohn

[NavinRJohnson]

It goes way beyond a note, it's a word-for-word match of a foul.

 

Article 9

 

It is a foul if a player initiates unnecessary contact against a player who is in a defenseless

posture.

(a) Players in a defenseless posture are:

 

OFFICIAL NFL PLAYING RULES 73

 

(1) A player in the act of or just after throwing a pass;

(2) A receiver attempting to catch a pass; or who has completed a catch and has not had time to

protect himself or has not clearly become a runner. If the receiver/runner is capable of avoiding or

warding off the impending contact of an opponent, he is no longer a defenseless player;

(3) A runner already in the grasp of a tackler and whose forward progress has been stopped;

(4) A kickoff or punt returner attempting to field a kick in the air;

(5) A player on the ground at the end of a play;

(6) A kicker/punter during the kick or during the return;

(7) A quarterback at any time after a change of possession, and

(8) A player who receives a “blindside” block when the blocker is moving toward his own endline and

approaches the opponent from behind or from the side.

( Prohibited contact against a player who is in a defenseless posture is:

(1) Forcibly hitting the defenseless player’s head or neck area with the helmet, facemask, forearm, or

shoulder, regardless of whether the defensive player also uses his arms to tackle the defenseless

player by encircling or grasping him; and

 

 

 

That would all be relevant if the refs called a pesonal foul, but they didn't. They called unnecessary roughness.

[NavinRJohnson]

^nevermind, that was probably the dumbest thing I ever typed.

 

That's what I get for trying to read the nfl rules. I confuse things I've "known" my whole life.

[flemingd]

That would all be relevant if the refs called a pesonal foul, but they didn't. They called unnecessary roughness.

 

Um, the penalty is a personal foul. It's called because of unnecessary roughness, just like it might be for facemasking, or roughing the kicker, or any of a number of other types of personal foul.

 

Rule 12, Section 2, Unnecesary Roughness, Articles 8 and 9.

 

http://static.nfl.co...1_Rule_Book.pdf

Edited August 15, 2012 by flemingd