Maybe not. But if more of this stuff happens next week I expect there will be suspensions. I didn’t expect the league to announce a new policy and then suspend people for hits they made before the policy was declared.
You know who else deserved a fine? Kevin Kolb, for completely hanging Jackson out to dry on that throw.
I kid, I kid.
I watched the Falcons / Eagles game and that hit was IMHO legit.
There was no way for Robinson to adjust to the receiver’s movement at the end of the play.
I agree they should be tackling instead of trying to get the ‘big hit’ but this is the NFL where the big boys play.
That having been said, I really thought Jackson was dead. I saw the guy go down like a sack of potatoes, twitch once and then not move again. When I saw that he had actually come to and was able to be helped off the field, I was greatly relieved. I mean, after all, it is just a game. But then some say that about life itself.
Why would they fine Jackson? Forgetting to duck?
Jackson wasn’t fined. Robinson was fined for hitting Jackson.
Right. ZipperJJ appears to think he was, though.
I wonder what would happen if they made play in leather helmets.
Horseshit! Absolute and utter apologist horseshit. The Bears are rabid about trying to create turnovers. Their tackling suffers for it unfortunately, and they aren’t really lighting people up very often. The reason is that the Bears tacklers grab a player and try and hold him up, the second guy comes in and TRIES TO STRIP THE BALL. He doesn’t come in head hunting, and he doesn’t come in spearing defenseless ballcarriers. They come in try and tackle the ball and peel a guys hands off the ball. It works very well.
Harrison wasn’t doing anything like this and he wasn’t even remotely trying to create a fumble. He was SELF ADMITTEDLY trying to hurt people! He saw Cribbs held up and he lowered his head and aimed it AT THE SIDE OF HIS HELMET! This was not him trying to create a fumble, this was him “trying to put him to sleep”. Harrison hasn’t seen what he hits in his entire career.
ESPN has been apologizing for Harrison all weekend saying that his hit was somehow in “a grey area” and that’s utter garbage. Harrison’s hit was WORSE than Merriweather’s because it was not in the midst of a catch, but was instead at the tail end of a play when a runner was going down. Merriweather at least hit the guy in the face and not the side of the head where he wasn’t looking. Harrison’s hit was WAY more intentional and dangerous than any other this weekend. The Massaquoi hit was equally intentional, but at least he was a receiver coming down the the ball and Harrison was the first “tackler” if you can call when he does tackling.
Harrison’s contract works out to $533,073 per game. $75K is 14% of his salary, not 33%. When you factor in that the final year or two of his deal is probably fictional and he’ll be signing another deal for more money before then the per game rate would be higher considering his big signing bonus. Yes his “game check” was less than that, but that’s because he got lum sum payments like all players. To further clarify, Harrison actually receives $47,187.50 per week as his gross pay this season. His fine was actually almost 2 game checks, but those game checks are toilet paper compared to his roster bonus and signing bonuses.
Calm down compadre. I certainly didn’t say a) it was THE reason; or b) that it was the right “technique” if you will. I don’t think either that Harrison was thining about causing a fumble as much as he was thinking hit hiim hard. But there has been more emphasis on trying to get the turnover and it is emphasized which is one reason why you see such poor takcling, folks try and either arm tackle/strip or some guys try to just hit hard, especially when the guy is being held up. Harrison did it instinctually, leading with his helmet, because he doesn’t have atackling mindset, he has the hitting midnset, part of which is borne out of trying to cause fumbles.
It’s a factor, IMO, but it isn’t meant to excuse the way some players try to accomplish it, leading with the helmet and hurting people.
Still sounds to me like you’re trying to excuse dirty play. If Harrison had any interest in creating fumbles at all he’d have directed his hit, you know, at the ball and not the head. And, maybe, just maybe, he’d use his hands and arms even a little bit.
James Harrison myopically tries to hurt people with the crown of his helmet and doesn’t wrap anyone up or strip balls. This isn’t instinct, it’s cold and calculated and Harrison openly admits this.
The league has noticed, and it appears a crackdown is coming, possibly as soon as this weekend:
I figure we’ll likely see a few guys get ejected this weekend. Might also see more offense the rest of the season as a result…
You raise a good point about the helmet-first hits. They do make a considerable difference.
Give me a break with your pedantic nitpicking. I did the math based on what was posted.
755,000 + 2.8 million = 3,555,000 / 16 = 222,187.5
75,000 / 222,187.5 = 33.76%
It is a normal conclusion to consider a “game check” to be 1/16th of a player’s income that season. Save your pedantry for a salary cap thread.
75,000 / 3,555,000 = 2.11% * 75,000 = 1,582.28