Brandon Spikes Hits to the Head on Fred Jackson and Fitzpatrick

[Steve102]

Intimidation. Swagger. I love it.

 

[The Gr8est]

Intimidation. Swagger. I love it.

I DO love it, but here's a slightly OT question.

Is the helmet being half off like that a possible unsportsmanlike penalty for removing his helmet?

 

[dizi24]

You can remove the helmets during time outs, which there was one because Jackson was down on the field.

 

[Teapot]

Re: Brandon Spikes Hits Fred Jackson and Fitzpatrick in the Head

He has to be smarter on the QB. Just push it or bang him. Be smart

 

[BaltimorePatsFan]

Brandon Spikes would've been a Hall of Famer if he had payed during the 60s. He's a bit out of place in today's NFL.

 

[captain stone]

Intimidation. Swagger. I love it.

To me, all Spikes is indicating to the Billiards' sideline is that he used his arm to cause the fumble,
and only his arm. As for Fred Jackson, screw him. Let this be a lesson to him & other RBs
like Mike Tolbert who use their helmets as weapons: what you sow, so shall you reap.

As for Spike's hit on Fitz, that will draw a hanky every time. He has to learn to get his head
under the QB's armpit so that his helmet, or any other part of him, will not make contact
with the QB's head.

 

[DaBruinz]

You come up with these crackers every week. It was a flag. You try to not pick the rule every week but simple fact is, initial contact was up in the head/neck area. If you're telling me it wasn't, it's a lost cause!

The initial contact wasn't in the head/neck area. The initial contact was Spikes arms.. What is a lost cause is your understanding of the game. You ignore the rules on a regular basis and then act shocked when it's pointed out to you. I actually pointed out the rule, but you ignored it.. Per usual.

 

[DaBruinz]

Re: Brandon Spikes Hits Fred Jackson and Fitzpatrick in the Head

This is not the correct meaning of the rule. You're reading that one line about incidental contact out of context, and it doesn't mean what you think it does.

This rule covers two different situations:
(1) A hit on the QB above the shoulders. The rule defines this is a helmet, hand, shoulder, etc. Basically, there is an absolute prohibition on forcibly hitting a QB in the head. The refs in last nights game showed how the rule is interpreted on the hit that knocked out Cutler when they said "Roughing the Passer, hitting the passer above the shoulders." This was called on Spikes.
(2) Where a defensive player leads with the crown of this helmet into a QB. Clearly if he does this into the helmet of the QB, it's roughing the passer. But a defensive player cannot launch the crown of his helmet into the ribs, chest, shoulder area, etc. by leading with it. This is not what was called on Spikes.

The line you bolded refers to the second part of the rule. The "incidental contact" rule refers to the fact that defensive players can hit the QB with their helmet in the course of making a tackle, as long as they don't lead with it. This of course is just common sense, as it just codifies the common sense understanding that helmets can come into contact with a player being tackled without it being a penalty.

Thus, what you bolded had nothing to do with the hit on Spikes. I don't know what you find confusing, because you flat out cannot hit the QB in the head with any level of force. Spikes made contact with Fitz' head, so it is roughing the passer.

First of all, you need to go and read the rule because I quoted it verbatim. Then, and only then, might you be able to provide adequate examples, which you actually didn't. Incidental contact applies to BOTH scenarios mentioned in the rules. NOT just the one, per your erroneous claim.

Thus, the bolded part has everything to do with the hit by Spikes on Fitzpatrick. The contact of Spikes helmet with Fitzpatrick's helmet was incidental. And Fitzpatrick's helmet came off because it wasn't secured properly and you had the force of a 270 lbs body sliding across it.

 

[Haley]

To me, all Spikes is indicating to the Billiards' sideline is that he used his arm to cause the fumble,
and only his arm.

Heh, I don't know about that. Maybe, but it was his other arm that dislodged the ball.

I originally thought he was checking his arm for damage after hitting it with a helmet but clearly thats not it since he used the other arm.

It's not cool in my book to gloat over an injury, but I don't think anyone could make a clear case for that either. I'm not sure anyone can say for sure what this was except Brandon. Speculation amounts to just more speculation at best. If it was gloating, I hope he doesn't make a habit of it like Pollard. Swagger is cool, just not during an injury TO.

 

[LetsGoBuffalo]

The hit on FJax was fine, the hit on Fitz was not too big of a deal either, although in today's NFL that will get a flag every time. I'm sure Spikes' illegal head shot on Chandler in game 1 was part of why Fitz was grumpy. IIRC he mentioned that in his PC.


Spikes does have a rep as a dirty player though. It's been following him since college. There's really no way to defend his actions in this clip.

Brandon Spikes dirty play in UGA game 10/31/09 - SLOW MOTION - YouTube

 

[ThatllMoveTheChains!!!]

The hit on FJax was fine, the hit on Fitz was not too big of a deal either, although in today's NFL that will get a flag every time. I'm sure Spikes' illegal head shot on Chandler in game 1 was part of why Fitz was grumpy. IIRC he mentioned that in his PC.


Spikes does have a rep as a dirty player though. It's been following him since college. There's really no way to defend his actions in this clip.

Brandon Spikes dirty play in UGA game 10/31/09 - SLOW MOTION - YouTube

But he's our dirty player and we love him!

Seriously though, he hasn't done anything outrageously dirty since landing here, but he definitely plays right at the edge and crosses over plenty. Defenses need one or two like him, but just like we hate other teams' I expect them to hate ours. It's nice to actually have other fans/players have a justified reason to ***** about the defense rather than inventing crap.

 

[Hazy]

Spikes hit on Fitzgerald was defly a flag. There was helmet to helmet contact (facemask to facemask) so that was enough for the flag. It wasn't a dirty hit but a sloppy hit, he should have been aiming lower in the first place. Even tho Fitzgerald lowered his head at the last second, Spikes should never been in the position to catch him with his helmet.

Fitzgerald was acting like a little b1tch with his tantrum, get over it, all in all it was a pretty mild hit...its football, stop crying.


As for the Jackson hit, absolutely nothing wrong or illegal with the hit.

As for the flexing, he probably was taunting but pretty mild taunting to say the least and it probably happens a dozen of times during the game. But would anybody care if the cameras hadn't picked up on it?



I like Spikes, a very underrated player...our defense needs a bit of a loose cannon and swagger to it...my God does he know how to hit?

 

[juny]

But he's our dirty player and we love him!

Seriously though, he hasn't done anything outrageously dirty since landing here, but he definitely plays right at the edge and crosses over plenty. Defenses need one or two like him, but just like we hate other teams' I expect them to hate ours. It's nice to actually have other fans/players have a justified reason to ***** about the defense rather than inventing crap.

i can only think of one dirty play is when he blind sided buffalo TE chandler with a block from behind. and the league fined him for that if i remember correctly. other than that, that guy has some made amazing tackles this year. he alone probably has 1/2 of the patriots forced fumbles.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Same here. Fitzpatrick is a crybaby. I'll have to go back and see the play he's referring to from the last game but nothing here looked 'dirty'. Good call by the refs though they had to call it.

 

[JMC00]

he alone probably has 1/2 of the patriots forced fumbles.

Spikes - 4
Ninkovich- 4
Jones- 3
Mayo- 3
Wilfork- 1
McCourty- 1
Cunningham- 1

 

[Yehoodi]

Fitzpatrick was right on calling out Spikes, he can be a punk at times, if people can't see that then they are blind . . . i am not a fan of this kind of play but i will reluctantly take it to have spikes on the team . . . he makes many knock out blows which have dislodged the ball from the players and many of of them are of the legal mano mano shoulder into teh brest bone area, which are fine by me and twice on Sunday. . .

but when the helmit is used as a weapon and comes down onto the other helmit and head of the opponents QB (the fitz hit) or if a shoulder/arm/what ever, drives into the neck head region of an opponent ( jackson hit) I am against it 100%

not sure how long some of you have been pats fans, but we need to treat our players the same way we view our opponents players . . . and if we are going to get on Pollard for the helmit to Brady's knee or Tatum shoulder into the head of Stingley (which paralized him) we cant go all ra ra about Spikes . . .

i love me some spikes and so glad his is on our team and is the enforcer in the middles and really love the crushing hits to the chest that knockes out the opponents, but i draw a line, and call it like it is, when it comes to the above two mentioned hits . . .

 

[Avenger]

Jackson put his head down and tried to drive through Spikes, nothing dirty about that on Spike's part. The helmet-to-helmet on Fitzpatrick was incidental, helmet came off when it hit the ground because it was on loose.

 

[Joker]

Fitzpatrick's helmet was unbuckled...THAT is a violation...look it up...

Report: Scott fined $10K for unbuckled chinstrap - CBSSports.com
(this link is to ILLUSTRATE that an unbuckled chinstrap is a violation)





Spikes's hit was a pure football play...Fitz IS the punk...and a soon to be nobody...in fact,I'd go so far as to say he deliberately left the strap unbuckled so he could lose the helmet if rushed and scream for a flag...which IS exactly what he did...Spikes SHOULD have smashed his face in and got his money's worth.

 

[ForThoseAboutToRock]

Fitzpatrick's helmet was unbuckled...THAT is a violation...look it up...

Report: Scott fined $10K for unbuckled chinstrap - CBSSports.com
(this link is to ILLUSTRATE that an unbuckled chinstrap is a violation)





Spikes's hit was a pure football play...Fitz IS the punk...and a soon to be nobody...in fact,I'd go so far as to say he deliberately left the strap unbuckled so he could lose the helmet if rushed and scream for a flag...which IS exactly what he did...Spikes SHOULD have smashed his face in and got his money's worth.

Yeah it's... interesting(?) to see players who don't properly wear their helmets crying foul over potential head injury. My understanding is that football helmets are engineered to be basically impossible to dislodge (except by decapitation) when properly fastened. If not properly fastened, a helmet's safety features aren't working as intended.

 

[The Gr8est]

Intimidation. Swagger. I love it.

I really love this clip. This is what an intimidator looks like.

What I like about it is the cold eyed stare; like a cobra, not with fierce burning eyes like some players seem to use to give the appearance of being fierce.