Harrison said he has adjusted his target area

Why did it take a suspension for him to change?

Dec. 21, 2011 4:53 p.m. - by Dale Grdnic - Harrison says he's altered target area after suspension

James Harrison, who returned from a one-game suspension Wednesday for an illegal hit Dec. 8 on Browns QB Colt McCoy, said he has lowered his target area like league officials have asked. "I guess [McCoy] is a little bit shorter,'' Harrison said. "I don't know if he ducked, but it came down to it and my helmet hit his.''

 

I think what he said was that he has altered his target area (hence no fines, etc. in over a year) but this was a case in which there was a small QB outside the pocket and helmets collided. I don't think he's saying he is altering his target area as a result of the suspension as the headline misleadingly says.

 

I think a QB outside the pocket should be "fair game"

 

When the punishment was only money, It didn't effect him much and didn't effect his team mates at all.
But he 'feels' a suspension, players want to play. And his team mates were less likely to publically defend him and some probably felt like he let them down.

 

That is exactly how I took it also...

 

hope he takes out some Ratbirds' knees next game they play ...

 

Can anyone show me a play where he made helmet to helmet contact on a quarterback besides the Colt McCoy play, which was very unsual in many ways, ranging from McCoy's height to the place on the field to his body movements to his run-pass fake?

I can't think of any, including the ones he was fined for (Young, Massaquoi, Brees, FitzPatrick).

Perhaps there was one from several years ago? Even if that's the case, one every three or four years doesn't tell me his target zone needed to be adjusted. Sounds like he's just saying what wants to be heard.

 

This is the point I have been trying to make.... Colt ducked down right at impact. If he would have maintained his height he would have been hit straight in the sternum. I think what Harrison is trying to say here is he has been following the rules all year. If Colt hadn't ducked down like that there would have been no suspension. How can you legislate a QB doing that right at the last second. Its not fair.

 

if it's tom tom i say go ahead and do it. :matrix:

 

Colt McCoy did not duck down at the last minute, the video proves that. Go watch the video again.

 

McCoy didnt duck. The level of his head never moved before the hit.

 

Honestly, they just don't want some QB's to be hit at all and it really seems selective on who can get hit and how.

They threw a roughing the passer call in the Thursday Night game on the Texans player for just hitting the QB. There was a very slight H2H contact but the QB ducked and wouldn't have gotten hit there if he had not.

In the next year or 2 it will be official that the QB cannot be hit. They are sissying the sport to extremes and this will be a rule sooner rather than later.

 

That's true. I've defended the hit, but McCoy didn't duck. His head perhaps dropped at the last moment by an inch or so, but nothing significant. Just the amount of drop that happens when you run.

However, his head was lower than it would have been if he was standing or running normally. He was sort of hunched over for awhile while scrambling before his dumpoff. Something of a long-term duck. On a short guy, it has everything to do with why Harrison's helmet hit him in the facemask and why Dumervil hit Brady a foot lower.