More Banjo Week 6 @ Ravens

[Joemailman]

Starting to look like Banjo is going to be a ST ace. The Jarrett Bush era may be in its waning days.

[run pMc]

Imagine if you had Bush and Banjo as gunners and the other team had to double each. Masthay could pull a bunch of fakes and end up with a better QB rating than Rodgers.

[run pMc]

That photo of the hit on Cobb makes me wonder why he didn't go for the ball and the midsection? I'd think anywhere above the knee and below the neck would be fair game...assuming you can catch the guy. Still, it's pretty clear that he's not going for a wrap up tackle.

[red]

That photo of the hit on Cobb makes me wonder why he didn't go for the ball and the midsection? I'd think anywhere above the knee and below the neck would be fair game...assuming you can catch the guy. Still, it's pretty clear that he's not going for a wrap up tackle.

the video makes it look like he started diving for cobbs knees way before the ball got to cobb

the knees were the target the whole time IMO

and i don't buy for a second that he was forced to go that low because he can't go for the head

theres like 3 or 3.5 feet of target between the head and knees. he can't hit that big target, but he can make a direct hit on the most vital part of a Wr's body?

[Guiness]

the video makes it look like he started diving for cobbs knees way before the ball got to cobb

the knees were the target the whole time IMO

and i don't buy for a second that he was forced to go that low because he can't go for the head

theres like 3 or 3.5 feet of target between the head and knees. he can't hit that big target, but he can make a direct hit on the most vital part of a Wr's body?

Have a link to a video? Looked around yesterday but didn't find anything.

[hoosier]

Here is Cobb's injury: http://www.nfl.com/videos/green-bay-...n-15-yard-gain

I don't see this as a cheap shot. Elam certainly went low, but everything is happening so fast. It looks to me like Elam's only goal is to get Cobb on the ground. Cobb had to go up to get the ball and his feet had just come back to ground when Elam hits him, so it's very possible that Elam didn't know exactly where Cobb was going to be when contacted. If Elam aims for waist level and doesn't hit him squarely, Cobb spins off and waltzes in for the TD. My best guess from seeing the video at full speed and slo mo is that Elam is trying to take Cobb's feet out from under him.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Tyrone Walker was added to the PS.

[Patler]

Elam basically dove to his hands and knees, leading with his shoulder, to force Cobb to trip over him, There was no attempt at a grab and wrap up type tackle. While he may not have taken Cobb's knees as a specific target, he was bound to hit at knee height or lower just by the position he took for himself.

Personally, I think he aimed at knee height, but didn't know for sure what way Cobb would be facing when he hit him, nor if Cobb would have his feet on the ground or still in the air as Elam got there. Elam dove through the path Cobb would come down, aiming at lower leg height, probably hoping to flip Cobb head over heals and dislodge the ball.

If there is any meaning to the rule protecting defenseless receivers, a hit like this should be penalized. Do I think there should be a rule penalizing this? Only when it is a player targeting a Packer!!

[Patler]

Tyrone Walker was added to the PS.

Interesting.

[Maxie the Taxi]

On the Cobb hit...to me it's just football. Elam threw a block tackle. Unfortunately, Cobb was anticipating Elam, tried to plant, avoid Elam and turn upfield. If he had not planted and kept running on a slant, probably no harm. It's a violent, bang-bang game.

[Patler]

On the Cobb hit...to me it's just football. Elam threw a block tackle. Unfortunately, Cobb was anticipating Elam, tried to plant, avoid Elam and turn upfield. If he had not planted and kept running on a slant, probably no harm. It's a violent, bang-bang game.

I agree, but the question is what are the rules intended to protect? To me, if the goal is to protect defenseless receivers, it should prevent this type of hit, which carries a high risk of injury, which Cobb was unable to guard against. Do I think they should have rules for it? No, I do not. Nor do I think there should be special rules to protect QBs who run or QBs in the pocket, except for unnecessary roughness as it used to be (blatant hits to the head, etc.) Hitting any player low is part of the game. No body was concerned with hits to QBs until high-profile QBs got hurt.

[mraynrand]

I agree, but the question is what are the rules intended to protect? To me, if the goal is to protect defenseless receivers, it should prevent this type of hit, which carries a high risk of injury, which Cobb was unable to guard against. Do I think they should have rules for it? No, I do not. Nor do I think there should be special rules to protect QBs who run or QBs in the pocket, except for unnecessary roughness as it used to be (blatant hits to the head, etc.) Hitting any player low is part of the game. No body was concerned with hits to QBs until high-profile QBs got hurt.

It's the result of the QBs getting hurt that's the key: clearly the level of play diminishes, and scoring suffers. Nobody wants to see Pro football turned into soccer no matter how much people claim to enjoy watching 'good defense.' People hate bad offense more than they like good defense.

If hitting takes similar tolls on the playmakers, eventually you'll get more protection for them as well. The league will eventually move to some kind of electronic tackling - a sophisticated "Two hands below the waist" (easy, Harlan) kind of league.

[Maxie the Taxi]

I agree, but the question is what are the rules intended to protect? To me, if the goal is to protect defenseless receivers, it should prevent this type of hit, which carries a high risk of injury, which Cobb was unable to guard against. Do I think they should have rules for it? No, I do not. Nor do I think there should be special rules to protect QBs who run or QBs in the pocket, except for unnecessary roughness as it used to be (blatant hits to the head, etc.) Hitting any player low is part of the game. No body was concerned with hits to QBs until high-profile QBs got hurt.

I agree. Rules sometimes have unintended consequences. Formerly, the DB in the Cobb situation would have hit Cobb high trying to dislodge the ball before Cobb tucks it away. The problem is the refs are calling high hits extremely close. Even a shoulder pad into Cobb's mid-section might draw a penalty. I saw that happen a game or two ago. So what's the option. Take the receiver's feet out from under him. Unfortunately, Cobb had planted his foot. Even a form tackle in that case would probably have taken its toll on Cobb's leg.

[Patler]

It's the result of the QBs getting hurt that's the key: clearly the level of play diminishes, and scoring suffers. Nobody wants to see Pro football turned into soccer no matter how much people claim to enjoy watching 'good defense.' People hate bad offense more than they like good defense.

If hitting takes similar tolls on the playmakers, eventually you'll get more protection for them as well. The league will eventually move to some kind of electronic tackling - a sophisticated "Two hands below the waist" (easy, Harlan) kind of league.

One of the reporters noted that the league office said the Cobb hit would be another that would be reviewed for potential rule changes next year. Would it have been considered if Boykin was the one injured?

[Maxie the Taxi]

In my touch football league, it was "two hands above the waist." But that was centuries ago.