Suspensions will be announced by Wednesday

[Deus Irae]

Moving officials, suspending players for hits, even first time 'offenses', wrapping up QBs in bubble plastic.... what's next? The NFL might as well just get it over with:

 

[BadMoFo]

If Meriweather gets suspended, he deserves it. Blatant headhunting.

 

[Metaphors]

Cheap shots are suspendable offenses. The League may be lowering the standard a bit after this weekend, but Goodell is well within his rights to suspend players for this if he chooses.

I think it will be hard to suspend players for a 1st-time offense without being able exactly define the rule ahead of time. Just saying "helmet-to-helmet" and "devastating hit" doesn't cut it. Remember this?

Chung was fined $7500 (standard fine for a "cheap" hit) even though it was a perfect form tackle (head up, initial contact on the numbers, arms around waist). Henne's head snapped forward while Chung's helmet slid up. Physics demands that both of those things happen under those conditions.

The NFL needs to be able to distinguish between that Chung hit and the Meriweather hit yesterday...which was unnecessary, borderline dangerous for both of them and not even effective football. If they just try to retroactively punish results they don't like, the whole situation will be a mess.

 

[drew4008]

lol @ Belichick's presser today (you can see the clip on Rap's blog)

Reporter asked something like: there's now talk of suspensions coming for particularly bad helmet-to-helmet hits, what's your view on that?

Belichick responds: my view is that I'm getting ready for the Chargers

Classic BB... haha

 

[patriotsdynasty12189]

Goodell will probably strip both our first rounders and give them to the Jets then fine the franchise $1 million.

 

[Wolfpack]

The NFL needs to be able to distinguish between that Chung hit and the Meriweather hit yesterday...which was unnecessary, borderline dangerous for both of them and not even effective football. If they just try to retroactively punish results they don't like, the whole situation will be a mess.

I think the NFL is going to crack down on players in the 2ndary who are launching themselves at defenseless receivers. The hits may be head-to-head or shoulder-to-chest or whatever body parts happen to connect with each other.

"Launching" is tough to define but we know it when we see it. And it creates an avoidable danger.

 

[Wolfpack]

Moving officials, suspending players for hits, even first time 'offenses', wrapping up QBs in bubble plastic.... what's next? The NFL might as well just get it over with:

Yeah, the NFL is trying to avoid concussions and having a tragedy where a player gets paralyzed. What a bunch of wusses!

 

[Batman]

Anyone who hasn't seen the Harrison hits can see them here and the hit on DJax. I am not sure what to think of the Revis hit either looked pretty brutal.

Here

 

[drew4008]

Based on all these hits, I'd put Meriweather's second to the Dunta-Jackson one for most violent.

 

[Deus Irae]

Yeah, the NFL is trying to avoid concussions and having a tragedy where a player gets paralyzed. What a bunch of wusses!

Brilliant point on your part. Injuries never happen when form tackles are made straight up on players, and I'm the only one to put forth such radical notions as "the NFL might be coddling the QBs, and the offenses, too much".

By the way, which injury/concussion was being avoided when they modified the way illegal contact was being called after the 2004 season?

 

[Brady2Welker]

I have no problems with suspending for flagrant foul hits.


The problem is that there will always be controversy on what is a flagrant hit.

 

[sbpatfan]

The NFL is really starting to piss me off. They can't even define what the hell a catch is, how the hell are they going to define "devastating hits."

YouTube - Calvin Johnson Controversial Call vs Chicago Bears (HD)

 

[loloooooooooooo]

The NFL is really starting to piss me off. They can't even define what the hell a catch is, how the hell are they going to define "devastating hits."

YouTube - Calvin Johnson Controversial Call vs Chicago Bears (HD)

yeah, it seems you don't know the rulebook either

 

[tuckeverlasting]

a lot of this is just to distract everyone from favre and the jets.

 

[drew4008]

a lot of this is just to distract everyone from favre and the jets.

I think Favre would feel the fallout solely, not the Jets... as much as I'd like to see such.

 

[fluoropolymer]

Forget what the league may do. The Patriots should voluntarily suspend Merriweather for a week. Sit his ass down. So far this year he has been a sub-par player that seems to always be playing "stupid". His hit on Heap was cheap, dirty, vicious, (fill in your adjective); but most of all it was stupid football.

It's obvious that Merriweather has the physical tools, but for some reason he doesn't work within the Patriots system. He admits freelancing, etc.

I love good clean hard professional football. But it is supposed to be a game to be played and enjoyed. It is a vocation for an elite few. It is also a vocation that leaves almost all of its participants handicapped in some manner or form by the time they end their career. I want to see players (for all teams) on the field competing; not wearing a cast or trapped in a wheelchair.

 

[Batman]

Forget what the league may do. The Patriots should voluntarily suspend Merriweather for a week. Sit his ass down. So far this year he has been a sub-par player that seems to always be playing "stupid". His hit on Heap was cheap, dirty, vicious, (fill in your adjective); but most of all it was stupid football.

It's obvious that Merriweather has the physical tools, but for some reason he doesn't work within the Patriots system. He admits freelancing, etc.

I love good clean hard professional football. But it is supposed to be a game to be played and enjoyed. It is a vocation for an elite few. It is also a vocation that leaves almost all of its participants handicapped in some manner or form by the time they end their career. I want to see players (for all teams) on the field competing; not wearing a cast or trapped in a wheelchair.

Why sit a player we short on other safeties Sanders was inactive not sure why but I doubt it was his play page went off injured no to return our roster is full and we don't have another on our active so would have to cut someone and bring brown up for the PS

 

[drew4008]

Forget what the league may do. The Patriots should voluntarily suspend Merriweather for a week. Sit his ass down. So far this year he has been a sub-par player that seems to always be playing "stupid". His hit on Heap was cheap, dirty, vicious, (fill in your adjective); but most of all it was stupid football.

It's obvious that Merriweather has the physical tools, but for some reason he doesn't work within the Patriots system. He admits freelancing, etc.

See the other ongoing thread I made echoing your thoughts: http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/10/682490-meriweather.html

 

[furry]

From the player safety point of view I have no issue with it.

All suspensions should start from this week onwards so everybody is aware of the situation to start with.

Flagrant should be a 2game as well imo

 

[juny]

I understand penalizing "head hits", but what's this garbage about "devastating hits"?? How the hell do you define that?