Refs favoring top ranked teams

[D_C_B]

The whole point of targeting calls is to change the way the game is played, player intent is not a factor at all. When a guy is coming across the middle you have to form tackle him, no going for the knockout blow anymore. Does that mean some innocent players are going to be kicked out of games? Yes, but the culture has to change and this is how it is done. This is a long term effort for football in the battle against CTE, if the sport is going to continue this is something we have to sacrifice. Or we could be boxing in the 60's with our heads in the sand, sure that our spot as a relevant sport will last forever.

People bitched and moaned when linemen were able to use their hands to block, but football come out of that change ok. Sport evolves, this is just the latest adaptation.

Absolutely true. However, that doesn't make the call yesterday against Purdue on that particular play a good one - for the reasons mentioned: no upward launching, shoulder and arm to body contact, and no head to head contact at all, let alone use of the crown. If receiver hadn't pre-turtled to brace for the hit, and shrunk down to 4'6" or so at the time of the hit, people would be talking about textbook tackling form. Getting shoulder to shoulder contact where the player's head slides down into the shoulder after initial contact is not targeting and that's what this was. If that receiver had stayed up straight and defenseless, he would have gotten a right shoulder square in his letters with a helmet off to the side where it belonged (and stayed) on this tackle.

And none of this has anything to do with the absolutely terrible interference calls and no-calls that swung a close game...

 

[mikewebb68]

Absolutely true. However, that doesn't make the call yesterday against Purdue on that particular play a good one - for the reasons mentioned: no upward launching, shoulder and arm to body contact, and no head to head contact at all, let alone use of the crown. If receiver hadn't pre-turtled to brace for the hit, and shrunk down to 4'6" or so at the time of the hit, people would be talking about textbook tackling form. Getting shoulder to shoulder contact where the player's head slides down into the shoulder after initial contact is not targeting and that's what this was. If that receiver had stayed up straight and defenseless, he would have gotten a right shoulder square in his letters with a helmet off to the side where it belonged (and stayed) on this tackle.

So the game announcers and the rules expert they consulted were high? Or is it possible you are wrong and they (as well as every poster in this thread who disagreed with you, which was everyone who posted) are correct?

 

[D_C_B]

So the game announcers and the rules expert they consulted were high? Or is it possible you are wrong and they (as well as every poster in this thread who disagreed with you, which was everyone who posted) are correct?

Still in Hyper-Fighting mode, huh Mike? You're not involved here and never were. And I do not want to fight with you ... regardless of how much you seem to want to pick a fight with me.

Not biting, Mike.

 

[mikewebb68]

Still in Hyper-Fighting mode, huh Mike? You're not involved here and never were. And I do not want to fight with you ... regardless of how much you seem to want to pick a fight with me.

Not biting, Mike.

You're doing great.

 

[RegentBadger]

He went high. WRs ducking before contact is not a surprising action during a game, defenders have to account for it to avoid these brain jarring hits. Thats the point of the rule. If it is close throw the flag, eventually players will adjust. It is a frustrating call but that is based on what we remember football to be, not what it is (and has to be in order to survive) today. We fans will adjust too, it may take even longer than it does for the players, but we will get there eventually. I feel you, it still seems wrong to me too, but it is what it is.

 

[D_C_B]

He went high. WRs ducking before contact is not a surprising action during a game, defenders have to account for it to avoid these brain jarring hits. Thats the point of the rule. If it is close throw the flag, eventually players will adjust. It is a frustrating call but that is based on what we remember football to be, not what it is (and has to be in order to survive) today. We fans will adjust too, it may take even longer than it does for the players, but we will get there eventually. I feel you, it still seems wrong to me too, but it is what it is.

I wish I was adept enough to post the picture I took of the contact. I don't see a guy going high. I see a guy targeting the numbers. To me, that ain't targeting.

 

[gocatsgo2003]

I said show me the players dropping on the field in the context of players dying from targeting, which was the clear implication of Jules's post - that targeting gets players killed.

I still haven't seen it. I got told to read more. So I did. And the article didn't say what it was claimed to say.

But let's assume there is some evidence out there somewhere of targeting getting kids killed. You just pointed out other deaths that had nothing to do with targeting. So assuming you place any value on human life, what are you saying: that we should stop playing football altogether because even clean hits get players killed? Is that your point?

Lastly, I totally disagree that the Purdue hit was targeting. It was not a hit to the head. It was a hit to the shoulders. It was 95% plus shoulderpad and arms. The helmet was off to the side as it should be. The helmet contact was incidental at most - a light grazing of helmets. And most importantly there was zero upward thrust by the defender. This is for the simple reason that the receiver crouched his body immediately prior to the hit. He was not defenseless at all. Why do I say that? Because he did, in fact, defend himself. That's what the crouching was! He crouched so much, his knee was about to touch the ground before he got hit! That's a fact. I am staring at a photo of the hit as I type this. I'd be happy to show it to you if you'd like.

So it was a downward hit by the defender (not an upward targeting of the head) with the shoulder aimed at what was chest level into a guy preparing to be hit whose center of gravity lowered at least 15 inches or so immediately prior to the hit. If that's targeting a defenseless player, they're going to have to call it on every tackle and both teams will be DQ'd before the end of the first quarter of every game.

You're approaching Feli levels here.

 

[Deeringfish]

Bingo. You nailed it.

+1