Saints Penalty

Good point. It would/should still be wrong. Not too sure about what the NFL rules say in that aspect.

 

This whole debate is almost frustrating to me.

First, I don't believe that players necessarily play to hurt. I've never played football, but I coach a team of kids that with two guys that played thru college. Neither of them said they were ever encouraged to hurt someone. You play with a intensity and a focus to show that you aren't going to back down, but it is make the play first. They both said, and I agree from my experiences coaching, that you are often trying to tone down players' desire to make the big hit.

Secondly, and ignoring all the above, the hot topic is concussions and long term health. Football and the NFL are under a lot of heat. These players are already well rewarded. They absolutely cannot condone this type of action if the sport is to continue to thrive in the world of lawsuits and congressional hearing and had to make an example of the Saints. You may not like it, but it had to happen this way.

 

Everyone that plays defense in football plays to hurt.

Unless you're Michael Griffin.



But there's a big difference between hurt...and seriously injure. Up through HS (I quit after Frosh yr due to everyone else getting bigger and I did not) we wanted to hurt every person that touched the ball. You want to make them scared to have it. That's just how it is.

But any time someone was injured... we weren't ever happy about that. Wasn't the intent.

 

This is exactly the type of attitude that must change. The goal is to stop the other team from getting first downs and scoring points. NOT TO HURT PEOPLE! People are going to get hurt sometimes, but there's absolutely NO excuse for encouraging your players to get players on the other team "carted off!" Nothing wrong with hitting hard as long as you don't lead with your helmet at the head area, but this Saints stuff was WAY over the line. I find it disgusting myself.

 

I can remember as a "pulling" guard in HS coming around the corner of the line and heading to block the LB that was my assignment. The much bigger guy never saw me coming.

Now I had a few choices... I could have went real low, hit him at the knee, flipped him over... maybe tore his ACL/MCL in the process. I could have went high and went head to head... maybe concussed him. Instead I just hit him hard in the body/midsection and turned him and kept blocking him away from the play.

So I think a NFL player can make that decision whether to intentionally injure someone or not. There does not need to be extra motivation (like bounties) to injure someone.

 

I only played pee wee football. But in highschool, I was a wrestler (still am). Pretty good, too.

Broke my arm my senior year, but had beaten the guys who placed 1st 2nd and 3rd.

Not the point. The point being, in my 10 years of martial arts, people get hurt allot.

You have to ask yourself: "Ok, am I hurt? Or am I injured?" They are not the same. And it's usually not hard to distuingish between the two, be it in yourself or others.

I think that is what he was saying. If there is no malicious intent whatsoever, it will be a bunch of Mike Griffins out there.

Concussions are the only grey area I've seen. I've had to stop after being hit in the head before just to find out my bell got rung. And I've gone through it, just to find out I had a concussion.

 

The penalty was way overboard. They should have just fined these people a hefty amount. It is a rough sport and guys are trying to take each other out all the time even without bountys. I'm sure that this has been done way before Williams started doing it. Roger Goodell sucks.

 

I completely disagree. There is quite a difference in not intentionally trying to hurt someone and going out of your way to make sure you don't hurt them. In the Pro Bowl, they go out of their way to try to make sure nobody gets hurt. I am in no way suggesting the players should play that way every week. I am simply saying there is no place for intentionally trying to have players "carted off" the field. "Carted off" is not something I came up with either. the Saints were giving the largest bonuses for "cart offs" according to ESPN. Would you defend that? If so, how?