Wilfork: Meriweather Illegal Hit Sparked Patriots

[Nikolai]

No...what I'm doing is showing a former legal hit and contrasting the Meriwether hit that every jagoff in the media is screaming about to the VERY NATURE of pro football played on the highest level. It is a VIOLENT,one of a kind sport.In ten years you'll see more physicality in a high school girls field hockey game the way things are going.

Gotcha, and I tend to agree on some counts. While players are bigger and faster, the focus on enabling the passing game is what this issue boils down to in the grand scheme of things. It is highly unfortunate.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I just can't support that hit period or what Wilfork is saying. There's ways to jack up your team besides making an illegal hit that could jeopardize someone's career.

Bryan Cox in 2001 was a great example someone mentioned

 

[BradyFTW!]

I actually LOVE Big Vince. It cracks me up how huge he is and how fast he moves! I also thought it was touching that he teared up about Moss being traded. Did you see him whooping it up when the Ravens FB got called for the unsportsmanlike in OT? He was giddy because he knew the Pats had forced the chippy Ravens into a huge mistake. You go Vince! (but I still don't think he should be celebrating Merriweather's hit. Heap could have been really hurt on that play. I was shocked that he came back into the game.).

For all of the talk that the hit is getting, I think that the bolded part is what's flying under the radar. How are the Ravens getting a free pass for putting Heap back into the game? At least Meriweather (aside from this Wilfork quote) is getting appropriately raked over the coals for what he did.

The Meriweather hit pissed me off, but you can at least make the argument that, even if it was intentional, it happened in a split second, and it was display of crappy judgment. But putting him back in was a deliberate decision on the part of the Ravens' staff, and whatever tests they subjected him to first, I'm willing to bet they weren't as stringent as they probably should have been. Someone who was down on the field for as long as he was is almost certainly in no shape to play football.

 

[BradyFTW!]

I loved the hit and frankly hope Meriweather continues his fiery intensity. I don't give a **** how cheap or dirty some posters here perceive it to be. The bottom line is that it got this defense to realize they need to start hitting people and playing physically - Vince said this himself.

The reality is if the Patriots want Offenses to respect their "short" and "soft" secondary, they must keep up laying big hits and being physical. Other teams will gladly lay big hits to our receivers - I say the Patriots respond in-kind.

I'll meet you halfway: I hated the result of the hit, and I'm on board with the league 'cracking down' to some extent, but I love the intensity. Meriweather needs to display way better judgment and stop launching helmet-first (forget about others, if you want- to protect himself if nothing else), but keep the huge hits coming.

 

[SEA_Pat]

I'm sure people do attacth themselves to a white guy because hey, most people think nowadays a white kid is useless in football. So excuse anyone for being happy to see a white guy who literally is an underdog make it. How many people had Julian Edelman as an expected contributor going into his 2nd season?

You do know that the Pats could put an All-White offense on the field, right?

Brady-Woodhead in the backfield.
Vollmer-Neal-Koppen-Connolly-Light-Gronk-Hernandez on the line/TEs.
Edelman-Welker WR.

I guess this would be our "vanilla" offense.

 

[Bella*chick]

For all of the talk that the hit is getting, I think that the bolded part is what's flying under the radar. How are the Ravens getting a free pass for putting Heap back into the game? At least Meriweather (aside from this Wilfork quote) is getting appropriately raked over the coals for what he did.

The Meriweather hit pissed me off, but you can at least make the argument that, even if it was intentional, it happened in a split second, and it was display of crappy judgment. But putting him back in was a deliberate decision on the part of the Ravens' staff, and whatever tests they subjected him to first, I'm willing to bet they weren't as stringent as they probably should have been. Someone who was down on the field for as long as he was is almost certainly in no shape to play football.

A good point. The sideline tests don't catch everything. I was listening to a Cris Cooley interview yesterday. He passed the sideline tests for concussion the other night but he clearly had one and played on until he got so uncomfortable he pulled himself from the game.

 

[captain stone]

I didn't read the first 3 pages, so pardon me if this comment has already been stated:
If Stomper's cowardly, dirty, and ******ed hit on Heap sparked Wilfork & the rest of the defense,
then he needs to look in the mirror & see the deficiencies of his own leadership.

The hit certainly sparked Bill, who promptly & correctly yanked Stomper from the game and gave him a good talking-to on his way to the bench, on which he might've stayed had it not been for Jarrad Page's injury.

I think Patrick Chung's smart & clean break-up in the EZ may have been the real spark for the defense.

 

[yopats]

I think Wilfork is on to something here.. Not saying it's right but Eric Smith's hit on Welker in week 2 had the exact same result and was talked about after ..

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Another former real leader on this team is on WEEI now and he disagrees with Vince and he thinks Meriweather's hit was dirty and avoidable. I'm sure the interview will be up once it's finished so I won't bother saying more that a lot of people here need to listen to it...

 

[reflexblue]

A little off the topic, but this season every time theres a big win theres been a distraction taking away from it. Never seen the likes of it before.

 

[Synovia]

Another former real leader on this team is on WEEI now and he disagrees with Vince and he thinks Meriweather's hit was dirty and avoidable. I'm sure the interview will be up once it's finished so I won't bother saying more that a lot of people here need to listen to it...

There's no such thing as a "former real leader". The correct word is "Analyst" and he knows that disagreeing with players sells better than agreeing.

 

[goheels22002]

Our defense doesn't suck and...........

Kontradiction wins an arguement with Molewisrocks

You would have thought it.

If Hey Bro and the Deus start making sense; the circle will be complete.

If those guys team up, I'll buy and re-open FIRE JOE MORGAN, my favorite site until it went belly-up.

It was great to see these guys out-hit the Baltimore Ravens!

The Ravens are a bunch of bullies who turned to mush in the 2nd half, especially in the 4th quarter and OT. They better get ready for more of this punishment, because the way to shut that offense down is to hit their receivers and make them pay for coming over the middle.

Belichick must have spent all bye week looking at film that showed the best way was to beat the Ravens was by opening up a big ol' can of whup ass and serving it cold. Even Brady woofing in Terrell Suggs' face was important for this team. In the 4th quarter and OT the O-line was pushing Ngata and that D-Line all over the place as Brady settled in with Branch and his re-vamped corps.

Shoot, it looked like the Ravens were confused because they couldn't lay a decent lick on Danny Woodhead who was fearless in the middle blocking for Brady, on short routes and running plays.

Merriweather should get suspended for launching into Todd Heap's head but so what? There were more balls and people being separated in this game than any since the mid-2000s Rodney Harrison teams. The Pats were soft last season and this looks like a team ready to match the intensity of the Steelers, Jets and Ravens as they head down the backstretch.

You go Vince!

 

[MoLewisrocks]

There's no such thing as a "former real leader". The correct word is "Analyst" and he knows that disagreeing with players sells better than agreeing.

I may not always agree with an analysts position, but Tedy and Rodney are the last two guys I'd ever accuse of being sellouts. Each has too much character and intestinal fortitude to sell out. Perspectives may change with distance, but in each case they have cited their own turning point on this matter as a player who made a similar mistake or in Rod's case mistakes.

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england.../10/683581-link-tedy-bruschi-dale-holley.html

 

[emoney_33]

I may not always agree with an analysts position, but Tedy and Rodney are the last two guys I'd ever accuse of being sellouts. Each has too much character and intestinal fortitude to sell out. Perspectives may change with distance, but in each case they have cited their own turning point on this matter as a player who made a similar mistake or in Rod's case mistakes.

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england.../10/683581-link-tedy-bruschi-dale-holley.html

What is a "sellout" in terms of going from Player to Analyst? Bruschi said that as Belichick taught him to 'do his job' that's what he's doing in his NEW job.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

What is a "sellout" in terms of going from Player to Analyst? Bruschi said that as Belichick taught him to 'do his job' that's what he's doing in his NEW job.

It's pretty clear his new job is to be the best analyst he can be. Just like his old job was to be the best player and leader and teamate he could be. Being the best you can be is something BB taught him. Most sellouts are just looking for the quick fix, be it on the field or in the media.

 

[emoney_33]

It's pretty clear his new job is to be the best analyst he can be. Just like his old job was to be the best player and leader and teamate he could be. Most sellouts are just looking for the quick fix, be it on the field or in the media.

I still don't understand what a "sellout" would be in this situation. How can a former player turned analyst be a "sellout"?

 

[Synovia]

It's pretty clear his new job is to be the best analyst he can be. Just like his old job was to be the best player and leader and teamate he could be. Being the best you can be is something BB taught him. Most sellouts are just looking for the quick fix, be it on the field or in the media.

And part of that is peddling completely false information, like with Moss?

He's no different than any other.

 

[sbpatfan]

Tedy and Rodney are no longer in the locker room, and the defense started to pick up steam after Meriweather blew up Baltimore's big TE. I'll take Wilfork and the eye test over what Tedy / Rodney think happened.

 

[captain stone]

And part of that is peddling completely false information, like with Moss?

He's no different than any other.

And what completely false information is that?

Tedy's no different than Schlereth, or Michael Irvin? That statement is a massive Fail.

 

[captain stone]

Tedy and Rodney are no longer in the locker room, and the defense started to pick up steam after Meriweather blew up Baltimore's big TE. I'll take Wilfork and the eye test over what Tedy / Rodney think happened.

The defense started to pick up steam after Patrick Chung's clean, legal, and awesome break-up of the 3rd-down pass in the EZ to start the 4th Qtr.