Roughing the Runner November 12, 2007
Posted by boydzone in : points, sports , trackbackFootball is an obviously violent sport. The more I watch, the more I marvel at how limber players must be to endure the hits that they endure. I’m just a baby relative to the number of years the sport has existed in its professional state. Perhaps I’m a baby in other ways as well as I can’t believe some of the hits that players survive.
One of the most terrifying and totally legal hits is the low tackle/cut block. Players often forfeit size and momentum in match ups on the field. Everyone saw Trent Green suffer a severe concussion trying to take out defensive tackle Travis Johnson while blocking on an end around play. Green had to compete with 100 pound weight difference while Jackson came barreling to make his play, so he went low in an attempt to trip him up. Jackson’s knee slammed into Green’s head knocking him unconscious. Lots of folks got up in arms over Jackson’s reaction, standing over Green, yelling at his still body. Jackson’s argument was that he has a family to feed and as unfortunate as Green’s injury was, Jackson’s career could have just as easily been ended had his knee been exploded on the play.
Its a tough argument. Both players body’s were put at risk trying to make a play. Its the nature of the game, it’s a dangerous game. That’s why the average retirement age is around 30 years old, if that. I’m surprised that more players aren’t taken out with knee injuries considering the frequency of such blocks/tackles.
In the Raven’s vs. Steelers Monday night game, Willis Magahee cut block Clark Haggans defending the Steelers pass rush several times. On one occasion, Haggans was sent flying end over end in the air, only to land and reach for his knee in pain.
Later in the game, on a nearly identical play, Magahee went low straight into Haggans’ knee only to suffer the bad end of the deal this time, leaving the game with a concussion.
This past weekend as everyone one was tuning into Adrian Peterson’s seemingly realistic quest for 1,800 rushing yards and the Offensive Rookie of the Year award in his 2007 season, Packers’ cornerback Al Harris made a low diving tackle, sending Peterson out of the game for at least another week with a torn ligament in his knee. There was nothing illegal about the tackle, it was a good play, Harris was doing his job and Peterson was cutting in an attempt to make his way further down field.
I’m sure everyone knows what its like to run into the coffee table with their knee or something similar to that. I can only imagine what it feels like to be running full speed into a body diving right at my knees. The joint is only meant to bend one direction.
Players like Peterson are pros and have been tackled/blocked like that hundreds of times I’m sure. Its only surprising to me that more players don’t have their games/seasons/careers ended by such hits.
Its a tight-rope walk trying to let the players play the game, while also looking out for their future health and best interest.
The game has come a long way since players would club each other in the throat and slam their heads into frozen fields.
People were questioning Peterson’s durability coming into this season, and for whatever reason I wasn’t immediately drawn to the guy, so his career wasn’t important to me. After watching his game against the Bears from a few weeks back, that all started to change. Both he and Hester had monster days, and as I watched the highlight reels, I got roped into the excitement around the guy. Hopefully he’ll be able to bounce back from this injury so that we can all see what he can do. People are already comparing him to Payton, Sayers, and Dickerson. Of course, Sayers career was much more short lived than most, due to … a knee injury. Still, 10 weeks in, 2 200 + yard games, including the single game rushing record. I hope to see more highlights from him down the road.
Comments»
I dunno what it was, but I saw Adrian Peterson coming from a mile away. Watching him in college, he just had a combination of explosiveness, strength, and agility that I had not seen before in my 10 short years of actually watching and studying the game.
But I totally agree with what you are saying about injuries. And as entertaining as “Jacked Up!” may be to some, to me it’s just encouraging a mentality of tackling big or not at all and losing the importance of any skill in tackling. Players are just looking to run into each other as hard as they can at full sprints, and hopefully harder than the other person so that everybody can give him props for “fucking that dude up!”. I understand football is a game of collisions, but it is so much more than seeing who can hit the other guys the hardest.