Pride
11-01-2002, 10:38 AM
POSTED 8:48 a.m. EST, November 1, 2002 (FRIDAY)
http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.cfm
POOR TACKLING TIED TO FINES?
Some of the NFL's defensive coaches are starting to suspect that the recent rash of piss-poor tackling can be traced to the league's propensity to dish out fines for bell-ringing hits.
According to a league source, many defensive players are shying away from making the hard hits, since the perception is that shots previously heralded as "snot-knockers" are now taking an even bigger toll on the wallet of the guy who delivers the blow.
As one defensive coach has said, "This is football -- quit protecting the offensive players."
In our view, the whopping $75,000 fine levied against Cowboys safety Darren Woodson for his wicked (but clean) shoulder shot on Seahawks receiver Darrell Jackson is a prime example of the NFL's new sensitivity to the consequences of a given hit.
Really, would Woodson have suffered such a severe penalty if Jackson hadn't gone limp on the field and then suffered a seizure in the locker room?
And don't give us that "defenseless player" crap. Everyone knows that it's risky to lead a receiver with a pass over the middle -- so most teams avoid such plays. As a practical matter, fining guys for hitting receivers who reach for passes coming across the middle will make the defenders less inclined to knock the guy off his feet and, more importantly, it'll prompt more teams to use timing-based slants to the middle, regardless of whether one of the safeties is in the robber position.
So, in other words, the greatest game in the world is in danger of becoming nothing more than flag football in full pads.
Think of it this way. If the league were as diligent about hard hits in the old days as it is now, Chuck Bednarik would've drawn Pete Rose treatment for his near-death blow to Frank Gifford.
We're not calling for a return of assassins like Jack Tatum. But anyone who puts on a helmet and shoulder pads knows that there's a chance he'll get hit hard and/or injured. It's a key part of the game and, if it disappears, the game will be much different.
http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.cfm
POOR TACKLING TIED TO FINES?
Some of the NFL's defensive coaches are starting to suspect that the recent rash of piss-poor tackling can be traced to the league's propensity to dish out fines for bell-ringing hits.
According to a league source, many defensive players are shying away from making the hard hits, since the perception is that shots previously heralded as "snot-knockers" are now taking an even bigger toll on the wallet of the guy who delivers the blow.
As one defensive coach has said, "This is football -- quit protecting the offensive players."
In our view, the whopping $75,000 fine levied against Cowboys safety Darren Woodson for his wicked (but clean) shoulder shot on Seahawks receiver Darrell Jackson is a prime example of the NFL's new sensitivity to the consequences of a given hit.
Really, would Woodson have suffered such a severe penalty if Jackson hadn't gone limp on the field and then suffered a seizure in the locker room?
And don't give us that "defenseless player" crap. Everyone knows that it's risky to lead a receiver with a pass over the middle -- so most teams avoid such plays. As a practical matter, fining guys for hitting receivers who reach for passes coming across the middle will make the defenders less inclined to knock the guy off his feet and, more importantly, it'll prompt more teams to use timing-based slants to the middle, regardless of whether one of the safeties is in the robber position.
So, in other words, the greatest game in the world is in danger of becoming nothing more than flag football in full pads.
Think of it this way. If the league were as diligent about hard hits in the old days as it is now, Chuck Bednarik would've drawn Pete Rose treatment for his near-death blow to Frank Gifford.
We're not calling for a return of assassins like Jack Tatum. But anyone who puts on a helmet and shoulder pads knows that there's a chance he'll get hit hard and/or injured. It's a key part of the game and, if it disappears, the game will be much different.