That term, “dirty hit” has been thrown around the League a lot this weekend. But what does that really mean?
According to the NFL Rules an illegal hit, at least in James Harrison’s situation, is:
- A tackler using his helmet to butt, spear, or ram an opponent.
- Any player who uses the top of his helmet unnecessarily.
I’m not sure either hit – against Josh Cribbs or Mohamed Massaquoi – is really “dirty” according to the rules. I think the hit against Massaquoi looks incredibly hard and intense and it happened quickly, but isn’t that what football is about?
I’m not saying that safety isn’t important, or that if someone egregiously or blatantly hits someone with the intent to hurt them that they shouldn’t be reprimanded, but what has football come to if you can’t stop someone from moving the ball?
Like Coach Tomlin said, Harrison played good, tough football. He’s supposed to stop people. Do you think, in his mind, in that second, that he thought, oh wait, let me hit this guy so hard I knock him out? Or ruin his career? Or worse, give him brain damage from the concussion he’s going to face after I hit him?
I highly doubt any of these players think like that. They are in the moment, and only thing they are thinking about is stopping the guy with the ball. And with their speed and intensity, it’s hard for me to fathom that anything malicious is going through their mind.
I’m all for reducing injuries, for making sure helmets are appropriately padded and concussions are limited, but let these guys play football.
Now, let’s talk about those roughing the passer/kicker calls….
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This is a good post. We have been talking a lot about this at our site (a Cleveland site) and some people obviously just hate Harrison and think he is dirty. Forget those people. I think most of all, Browns fans are frustrated because of what happened with TJ Ward and Shipley a few weeks ago. As fans, we had to come to grips with the fact that the game has changed and that what happened was illegal.
Then a week later, when we see something happen very similar with the same end result (players getting knocked out of games) it is disturbing not to even see a flag thrown on the field.
At the end of the day, if TJ Ward leading with his shoulder knocking a receiver out who happened to be trying to catch a touchdown is worthy of a flag, then at least one of Harrison’s hits also needs to be banned from the game and result in a flag.
For Browns fans the lack of consistency in the plays and the referees making the calls is almost more frustrating than the hits themselves.
I don’t understand how his hits were considered dirty. Period.
Regarding the two hits in question: the first one was a legal hit IMO. The second one is a little more “gray area” but neither drew a flag. Maybe one or the other should have, but they didn’t-which points out a flaw in the current rules. Helmet-to-helmet hits are already illegal, but are oftentimes not penalized or enforced.
The NFL has made a good living, and has become extremely popular, in part because of the hard hits that are seen week to week. It’s hard for me to think that just one weekend full of violent hits (not unlike any other week in the last oh, 70+ years of football) has spurred the crackdown on “devastating hits.” How do you define a devastating hit? Ray Lewis blew up Dustin Keller in week 1 in a perfectly legal hit. Was it devastating? I thought so. Should it be penalized? I don’t think so. If the league wants to suspend players for helmet-to-helmet hits, its their prerogative. But they need to drop “devastating hits” out of the equation entirely, simply because it’s too hard to define.
Hard, clean defensive hitting is a part of the game. Granted, the concern for safety and the growing knowledge about concussions should always be considered. The players make the game, and keeping them on the field as best as can be achieved is a must. Perhaps the NFL can mandate the use of mouthguards and a safer helmet for all players if they can be shown to reduce the occurrence of concussions, as well as any equipment players can use that can help aid in keeping them safe. There are always going to be injuries in the sport, there is no way to avoid that. But the league should find a way to balance it’s concern for safety vs. keeping that which makes the game “the game.” Also, as the owners make the blind run to an 18-game schedule, they may want to pump the brakes on that now that they seem to realize that the “work force” is getting hurt more and more often.
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