It always seems to be fine line re whether these are accidents or intentional but some players like this guy always seem to be accused of deliberately latte hitting. What say the football mavens? Are late hits in pro football deliberate decisions or accidents in most cases?
I don’t think there’s a “usually” in this case. About half the time someone gets carried away and misses the whistle or simply can’t stop their own momentum and makes an honest mistake. The other half are deliberate attacks. So I guess there isn’t a “most cases” answer here- it’s a pretty even spread.
There are players, however, who have particularly bad reputations for losing their temper and making a late hit, and having that reputation will lead refs to call them on it more often.
You are going to have to define willful and premeditated.
When a defender is chasing down a QB who is scrambling and preparing to slide or go out of bounds, he’s fully aware of the fact that he’s vulnerable. He really wants to hit him because those hits are tactically effective. If he reacts a little too late following a slide or turn to the sideline and he hits him illegally is that considered intentional? Yes, he’s trying extra hard to hit the QB because it’s an effective way to fatigue and possible hamper an offense, but he’s not intentionally trying to break the rules. They know it’s a fine line and in the case of a QB they will often err on the side of the late hit. Do you consider that willful and premeditated?
As for hits in the pocket, I think the vast majority of the hits are simply a combination of momentum and lack of awareness of where the ball is. If a player hits a QB after the pass it’s probably most likely that he either didn’t see the ball released or he simply couldn’t stop his motion fast enough. Of course, there’s a degree of willful negligence there too. A player might not be as vigilant as possible in avoiding a late hit because it can be effective, but I think it’s over stating things to call it intentionally dirty. If a player attacks a QB under complete control the odds he’ll be able to avoid a late hit are very good, but the odds of him getting a sack or deflection are also reduced. Generally it’s worth the risk of making a illegal hit in hope you’ll get a extra sack or two a year but going faster than you can entirely control. They know this might get someone hurt, but the benefits outweigh the penalties. Is the willful and premeditated?
I’m sure there are lots of occasions where a player really wants to cause an injury or just make a statement by making a late or illegal hit. But I think they are in the vast minority. Of those hits that are intentional, only a small fraction are actively malicious with an intent to injure. It happens without question, but it’s the exception, not the rule.
Unfortunately the head hunting is commonplace enough that I can’t say that by and large late hits are accidents.
But I think I can safely say that usually it is not intentional. Usually they are late by a second, can’t stop momentum, or are just playing a little too aggressively.
What I really hate is when a guy gets flagged for a late hit- when he was clearly in the air to make the tackle just as the QB threw the ball. There is basically no way to stop the hit- and it was legal 1/2 second before you went for it.
Of course- I hate flagrant cheap shots more…
Well, given the millions Starbucks is throwing around for football star endorsements, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised.