CASPER
New member
Dolphins cornerback Sean Smith had Steelers receiver Hines Ward lined up, ready to deliver the big hit. Instead of going high, he went for Ward's legs. No fine or penalty for that one.
It was the sort of play that, most Sundays, would have gone unnoticed, especially because Ward returned to the field a play later after getting his knees checked out.
This Sunday was different, though, because it marked the first set of games since the NFL said it would be cracking down on illegal hits, handing out fines and threatening suspensions. Actually, Ward's brief absence, and the almost total lack of big shots in other NFL games, made it look a lot like any given Sunday, even if it's still too early to tell for sure how things are — or aren't — going to change over time.
"It's football," Ward said. "If you play this game worried about getting hurt, you will get hurt. It's a fearless game, it's a physical game, so the rule is the rule. You can't play this game scared. If you do, you won't last long."
With all of the day's 13 games complete, there were no cringe-inducing hits to replay on the highlight shows — nothing the likes of what James Harrison, Brandon Meriweather and Dunta Robinson delivered last weekend in a spate of vicious plays that brought about hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, along with repeated reminders that the league would be watching more closely from now on.
By sending out its various warnings — a memo from Commissioner Roger Goodell, a video showing can- and can't-dos, lists sent to coaches letting them know which players have multiple unnecessary roughness penalties — the NFL is looking for more certainty in a sport that has many shades of gray.
One bit of black and white: No players were penalized for illegal hits to the head in any of the 13 games, giving the league every reason to believe its message got through.
It was the sort of play that, most Sundays, would have gone unnoticed, especially because Ward returned to the field a play later after getting his knees checked out.
This Sunday was different, though, because it marked the first set of games since the NFL said it would be cracking down on illegal hits, handing out fines and threatening suspensions. Actually, Ward's brief absence, and the almost total lack of big shots in other NFL games, made it look a lot like any given Sunday, even if it's still too early to tell for sure how things are — or aren't — going to change over time.
"It's football," Ward said. "If you play this game worried about getting hurt, you will get hurt. It's a fearless game, it's a physical game, so the rule is the rule. You can't play this game scared. If you do, you won't last long."
With all of the day's 13 games complete, there were no cringe-inducing hits to replay on the highlight shows — nothing the likes of what James Harrison, Brandon Meriweather and Dunta Robinson delivered last weekend in a spate of vicious plays that brought about hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, along with repeated reminders that the league would be watching more closely from now on.
By sending out its various warnings — a memo from Commissioner Roger Goodell, a video showing can- and can't-dos, lists sent to coaches letting them know which players have multiple unnecessary roughness penalties — the NFL is looking for more certainty in a sport that has many shades of gray.
One bit of black and white: No players were penalized for illegal hits to the head in any of the 13 games, giving the league every reason to believe its message got through.
