Defenseless Receiver

[supreme_clientele81]

Can someone explain this rule to me? I have been seeing this called a lot lately and I don't understand it. Are defenders supposed to let receivers just catch the ball? Because if a guy catches the ball over the middle has two feet on the ground and a safety hits him to knock the ball out how is that a penalty?

Sorry if this has been discussed before but I really would like to know the rule

 

[Bemular]

Can someone explain this rule to me? I have been seeing this called a lot lately and I don't understand it. Are defenders supposed to let receivers just catch the ball? Because if a guy catches the ball over the middle has two feet on the ground and a safety hits him to knock the ball out how is that a penalty?

Sorry if this has been discussed before but I really would like to know the rule

Honestly Supreme - I don't think even the refs understand this rule - it seems to become more subjective every Sunday.

 

[h0ckeysk83r]

I said the same thing! He caught the ball how is that defenseless?

It didnt make sense. Either way this league is bs now. So catered to the offense it's sickening.

 

[supreme_clientele81]

Honestly Supreme - I don't think even the refs understand this rule - it seems to become more subjective every Sunday.

I agree Bem. It's getting ridiculous! I mean I saw 1 last week in the Cowboys vs Bengals and 1 this week Steelers vs Cowboys and one against us tonight. I see if someone leads with their helmet or hit someone helmet to helmet but on all 3 calls to me atleast they were clean hits.

It's getting to the point where defenses shouldn't be out on the field because the offense has every advantage.

S/N we really need to find out away to resign Goldson the dude is playing lights out this year.

 

[supreme_clientele81]

I said the same thing! He caught the ball how is that defenseless?

It didnt make sense. Either way this league is bs now. So catered to the offense it's sickening.

^This

 

[Bemular]

I agree Bem. It's getting ridiculous! I mean I saw 1 last week in the Cowboys vs Bengals and 1 this week Steelers vs Cowboys and one against us tonight. I see if someone leads with their helmet or hit someone helmet to helmet but on all 3 calls to me atleast they were clean hits.

It's getting to the point where defenses shouldn't be out on the field because the offense has every advantage.

S/N we really need to find out away to resign Goldson the dude is playing lights out this year.

Agree!

Re; Goldson - Really Agree!

 

[threelittleturds]

On the replay it looked like he hit helmet to helmet and it was the first contact. Which is now illegal, they want guys to hit with their shoulder first. Not like it really matters though, Goldson has been flagged just as many times for hitting within the rules as he has for leading with his helmet. So, it seems like no matter what Goldson does there is a chance he will get flagged. I'm glad it hasn't stopped him from making those hits.

I feel like we just have to take the penalties with the player. Or have no penalties and players who won't lay the big hits on TEs and WRs in the middle.

 

[spacedoodoopistol]

For what its worth, I will even take one Goldson penalty a game if it strikes as much fear as it did into Hernandez tonight. That crushing hit bought them the fumble where Hernandez short-armed it.

But as far as the rule, I'm not sure what he's supposed to do when he's going full speed into a guy and times it perfectly like he did tonight.

 

[h0ckeysk83r]

On the replay it looked like he hit helmet to helmet and it was the first contact. Which is now illegal, they want guys to hit with their shoulder first. Not like it really matters though, Goldson has been flagged just as many times for hitting within the rules as he has for leading with his helmet. So, it seems like no matter what Goldson does there is a chance he will get flagged. I'm glad it hasn't stopped him from making those hits.

I feel like we just have to take the penalties with the player. Or have no penalties and players who won't lay the big hits on TEs and WRs in the middle.

Which pisses me off more about goodell. He has completely made this league the flag football league. All geared towards the offense. It will cost a game very soon. Might even be in the playoffs.

 

[supreme_clientele81]

On the replay it looked like he hit helmet to helmet and it was the first contact. Which is now illegal, they want guys to hit with their shoulder first. Not like it really matters though, Goldson has been flagged just as many times for hitting within the rules as he has for leading with his helmet. So, it seems like no matter what Goldson does there is a chance he will get flagged. I'm glad it hasn't stopped him from making those hits.

I feel like we just have to take the penalties with the player. Or have no penalties and players who won't lay the big hits on TEs and WRs in the middle.

Ill have to see it again but at full speed it looked clean.

 

[Kinzu]

Ill have to see it again but at full speed it looked clean.

I'm pretty sure it was helmet to facemask on the initial contact. It was the right call by rule. It's crap though, the hit was solid and the way your would teach any DB to make the play. The helmets hitting was incidental contact and not intentional.

 

[Jikkle]

The problem I had with the Goldson call is that he was actually performing a textbook tackle you learn from the moment you start pop warner. He didn't launch at his head and he was attempting to make a clean tackle.

They really need a major and minor type of penalty for these calls. There is just way too many calls where there is the intention is clean and it a case where the defender couldn't do anything and that shouldn't be a 15 yard call imo.

 

[Ray_Dogg]

If anything he barely clipped the bottom bar of his facemask. Majority of that hit was to his chest.

 

[DoobieKeebler]

If anything he barely clipped the bottom bar of his facemask. Majority of that hit was to his chest.

It only happend IMO because Hernandez's head whipped violently due to the crushing hit. It did look like Goldson clipped his helmet slightly, but in the replay Hernandez's head had a pretty good whiplash motion going, so I assume that is what the refs saw more than anything. A nasty hit is boound to cause someone's head to move in a semi-violent manner, but with the league harping on refs to make those calls "in the name of safety," I see why they made the call, even if I disagree.

 

[my2cents]

I feel like they need to make these "safety rules" calls reviewable. If they call a helmet to helmet hit, allow the coaches to review these calls. They typically don't want these things to be reviewable because of the subjective nature of the calls (i.e. the defenseless receiver), but they could make the helmet to helmet call reviewable and if the replay clearly shows that a mistake was made, they can overturn it, that way the league (and the refs) can err on the side of caution, but there doesn't have to be a mistaken call that alters the game. Not sure what to do about the "defenseless receiver" though.

Also, the more reviews, the more commercials, and then the more money the league makes. Everyone is happy.

 

[threelittleturds]

I dunno guys, seems to me that his head was down and it was the first thing to make contact with Hernandez helmet, thats against the rules in this pussy NFL. I hate the rule, and we've all seen Goldson get flagged for making clean hits too. I feel like we just have to take the penalties with Goldson putting fear into the other team's receivers.

 

[DoobieKeebler]

I dunno guys, seems to me that his head was down and it was the first thing to make contact with Hernandez helmet, thats against the rules in this pussy NFL. I hate the rule, and we've all seen Goldson get flagged for making clean hits too. I feel like we just have to take the penalties with Goldson putting fear into the other team's receivers.

See, looking at the photo almost makes things worse, because Hernandez crouched down to absorb the hit, but (IMO) if Goldson goes any lower he risks hitting Hernandez below the waist which could break his leg. I know concussions are a serious issue, but hitting someone in the leg when they are completely planted runs the risk of a career ending injury to the offensive player.

 

[Jikkle]

I dunno guys, seems to me that his head was down and it was the first thing to make contact with Hernandez helmet, thats against the rules in this pussy NFL. I hate the rule, and we've all seen Goldson get flagged for making clean hits too. I feel like we just have to take the penalties with Goldson putting fear into the other team's receivers.

That's the core issue with all these safety rules is looking that picture it's clear Goldson was trying to make a clean tackle and he just wound up touching Hernandez's helmet.

That's why I think there should be a major and minor penalty on it because yes it's technically a penalty but it wasn't Goldson's aim at all to hit him high or in the helmet.

 

[SFAnthem]

I dunno guys, seems to me that his head was down and it was the first thing to make contact with Hernandez helmet, thats against the rules in this pussy NFL. I hate the rule, and we've all seen Goldson get flagged for making clean hits too. I feel like we just have to take the penalties with Goldson putting fear into the other team's receivers.

There was a little contact of the helmets but that still doesn't show the play.

Goldson didn't "spear" him. He tackled him. The penalty helmet-to-helmet hit was intended to prevent players from using their helmets as weapons to the other players heads.

Its a physiological problem defensive players have..having their heads extend farther than their shoulders.

Calling a good hit like that is bad football.

 

[threelittleturds]

That's the core issue with all these safety rules is looking that picture it's clear Goldson was trying to make a clean tackle and he just wound up touching Hernandez's helmet.

That's why I think there should be a major and minor penalty on it because yes it's technically a penalty but it wasn't Goldson's aim at all to hit him high or in the helmet.

Thats a good point, but that probably wouldn't work out very well. Like the old incidental 5 yard facemask, it turned into a way just to play favorites.