NFL releases how to hit video

New video to teams of legal & illegal hits

another related link

 

The first "legal" hit described (Saints defender hitting Calvin Johnson of the Lions)... The Saints defender hit him in the head as the presenter is saying that he's not hitting him in the head. You can clearly see Johnson's helmet shifting as a result of contact to the facemask. Then again... maybe they are saying helmet to facemask is legal... :?

I agree with comments on the page that displays the link for the video: many legal hits in the video are of either tall receivers (6'5-ish) or the receiver is in the air. There are a couple good hits where the defender and offensive player is of comparable height and the receiver is on the ground.

Either way... it's still garbage. He says they're agrresively calling these fouls, but they haven't flagged Hines getting blazed by NE, last year, or BAL, this year. And Hines got a concussion on both hits, passed out, and had to be taken out of the game. No flags. None. Either time.

These illegal hits... of course most of them are clearly H2H of a defensless receiver... However, he places that "X" in a place that's not feasible for a defender to hit. Example... 1st illegal hit... the receiver is in the air and bending down. The only way to hit low is: 1) already be squatted under the receiver and lunge upward, shoulder-first, into numbers (not likely), 2) destroy his knees, or 3) let the receiver make the reception and let your team down. LOL

Also, if safety is top priorty, then why not make these hits illegal for all players and not just receivers? Also, offensive players should not be able to grab the facemask of a defender when stiff-arming. I've seen it all too often...

 

One more thing... looking again... at the legal hit on Wallace... Wallace actually stayed straight up, after the catch. Had Wallace ducked, as most receivers do, to brace for impact, the defender would have surely hit him in the helmet. And it wouldn't have been the defender's fault. But, based on the Hines Ward hits... it still wouldn't have been flagged. :?