I had a thought last night while I was trying to fall asleep... Much controversy has been made this year of the NFL's crackdown on helmet to helmet hits against defenseless players. The NFL has stepped up enforcement and punishment of these illegal hits in an effort to emphasize player safety. On Sunday night a Ravens defender lit up Steelers tight end Heath Miller leaving him woozy and laying on the field for a good 5 minutes or so.
Here's the problem: No flag was thrown. This was at a critical point in the game and whether or not you agree with these calls, it was a clear penalty to all those watching. The referees missed the call. Here's my idea:
Why not take the commercial break to look at the replays and determine if a personal foul (15 yd penalty - automatic first down) needs to be called. This is not unprecedented in sports. MLB has instituted replay on homerun calls. NBA refs can stop a game to look at the tape to determine if a shot was a 2 or a 3 pointer. The NFL already has a coaches challenge replay system, with official replays under 2 minutes. They should expand the official replay system to include personal foul penalties. 99 percent of the time when a personal foul of that nature is committed there will be a stoppage in play due a player injury. If that is the case the league should use that time to at least make sure they get the call right during the game. I know if a player gets a concussion a first down is not much of a consolation, but at least his team would benefit instantly from his having to suffer an illegal and painful hit. It is much better than the league fining players 25,000-75,000 dollars on Tuesday a day or two after the game has been decided. One of the main reasons the league hesitates to use instant replay more is because of the disruption in the rhythm of the game. What is more disruptive than a player lying unconscious on the field for 15 minutes?
This to me is a no brainer and if anyone at the league had an practical sense they would implement this immediately.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Prime Time
Two straight days, two straight big prime time games in the NFL between division leaders in heated rivalries. In both games the winner made a statement and gained the inside track to a division title and a first round by in the AFC playoffs.
While watching the Ravens/Steelers last night I could tell a big play had to be made somewhere. The Ravens managed a few deep balls from inside their own 10 yard line but weren't able to convert both in to points. The Steelers kept making mistakes around midfield but hung around and kicked a couple field goals. Terrell Suggs was a terror in a way I have rarely seen one player be in one game. Maybe Ray Lewis 10 years ago had games like that, I can't remember. When it came down to it the Steelers made 3 beastly plays in the span of a minute or two. Polamalu comes off the corner and destroys Flacco causing the fumble. Woodley picks it up and takes it to the 10. Down 4 they needed at TD and that is no easy task against the Ravens D inside their stadium in Prime Time on the road. On 1st down Roethlisburger came under heavy pressure by Suggs (who else). One thing Big Ben is known for is using his height and strength to hang in the pocket or escape defenders that might bring smaller QBs down. He escaped the pocket while Suggs was dragging him down and shoved the ball out of bounds for an incomplete pass instead of taking a 10 yard sack. No one scores TDs on 2nd and goal from the 20, and Ben wanted to avoid that all costs. With a injured ankle and broken nose he was not going to allow that to happen. Two plays later he found a 3rd string running back across the middle at the 5 yard line. With a defender on his back he shook a tackle and outran a couple more Ravens for the game winning. These are the kind of things that makes a team's season.
New England made a different kind of statement tonight. Both the Patriots & Jets played on Thanksgiving (against different teams obviously). Both won. Both had 10 days to prepare for this MNF showdown among the 2 best teams in the conference. The Patriots have a much maligned defense and the number 1 offense in the league. The Jets have at top 5 defense and an offense that struggles at times but generally makes enough plays to win (usually because the other team chokes big time, ie. Browns, Texans). Labeled as a rough and tough battle of Boston v. New York this turned ugly quickly. New England established their dominance offensively, defensively, and on special teams. They ran the ball effectively, Brady cut up the defense with his precision passing and improvisational ability, and racked up 17 points in the first quarter. The Jets moved the ball a little but couldn't get the ball in scoring position, and that was it. By then my DVR needed to record some things but at I didn't care; it was 38-3 (the game ended 45-3).
Like I wrote last week, when December comes the big time teams cement themselves as true contenders.
In the NFC the Falcons also went on the road yesterday and pulled out a tough win against a division rival in Tampa Bay, and they are also 10-2. New Orleans squeaked one out against Cincinnati (that word is hard to spell for some reason... it is 2 Ns and 1 T...) who gives teams a lot of trouble but usually chokes. Green Bay pulled away from an inferior San Francisco team, and Chicago shook off a tough challenge in Detroit and stayed a game up on the Pack. Looks like Minnesota has figured some things out by playing bad Washington & Buffalo teams, but thank God they are in the rear view mirror now.
Thanks to NFL.com for the sweet highlights.
While watching the Ravens/Steelers last night I could tell a big play had to be made somewhere. The Ravens managed a few deep balls from inside their own 10 yard line but weren't able to convert both in to points. The Steelers kept making mistakes around midfield but hung around and kicked a couple field goals. Terrell Suggs was a terror in a way I have rarely seen one player be in one game. Maybe Ray Lewis 10 years ago had games like that, I can't remember. When it came down to it the Steelers made 3 beastly plays in the span of a minute or two. Polamalu comes off the corner and destroys Flacco causing the fumble. Woodley picks it up and takes it to the 10. Down 4 they needed at TD and that is no easy task against the Ravens D inside their stadium in Prime Time on the road. On 1st down Roethlisburger came under heavy pressure by Suggs (who else). One thing Big Ben is known for is using his height and strength to hang in the pocket or escape defenders that might bring smaller QBs down. He escaped the pocket while Suggs was dragging him down and shoved the ball out of bounds for an incomplete pass instead of taking a 10 yard sack. No one scores TDs on 2nd and goal from the 20, and Ben wanted to avoid that all costs. With a injured ankle and broken nose he was not going to allow that to happen. Two plays later he found a 3rd string running back across the middle at the 5 yard line. With a defender on his back he shook a tackle and outran a couple more Ravens for the game winning. These are the kind of things that makes a team's season.
New England made a different kind of statement tonight. Both the Patriots & Jets played on Thanksgiving (against different teams obviously). Both won. Both had 10 days to prepare for this MNF showdown among the 2 best teams in the conference. The Patriots have a much maligned defense and the number 1 offense in the league. The Jets have at top 5 defense and an offense that struggles at times but generally makes enough plays to win (usually because the other team chokes big time, ie. Browns, Texans). Labeled as a rough and tough battle of Boston v. New York this turned ugly quickly. New England established their dominance offensively, defensively, and on special teams. They ran the ball effectively, Brady cut up the defense with his precision passing and improvisational ability, and racked up 17 points in the first quarter. The Jets moved the ball a little but couldn't get the ball in scoring position, and that was it. By then my DVR needed to record some things but at I didn't care; it was 38-3 (the game ended 45-3).
Like I wrote last week, when December comes the big time teams cement themselves as true contenders.
In the NFC the Falcons also went on the road yesterday and pulled out a tough win against a division rival in Tampa Bay, and they are also 10-2. New Orleans squeaked one out against Cincinnati (that word is hard to spell for some reason... it is 2 Ns and 1 T...) who gives teams a lot of trouble but usually chokes. Green Bay pulled away from an inferior San Francisco team, and Chicago shook off a tough challenge in Detroit and stayed a game up on the Pack. Looks like Minnesota has figured some things out by playing bad Washington & Buffalo teams, but thank God they are in the rear view mirror now.
Thanks to NFL.com for the sweet highlights.
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