Will Reed get suspended? I suspect so

**ThisGirlBleedsPurple** · 12-28-2012, 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by steelerhater

No, the NFL doesn't want hard hits no matter if they're "legal" or not. If a player is slow to get up after a hit, a penalty and fine is coming no matter where or how the hit was delivered. The NFL wants hug tackles. This is why they made NFL Network eliminate the "Jacked Up" segments that they used to have.

So all it takes is for a player to be a good 'actor', get up slow and have his team rewarded with 15 yards and the defensive player fined and/or suspended. Ridiculous!! I hope Reed appeals his fine.

**Ravenswintitle** · 12-28-2012, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by NCRAVEN

The problem with this hit is Davis didn't have a chance to protect himself.

I understand Chancellors job is to do what he did and separate Davis and the football. But Davis got knocked out of the game and obviously at the very least was punk drunk, but more likely was concussed.

I agree with the flag. I think with the way the game has changed, you have to allow receivers to protect themselves. People can bitch all they want about turning it into flag football, but I haven't heard people bitch when UFC went from just "no eye-gouging, fish hooks or nut punches" to, can't knee a guy in the head when he's on the ground, not hitting in the back of the head etc. MMA is more popular no than ever.

The game has become more of a passing league with the field more spread out and more open for guys to run full speed. Now that guys are bigger, faster and stronger than ever before, the NFL has to take the necessary steps to protect guys from their brains turning to mush from hits which are equivalent to 15 -20 car accidents.

I just wish instead of trying to do it slowly and put band-aid after band-aid on the problem, the league would come out and change this all at once.

It's thinking like that that causes players to go for the knees thus ending a guy's season. or worse

**NCRAVEN** · 12-28-2012, 12:14 PM

Originally Posted by Ravenswintitle

It's thinking like that that causes players to go for the knees thus ending a guy's season. or worse

Yes, it's thinking like this, that allowing a guy to protect himself is what causes something worse than he's knees being taking out... like maybe a concussion.

I'm not advocating taking a guys knees out, but if you're against taking knees out, how are you okay with lighting him up and him having a concussion?

**Ravenswintitle** · 12-28-2012, 12:18 PM

I guess the defender should just let the receiver catch the ball and then push him a little (not too hard).

They should flag hits above the neck but not in the mid section. Players are coached to dislodge the ball and that's what he is doing IMO

**NCRAVEN** · 12-28-2012, 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by Ravenswintitle

I guess the defender should just let the receiver catch the ball and then push him a little (not too hard).

They should flag hits above the neck but not in the mid section. Players are coached to dislodge the ball and that's what he is doing IMO

I've said ot before and I'll say it again. They need to make hitting illegal. It's tackle football, not hitting football. If Chancellor wrapped up and took or went to the ground with Davis, he could have still dislodged the ball (but may be not) he could have also forced him out before getting his feet down, and the impact would have been minimized for both.

On the topic of this thread, Reed would have still been flagged because he did not wrap up. If he wrapped up and took or went to the ground with Cruz, again the impact would have been minimized for both.

Making tackle the rule and not hitting, IMO, would not take anything away from the game and would lessen knees getting taking out and guys getting blown-up and resulting in concussions.

**wickedsolo** · 12-28-2012, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by NCRAVEN

I've said ot before and I'll say it again. They need to make hitting illegal. It's tackle football, not hitting football. If Chancellor wrapped up and took or went to the ground with Davis, he could have still dislodged the ball (but may be not) he could have also forced him out before getting his feet down, and the impact would have been minimized for both.

On the topic of this thread, Reed would have still been flagged because he did not wrap up. If he wrapped up and took or went to the ground with Cruz, again the impact would have been minimized for both.

Making tackle the rule and not hitting, IMO, would not take anything away from the game and would lessen knees getting taking out and guys getting blown-up and resulting in concussions.

Much like Rugby. You don't see guys getting hit big time in Rugby and while there are injuries, I would imagine you don't see a lot of the injuries like you do in American football. They are taught to wrap up and tackle, not hit/go for knees/go for head.

**NCRAVEN** · 12-28-2012, 12:33 PM

Originally Posted by wickedsolo

Much like Rugby. You don't see guys getting hit big time in Rugby and while there are injuries, I would imagine you don't see a lot of the injuries like you do in American football. They are taught to wrap up and tackle, not hit/go for knees/go for head.

I doubt the NFL would ever do it though. Look at the outcry already over player safety changes "ruining the game" "turning it into flag football"

IMO, it would make more sense to come out and make tackling the rule instead of little chances here and there while never cancelling out old ones.

**Ravenswintitle** · 12-28-2012, 12:51 PM

Not gonna try and reason with someone who thinks hitting in football should be illegal... but at least there will be no fine for the hit on Davis. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...for-davis-hit/

Ray Lewis wouldn't be the icon he is without all those great hits he laid on players. It's a crucial part of the game

**wickedsolo** · 12-28-2012, 12:51 PM

Originally Posted by NCRAVEN

I doubt the NFL would ever do it though. Look at the outcry already over player safety changes "ruining the game" "turning it into flag football"

IMO, it would make more sense to come out and make tackling the rule instead of little chances here and there while never cancelling out old ones.

I think eventually once players stop going for the knock out hits, then they'll be force to wrap up more.

I mean, injuries are going to happen.

Frankly, they need to just set up a very simple scale. However, they really need an IMPARTIAL incident review board.
Strike 1: Fine not to exceed 10% of player's game-day check.
Strike 2: Fine not to exceed 20% of players game-day check.
Strike 3: Forfeiture of 1 game day check, suspended for 1 game.
Strike 4: Suspension not to exceed 4 games, forfeiture of 4 game-day checks.
Strike 5: Banned for 1 season. Unpaid.

I think that they need to set something like this up for off-field incidents as well such as DUI's, drug tests, etc. Is it harsh? Absolutely, but the rules are there for a reason. You can abide by them and enjoy a long and fruitful career...or you can continue to violate them and find another line of work. Guys will get the hint. Players are "loud" and "rebel" so long as they can still get paid.

Finally, if the NFL is really going to be about protecting the players, then they really need to address the equipment requirements. Too often we see guys on the field wearing a chin strap with just 1 clasp on it and in some cases (Brett Favre...Jay Cutler...) we've seen them not even clasp the chin strap. While the chin strap doesn't offer much in the way of padding, it secures the helmet snugly onto the head, which can help in preventing concussions, broken jaws, etc. The helmets are another issue. There have been several studies on which commercial helmets offer the best protection from collisions, and the Revo Speed helmets decimate other helmet companies like Bike and Schutt. I still see a lot of players wearing some of these older helmets instead of the revo's and this is something that the NFL could very easily tell every team to change. I'm glad they're making hip/knee/and thigh pads mandatory starting next year. It is a start.

**wickedsolo** · 12-28-2012, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by Ravenswintitle

Not gonna try and reason with someone who thinks hitting in football should be illegal... but at least there will be no fine for the hit on Davis. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...for-davis-hit/

Ray Lewis wouldn't be the icon he is without all those great hits he laid on players. It's a crucial part of the game

I agree that we, as consumers wanting to be entertained, have grown to really popularize some of the biggest hitters in the NFL and Ray Lewis is certainly one of them. However, I will say that Ray Lewis has his fair share of hard hits while tackling someone too. He isn't ALWAYS looking to take someone out of the game.

The big hit on Dustin Keller (last year? or the year before?) comes to mind. Ray decked the shit out of Keller, but it wasn't like Ray was looking to knock his ass out of the game. Just hit him hard and stop the play. Ray, IIRC, hit him hard as hell while wrapping him up and driving him to the ground.

I think what NC is saying is that guys like Ryan Clark who launch themselves at players with no intentions to tackle them, just "lay them out", are the players who are really causing this to be such a big issue.

Patrick Willis is a hell of a hitter, but you don't see him getting too many fines. He wraps up whilst decking someone (and yes, I did use whilst on purpose :) ).

**NCRAVEN** · 12-28-2012, 01:03 PM

Originally Posted by wickedsolo

I agree that we, as consumers wanting to be entertained, have grown to really popularize some of the biggest hitters in the NFL and Ray Lewis is certainly one of them. However, I will say that Ray Lewis has his fair share of hard hits while tackling someone too. He isn't ALWAYS looking to take someone out of the game.

The big hit on Dustin Keller (last year? or the year before?) comes to mind. Ray decked the shit out of Keller, but it wasn't like Ray was looking to knock his ass out of the game. Just hit him hard and stop the play. Ray, IIRC, hit him hard as hell while wrapping him up and driving him to the ground.

I think what NC is saying is that guys like Ryan Clark who launch themselves at players with no intentions to tackle them, just "lay them out", are the players who are really causing this to be such a big issue.

Patrick Willis is a hell of a hitter, but you don't see him getting too many fines. He wraps up whilst decking someone (and yes, I did use whilst on purpose :) ).

Exactly. Ryan Clark is almost always launching and just laying guys out, he almost never tries to tackle.

James Harrison is another, his few hits two years ago (or it might have been last year) that got him suspended, on Massaquoi, (the other I can't remember) and than Colt McCoy, had he tried to wrap them up, all most likely would have avoided injury and he would have not been flagged or suspended.

**NCRAVEN** · 12-28-2012, 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by Ravenswintitle

Not gonna try and reason with someone who thinks hitting in football should be illegal... but at least there will be no fine for the hit on Davis. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...for-davis-hit/

Ray Lewis wouldn't be the icon he is without all those great hits he laid on players. It's a crucial part of the game

Lewis is a far better tackler than he is a big hitter.

Frankly, I find your stance highly hyopcritical that you are against a guys knees being taken out, but think "great hits" (that you can see result in concussions and take guys out of games) are a crucial part of the game.