Was Ryan Clark hit worse than the Merriwether hit? - New England Patriots Forums

FredFromDartmouth · 10-21-2010, 06:13 AM

The Ryan Clark hit on Wes Welker appears (in some ways) to be worse than the Merriwether hit on Heap. It does not appear to be helmet to helmet but Welker did not even have the ball at the time. This was a vicious hit that apparently is still legal:

YouTube - [[BEST]] Wes Welker Jacked up by Ryan Clark of the Steelers (11-30-08)

Helmet to helmet hit have gone on for decades in the NFL. But when the Patriots did it now it is the worst thing to even happen.

***shmessy*** · 10-21-2010, 06:24 AM

I assume you meant the MERRIWETHER hit on Heap, so I changed it in your thread title.

***Calciumee*** · 10-21-2010, 06:24 AM

Why? What did Merriman do to Heap?

He must be getting annoyed with all the bad hits from 'Merri' players

mosi · 10-21-2010, 06:41 AM

Looks like he lead with his shoulder. However, it looks like the ball was long past when he made the hit. Cheap shot but part of the price you pay going over the middle like that.

dhamz · 10-21-2010, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FredFromDartmouth

Helmet to helmet hit have gone on for decades in the NFL. But when the Patriots did it now it is the worst thing to even happen.

Right because only a Patriot and no other NFL player was fined this weekend for a helmet to helmet hit.

upstater1 · 10-21-2010, 08:22 AM

It's twice illegal,.

One, you can see him launch himself at the end, with his shoulder leading. That's now illegal.

Two, you can't hit a defenseless WR in that fashion. I'm a little foggy about this rule though. I think it's a judgment call. The ball has to be past the WR.

***shmessy*** · 10-21-2010, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mosi

Looks like he lead with his shoulder. However, it looks like the ball was long past when he made the hit. Cheap shot but part of the price you pay going over the middle like that.

And now $50,000 is the price of making a cheap shot.

***shmessy*** · 10-21-2010, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by upstater1

It's twice illegal,.

One, you can see him launch himself at the end, with his shoulder leading. That's now illegal.

Two, you can't hit a defenseless WR in that fashion. I'm a little foggy about this rule though. I think it's a judgment call. The ball has to be past the WR.

In BM's defense regarding the whole "defenseless WR" thing, it was a bang-bang play with fractions of a second to decide . The slo-mo replay always makes it look like the defender has all kinds of time to cogitate over the matter of how to approach the receiver.

The technique he used was all screwed up, however. From a purely football point of view, I'm sure BB doesn't want his defenders closing their eyes and leaving their feet. He wants them with their heads up, seeing the player to be tackled. In this case, legal is also better technique.

patsfaninpa · 10-21-2010, 08:47 AM

Meriweather needs to talk to a real free safety and understand it's role in the defense. It's not to jack guys up all of the time. It's to make plays. Play the damn ball. Once the receiver catches then separate him from the ball. But, if you're in position(which he usually isn't) play the damn ball.

JackBauer · 10-21-2010, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patsfaninpa

Meriweather needs to talk to a real free safety and understand it's role in the defense. It's not to jack guys up all of the time. It's to make plays. Play the damn ball. Once the receiver catches then separate him from the ball. But, if you're in position(which he usually isn't) play the damn ball.

You know, that might be a great pro tip if Meriweather played free safety.