OT: James Harrison threatens to quit over fine

[Pats726]

Good for him. Not all NFL players like playing flag football. Godell is turning the league into a joke with all his rules and regulations.

You obviously have not heard of Darryl Stingley....as for Harrison..He has said a few times he wishes to hurt people on the field...IF that's what he thinks football is about, he can leave the league....... and probably become a thug..where if he hurts anyone, he'll end up behind bars. Maybe you should join him in finding a new sport.

 

[Satchboogie3]

You obviously have not heard of Darryl Stingley....as for Harrison..He has said a few times he wishes to hurt people on the field...IF that's what he thinks football is about, he can leave the league....... and probably become a thug..where if he hurts anyone, he'll end up behind bars. Maybe you should join him in finding a new sport.

I think you miss the point. Harrison want's to punish receivers for going over the middle. If they get knocked out of the game after a brutal, but legal hit, it's a great result, don't being a lying assh*le. It's sends a message and weakens the opponent. It's like if you people jumped on a boxer for saying "I don't mind hurting my opponent". No ****, their trying to knock them out! It's a dangerous game and injury is a part of it. NOW, I DONT agree with helmet to helmet hits, but you CANT prove INTENT. A player shouldn't be heavily punished for accidentally making helmet to helmet contact. It's an extremely fast paced, hard hitting game and you can't always hit the target you want.

 

[BradyManny]

I don't have a problem with them at all.

Every single NFL player knows what they're getting into, and are paid substantially for it. There's not a single one of them who couldn't retire (from football) after 3 years in the league, and live wealthy the rest of their lives with a normal job.

Right. But WITH a normal job. That's the key - they have to be healthy, mentally and physically, in order to have a normal job. But the fact is, for probably something like 3/4 of NFL players, they won't make enough in their time in the pros to never have to work again - they simply can't earn 3 years of minimum NFL pay, stick it in the bank, and never expect to draw a paycheck again and be OK. That just doesn't happen. So to ask them to sacrifice their bodies and minds and well-being in their time in the pros is not a fair sacrifice. They are going to need that body and mind to continue their lives and earn a living.

Again, you can point to UFC & bull-fighting or whatever. And I'll point back to Mayan ballgames and the Roman Colosseum, and point out that we do - and should - have the ability to advance past barbaric practices in society. The NFL will still be great without helmet-to-helmet hits, so why would anyone ever advocate those dangerous hits?

At the end of the day, it's truly a shame to reduce the NFL's appeal to its violence. It's a complicated, intricate team-sport. Making it safer does not cheapen it at all - quite the opposite. You could make a pretty cogent argument that it will improve tackling, and therefore improve play.

 

[BradyManny]

You are thinking Boston area home market values. That $1m, which is on the low end for a three year career, would essentially take care of mortgage, college for kids and possibly even retirement for a modest family in say Florida. The problem, of course, that nobody ever makes the modest choice.

It's a pretty moot point - and I don't think it has to do with modesty. Yes, the price of living in Massachusetts is greater than in other states, but it also comes with a higher average income. It's not as if Massachusetts, as a state, is effectively pricing anybody out from living there. Job X paying Y income in Florida is going to pay Yx1.4 in Massachusetts. It's all relative.

 

[spacecrime]

Suspensions will happen, and players will avoid hitting, for fear they'll be docked serious money. And all for something that, in many cases, is totally unavoidable.

No, you can avoid leaving your feet and launching yourself, and you can avoid lowering your head and leading with it. Hit hard, hit legally.

There is no rule change here. Only the level of punishment for violating the rule.

One thing they can do is de-emphasize the zone defense. That's where these hits come from, from receivers running into another player's zone. man-to-man doesn't generate hits like that because the DB is running WITH the WR, not toward him.

Get rid of Polian's no-touch rule, make it advantageous to run man-to-man, and a lot of these hits go away.

 

[emoney_33]

You can't live off $65K a year?

The average median HOUSEHOLD income in the US is $53K. HOUSEHOLD. Not personal income.

For the next 40 years... I could live off of $20K a year 40 years ago but not today.

And btw average median income is NOT something that I would shoot for, retire early for or plan my life for (especially if I'm likely to have medical problems).

 

[reflexblue]

Harrison is a woman beating, cheap hitting piece of ****. Hopefully he does quit.

The question is did he launch himself, Just kidding, go ahead harrison quit, quit Now.

 

[emoney_33]

I think people are missing the most important point, that these receivers are DEFENSELESS. They are focused on catching a football and should not be expected to expect, guard against or hope that they don't get drilled in the process. Just because hard-hitting intimidation of being hurt while defenseless is PART of the NFL today does not make it a -GOOD- part of the NFL today. Clotheslining and horse collar used to be part of the NFL too. "Don't come over the middle because we may hurt you" is not very strategical it is just being a bully. It's not like the receiver can fight back or defend themselves, they have to just take it or not go over the middle. And they get hit when they don't even catch the ball so there's not even a reward all the time. Big hits are part of the NFL, unnecessarily big hits on DEFENSELESS players should not be. When you **** yourself up to make a hit on a guy that isn't even looking at you, that doesn't take much guts or talent.

 

[jmt57]

James "Cry Wolf" Harrison returns.

Harrison back at Steelers' headquarters - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

James Harrison is at the Steelers' South Side headquarters and is expected to participate in practice today.

The outside linebacker had been sent home yesterday after meeting with coach Mike Tomlin over the $75,000 fine he got Tuesday from the NFL for a recent helmet to helmet hit.

Tomlin said yesterday he excused Harrison from practice to give him a "little time to cool off."

Harrison, so upset over more stringent enforcement of an NFL rule on illegal hits above the shoulders, had said on several national radio shows earlier this week that he is contemplating retirement.

 

[Kontradiction]

James "Cry Wolf" Harrison returns.

Harrison back at Steelers' headquarters - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Of course he is. The paydays are too good.

 

[Synovia]

I think people are missing the most important point, that these receivers are DEFENSELESS. They are focused on catching a football and should not be expected to expect, guard against or hope that they don't get drilled in the process. Just because hard-hitting intimidation of being hurt while defenseless is PART of the NFL today does not make it a -GOOD- part of the NFL today. Clotheslining and horse collar used to be part of the NFL too. "Don't come over the middle because we may hurt you" is not very strategical it is just being a bully. It's not like the receiver can fight back or defend themselves, they have to just take it or not go over the middle. And they get hit when they don't even catch the ball so there's not even a reward all the time. Big hits are part of the NFL, unnecessarily big hits on DEFENSELESS players should not be. When you **** yourself up to make a hit on a guy that isn't even looking at you, that doesn't take much guts or talent.

Maybe quarterbacks shouldn't be throwing the ball to spots that leave their receivers defenseless?

 

[emoney_33]

Maybe quarterbacks shouldn't be throwing the ball to spots that leave their receivers defenseless?

Yeah let's bully them into throwing where we want them to throw by making them responsible for another person's health, rather than ya know the guy unnecessarily ****ing himself and drilling a person not even looking at him. All the while knowing that he will likely never be on the other side of that situation.

 

[PatsDeb]

He's back at practice (but the guys he took out are not). Big surprise.

 

[DaBruinz]

Good for him. Not all NFL players like playing flag football. Godell is turning the league into a joke with all his rules and regulations.

Sorry, but this is just pure ignorance talking. Harrison was fined because he launched himself at Massaquoi's head. Just like Meriweather. If he's got a problem with that, then he's the issue. Not Goodell and not the league.

You can play hard-nosed football without trying to injure the other player and possibly cost them their career.

 

[DaBruinz]

Sure, remove the helmets. It s heading that way anyhow with all the controls being enforced on the players. In due time, they'll all be wearing flags on their hips in which case helmets won't be needed.

As for my take on the injury aspect ...... the game is violent and injuries happen. If a player doesn't want to subject himself to possible injury then he should go play golf instead.

WOW. Just wow. Clearly you have mental issues and shouldn't be talking on this board with comments like this.

 

[DaBruinz]

The head shots are going to happen because of the speed of the game and the defender trying to time his hit for when the receiver has got his chance to catch the ball.

Rodney Harrison disagrees with you. So do most others who have watched this game for any length of time or those who have played.

FLAGRANT head shots don't happen because of the speed of the game. I don't care what Brandon says, but his launching himself at Todd Heap's head was wrong and there was no call for it. Just like James Harrison launching himself at Massaquoi's head was wrong.

There are times that helmet to helmet hits will happen. But it's clear when they are flagrant.

 

[The Brandon Five]

You can play hard-nosed football without trying to injure the other player and possibly cost them their career.

Mike Tomlin might not be aware of that.

But seriously, I remember him smiling on the sideline after Clark lit up Wes Welker. I think that is part of his scheme.

I can't find the video of it, but I remember an interview with him before the season opener against the Titans last year. When asked what he thought the key to the game was, he replied: "Whichever team is more violent is going to win."

 

[DaBruinz]

Maybe leather helmets. Those guided missiles they wear on their heads invite tragedy.

Actually, those helmets they wear are much safer than the leather ones they wore 60 years ago. Both from a helmet to helmet stand-point and in terms of preventing injuries to the spine/neck/face.

That being said, there are even safer helmets out there and other pieces of equipment that could be used to reduce concussions. The league, however, won't make it mandatory.

 

[DaBruinz]

I think Schlereth's rant on the topic sums it up quite well.

NFL will stop selling photos of illegal plays - ESPN

Schlereth has some good points, but he also makes an arse of himself with his over-reactions. Particularly with his rant on Harrison's hit. Harrison's hit on Massaquoi was illegal. Sorry Mark. I agree with him about the other Harrison hit and the Robinson hit on Jackson.

 

[DaBruinz]

They are fundamentally changing the game, ostensibly in the name of safety, yet they want to add 2 more games to the season. They are looking into having linemen standing instead of being in stances. They've outlawed high hits on QBs. They've outlawed low hits on QBs. They've outlawed "contact" after 5 yards. They've outlawed even clearly unintentional helmet to helmet contact.

All that and more has been done. You keep fooling yourself about the contact issue if you want, though.

A few things:
1) The game is always changing. However, the fundamentals haven't.
2) They haven't outlawed low hits on QBs. They have outlawed lunging at their legs when you are on the ground.
3) They've not outlawed "contact" after 5 yards. You don't get suspended for it. You get a penalty and that is only if you it was something more than incidental.
4) They haven't outlawed incidental helmet to helmet contact. Of the players fined for helmet to helmet hits, only Robinson didn't actually make helmet to helmet contact. In fact, I'm not sure what the NFL saw there because every shot I've seen of that hit has shown it to be perfectly legal. Meriweather's hit on Heap and Harrison's hit on Massaquoi were clearly hits aimed at the head.

Normally, you're good about leaving the hyperbole to others, but not so much here.