Calling for an immediate suspension

#1
Ohio Vol

Ohio Vol

Inquisitor of Offense
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Jun 9, 2006
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#1
I am posting this as a former player, a current coach, a fan of football, and someone who has extensively studied sports-related injuries including head trauma.

After seeing live on TV a particular "block" thrown by one Brandon LaFell of LSU on Zach Davis of Mississippi State, I am convinced more than ever that an intentional hit in which the head/helmet is used as a weapon should be an automatic 15-yard penalty AND an automatic ejection (with mandatory league/conference review and power to impose suspensions).

The game of football is a rough one. In the context of a hard-fought and well-played game, injuries happen. Bones break, ligaments tear, fingers snap, tendons rupture, and occasionally brains get jolted. This, quite simply, is part of the game. It is inevitable that injuries will occur in a game as rough as football. I'm not calling for a myriad of rule changes or other radical measures in order to tone down hard physical play.

What I am calling for is a banishment of brutal headhunting cheap shots like those that Brandon LaFell administered. Watch it at full speed, watch it in slow motion, watch it paused and rewound. At no point did he attempt to extend his arms in order to deliver a block. He didn't even use his shoulder. No, LaFell simply lowered his head and rammed Zach Davis across the head with it, causing a frightening amount of impact to be delivered in a torquing manner. This was nothing more than a cheap shot; it was a flagrant attempt to injure and it succeeded.

Injuries happen as a result of hard play. There is NO room in the game of football for outrageous garbage such as this. I am calling on the NCAA, the NFHS, and all state governing bodies to draft legislation regarding the outlawing of flagrant head shots such as what was seen tonight. Spearing was made illegal years ago, and quite honestly the person spearing usually bore the brunt of the impact. Head shots are the opposite; the person ramming another player with a helmeted head is attempting to induce a concussion. A tackle is meant to separate the ballcarrier from the ball and a block is meant to separate the defensive player from his area; at no point is there room for something that is meant to separate any opponent from consciousness.
 
#2
#2
also, it seemed to me after watching it a couple times that Davis was well out of the play, distance-wise, when the hit occurred; I think there was a huge missed obligation on the part of the refs to make an unneccessary roughness call there; I'm not sure I support the ejection argument, but I would agree that it was a headhunting type of hit.
 
#3
#3
I know exactly what hit you are talking about. The MSU player following the runner was blind sided and when his head snapped back by the cheap shot to the head I thought to myself he might incur a serious head or neck injury. Ejection was most certainly warranted!!
 
#4
#4
Ohio Vol said:
I am posting this as a former player, a current coach, a fan of football, and someone who has extensively studied sports-related injuries including head trauma.

After seeing live on TV a particular "block" thrown by one Brandon LaFell of LSU on Zach Davis of Mississippi State, I am convinced more than ever that an intentional hit in which the head/helmet is used as a weapon should be an automatic 15-yard penalty AND an automatic ejection (with mandatory league/conference review and power to impose suspensions).

The game of football is a rough one. In the context of a hard-fought and well-played game, injuries happen. Bones break, ligaments tear, fingers snap, tendons rupture, and occasionally brains get jolted. This, quite simply, is part of the game. It is inevitable that injuries will occur in a game as rough as football. I'm not calling for a myriad of rule changes or other radical measures in order to tone down hard physical play.

What I am calling for is a banishment of brutal headhunting cheap shots like those that Brandon LaFell administered. Watch it at full speed, watch it in slow motion, watch it paused and rewound. At no point did he attempt to extend his arms in order to deliver a block. He didn't even use his shoulder. No, LaFell simply lowered his head and rammed Zach Davis across the head with it, causing a frightening amount of impact to be delivered in a torquing manner. This was nothing more than a cheap shot; it was a flagrant attempt to injure and it succeeded.

Injuries happen as a result of hard play. There is NO room in the game of football for outrageous garbage such as this. I am calling on the NCAA, the NFHS, and all state governing bodies to draft legislation regarding the outlawing of flagrant head shots such as what was seen tonight. Spearing was made illegal years ago, and quite honestly the person spearing usually bore the brunt of the impact. Head shots are the opposite; the person ramming another player with a helmeted head is attempting to induce a concussion. A tackle is meant to separate the ballcarrier from the ball and a block is meant to separate the defensive player from his area; at no point is there room for something that is meant to separate any opponent from consciousness.
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I recall that hit, and I agree it was intentional as I saw it. I do think it was viscious but it is football it's not horseshoes...even as a hs kid I knew there was a remote possibilty of a spinal cord hit or thereabouts. Football has suffered greatly in my opinion over the last 25 years to cushion it up and I'm against it. If it were easy anyone could play, they can't because it's hard but not as hard as it used to be.
 
#5
#5
It was pretty clear that he was headhunting. The refs did a pretty good job overall but missed that one and the pushoff in the endzone that led to one of the 6 INT's. The hit was very uncalled for at that stage in the play.
 
#7
#7
looked like good block to me, keep your head up and watch where youre going

if he attempted to spear him thats one thing but he put his head down and came from underneath him to deliver the shot, he didnt lead with his head in a manner to hurt him, watch it, he slumps down and leads in
 
#8
#8
head1 said:
looked like good block to me, keep your head up and watch where youre going

if he attempted to spear him thats one thing but he put his head down and came from underneath him to deliver the shot, he didnt lead with his head in a manner to hurt him, watch it, he slumps down and leads in
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I don't care about the toughness mandate in football..if it ain't necessary to lay somebody out like that, then don't do it. A good hit is a good hit; cheap is just cheap.
 
#9
#9
I think the problem is the penalty for the returning the favor. The refs are always looking for it and should let it happen. I played rugby which is fairly player governed. If one player does something dirty expect the offended team to do double back. Nothing like a rake across your chest when your down to teach a lesson. And generally, nothing like this happens because everyone knows the consequences. I would think football was like this in the day. :yes:
 
#10
#10
head1 said:
looked like good block to me, keep your head up and watch where youre going

if he attempted to spear him thats one thing but he put his head down and came from underneath him to deliver the shot, he didnt lead with his head in a manner to hurt him, watch it, he slumps down and leads in
Click to expand...

Came from underneath what? The jaw? The area that anywhere from 70-90% of concussions in sport occur after being impacted and/or torqued? The area where a hard impact causes a twisting of the brain stem, causing everything from balance disruption to unconsciousness to brain death?

Basic physics dictates that the amount of impact is equal to (mass x velocity). LaFell is listed at 205 pounds and is probably a guy with good acceleration. Combine the force he generates with a helmeted head to a poorly-protected area (plus Davis' own inertia coming from the other direction). It was a garbage play, plain and simple. Defense is predicated on tackling, NOT ramming.

Of course, if everyone had no facemask and a leather helmet, we'd never see something like this happen.
 
#11
#11
As a a former player, we are taught from little league to college, you play all out till the whistle blows...the MS State player let up and paid the price. Football is a tough game and every now and then your gonna get your bell rung...I bet he dosen't let up again.
 
#12
#12
TheTennesseeTom said:
As a a former player, we are taught from little league to college, you play all out till the whistle blows...the MS State player let up and paid the price. Football is a tough game and every now and then your gonna get your bell rung...I bet he dosen't let up again.
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there are limits.
 
#13
#13
when that happened me and all my friends jumped up and yelled "oh s**t!!"
i think it was fairly over the top, but how is it any different than when dbs and lbs make full speed head on collisions with exposed receivers?
if that defender makes the same hit on the receiver on a pass play then he'd get a standing ovation from the home crowd.
 
#15
#15
After watching it again in slo-mo, the initial contact was helmet-to-helmet with the body following afterwards.
 
#18
#18
Ohio Vol said:
I am posting this as a former player, a current coach, a fan of football, and someone who has extensively studied sports-related injuries including head trauma.

After seeing live on TV a particular "block" thrown by one Brandon LaFell of LSU on Zach Davis of Mississippi State, I am convinced more than ever that an intentional hit in which the head/helmet is used as a weapon should be an automatic 15-yard penalty AND an automatic ejection (with mandatory league/conference review and power to impose suspensions).

The game of football is a rough one. In the context of a hard-fought and well-played game, injuries happen. Bones break, ligaments tear, fingers snap, tendons rupture, and occasionally brains get jolted. This, quite simply, is part of the game. It is inevitable that injuries will occur in a game as rough as football. I'm not calling for a myriad of rule changes or other radical measures in order to tone down hard physical play.

What I am calling for is a banishment of brutal headhunting cheap shots like those that Brandon LaFell administered. Watch it at full speed, watch it in slow motion, watch it paused and rewound. At no point did he attempt to extend his arms in order to deliver a block. He didn't even use his shoulder. No, LaFell simply lowered his head and rammed Zach Davis across the head with it, causing a frightening amount of impact to be delivered in a torquing manner. This was nothing more than a cheap shot; it was a flagrant attempt to injure and it succeeded.

Injuries happen as a result of hard play. There is NO room in the game of football for outrageous garbage such as this. I am calling on the NCAA, the NFHS, and all state governing bodies to draft legislation regarding the outlawing of flagrant head shots such as what was seen tonight. Spearing was made illegal years ago, and quite honestly the person spearing usually bore the brunt of the impact. Head shots are the opposite; the person ramming another player with a helmeted head is attempting to induce a concussion. A tackle is meant to separate the ballcarrier from the ball and a block is meant to separate the defensive player from his area; at no point is there room for something that is meant to separate any opponent from consciousness.
Click to expand...
I hate lsu but that was a great block this is not flag football
 
#20
#20
Admit it, it was cheap, and could have been career, even life threatening, he is very lucky he is not seriously injured. I like to see a great hit as much as anybody, but the hit was a cheap shot, I dont care if the whistle had blown or not, and if it had been one of our boys that took the cheap shot like that (Chad Clifton), you that are defending the hit would be in an uproar. It is a viscious sport that you take risks every play, but he had other options. Go Vols.
 
#21
#21
Well I too think it was cheap but I doubt this conversation would even exist if one of our players laid out someone else.
 
#22
#22
Tend to agree with you, Ohio. There should at least be a warning issued. That kid got straight-up earholed. It happened at the back of a play on its way out of bounds. I suspect Lafell was aiming for it ten yards away.
 
#23
#23
Its not the fact that the hit was made that makes it cheap. Going for a high hit like that was what made it cheap. The LSU player was just trying to take him out of the game. I hate most of the unnecessary roughness rules and that other crap because football is a game for men and big hits are what makes it special. But if the LSU player would have made it a high body shot and not a blow to the head it would have been alot safer and in my opinion a full blow de-cleater is more highlight reel worthy than a potato sack dropping effect from a concussion.
 
#24
#24
It was definitely a questionable block. The LSU player lined up the block from several yards away and turned himself into a missile and led with his helmet on a guy who was out of the play and couldn't see it coming. It was the MSU guy's fault for not being aware of a block coming, but the helmet to helmet stuff cannot be tolerated.
 
#25
#25
1. I'm totally against softening up the game. It wouldn't be football.

2. I'm totally against flagrant "headhunting." That is not football. Knock his dang lights out if it's a legal hit. Get off the field if you are only good enough to take cheap shots.

Case in point, other than the obvious hit last night. We had a top HS QB here in Hart Co. a few years back. Also a highly rated short stop in baseball and very effective pitcher. Senior season, 2nd game, He got picked up out of bounds and body slammed and broken collar bone and some other injuries. Lost all his offers, was able to complete the spring baseball, but never threw the same. Ended up walking on at West GA, actually starting this year at QB. But, had more in his pocket than West GA, and lost his entire senior season. By the way, no penalty.
 
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