A lot is being made of the NFL’s attempt to stop the head-hunting that’s currently going on in the league. I think the head-hunting has increased as the prevalence of the west coast offense has grown.
A running back who is given the ball over and over again was once thought to place the greatest amount of strain on a player, but an offensive player is never in more jeopardy than when a receiver is trying to catch a pass in a crowded area.
Look at all of the big hits this past Sunday and you will see that they all occurred after a receiver caught a short pass.
The truth of the matter is that both the offensive and defensive players are both in jeopardy when they’re running at fast speeds and colliding. Notice that many times both the offensive and defensive players are hurt when they collide.
Defenses try to intimidate receivers and separate them from the ball because that’s the best way to defense the west coast offense. I remember being coached to punish the receiver after he caught the pass because that would discourage the opponent from trying it again.
There’s nothing that gives defenders more chances to go after the heads of offensive players than the west coast offense which features the short passing game. The west coast offense is designed to throw the ball over the middle where most of the defensive players are positioned in pass coverages.
Both the safeties and linebacker patrol the middle of the field. Unlike the cornerbacks, linebackers and safeties are bigger and considered to be harder hitters. The west coast offense is based on attacking the safeties and linebackers with the pass.
We all thought that running the football was the more manly thing to do. Running teams were considered to be more physical and tough but the greatest amount of courage and toughness is asked of receivers who catch the ball over the middle.
Nearly every game nowadays, you see a receiver stretched out after being hit by a defender or defenders after he was trying to catch a short pass in a confined and congested area.
I’ve written numerous articles explaining countless reasons why a player as small as DeSean Jackson can’t survive catching short passes and getting hit by linebackers and safeties who outweigh him by 50 to 100 pounds.
No player can take being consistent blows to the head, but a smaller player like Jackson can’t take them to his shoulders, torso or legs.
Bill Walsh built the west coast offense with big wide receivers, who could take the punishment over the middle. Wide receivers like Dwight Clark had size but he didn’t have the blazing speed were asked to run patterns inside against linebackers and safeties. Even the great Jerry Rice was much bigger than Jackson. He could take the punishment inside.
Jackson won’t be able to survive he gets hit a time or two like the shot he took on Sunday. This is the second time this season he’s been knocked out of a game and it’s third time in his short career that he’s been sidelined because of a hit to his head.
I can guarantee you right now that Jeff Fisher’s Tennessee Titans team will try to discourage Eagles receivers from catching the ball over the middle and in tight areas by punishing them with big hits when they catch the football.
If you make receivers grow “alligator arms” you stop the west coast offense.
Definitely a big reason is the evolvement of the WCO, 3 & 4 Wr Sets and just more passing in general Another reason is that many defenders and in particular in the Def/Secondary have become so enamored of making the “big hit”, to make a highlight film to be shown on ESPN is that they are encouraged to “blow receivers up” by thier peers,teammates,coaches and fans…It’s part of the game
that Fans love to see (similar to a fight at a Hockey game or a Crash at a NAscar Race)
Players reflect our Society which has now become an instant gratification, what can you show me now type of mentality for Football players in a lot of cases, thet mean trying to take someone’s head off…
Its funny you say this i was telling a friend last week that as the NFL has become more of a qbs league then ever. Pass rush defenses will increase. So there for injurys will increase of qbs as this continues. This is along the game lines
Wow, for once I agree with Paul Mancini. Good point though homie. I do however think that Dunta was trying to hurt Desean Jackson. I dont think he meant to hit him head on though. I mean, c’mon, he knows how small Desean Jackson is. He is about my size, trust me, Ive met him a few times. And I’m 5″10 about 170, actually wider than he is. But my point is….Dunta knew how big Desean was and he knows hitting him unexpectedly at that pace at which he hit Desean, could have really hurt and threatened Desean’s career. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one. That would be like me hitting my little cousin at that rate. He is 5″3, 110 lbs. Me knowing how small he is, I know that I would F*** him up if I hit him like that before he got a chance to have control of the ball. Yeah its football, but he didnt have to hit Desean like that. Its not hard to tackle him ya know.
WTF….LMAO “Yeah its football, but he didnt have to hit Desean like that.”
It’s a Violent Game with Violent Collisions…
I couldn’t believe ESPN was pushing that JACKED UP feature on their show
I am surprised the NFL didn’t complain about it
I remember reading what HOFer Artie Donovan said about preventing these helmet injuries
“Take the Face Masks off the helmets”
Gottaluvit….WTF @ your comment. I was speaking the truth. At the end of the day, you have to live. Its a game, supposed to be fun 1st and foremost. But thats messed up to try to hurt someone so bad that their career could end or they could be paralyzed…God Forbid
@ DizzyJ …..Watch this video of our BELOVED B-Dawk and tell me what he was doing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suYFi8zW6pE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1bQMCDcza4
G:
G, small point. Dwight Clark played TE. It was Jerry Rice and John Taylor as WR’s. Clark was the X/Y.
One of the greatest games Joe Montana ever played was the one where he threw 4 touchdown passes against the Eagles’ defense in the second half. Clyde Simmons and Reggie White were meeting at the QB, literally. It was crunchilicious, but Joe Montana was the difference in that game because he stood in there and took the physical pounding that he KNEW was coming.
I agree with your larger point that the West Coast offense is an invitation to hard-hitting. But c’mon G, Wes Hopkins made a LIVING on those receivers. Again, I LOVED it! It’s rolling the dice mano-y-mano with everything on the line. There’s my version of the truth.
Agree with G. At 160(whatever), DJAx is borderline too small for the league, and certainly not capable of being hit constantly by LB’s, and even safeties. He was damn lucky to be hit by another smallish player. Big Red has to design plays to take advantage of his strengths, or start thinking about playing 14 more…
Loved the “Take the face masks off” comment, loved it.
Hey I know its a violent game, I respect the big hit, its part of the game, but something has to be done, what industry can survive who destroys its own product. The NFL is right fix the problem if you can. A few years down the line no one hear is going to care about 80% of the players playing, or their pains and sufferings.
I heard someone on the news say that they should lower the strike zone for tackling, blocking and hitting. I agree, we as fans can oooh and wooow the big upper body hits as much as any other.
If the NFL is serious they are going to have to also change the rules so that the game is not so slanted towards the offense. The point is some changes have to be made, we are not after all ROMES.
As always LONG LIVE THE EAGLES
Couldn’t agree more with Paul Mancini and I’ll add that I’ve been watching the NFL since well before ESPN, like many others in the forum I’m sure. I think ESPN has had a negative impact on the NFL. I don’t like the friggin’ grandstanding, dancing, pom pom waving, blowin’ up a player etc. crap. I like good old fashioned fundamental football, period. Yeah I admit it, I like watching all of the game, not just highlights.
How many tackle whiffs do we see because a fundamental tackle doesn’t get on ESPN? Yeah, yeah, ESPN & the NFL Network play it, we watch it, they get ratings and play it more, make more money from comercials, more people watch the game, TV makes more, the players and owners make more money, they blow up more players, ESPN plays it, round & round and down the toilet we go.
The end result is less quality games because: too many teams which need more players then quality players college can produce, too many on the roster because they can’t stay healthy, poor quality play etc. so, YEAH, I think more regular season games is just the ticket…
I’m done my rant, for now.
Crappy day, especially after the Phillies loss!
How about telling defensive players to pull up AND telling WR to don’t go for the ball? That seems fair to me. Just doesn’t make since to me to tell defensive players they needs to adjust while offensive players are still able to play the same. Tell them to aligator-arm in and it’s a done deal.