RE: the phrase I bolded What does that mean? I've seen that written on this board often. They are playing football. What do you think they are playing? Tiddlywinks? Hopscotch? Unnecessary roughness penalties have been in the books for a long, long time.
Yes and the rules are ridiculous. Playing football should be about instinct. Whether it's the second a guy is catching the ball (defenseless) or the second after the guy is catching the ball (not defenseless), you should be able to hit him as hard as you want. Helmet to helmet should be a penalty, but not a huge hit on a "defenseless" receiver. He went for the pass, that's his problem. If it turns every WR into the next Pinkston, sobeit, but you can't tell me that hitting a player as he's catching a football very hard should be unnecessary roughness. That's flat out stupid because that's saying "let the guy catch it and then tap him and hope the ball comes loose".
I understand it's a penalty if he is hit prior to catching the ball. Now...(g) using any part of a player's helmet (including the top/crown and forehead/"hairline" parts) or facemask to butt, spear, or ram an opponent violently or unnecessarily - In my opinion this should read PURPOSELY using any part... That is what I was trying to explain. I felt E. Smith was trying to make a tackle and did not purposely hit Bouldin with his head. Rhodes shoved Bouldin in the back. Same with Willis. I felt he was trying to put a lickin on B. Smith but is essence was assisting on making a hard tackle. Maybe our LB's should hit a few recievers harder. Might send a message not to cross the middle.
By 12/12, I had moved on from the Willis play and it seems others did, too. If Willis was fined, it would have happened on December 12th. Well, what happened? Did he get fined?
I don't even know where to look to check, but I never remember reading a story about it. It's bullshit if he didn't get fined.
