For those of you who may have inexplicably missed one of the biggest hits of the year, here it is. I posted this hit for three reasons: (1) it was unbelievable; (2) the flag on the play disgusts me to no end; (3) to take notice that the Steelers are the best team in the AFC.
I understand that the NFL wants to keep players healthy, but the expense is diminishing what makes the NFL so great. Most fans love two things, big hits and big plays. There are few things as enjoyable as a Devin Hester highlight reel or a "Hardest Hits" highlight reel. The obsession with cracking down on the physicality hurts the game more than it helps.
Physicality is a strategy employed by the smash mouth teams. Brandon Jacobs is a good running back because he punishes defenders for hitting him. Receivers shy-away from crossing the middle because they could end up Wes-Welkered. I see too many flags thrown for a player finishing a hit on a quarter back when there was no chance he could pull up. Defenders are being asked to think before they react. That split second can and will make the difference between making a play or ending up on the bench. Ryan Clark reacted to where he saw the ball going and made a play. Had the ball been accurate and Clark held up to make sure, Welker might still be running. I am not arguing that defenders should be free to cheap shot players, but there is a strong difference between a clean hit and a cheap shot.
Heading into the playoffs the two most dangerous teams are the Giants and Steelers. Both play a physical style, can churn yards on the ground and can throw if necessary. The Titans can do two of the three, and do them really well, but do Tennessee fans really feel comfortable with the Collins to Gage connection? I am not predicting a Giants-Steelers Super Bowl, but they will be in the mix. Their defenses will keep them in every game, and if they get behind they can claw back through solid offenses. I don't see Tennessee being able to come from behind. Indy's defense has been very sub-par and a high octane offense alone can't win a Super Bowl. But as they say, any given Sunday....
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4 comments:
Joe,
I have to completely disagree with your post, being a loyal Patriots fan.
The rule is in place to protect 'defenseless receivers', if you look at the play Welker was crushed a full second after the play was dead.
Second, regardless of the timing, it was an illegal hit, helmet to helmet. Do you agree with Anquan Boldin's face getting crushed versus the Jets? Or was the flag warranted in that situation?
Wes Welker has more catches over the past two seasons than any other receiver in the NFL and goes across the middle twice as much as any receiver. He makes his living with those 10-15 yard In-routes.
So while it was a crushing hit and while it may have made you jump up, realize that nowhere in the rules of football does it say to decapitate your opponent. The rules are to tackle your opponent and I think that the line is crossed at times. You want to hit someone hard, just don't do it with the mindset, "I want to end this guy's career".
The hit was late and honestly, any body getting a running start at a 5'8 person standing still, could knock them out. If that is what the people want to see, let's create a reality show of taking out helpless folks, or better yet, watch the youtube videos with Terry Tate Office linebacker. Those are hillarious.
Regards,
Chris
Chris, I knew this would get you going. I don't see this at all as helmet-to-helmet. Clark didn't lead with his helmet, he lead with his shoulder. This whole helmet-to-helmet thing needs to be minimized to when a defender truly leads with his helmet. There will always be helmet to helmet contact when a player dips his shoulder.
Your argument about the hit being late is the big problem I have. From a fans perspective it is easy to say, the ball was tipped a whole half-second earlier and Clark should have seen it. I am not a pro-football player, but I played at the highest levels of amateur hockey, and keeping an eye on the puck, while skating full speed and lining a player up is almost impossible. The same holds true for Clark, in that position he must chose to play the ball or the man and focus on one. Trying to focus on both will result in him getting beat. If you see a higher angle replay, which has been available elsewhere but not in the link I posted, it is clear Clark made a break on Welker as soon as the ball was thrown.
Football is a violent game. At such high speeds, I can't fathom asking players to think before they react in split-second situations. Welker was running full speed looking for the ball, Clark was running full speed looking for the hit. Neither player let up at the time of the hit, and neither should have.
As for the Boldin hit, that was clear, leading first helmet-to-helmet contact. Eric Smith didn't drop a shoulder and helmets happened to hit, he lead with his helmet. There is a vast difference in the hit. As I said in the post, there is a difference between a blatant cheap-shot and a hard hit, Smith's hit was a cheap shot and Clark's was a hard hit.
Joe
Joe and Chris,
I believe both of you have offered valid points. While I agree with Chris that Wes Welker was a "defenseless" receiver and had "pulled up" prior to contact, you cannot ask Ryan Clark to think and react quick enough to avoid delivering a blow.
Joe, I do agree that this was not a helmet to helmet hit. This hit was clearly different from the hit that was laid upon Anquan Boldin.
I believe the point that both of you missed was that this hit drew a 15 yard penalty and will almost definitey draw a hefty fine from the league. Chris, you said it yourself, Wes Welker goes across the middle more than any other receiver in the NFL. It is not outlandish to think that the Steelers and Pats could match up again in the playoffs. I would have to believe Welker might think twice about going across the middle on the Steelers after receiving such a blast from Ryan Clark.
I'm fine with the 15 yard penalty and I would imagine everyone on the Steeler defense would tell you the same. You don't want a guy going across the middle, give him something to remember why he shouldn't. The problem is that with the NFL's new campaign of fining anyone and everyone that doesn't say "excuse me" and "sorry" after a tackle has deterred players from making these "statement" hits in order to protect their pocketbook.
I understand that offense sells and the NFL wants to put an exciting product on the field but you cannot limit a defensive player's animalistic tendencies. Let's be honest with one another...if these defenders don't make hits like this and protect themselves, WRs like Hines Ward will be putting them on their back. (See Keith Rivers)
By the way Chris, have they taken Matt Cassel's "Key to the City" away from him now that he matched up against an NFL defense. Do yourself a favor...Look at New England's wins this year and tell me one that was more impressive. It reminds me of Joe bragging about the time he struck out the entire 8 year old all-star team during batting practice. The problem was Joe was 23.
I'll be honest, I hate Matt Cassel. I have since day one and you can ask anyone that I've spoke to about it. I mean I wanted Daunte Culpepper to wear the blue and silver.
As far as response to Joe though. The football is a lot larger than the puck and in the NFL it is not constant action like NHL, so to compare the two is difficult.
Clark was 3+ yards away when Welker pulled up. Welker saw the ball was tipped 5 yards in front of him and gave up on the route, had Welker caught it he would have huddled up like he normally does across the middle.
So what if it took .5 seconds, that is the time it takes for a curve ball to get from the pitcher to home plate, plenty of time to react and not lunge yourself at a defenseless player. You are right, it was not helmet to helmet, but it was a clear effort to inflict pain, hence Clark leaving his feet to make the upwards tackle.
If the ball was intercepted at the 45 would Welker have gotten crunched at the 50? I doubt it.
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