NFL Stuff

After Roy Williams of the Dallas Cowboys ended a couple of players' seasons (including TO) last year with his latch-onto-the-nape-of-the-jersey, tackle-from-behind, piledriving move, the NFL decided to outlaw it. This led to conversation with ESPN's Sean Salisbury and Mark Schlereth about how the league is turning even more soft. They wondered, "How in the world is someone supposed to tackle anyone from behind without this move?" and they blathered on and on about how it's turning the game into a "sissier" (not their word, mine) sport.

Well, Sean and Mark...how about tackling around the shoulders? That's not illegal. Drag people down from there, not the nape of the neck. Until Roy Williams started doing this, I had never seen any player do that, including from the good ol' days in which you guys seem to be fond. This move destroyed Tyrone Calico last year as well. Let's face it--Sean Salisbury and Mark Schlereth have always been drinking-game spouters of the word "football" in their analysis, to ridiculous proportions, and they have always exuded that aura of "manly-man" discussion of the sport. It would seem to me that a real man--and Roy Williams is one, because when he's not doing that move he's providing the most vicious hits in the league--could pull a receiver down from his shoulders and not his jersey. That's playing the game tough, like a man, and any other testosterone-fueled bullshit you can call it.

We definitely watch the NFL for some violence--but I think we'd like to see the other player, who has clearly beaten the defense, have a reasonable chance of coming out of the play without his season being over from a tackle that is patently unfair.

Also...you hear a lot about rookie quarterbacks being "confused" when they start out. I understand that you have to read coverages and defenses are complex and so forth...but in the end, aren't you just looking for an open receiver? I can understand being scared more than being confused--you've played football for a long time by the time you get to the pros, and you've seen all sorts of crazy stuff, likely--although I guess in high school and college that football isn't a defense-oriented sport. I don't know. I just think the term "confused" is wrong--not completely wrong, but too much of a blanket statement.