In an effort to get his uncensored thoughts out and about the NFL safety rules changes and other issues that he can't fit into a tweet, James Harrison started his own blog, http://jharrison9292.wordpress.com
Here's a part of his first post regarding the NFL's attempt to crack down on helmet-to-helmet hits.
“I understand the intent behind making the rules, but in their attempt to make the game safer, they are actually clouding what is allowable,” Harrison recently said on his personal blog. “Even the referees are confused. A close look will show you that the referees were calling things that were not even supposed to be called, and NOT calling things that were actually illegal.”
I can think of several instances last season where Harrison was completely correct. How about Ryan Clark's hit in New Orleans for one?
Clark was penalized for what was supposedly a helmet-to-helmet hit. But upon further review, he clearly just hit a receiver in the back after he had caught the ball.
Forget where I heard or read it, but it was a contention that real reason for the new emphasis on player safety was to guard against future lawsuits from players who now suffer from brain injuries that can be connected to their football playing days. Guys like Paul Martha and John Mackey for example.
ReplyDeleteThe NFL can go to court and claim they didn't know the kind of damage that could result, but now they do and they have enacted rules to prevent it as much as possible.
I have to agree with this assessment.
That said, I think there's been way too much launching into opponents at the expense of good form tackling. I won't mind seeing pro football get back to that.