But then they call defenseless receiver penalties. Defenders have very few options.
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I mean itâs still a legal hit no matter how itâs sliced and diced. I know the NFL probably looks at those plays to determine if a player should be fined or not and so far Kerby hasnât been fined so heâll probably continue to tackle like that until the NFL says he canât.
And thatâs the way the league wants it. Maximum offense.
Theyâre gonna have to start allowing the big shots to the chest/waist area whether the player was defenseless or not. Defenders have to have some means to get them down/dislodge the ball. Because otherwise the rule will be âyou canât tackle them until they come down with the ballâ, and that will finally be the straw that causes fan revolt.
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I wasnât anywhere as good as you but when I played football, safeties were enforcers. And I still think that is to some extent still there but the strike zone has chanted. Back when I played concussions werenât what was being mitigated. It was paralysis bc people were tackling with their helmets down. I think we may be around the same age but there was a big national campaign about seeing what you hit. Within that context spearing was far more common when I played tackle football and it usually was those crazy safeties. Almost every time I got clobbered it was by a safety coming across the middle.
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https://x.com/riger1984/status/1746768020142198906?s=46&t=XNaCYqjbnQMZs3PB8Kzlfg
I agree with this take. I may have even changed my mind on it ad some point, but either way, Matt overthrew an open, 6 foot 6 tight end.
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I thought Kerby mightâve had a play on the ball and players mention responsibility of the QB to not Pettigrew the guys career.
But the idea the game is just too soft or almost flag football just isnât true.
The NFL and sport likely needs to adapt with the money and strength training , size of athletes these days because these also arenât the same athletes of the good old days. Their new baseline is probably the strength of the guy on steroids in the 80s
Rams neurologist was like âŚ"sure I checked Puka and Staff - theyâre good to go! "
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Kirby has no brain ,saw the dumb penalty he took earlier
Thatâs exactly my point. Stafford threw a hospital ball, again, and having a howitzer for an arm is great, but what is better is when you can take a bit off and throw a nice, easy ball between the numbers that hits the guy in stride. Goff throws a great, catchable ball that has great timing. Stafford throws tight windows that put players on IR. This isnât a new issue. 
If he hits Higbee in stride there, that injury doesnât happen, period. Unless football goes to two hand touch, this isnât going to stop.
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hated that hit. Kind of personal for me, because thatâs pretty much how I shredded my knee in HS. Donât know a thing about Kerby, so no idea if heâs a dirty player, but in-game, it looked like a dirty hit.
Hope Higbee fully recovers.
Kerby is rather âlight in the pantsâ. He has no choice but to go low. Heâs not a head hunter at all. Itâs unfortunate that he went low on guys that outweigh him by 20-30lbs and they got injured. Itâs football. Smaller guys always go low on bigger guys. Itâs happened to me. I didnât take it personal. Iâm sure Higbee didnât either.
I told my son, you have to have a screw loose in the head to play this game. And once youâre used to it: It never leaves you. He understood. Played a year of HS ball and realized, he is sane and all of his screws are tight. This game is for everyone to enjoy and consume. But it isnât for everyone to play.
Sorry, big fella. Youâll get your shot against Kerby again. Do what you gotta do, within the rules of the game. Thatâll motivate him for the next year.
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The problem is the NFL doesnât think so. Same sort of hit on Hock, but no flag and no fine afterwards. It shouldnât be considered dirty if itâs still within the rules.
Iâm absolutely not saying you have to like it of course, but it is what it is.
How is this a âbadâ throw from Stafford?
How is this âgoodâ tackling form from Kerby?
Itâs an incredibly stupid and dangerous play that Kerby made. If the Lions coaches support this type of football then I would strongly disagree with them.
This is NOT FOOTBALL.
This is NOT COMPETING
This is NOT JUST AN ACCIDENT IN A ROUGH SPORT
This is negligent and reckless and Kerby is going to have some headhunters around the NFL. The Hock hit and now thisâŚare well known to every pass catcher in the NFL.
I love my Lions - and I love the game of footballâŚand I just canât accept this, not from us or any team.
So you think that we should have to handicap our efforts beyond the rulebook?
I think Kerby is deploying a clearly legal tactic and that itâs effective. Until itâs outlawed by the league itâs fair game IMO.
I guess I have a no honor among thieves perspective as long as itâs within the bounds of the rules.
Maybe JKerb shoulda played the ball.
Then again, if Higbee doesnât bobble, he might have been able to react to the hit coming.
Game of inches.
So here is the deal. This happens in certain routes and tends to happen with high throws putting the TE in these positions.
Are we going to ignore this fact?
If the balls are lower the TE can protect themselves better.
I do not like the hit and especially the outcome. But this is kind of the same discussion of QB throwing high over the middle and getting WR blown up when Safeties were allowed to head hunt.
And this 100% is the type of thing Brady and Erin talked about how the league is dumbing down the game by penalizing rather than the players aka QBs being criticized.
If that throw is not so far out in front and Higbee is able to catch and turn he is fine.
Again I hate the injury but I think we all see the issue here. Would need to see the Hock one to get an idea where that pass was located. But the QB is also contributing.
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Thatâs basically what Ducey was sayinâ, I think. Also, you see Goff trying to whoa his receivers up a little when theyâre headed into trouble.
After watching this more than I care to, he was led too far and bobbled, probably because he sensed the defenders too. Had Stafford thrown that a bit behind him, itâs a different outcome.
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Thereâs hits like that in literally every game. Just sucks when the cleats dig in. I hate any of these injuries but I also know itâs easy to look at something in slow motion and say someone should have done something different. Kirby was in a dead sprint so you have to take that into consideration.
And let me be clear. I hate the injuries to players.
These dudes give a ton to play this game. And it is madness out there.
But I just think that the QB has to recognize some of this stuff and make sure they protect their players.
Brady would keep passes low
Peyton was known to keep them low
I think Goff keep it low
And listen QBs are not perfect so passes will get away from them at times.
This play in particular with the TEs doing deeper crossing routes puts them in peril.
On the flip side how do you change the rules to effectively eliminate this hit? I mean hit dude up high penalty. Hit him at shoulders or upper mid section they get bounced. I feel like the thigh/hip is the only target left.